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Inside

MAY 2019
VOL. 80

FROM OLYMPIA HQ

FEATURES
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F ROM THE CHA I RMAN

INSPIRED
BY...?
CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
David Pecker
EXECUTIVE EDITOR EVP/GROUP PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
Zack Zeigler Chris Scardino
To truly succeed in EDITORIAL ADVERTISING & MARKETING
MANAGING EDITOR Brian Good ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, ADVERTISING
the gym, at work, and DEPUTY EDITOR Jason Serafino
FITNESS EDITOR Andrew Gutman
Dara Markus

in life, you’ve got to EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Rose McNulty
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, MARKETING
Samantha DiTata

find your motivation. EASTERN SALES OFFICE

I 
ART/PRODUCTION 4 New York Plaza, 4th Floor
CREATIVE DIRECTOR New York, NY 10004
Ian Robinson (212) 545-4800
nspiration can be found DESIGNER Sean Doyle
DIGITAL SALES MANAGER
anywhere—even at your local EDITORIAL PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
Mike Myers
Russell Mendoza
movie theater. That’s why we COPY CHIEF Yeun Littlefield
DIGITAL STRATEGIST
Emily Kuhn
chose Arnold Schwarzenegger PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS MANAGER
PHOTO DIRECTOR/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Ivelise Estremera
to grace our latest cover. Erica Schultz
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Beyond inspiring fitness PHOTO RESEARCHER Amanda Suarez Tracy Gunthorpe
enthusiasts for the better MUSCLEANDFITNESS.COM MIDWEST SALES OFFICE
SENIOR DIGITAL DIRECTOR 1005 West Grove
part of five decades with his JJ Helland Arlington Heights, IL 60005
DIGITAL DIRECTOR Declan O’Kelly (312) 545-8041
infectious passion for the SENIOR EDITORS Tina Benitez-Eves,
Angelica Nebbia SALES DIRECTOR
industry, he also set the standard SENIOR SOCIAL VIDEO PRODUCER Darrin Klapprodt
for countless Hollywood A-listers Daniel Mihailescu
SOUTHEASTERN SALES OFFICE
CONTRIBUTORS 1000 American Media Way
who have embraced his Edgar Artiga; Per Bernal; Boca Raton, FL 33464-1000
teachings to transform their Dwayne Jackson, Ph.D.;
Tim Mantoani; Myatt Murphy;
(561) 997-7733
WESTERN SALES OFFICE
bodies for their latest movie Dennis Nishi; Tim Scheett, Ph.D.;
Dustin Snipes; Matthew Solan; 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1220
roles. To celebrate Arnold’s Ian Spanier; Gregg Wangard;
Joe Wuebben
Los Angeles, CA 90010
(818) 595-0473
impact on popular culture, we’ve
compiled some of the most MANUFACTURING & PRODUCTION
SENIOR PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Ann McCaffrey
motivational big-screen physique DISTRIBUTION SERVICE MANAGER Marc Melcher
transformations in a feature we
call “Blockbuster Muscle” (page FOREIGN EDITIONS

18). Get inspired by the workouts

that helped turn Dave Bautista, Argentina Australia Belarus Bulgaria Chile Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Ecuador

Hugh Jackman, Brie Larson, and,

Finland France Germany Gibraltar Greece Guatemala Holland Hungary Ireland
of course, Arnold himself into
larger-than-life heroes for some
Italy Japan Kazakhstan Latvia Lebanon Lithuania Malta Mexico New Zealand
of the biggest movies of all time.
Then read up on some truly Paraguay Peru Romania Russia Slovakia South Korea Spain Thailand Turkey
extraordinary women who are
breaking boundaries in typically Ukraine UAE United Kingdom Uruguay Venezuela

male-dominated fields as they

WEIDER PUBLICATIONS, LLC,
inspire a new generation to A SUBSIDIARY OF AMERICAN MEDIA INC.
follow their passions (“Women EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER/
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Chris Polimeni
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL MEDIA OPERATIONS/
of Action,” page 102). These CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER David Thompson
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER Brian Kroski
stories are meant to serve as SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS Rob M. O’Neill
VICE PRESIDENT, CONSUMER MARKETING Ephraim R. Brennan
your motivation, your driving
force, that little something extra. FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN EMERITUS
Joe Weider (1920–2013)

Because once you find your VP/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR EMERITUS

Shawn Perine (1966–2017)

inspiration, success will follow. PRINTED IN USA • We assume no responsibility for returning unsolicited material, including
but not limited to photographs, artwork, manuscripts, and letters.

Sincerely,
David J. Pecker
Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer
The information in MUSCLE & FITNESS is intended to educate. Do not substitute it for the advice of a qualified health care practitioner.
of American Media Inc.

12 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
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 F ROM THE ED I TOR Instagram: @zraz

Send videos or leave

comments on M&F ’s social

GETTING THE REPS IN

media channels or on Don’s
Instagram (@donsaladino)
and you might get a
shout-out on M&F Reps.

M&F ’s Web series Reps covers serious fitness honest, don’t be afraid to get
topics without taking itself too seriously. personal, and never pull

L
punches when we discuss a
ast spring I was having other talented coaches and topic be it BS training and
lunch with my buddy specialists. And his reaction di
Don Saladino at his New opened up the conversation m
York City health club, to other areas, including the pl
Drive495, in SoHo. Don widespread use and abuse of So
trains Ryan Reynolds, David anabolics in sports and bo
Harbour, Sebastian Stan, bodybuilding, ways to police M
Blake Lively, and Scarlett misinformation being spread m
Johansson, among others, so I across social media by fit
wasn’t sure if he’d smash his opportunistic influencers .co
organic Buddha bowl into my who pose as experts, and
piehole after I blurted out that why the fitness industry
I felt the moniker “celebrity insists on taking itself too Sincerely,
trainer” sounded douchey. He damn seriously. Zack Zeigler
didn’t; he laughed. After lunch we brought up Exe
Don has been a trainer for the idea of doing a video
more than 20 years and series or podcast. And though
acquired high-profile clients it took longer than we’d
Want Don and Zack to discuss a
R I C A S C H U LT Z

for no other reason than he’s anticipated, we finally have

specific topic or question?
a pro’s pro who remains a several episodes of M&F Reps Then email it to: reps@muscle
student of fitness and ready to share with you. andfitness.com.
surrounds himself with The deal Don and I made: Be

14 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
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F ROM O L YMP I A HQ

DON’T MISS
OLYMPIA
WEEKEND!
I
n the world of fitness,
bodybuilding, and

physique transformation,
there’s no experience that
rivals the star power and
sensory overload of Olympia
Weekend. Held each
September in Las Vegas, the
event brings together the
global fitness community for
an inspiring and empowering
four days of jaw-dropping
physiques, providing
attendees with inspiration to
last a lifetime. Joe Weider’s
Olympia Fitness & Perfor-
mance Weekend is the fitness
industry’s most anticipated
event. And like many of the
sporting world’s great tradi-
tions, the experience offers
something for everyone.
The Expo portion of the
weekend has emerged as a
central hub for the business of
muscle and nutrition, showcas-
ing the most influential compa-
nies and spanning all corners
of an industry that measures in
the billions. Each year, hun-
dreds of brands introduce their
products and services at the
Olympia Expo. The sights and
sounds of the Las Vegas
Convention Center will keep
your social media abuzz for
days—and that’s just the
beginning. The highlight of the
weekend comes on Friday and
Saturday night, when the focus
shifts to the Orleans Arena,
where the world’s top body-
builders and bikini and phy-
sique competitors battle for the
same title that turned Arnold
Schwarzenegger into a house-
hold name.
C L O C K W I S E : C H R I S N I C O L L ; DA N S O L O M O N ; A Z JAC K S O N /G E T T Y I M AG E S ; C H R I S N I C O L L ; E R I C A S C H U LT Z
The 2019 Olympia Weekend
is set for Sept. 12 to 15, and
tickets are now on sale. Life is a
collection of experiences—and
this is one you don’t want to
miss. See you in Vegas!
GET MORE INFO AT
mrolympia.com
DAN
SOLOMON
Chief Olympia
Officer

16 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
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BLOCK- ARNOLD
SCHWARZENEGGER

BUSTER
FITTEST ROLE : conan the
barbarian (1982)

M&F FACT: The prop department on

Conan apparently couldn’t whip up
a convincing fake vulture, so Arnold
had to bite into a real (albeit dead) one
while filming the movie’s famous Tree

MUSCLE
of Woe scene.

Before Arnold burst onto the scene,

you didn’t see too many chiseled
physiques. Sure, Charles Bronson’s
seam-bursting biceps were the stuff of
legend, but people like him were few
and far between. Arnold was a revela-
tion in the sense that his sheer size and
> Don’t just sit back and idolize definition helped set a standard in the
’80s and ’90s for action stars moving
your favorite movie physiques— forward. Even today, when an actor
learn to build a body worthy of bulks up for the latest Marvel or DC
movie, they’re gaining size in Arnold’s
the big screen. shadow. And frankly, Arnold’s
Olympia-caliber body wasn’t just a
luxury for filmmakers, it was a neces-

I
sity—how else are you going to pull
T ’S COMMONPL ACE TO HE AR AC TORS off the comic-book proportions of the
talk about how much time they spend in the gym to Cimmerian barbarian Conan, after all?
prepare for a movie role now, but Hollywood stars
weren’t always concerned with hoisting dumbbells TRAINING
or tracking calories. Then the ’80s happened—or,
more accurately, Arnold happened. The seven-time ARNOLD’S CHEST
Mr. Olympia helped bring muscle into the main-
stream, with movies like 1982’s Conan the Barbar-
& BACK WORKOUT
ian, 1984’s The Terminator, and 1987’s Predator EXERCISE SETS REPS
raking in millions of dollars and exposing countless
eyeballs to Schwarzenegger’s peak physique. Suddenly,
5
beefy action heroes were everywhere, and if you wanted 5
to be a blockbuster action star, you had to hit the gym.
Now incredible physique transformations are an annual, DUMBBELL FLYE 5 10–12
SUPERSET WITH
if not monthly, occurrence on the silver screen, with some SEATED CABLE ROW 5 10–12
of the biggest names making even bigger strides in the gym.
Thankfully, you can do more than gawk at the latest pair of 5
superhero biceps; you can include their workouts into your
5
own routine. Whether you want to look like a superhero, a
jacked demon from hell, or whatever The Rock is playing CABLE CROSSOVER 3 12
this week, we’ve outlined routines from some Hollywood SUPERSET WITH
heavyweights so you can get your body camera-ready. DUMBBELL ROW 3 12

18 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 Arnold was two years
removed from his final
Olympia win when
Conan the Barbar-
ian hit theaters. For
arm-training tips from
Arnold, see page 142.
D I N O D E L A U R E N T I S / U N I V E R S A L P I C T U R E S / S U N S E T B O U L E VA R D / C O R B I S V I A G E T T Y I M A G E S
B IG-S C R E E N GA I N S

DWAYNE JOHNSON
every month, Johnson continues TRAINING
to maintain—and even grow—his
world-class physique for each THE ROCK’S
FITTEST ROLE : new role, never letting his ever- LEG WORKOUT
hercules (2014) ballooning paychecks take away
from his competitive edge. If you EXERCISE SETS REPS
follow him on Instagram, you’ll
4
M&F FACT: Johnson’s Hercules get regular updates on his condi-
diet included 4,900 calories and tioning, including workout videos LEG PRESS 4 50
547 grams of protein spread out and progress pictures, at all hours SUPERSET WITH
over seven meals every day. of the day (most of the time before WALKING LUNGE 4 40
the sun is even up). All that hard 4
The only thing more impres- work has led to Johnson sporting
sive than Dwayne “The Rock” one of the best physiques in movie ROMANIAN 4 12
Johnson’s Hollywood hustle is his history in such diverse films as DEADLIFT
obsessive focus in the gym. With a the Fast & Furious franchise, 4
new movie coming out seemingly Jumanji, and Hercules.
5

G O L D W Y N - M AY E R P I C T U R E S I N C . A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D
PA R A M O U N T P I C T U R E S C O R P O R AT I O N A N D M E T R O -

While training
for Hercules,
The Rock tore
two tendons
from his pelvis.

20 MUSCLE & FITNESS M AY 2 0 1 9

GAL GADOT
FITTEST ROLE :
wonder woman (2017)
Before entering
the DC Universe,
Gadot couldn’t do
M&F FACT: a single pullup.

TRAINING

GADOT’S FULL-BODY
BLAST
EXERCISE REPS REST

-
*

** -

***

**** 3
*Ten-second sprint, 50-second easy pace.
**For all 30/30 moves, do exercise for
30 meters, walk back to start, then go
straight into the next move.
***Perform 7 sets.
****Perform 5 sets.
 DAVID HARBOUR
According to
trainer Don
Saladino, Harbour
wanted to look
like a hammer FITTEST ROLE :
thrower.
hellboy (2019)

M&F FACT: Though Harbour got

in demonic shape for the 2019
Hellboy reboot, he promised fans
that he would return to dad-bod
form for the third season of
Netflix’s Stranger Things.

There’s perhaps no better

proof of a solid workout and diet
program than David Harbour’s
full-body transformation for his
role as the titular crimson demon
in director Neil Marshall’s Hell-
boy reboot. To play this hulking
comic-book hero, Harbour shed
his Stranger Things weight and
bulked up, with the help of trainer
Don Saladino. The workout
included here is just a taste of the
functional program Harbour en-
dured. The main goal was to focus
on power, with both Harbour and
Saladino emphasizing that they
wanted Hellboy’s strength to look
believable onscreen.

TRAINING

DEADLIFT AND
SUIT-UP DAY*
EXERCISE SETS REPS
** 5 5
KETTLEBELL *** 25–50
P I C T O R I A L P R E S S LT D /A L A M Y S T O C K P H O T O

COMPLEX YARDS

*Head over to Don Saladino’s page on the

Playbook app for more on this routine.
**Use 80% of your one-rep max.
***Perform 1 set of each carry variation:
single-arm overhead (1 set for each arm),
two-arm overhead, single-arm rack (1 set
for each arm), two-arm rack, single-arm
rack and overhead carry (1 set for each
arm), suitcase carry, and farmer’s walk.

22 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9

HUGH JACKMAN
FITTEST ROLE :
the wolverine (2013)
M&F FACT: While training for
The Wolverine, Jackman was so
obsessed with keeping his size
that he even brought his trainer
with him on his family vacations.
For more than 15 years, the
Aussie actor would build his body
to mutant-like perfection for each
Jackman’s personal
best on the deadlift
is an impressive 435
pounds for two.
S I M O N VA R S A N O
B IG-S C R E E N GA I N S
new X-Men movie by putting on TRAINING
untold pounds of muscle and
shedding any remaining fat until JACKMAN’S BACK &
he looked like he was ripped right
out of a comic-book page. For BICEPS ROUTINE
2013’s The Wolverine, Jackman EXERCISE SETS REPS
took it a step further, teaming
with trainer David Kingsbury, * 4
resulting in a fierce balance of
immense size and shred. This DUMBBELL 4 12
was the first time that Wolverine’s SINGLE-ARM ROW
animalistic side had truly been
realized on the big screen, and the
work Jackman put in at the gym INCLINE 4 10
pushed the character over the top, DUMBBELL CURL
even at 44 years old.
4 8
**
*Do 4 sets with weight that is 60%, 65%,
75%, and 75% of your 1RM, respectively.
**Perform all three moves back-to-back,
then rest for 60 seconds.
B IG-S C R E E N GA I N S

Larson used the

landmine for a
joint-friendly
workout.
BRIE LARSON
FITTEST ROLE :
captain marvel (2019)

M&F FACT: In its opening week-

end, Captain Marvel made $153
million in North America and
$455 million worldwide, making
it the largest global debut for a
female-led movie in history.

Want to show the world that

you’re getting into superhero
shape? Just do like Brie Larson
and post a video to Instagram of
you pushing a 5,000-pound Jeep
for 60 seconds. And that massive
feat of four-wheel-drive domina-
tion was just one way the big-
screen Captain Marvel trained for
her roles in both her solo movie
and Avengers: Endgame—she
also documented her training on
social media during production,
including an impressive set of
400-pound hip thrusts and her
mastery of pullups. Her routine,
designed by trainer Jason Walsh,
focused on total-body work to
boost her functional strength and
get her looking like the cosmic
heroine from the comics.

TRAINING

L A R S O N ’ S C A P TA I N
MARVEL CIRCUIT*
EXERCISE REPS

8
LANDMINE PUSH PRESS 8
8
© M A RV E L S T U D I O S 2 0 1 9

**
*To get Larson’s full Week 1, Day 1
Captain Marvel workout, download the
Playbook app.
**After finishing the third exercise, rest
for 30 seconds and repeat circuit again.

24 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 DAVE BAUTISTA
shirtless, there’s no room to hide
any fat,” Bautista told us in a 2017
interview. This meant upping his
FITTEST ROLE :
guardians weightlifting and maintaining a
of the galaxy 2 (2017) clean diet of poultry, fish, eggs,
and red meat—you know, the
usual bodybuilding fare. Now
M&F FACT: Despite being one at 50 years old, his secret to
of the most successful WWE fitness is simple: “It’s got to be
Superstars of all time, Bautista a lifestyle thing. Whatever you
didn’t make his debut on TV until choose to do to be active—
he was 33. whether it’s cycling or weight
training or MMA—it has got to be
From the moment WWE fans part of your daily life.”
first laid eyes on him in 2002,
Dave Bautista has always show-
cased some freakish size—even by
professional wrestling standards.
And for his breakout role as Drax
in Marvel’s blockbuster Guard-
ians of the Galaxy franchise, the
former WWE World Heavyweight
champion knows that his training
and nutrition have to always be
on point. “With Drax always being

TRAINING

B A U T I S TA’ S D R AX
CHEST WORKOUT
EXERCISE SETS REPS REST

Bautista weighs in
around 290 pounds
* when at his most
bulked up.
DIP ** 5 8–10 90 SEC.

**

HAMMER 4 10–12 -
STRENGTH
CHEST
PRESS
P E R B E R N A L ; © M A RV E L S T U D I O S 2 0 1 7

SUPERSET
WITH
PUSH- 4 TO 45 SEC.
UP *** FAILURE
*Do extremely light weight until you’re
warmed up—anywhere from 1 to 5 sets.
**Do a 2-second complete pause at the
bottom of each exercise.
***Perform at a slower tempo—Bautista’s
trainer, Joe Bennett, suggests each rep
should take 4 to 5 seconds to complete.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 25
 "%7&35*4&.&/5

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 STAR POWER BODY BOOK TRAIN LIKE... IRON MAIDEN
Veteran actor Michael Bachelor star Colton How Yankees slugger The 100 star Lindsey
Beach talks about staying Underwood on fitness Giancarlo Stanton strives Morgan on her body

EDGE
fit for the long haul, p30 after football, p32 for the ultimate prize, p34 transformations, p36

NEWS,
INTERVIEWS,
SPORTS,
AND
GEAR

P L AY

RAGE 2
May 14; $60 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 27
E D G E HOT L I ST

WAT C H

JOHN WICK:
CHAPTER 3—
PARABELLUM
Si vis pacem, para
bellum—“If you
want peace, pre-
pare for war.” If
John Wick 3’s
ominous title is
any indication, this READ
third installment
BATMAN: LAST
should be a buffet KNIGHT ON EARTH #1
of badass action, All you need to know about
especially with Batman: Last Knight on Earth
Halle Berry as an is that the first issue’s cover
assassin who may shows the Dark Knight
walking around with the
just be able to out-
Joker’s severed head in a
gun Wick (Keanu jar—still smiling. So you can
Reeves) himself. expect plenty of mayhem in
In theaters May 17 this three-issue series.
May 29; $6

WAT C H

GOOD OMENS
A foul-mouthed demon and a
persnickety angel team up to
stop the Apocalypse in this adap-
tation of the best-selling book by
Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
With David Tennant, Michael
Sheen, and Jon Hamm rounding
out a perfect cast, this six-episode
fantasy comedy should be on
everyone’s bingeing radar.
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28 MUSCLE & FITNESS M AY 2 0 1 9

E D G E STA
LIFE’S A BEACH
Michael Beach—featured in Apple’s upcoming
series Are You Sleeping?—on how he stays in
amazing shape while being a family man.
THE MAN OF MANY ROLES
Different groups recognize
me from different things. If
I’m around my brothers and
sisters, it’s Soul Food or Waiting
to Exhale. With bikers, it will
be Sons of Anarchy. It’s funny
because people in those sub-
groups often don’t realize I’m
in other things. So sometimes
if they haven’t seen me in any-
thing in a while, they think the
acting thing hasn’t worked out.
ACTING UPSTREAM
Streaming is changing the
game. There’s probably not
even going to be regular TV
in five or 10 years. I’m old
enough to remember when
TV actually turned off at 1 a.m.
30 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
WE R
They played “The Star-
Spangled Banner,” and then
TV was just off until 6 a.m.
HOME BASE
I built a gym in my garage,
mostly just to be efficient. I’m
very busy, and I have a bunch
of children, so I just don’t have
a lot of time.
BOUNCING BACK
At 55 years old, one thing in
my life that’s consistent is
the inconsistency of working
out. I can have a good run for
two or three years, and then
all of a sudden I’ll just crash
and go back to pizza and fries.
The next thing I know, it’s
five or six months later and
By Bobbi Dempsey
WO R KO U T
BEACH’S CHEST &
SHOULDER CIRCUIT
DIRECTIONS: Perform 5 rounds of
12 reps for each cluster of movements
below. Rest 2 minutes between rounds.
EXERCISE
PARALLEL BAR DIP
DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE
EXERCISE
CABLE FLYE
DUMBBELL FRONT RAISE
B E A C H ’ S P LY O M E T R I C
FINISHER
DIRECTIONS: Perform 5 rounds of
1 minute of work for each move.
Rest 2 minutes
between rounds.
EXERCISE
LIKE FINE
WINE
BALL SLAM
I’ve gained 20 pounds. That’s
when it’s important to hold
yourself accountable.
ALWAYS BE PREPARED
In the past, you’d go to a hotel
and they’d have two tread-
mills and maybe a 20-pound
dumbbell. Today, many hotels
have elaborate gyms. I also
belong to several chain gyms
that are all over the country.
That makes it a lot easier to get
in workouts when I travel.
Photograph by Eugene Byrd
E D G E BODY BOOK

COLTON’S
QUEST
How football-
standout-turned-
Bachelor-star Colton
Underwood got
shredded.

Y
ou might think having
“eat to excess” as an
athletic requirement
would be a dream.
But Colton Underwood,
who shined as an Illinois State
linebacker and bounced
around the NFL before reality
TV came calling, knows
differently.
“I miss the camaraderie, my
teammates, that brotherhood,”
he says of his gridiron life. “I
don’t miss force-feeding my-
self to stay a certain weight.
I can’t tell you how uncom- CHARGE
fortable that can be, eating to AHEAD
the verge of almost throwing
up every day.”
Since retiring from football
in 2016, Underwood hasn’t
just gained fame for
dating Olympic gymnast
Aly Raisman, appearing
on The Bachelorette and
Bachelor in Paradise, and
headlining the most recent
season of The Bachelor. He
has also overhauled his
fitness regimen—and trans-
formed from a bulky 270
pounds to a ripped 225.
“During college and even
my professional career, I was
lifting extremely heavy,” the
27-year-old recalls. “Now I’m Underwood balls
off the field, too,
more focused on cardio, cir- and was recently on
cuit training, and superset- Season 23 of ABC’s
The Bachelor.
ting my favorite exercises.”
Underwood regularly hits

32 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9

the gym at the crack of dawn,
staying on track thanks to
sponsor MusclePharm, which
maintains a private facility for
its athletes while providing
trainers and nutritionists to
tailor customized programs.
Having leaned out through
high-intensity workouts,
intermittent fasting, and
general portion control,
Underwood picks up a batch
of specially prepped meals
twice a week at the gym. He
also swears by MusclePharm’s
supps, of course.
“I use their Organic Protein,
multivitamin, fish oils, CLAs,
and ZPM to help with sleep,” he
says. “Prior to workouts, I take
their BCAAs, and I’m a big fan
of Assault Pre-Workout, which
has a bit lower caffeine but still
gives me plenty of energy.”
The resulting sculpted
physique makes Bachelor fans
swoon, coupled as it is with
a clean-cut guy who’s unfail-
ingly honest and earnest. On a
related note, Underwood has
leveraged his expanded plat-
form to publicize his nonprofit
Legacy Foundation (coltons
legacy.org), inspired by a
cousin with cystic fibrosis.
“We surprise cystic fibrosis
families with a new medical
CLEANING UP
C O U RT E S Y O F M U S C L E P H A R M ( 2 ) ; G E T T Y I M AG E S
According to Under-
wood, here’s why he
switched up his MP
supplement stack.
UNDERWOOD’S
CURRENT STACK
“My nutritional needs change as
my lifestyle evolves," Underwood
says. Now he sticks with MP’s
Natural series, including their
pre-workout and bars.
By Steve Mazzucchi
Nowadays, Under-
wood trains with
an emphasis on
functionality.
vest [Afflovest] that helps NFL TRAINING
CFRs breathe clear,” he
explains. “It allows these STRENGTH BLOCK
warriors the freedom and flex- While training in the NFL, Under-
ibility to live their best life.” wood would lift heavier weights
Fit physique. Hit show. Grow- more often to build up his strength.
ing charity. What could possi-
EXERCISE SETS REPS
bly be next for this rising star?
“Oh, man,” he says, chuckling, 4 6
and fresh off three months of
round-the-clock shooting. “I
NEUTRAL-GRIP 4 8
PULLUP
can’t wait to get some sleep
and go on a vacation.” 4
TRAINING NOW
LIFESTYLE WORKOUT
Now Underwood trains with a
healthy lifestyle in mind, upping his
cardio and doing body-weight work.
EXERCISE SETS REPS
*
UNDERWOOD’S
NFL STACK PULLUP/PUSHUP 5 10/20
“During my NFL years,
MusclePharm’s Combat Protein
Powder and Assault Pre-Workout
were my go-to supps for maximiz- *Do 7 burpees and then 7 thrusters. Try
ing endurance and strength.” to get 7 rounds in 7 minutes.
M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 33
E D G E TRA I N L I KE . . .

GIANCARLO
STANTON
The power-hitting
Yankee talks training,
diet, and the pursuit
of a title.

G
iancarlo Stanton is
known for hitting
towering home runs—
the kind that leaves fans
in awe and opposing
pitchers shaking their heads.
The 6'6" slugger hit 59 dingers
in 2017 for the Miami Marlins,
winning the National League
MVP. Now, in his second
season with the New York
Yankees, Stanton has his eye
on the ultimate prize.
“There is always one goal—
to win,” says Stanton. “With
the guys we have, we have a
chance to do something spe-
cial.” And it all starts with the
work he puts in off the field.

TRAIN HARD,
TRAIN SMART
“Generally, I train with more
intensity in the off-season,
with more power and explo-
sive moves incorporated into
my program,” he says. That
means varied workouts incor-
porating a variety of equip-
ment, including barbells,
kettlebells, and sleds. “During
the season, my focus is train-
ing two to three times per
week to maintain perfor-
mance and to stay healthy.”
JA M E S Q UA N TZ J R .

CLEAN EATS
Stanton says that he eats as
clean as possible, with
chicken, pineapple, and rice
among some of his favorite

34 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 By Kevin Gray

TRAIN TOUGH

S TA N T O N ’ S T O TA L-
BODY WORKOUT
Whether you’re training for the
home run derby or just want to
mix up your workout, this Stanton
go-to will build muscle and test
your cardio.

EXERCISE SETS REPS

6
MED BALL SLAM 3 20
3

SINGLE-LEG 4 20 PER
DUMBBELL SQUAT LEG

SLED PUSH - *

- *

*After performing the first 5 exercises,

do sled pushes, jump rope, or train with
battle ropes until failure.

PUSH IT
REAL GOOD

foods. “My sched-

ule during the sea-
son is demanding,
so my focus is mak-
ing sure I’m taking in as
much protein as possible,”
he says. “Drinking water is also
extremely important for me to
keep my body ready to go.”
STAY FUELED
ON THE GO
JA M E S Q UA N TZ J R .
crazy travel
schedule—which
includes 81 away
games before you count
pre-season and post-season
play—he needs a convenient
source of fuel. “Over six years BOTTOM LINE: Whether you’re
ago, I partnered with Six Star looking to bulk up or lean out, a
quality whey protein like Six
Pro Nutrition, and I still take
Star’s will help fuel your goal.
their 100% Whey Protein Plus No matter what, your muscles
to this day after my games.” need protein to stay strong

Even athletic phenoms like
Stanton can use a little help.
“Supplements are super-
important for recovery,” he
says. He notes that, with his
With 30 grams of protein per
scoop and a healthy dose of
BCAAs, it’s got exactly what he
needs to ensure that his hard
work pays off.
while you lean out, to bulk up as
you aim to gain weight, and to
recover from training sessions.
Try Six Star, available in Triple
Chocolate, Cookies and Cream,
and Strawberry.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 35
36
BLAZING HER
E D G E

OWN TRAIL
TUNE IN

M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
hen it comes to following
the hottest fitness trends,
Lindsey Morgan has been
there, done that, and
I RON MA I D E N

bought the T-shirt—in a

variety of different sizes.
“I’ve been through so many phases
W
with my body,” she says. “I’ve been
20 pounds lighter than I am now
and 15 pounds heavier. I’ve had 10%
body fat and 32% body fat. I’ve run
the spectrum, and I’ve learned that
trying to force something that isn’t
natural for my body doesn’t work.”
The 29-year-old actress is a fan of
weightlifting and kickboxing and
also loves running, especially in new
places. “As soon as I land somewhere
new, I put on my running shoes and
just go in one direction for about
three miles. And then I turn around
and go three miles back. It helps me
acclimate to where I am, and it’s such
a great way to see the city.”
 Her diet has evolved over the
years, she says. “I struggle with diet
because I grew up as an athlete, as a
swimmer. So I was spoiled in think-
ing I could eat every single carbo-
hydrate and burn it off. But in my
early 20s I stopped swimming, and I
gained weight immediately. So now
what works best for me is a diet of
clean, whole foods. I keep it simple—
protein, veggies, and healthy fats.

Photograph by Suzanne Teresa

I’m that person who always brings
healthy snacks with me. So I always
have almonds or protein bars.”
Morgan isn’t a fan of one-size-
fits-all fitness routines or diet
regimens. “Every body is different,
like a custom-made Ferrari,” she
says. “You have to find the exact fuel
to run and maintain it.”
The actress shares words of inspi-
ration and motivational mantras
with her million-plus Instagram
followers, who may know her best
as Raven, the kick-ass chick she
plays on the CW’s sci-fi drama series
The 100. The show just wrapped
its sixth season, and the character
has played an important role in
Morgan’s own off-screen evolution.
“When I got the role of Raven, I
started to work out differently. She
carries herself with strength and
presence and has this attitude of,
‘Anything boys can do, I can do bet-
ter.’ That’s when I started weightlift-
ing,” Morgan says. “I started kickbox-
ing because of Raven, too. Because I

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S
realized, this girl can handle herself
By Bobbi Dempsey

and isn’t afraid of throwing a punch.”

37

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 MOVE OF THE TRAINING BODY WEIGHT ALL ABOUT...
MONTH METHODS Open up your hips and Here’s all you need to
A better barbell row to Warm up correctly before strengthen your chest know about the power of

T A
help ease back pain, p42 your working sets, p54 with this move, p56 perspiration, p59

BUILD
MUSCLE,
BURN FAT,
PERFORM
BETTER

FIT TO LIVE

T
he most active men often
show higher levels of arterial
M R B I G P H O T O G R A P H Y/ G E T T Y I M AG E S

plaque, but a new study from

the Cooper Clinic found that
these extreme exercisers
are still less likely to die pre-
maturely than people who are
less active. So keep on doing
those hard workouts.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 39
T R A I N NEW

ALONG FOR
THE RIDE
Low-impact sports like cycling
are great for your heart, but they
may be associated with poor bone
density. That’s according to a new
study from the Norwegian School
of Sport Sciences, which found that
elite road cyclists have lower bone
mineral density than runners. The
researchers suggest combining
cycling with resistance training to
keep your bones strong.

THE BEST MEDICINE

Visceral fat lying deep within
the abdomen is associated with
a number of health problems,
FOOD FOR including heart disease and
THOUGHT diabetes. According to research

G E T T Y I M AG E S
Scientists at the University out of UT Southwestern Medical
of Texas at Austin Center, the best way to eradicate
found that exercising it isn’t medicine—it’s good old-
is linked to better fashioned exercise.
eating. After training
for several weeks,
study participants
were more likely
to opt for healthy
foods—even without
being prompted. Their
taste for fried foods
and sugary drinks
decreased.

40 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 MEMORY LANE
G E T T Y I M AG E S

Regular physical activity is known to research, exercise produces a hormone

improve memory. And now scientists at called irisin that may promote neuron
Columbia University Irving Medical growth in the hippocampus, the brain’s
Center might know why. According to new memory and learning center.
T R A I N MOV E OF THE MON T H By M&F Editors

BACK
SUPPORT
Rowing with your
head on a bench can
help ease back pain.
WHY DO IT

WHEN TO DO IT

HOW TO DO IT

HEAD-SUPPORTED
BENTOVER ROW

1 a shoulder-width,
overhand grip in front of an
adjustable incline bench
facing away from you.

2 until your torso is about

45 degrees to the floor, and
place your forehead firmly on
the top of the seat back.

3 your stomach, keeping

your torso straight and your
forehead on the bench. Feel
the contraction at the top,
then slowly lower the bar
back until your arms are
fully extended.

42 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9 Photographs by Per Bernal

COMBAT YOUR
WORKOUT
MusclePharm’s great tasting Combat Protein Powder delivers
25G OF PROTEIN to truly COMBAT your workout. Because what
you get out of your workout is only as good as what you put in.

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© MusclePharm, Corp. 2019. All Rights Reserved.

T R A I N MOB I L I T Y By M&F Editors

HIT THE
WALL
The mini-band wall
slide shows your
midtraps and
serratus anterior
some serious love.
WHAT IT H ITS
Midtrapezius, serratus
anterior, some deltoid.

WHY DO IT
Scapular protraction—the
movement that’s occurring
here—rarely gets targeted,
whereas the opposite,
scapular retraction, gets hit all
the time. This balances things
out for complete shoulder/
scapula health.

WH E N TO DO IT
As part of your warmup or
before bench presses or rows.

HOW TO DO IT

BANDED WALL SLIDE

1 PLACE A MINI BAND

around your midforearms
and place the edges of your
hands onto a wall.

2 ROUND YOUR
shoulders forward
without letting your elbows
come off the wall.

3 SLIDE FOREARMS UP
J AY S U L L I VA N

and down so the band

goes from shoulder height
to eye level.

44 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 By M&F Editors CARD I O T R A I N

THE MOVE YOU

LOVE TO HATE
It may sound brutal, but the EMOM
burpee box jump will burn BURPEE BOX JUMP WORKOUT
tons of fat.

F
DIRECTIONS:

itness pioneer Jack LaLanne said,

“If it tastes good, spit it out.” In
other words: You need to eat your
vegetables. The same idea applies
to training. If curls are the physical
equivalents of cake, then the burpee is HOW TO DO IT
without a doubt the kale of exercises.
They’re taxing, but burpees improve
your full-body coordination and
conditioning as you drop to the floor
1 a 12- to 18-inch-tall box,
feet shoulder-width apart.
pushup, and jump your
feet in toward your hands.

and then jump back up. Adding a box

jump to the mix may not be a popular
move, but it’ll enhance your athletic position
3 stance
and then jump up to the
PER BERNAL

prowess, since you have to jump and and touch your chest to box, landing heels first.
land with grace. Give this workout a the floor. Push back up, That’s 1 rep. Step off the
try—and eat your darn veggies. so you’re in the top of a box and repeat.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 45
T R A I N 1 0 -MI NUT E WO R K O U T By Jay Ashman

BECOME
UNBREAKABLE
In 10 minutes or less, you can bulletproof
TRAIN

THE UNBREAKABLE
WORKOUT
your neck and lower back.

B
EXERCISE SETS TIME
eing stronger isn’t just physical sport, having a
about how much you strong lower back and a thick
can bench or squat. neck is strength personified.
(Though, you should get The following workout will ISOMETRIC 3–4 15–30
good at those moves.) make you stronger—and FLEXION SEC.
It’s about the supporting damn near unbreakable.
muscles, too. Anyone who has
played football, rugby, or any
other grappling sport knows ABOUT THE SOURCE
SUPERMAN 3–4 15–30
that the durability of your Jay Ashman is a strength coach
SEC.
PER BERNAL

neck and lower back needs to at City Gym in Kansas City,

MO, and creator of the Ashman
match your gym strength. Strength System.
Even if you don’t play a

46 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
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T R A I N YOGA By M&F Editors

DAWN
OF THE
DEAD
Jump-start your post-
workout recovery
with the basic, but
important, corpse
pose from Phil
Migliarese, author of
Yoga for Fighters.

HOW TO DO IT

CORPSE POSE

1 LIE ON
arms to your sides, palms
facing up, feet dropped to the
sides, shoulders back. You
can cover yourself with a
blanket to stay warm as the
body cools down during this
pose, and put a towel under
your knees for comfort.

2 BREAT
while your body sinks
into the floor. Your body JUST
should be relaxed, and your BREATHE
mind absent of any thoughts.

3 STAY I
for 5 to 15 minutes,
breathing consciously,
without falling asleep.

4 TO PRO
the pose, wiggle fingers
and toes first. Then roll to
your right side and press your
body up to a sitting position.

48 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9 Photographs by Steve Boyle

T R A I N 30 DAYS TO . . .

SHED 5%
OF YOUR
BODY FAT
High-intensity
interval training plus
diet tweaks will lean
you out, big-time.

F
or Devon Levesque,
fitness is a family affair.
His grandfather and
father were both pro
bodybuilders, his mother
competed in physique, and he
grew up with a 2,000-square-
foot gym in his house. So
the Performix House trainer
and Don’t Be a Pig founder
embraced designing a 30-day
program to get you shredded.
It’s all about ramping up your
metabolism so you’re burning
calories 24-7.
“I focus on creating muscle
memory and going more in- LESS ISN’T
depth,” Levesque explains. MORE
“Rather than a regular bear
crawl, you’re pushing a
plate in front of you, and
instead of bicycles, you’re
doing bicycle extensions.”
These HIIT circuits may be
brief, but they’re challenging
to complete with little rest and
proper form. Levesque advises
doing each twice a week or
more, plus a mile run daily to
keep those fires stoked—with-
in reason. “You have to listen
to your body,” he cautions. “If
you’re so sore you can’t move,
then you need to recover. But
if you can do six days, three of
each workout, you’re going to
get even better results.”
To kick the process into

50 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 UPPER-BODY WORKOUT
REPS/
EXERCISE SETS T I M E / D S T.
4

LOWER-BODY WORKOUT
REPS/
EXERCISE SETS T I M E / D S T.
1
4

4
4
4

Shot on location at Performix House, New York , NY M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 51

T R A I N 30 DAYS TO . . .

TRX BAND
SQUAT
Grab the handles of a sus-
pension trainer set to high
length. Walk back so there’s
tension on it and then squat
down. From there, explode
up so your feet leave the
ground. Land gently.

PUSHUP
Perform standard pushups,
keeping your head, back,
and butt all in line. Doing
them on your fingertips
is one way to increase the
difficulty.

52 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
LEVESQUE’S FAT-BURNING TIPS
> HYDRATE EARLY:
“In the morning, before I do
anything, I go to the fridge
and I chug a glass of cold
water. Sometimes I’ll add
an ice cube to make it even
colder. It wakes your whole
body up and gets it going.”
> DROP THE COP-OUTS:
“There’s just no excuse for not
working out and sweating.
There’s always a way, even if
it’s doing a couple hundred
pushups or situps. Something
to get moving.”
> SPICE THINGS UP:
“Hot and spicy food is always
good for your metabolism
as well. I put hot sauce on a
lot of things. Frank’s RedHot
is good. You’ve gotta watch
out, because some hot sauces
rack up the sodium, and that PERFORMIX SST
just bloats you. So find a low- BRINGS THE HEAT
sodium sauce.”
> BOOST YOUR BREW:
“Add a tablespoon
of cinnamon to your
coffee. That will get your
metabolism going.”
M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 53
T R A I N TRA I N I N M ODS By Eric “Merlin” Broser

WA R M U P

THE WRONG WAY

Doing 8 or more reps is just going to
fatigue the muscle, even if it’s done
with a light load.

EXERCISE SETS REPS

WARMUP SET 2 185 12–15

WARMUP SET 4 275 8–10

4

WA R M U P

THE RIGHT WAY

The key here is the low-rep approach
with incremental weight jumps.
You’ll increase the weight more
slowly and lift lower reps before
going all out on your work set of 315.

EXERCISE SETS REPS

6
WARMUP SET 2 185 5
4
WARMUP SET 4 265 3

WARMING UP
2
1

Up the weight too quickly—or slowly—and

you’ll sap your strength before your working
sets. Here’s how to lift hard and heavy.

T
he reality is that more
often than not, most
trainees overdo their
warmups. Performing
multiple, low-intensity,
high-rep sets before each
exercise will serve only to
reduce your overall energy
At right we've provided two
examples for the back squat:
a wrong and right way to
warm up. For the first, the
trainee accumulates 50 to 57
total reps with light weight
before trying to hit 315 for a
max set. The result leaves
before hitting the work set—
with no set containing more
than six repetitions. There
are also more weight jumps
leading up to the 315-pound
set. This better prepares
the central nervous system
(CNS), joints, and tendons
E D GA R A RT IGA

stores, disrupting your ability him too tired to reach his for the load, as opposed to
to maximize your efforts max potential. making a 40-pound jump.
when most needed—your In the other example, only As a result, you’ll know what
working sets. 21 total reps are performed to expect.

54 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
T R A I N BODY WE I GHT By M&F Editors

PRESS ON
The quad press is a multifaceted move that
HOW TO DO IT

QUAD PRESS

increases your hip mobility while stimulating with your hands facing in,
your chest and core muscles, so try it on chest underneath shoulders.
day. Here’s how.
out to create space for
your midline to drop into
the ground.

lever pushup while

keeping the spine elongated.
Do 3 sets for 45 seconds each.

56 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9 Photographs by Per Bernal

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T R A I N ABS & CORE By M&F Editors

DON’T HOLD
BACK

HOW TO DO IT

BEAR POSITION

BEAR DOWN
Dragging a sled from the bear position will give
with your knees under
your hips and your wrists
under your shoulders.

you a beastly core. 2 DIG YOUR TOES INTO

the ground and slightly

T
lift your knees up. If a
he bear position—down add weight to it by strapping lacrosse ball were placed on
low to the ground on all on a harness and attaching a your back, it shouldn’t move.
fours—hits several small weighted sled to the other
but important muscle
groups, including the
end. Doing so will force your
core to brace harder, in turn 3 DO NOT ROTATE YOUR
hips as you move. Start
PER BERNAL

hip and shoulder stabilizers working your ab muscles by mastering the hold for 30
and, above all else, the core. more, and have you breaking seconds. Then begin to walk
See how to do it at right, then a serious sweat. forward, holding the position.

58 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 By Kristin Mahoney A L L ABO . . . T R A I N

SWEAT
The inside scoop
on the power of
perspiration.

T 
he sole purpose of sweat
is to cool the body
down. As your core
temperature rises above
98.6 degrees, your brain
tells your sweat glands to
increase production; and
when sweat appears on your
skin, it’s evaporated into the
air, taking body heat with it.
Your sweat rate is deter-
mined by two primary
factors: how hot it is around
you and your individual
response to heat. “Someone
who is acclimated to heat
and working out in a hotter
environment is generally not
going to sweat as much as
someone new to it,” says Walt
Thompson, Ph.D., president
of the American College of
TAKE THE PEE TEST
Sports Medicine and an
associate dean at Georgia
State University in Atlanta.

WHO SWEATS
THE MOST? THE NUMBERS
“Unfit people will start to
sweat more when put in a hot
environment in an attempt to 98.6°
thermoregulate [their] core Your body’s optimal
temperature,” Thompson core temperature.
says. Meanwhile, gym junkies Go above that and you’ll
may seem relatively dry, start to perspire.
since they are more efficient
at keeping that core temper-
2–5 MILLION
PAT R I C K G I A R D I N O / G E T T Y I M AG E S

ature down. But throw some

exercise into the mix, and the
roles get reversed. “Recent
studies have shown that fit
people sweat more during
exercise because they are
more efficient at cooling
down their core temperature,”
Thompson explains.
Number of sweat glands
in the human body,
including two main
types: Eccrine glands are
located throughout your
body; apocrine glands are
mainly found around the
armpits and groin.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 59
 TRAINING
TIPS

DIET
ADVICE

BAD
JOKES

Celebrity trainer Don Saladino and Muscle & Fitness executive

editor Zack Zeigler discuss everything you wanted to know
about fitness...and some things you won’t expect.

MuscleandFitness.com/REPS
 RECIPE OF THE 1 FOOD, 5 WAYS HEALTHY SWAPS DIET ID
MONTH

EA
F E A R FAT S

HIGH-FAT
DIETS CAN
LEAD TO
WHAT’S
IN THE
FRIDGE THIS

POOR GUT
MONTH

HEALTH

/
E A T N EWS

M I N D F U L E AT I N G

Possible Link Between S O DA P O P P E D

Junk Food and Mental
Distress
An International Journal
of Food Sciences and
Nutrition study found that
adults who consumed
high amounts of junk
food—sugary drinks, fries,
etc.—were more likely to
suffer from physiological
distress, regardless of
age, education, or gender.
This study is consistent
with others that linked
unhealthy diets with
increased risk of bipolar
disorder and depression.
SODA TAX CAUSES MASSIVE DROP IN
SUGARY DRINK CONSUMPTION
As controversial as soda taxes are, a new
UC Berkeley study offers evidence that
they just might work. Three years since a
penny-per-ounce excise tax was imposed
on sugary drinks, Berkeley, CA, has seen a
52% drop in consumption of sugary drinks
among its low-income residents. The study
shows that taxes might be an effective way
in low-income communities
where problems with diabe-
tes, heart disease, and obe-
sity are more prevalent.

JUNK FUEL

OODS
Y DEATH
iversity of Paris found that
n of ultraprocessed foods is
er risk of death over a seven-
ers compiled data from more
es 45 and older, and followed
them for seven years. Nearly 30% of participants’ daily
calories were from ultraprocessed foods like soda and
chips. By the end of the study, 600 of the subjects had
died. The takeaway: Avoid the fake stuff.

62 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 No Other Protein Compares to HumaPro®:
• Economical: Costs less per serving than other proteins†
• Super Concentrated: *1 serving of HumaPro® = a Whole Food Protein
• Equivalent of 25g averaged, with only 0.02 calories per serving†
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Gluten, Soy, Sugar, Lactose or Heavy Metals.

FLAVORS
APPLE CIDER
EXOTIC PEACH MANGO
FRESH CUT PINEAPPLE
GREEN APPLE CANDY
MANDARIN ORANGE
ROCKET POP
SOUR GRAPE
STRAWBERRY KIWI
SOUTHERN SWEET TEA

SIZES
45 Servings
90 Servings
60 Serving Tablets
90 Serving Tablets
E A T REC I PE OF THE MON T H By M&F Editors

DON’T BE CHICKEN
Fear not—you can feast on this tasty burger LEAN AND
MEAN
without wrecking your waistline.

ASIAN C
BURGER
S E RVE S 4

PREP TIME: 10
1 hour for mari
COOKING TIM
TOTAL TIME:

1 lb lean grou
1 tbsp lemon
1 garlic clove
2 green onion
chopped
2 tbsp low-so
soy sauce
½ tsp ground
1 egg white
4 multigrain b

1. In a large bow
combine chick
lemon juice, ga
soy sauce, ging
white. Form int
Refrigerate for
2. Grill burgers
for 5 to 8 minut
internal tempe
reaches 165°F.
3. Serve on bun
your choice of
condiments.

THE MAC
310
CALORIES

24g
CARBS

64 MUSCLE & FI /
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COMPETITION
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E A T SPOT L I GHT By Adam Trask

PERFORMANCE
INSPIRED
Give yourself an edge
with Mark Wahlberg’s
favorite protein and
post-workout.

T
o get the most out of
your workouts, you’ve
got to fuel your body.
That means clean eating
and plenty of protein,
plus the amino acids and
electrolytes your body
craves. And you’ll likely need
some help to ensure you meet
your daily requirements.
That’s where supplements
come into play, like those
from Performance Inspired,
the nutritional products
line co-founded by Mark
Wahlberg. If these supps
helped craft one of the most
chiseled physiques in Hol-
lywood, well, they’re sure to
help you reach your goals, too. POST-WORKOUT BCAA of taurine for metabolic
Next, you’ll need some support and electrolytes for
ISOLATE WHEY branched-chain amino acids recovery, the all-natural for-
This naturally flavored, (BCAAs) to speed your recov- mula is exactly what you need
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muscle growth and recovery, Inspired’s Post-Workout BCAA. enhance your endurance. It’s
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Inspired’s Isolate Whey also Whey and Post-Workout BCAA
are a powerful one-two punch
includes 3 grams of L-gluta- that will jump-start muscle
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all-important amino acid. The clean, great-tasting formulas
G E T T Y I M AG E S

Each is sweetened with natu- provide exactly what you need

ral stevia and goes down easy,
because you shouldn’t have to
choke down your protein.
and nothing you don’t, so you
won’t be weighed down by
unnecessary fillers. For more
info, go to pi-nutrition.com.

66 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 1 FOOD , 5 WA Y S E A T

ZUCCHINI
Five unique ways to
2 4
whip up summer
squash to enjoy the
delicious vitamin
and mineral boost.

1
3 5

Ian K. Smith, M.D., is the author

of New York Times best-seller
The Shred Diet Cookbook.

NUTRITION
FACTS

M AY 2 0 1 9 MUSCLE & FITNESS

E A T HEAL TH S AP

RICE

LET’S
WRAP

BEANS

CHEESE

BURRITO
TORTILLA
Those 10- or 12-inch flour
behemoths can clock in at
300 calories, according to
These Cinco de Mayo Amy Goodson, R.D., a
swaps won’t leave specialist in sports dietetics.
you overstuffed. Opt for five-inch corn tortillas,
you don’t want to give up on
your favorite cheese, then just
go easy with it.
SOUR CREAM
For that creamy component,

T
here’s no shortage of
newfangled burritos,
from Soyrizo-stuffed
breakfast versions to the
sushi-style sort, but
we’re still partial to the
traditional meat, cheese, and
bean variety. The problem?
A single burrito can top 1,000
calories and is often loaded
with sodium and saturated
which are less caloric and
higher in fiber. “Those smaller
corn tortillas have 50 calories
each. So you could have three
of them and still total only
half the calories of a single
huge flour one.”
MEAT
Red meat isn’t evil, but you
should go lean. “If you want
choose avocado or guaca-
mole. “It’s still a fat, so the
calories may not differ a lot,
but the quality of the fat will,”
Goodson explains.
LETTUCE
Keep it! Then add in delicious
toppings like salsa and roasted
red and green peppers. “The
peppers go really well with
G E T T Y I M AG E S

fat. The solution? Make some ground beef, go for 93/7 lean Mexican flavors, and a quarter
swaps to create a healthier ground beef or choose a really of a cup gives you close to
version that won’t have you lean flank steak or sirloin cut,” your daily dose of vitamin C,”
longing for a post-meal nap. Goodson says. Goodson says.

68 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 INTENSIFY

Everything increases with intensity. Intensify your workouts with Wild Thing
Preworkout from Assault Labs. The No.1 Ranked Preworkout for the past 2
years running and the Official Preworkout of The Rock Hard Challenge.
E A T D I E T
THE WHOLE30 DIET
It’s not for everyone, but the Whole30 diet
can help you clean up your act in the
kitchen—big-time.
WHAT IT IS
The idea is to eliminate all
the foods that make you feel
crappy—processed food,
alcohol, sugar—but also foods
that might be making you feel
bad—beans, legumes (soy, tofu,
chickpeas, peas, lentils, pea-
nuts), dairy, and grains for 30
days. In theory, this process of
elimination could help people
discover certain foods that
their bodies are sensitive to.
What you can eat: vegetables
(including potatoes), fruit (in
moderation), unprocessed
meat, seafood, eggs, nuts and
70 MUSCLE & FITNESS M AY 2 0 1 9
I D
seeds, olive oil, coconut oil,
and coffee. At the end of the
month, you can reintroduce
the less dramatic offenders,
like legumes, dairy, and grains,
and see how your body reacts.
THE PROS
Obviously, you’re going to feel
better cutting back on junk
food, sugar, and alcohol, all
of which can lead to weight
gain, blood sugar spikes, and
decreased energy levels, says
Natalie Rizzo, R.D., author of
The No-Brainer Nutrition Guide
for Every Runner.
Otherwise, there are three
main upsides to following the
Whole30 for 30 days, says DJ
CUT
IT OUT
By Rachael Schultz
Blatner, R.D.N., nutritionist for
the Chicago Cubs and author
of The Superfood Swap. It
helps you start paying atten-
tion to what you put in your
body and how it makes you
feel, you become more sav-
vy about ingredient lists on
packaged food, and you start
cooking more.
THE CONS
You don’t need to remove
dairy, grains, or legumes
from your diet—and you defi-
nitely shouldn’t be doing so for
more than 30 days. “All three
P H O T O G R A P H Y © 2 0 1 8 B Y G H A Z A L L E B A D I O Z A M A N I . R E P R O D U C E D B Y P E R M I S S I O N O F H O U G H T O N M I F F L I N H A R C O U R T. A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D
of these food groups provide
plenty of important vitamins
and minerals that can enhance
your diet,” Rizzo explains.
Blatner adds that giving up
healthy carbs in the form of
grains can compromise your
ability to work out harder and
longer, whether you’re weight
training or running.
Chances are, if you feel
better when you’re off grains
and dairy, it isn’t because your
body can’t tolerate the food—
it’s because you
were eating way too
much of it. Trading
whole-wheat bread
at every meal for
vegetables at two of
them will, of course,
make you feel more
energized, Blatner
points out.
WHO IT’S FOR
Anyone who wants
to clean up his or her
habits for 30 days
should give the
Whole30 diet a try.
Otherwise, both
nutritionists agree
that the Whole30
isn’t a diet that
should be followed
long term.
 By Frank Steele SUPP OF THE MON T H E A T

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BOTTOM LINE: Nitro-Tech 100%
Iso Whey is the cleanest, purest
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WHEY
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The purest protein around will help protein into a highly bio-
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Y
study on protein digestion,
ou work hard in the gym and eat right, but everyone can subjects who consumed
use an extra advantage. That’s why you’re probably whey protein in combination
supplementing your training with protein powder. Smart with ProHydrolase
move. However, not all protein is the same, so don’t experienced an average of
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Nitro-Tech 100% Iso Whey is 5.8 grams of BCAAs—with the Just mix one to two scoops
G E T T Y I M AG E S

the purest isolate available, least amount of fat, sugar, with cold water or skim milk,
delivering ample protein with carbs, calories, and cholesterol. shake it up until it’s smooth,
each scoop. Here’s what you Of course, none of that knock it back, and look
need to know. matters if your body can’t forward to the results.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 71
E A T K I TCHEN
WHAT THE HELL
IS AN AIR FRYER?
A look at the machine that cooks french fries
and wings you can feel good about eating.
I
nstead of using hot oil, as
with traditional deep frying,
air fryers employ rapid hot
air circulation to “fry” food
without oil, butter, or any
other type of fat, according to
Catherine-Gail Reinhard, VP of
product strategy and market-
ing at StoreBound, the compa-
ny that owns Dash, an air fryer
manufacturer.
Jonathan Valdez, a registered
dietitian and owner of Genki
Nutrition, notes that, com-
pared with deep-frying—which
has been associated with an
increased risk of heart disease
and type-2 diabetes—air fryers
are considered to be healthier.
72 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
GEAR By Abigail Abesamis
SRIRACHA
CHICKEN WINGS
SERVES 1
4 chicken wings, split into
flats and drumsticks
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sriracha
1 cup unsalted, plain
U S E D W I T H P E R M I S S I O N F RO M A I R F RY I N G F O R E V E RYO N E .
breadcrumbs
“Since little to no oil is re-
quired when using an air fryer, 1. Set air fryer temperature
it significantly cuts down con- to 400°F.
sumption of fats,” Valdez says. 2. Place chicken on paper
“Even when small amounts of towels and pat completely
C O U RT E S Y O F DA S H ; G E T T Y I M AG E S
oil are used to prepare food, dry. Dredge chicken in flour
the air fryer suspends foods and shake off excess.
in a perforated metal basket, 3. Dip chicken wings in
which allows fats to drain as sriracha, then breadcrumbs to
they cook.” cover thoroughly.
Valdez lists roasted vegeta- 4. Place only flats or only
bles, chicken, french fries, and drumsticks in air fryer and fry
homemade potato chips as 25 minutes for flats and 30
some of his favorite things to minutes for drumsticks.
cook in air fryers. “Since air
fryers cook with dry heat, you
can also use them to bake and
roast,” he adds.
While air fryers simulate
fried foods, Reinhard says
you can’t fully compare them
to deep fryers. “Air fryers do
well with breaded and frozen
foods, but for liquid batters a
deep fryer is your best bet.”
As for cost, Dash’s air fryers
range from $60 to $130 (de-
pending on size and features).
Competitors like Ninja are
comparable in price ($130),
while Philips sells its air fryers
for $300-plus.
“Some air fryers even include
accessories like baking pans
and special racks so that
you can prepare cakes and
kebabs,” Reinhard says.
As for if it’s worth it? Well,
that comes down to what you
like to eat. If you love wings
and fries, then an air fryer can
help keep you on track and
may be worth the money.
 By Toby Amidor, R.D. F OOD F OCUS E A T

DON’T BUG OUT!

They may make you cringe, but here are
five reasons insects are worth trying.

C
ricket protein is already on shelves in vari
flour, chips, and bars. And with 80% of the
population estimated to include insects in th
diets, this trend is on the up. Think it’s a little s
Here are five reasons why eating insects may be
you want to consider.

1 THEY’RE FULL OF
QUALITY PROTEIN
According to a 2013 article
2 THEY’RE A SOURCE
OF HEALTHY FATS
Fat quality varies between
4
A
THEY’RE LOADED WITH
MICRONUTRIENTS

published in Molecular species and is also affected by Nutriti

Nutrition & Food Research,
researchers concluded that
insects specifically from the
order orthoptera—which
includes grasshoppers,
crickets, and locusts—are rich
in protein and are a valuable
alternative protein source.
Plus, a 2017 article published
in Nutrition Review found that
on a fresh-weight basis, the
protein content of edible
insects ranges from 7 to 48%.
what insects have been fed,
but insects can be a source of
both polyunsaturated and
monounsaturated fat.
3 THEY PACK A
FIBROUS PUNCH
An insect’s exoskeleton is
made up of chitin, a polysac-
charide that’s recognized by
the human body as a dietary
fiber. That means it’s passed
through the gastrointestinal
track without being digested.
found that inse
micronutrients like copper,
iron, magnesium, manganese,
phosphorus, selenium, and
zinc, as well as B vitamins.
5 THEY’RE SUSTAINABLE
According to the Food and
Agriculture Organization,
eating edible forest insects has
been linked to forest conser-
vation, and scientists say that
it’s a way to curb greenhouse
emissions as well as a way to
address global food shortages.

GIVE BUGS A TRY

If you’re brave enough to try insects, here are
a few brands you may want to pick up.

CRICKET BITES MIXED BUGS EXO CRICKET

PROTEIN BAR
G E T T Y I M AG E S

amazon.com $17 amazon.com $14

amazon.com $34
These roasted crickets come in Dig into this medley of grasshoppers,
several flavors, including Roasted crickets, silkworms, and sago worms These gluten-free, Paleo-friendly bars
Original and Spicy Cayenne Pepper. and treat yourself to a buggy buffet. pack 10 grams of protein each.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 73
 P RESENTS

PART 2

f
our weeks o

AL
A P H S B Y PER BERN
C.S. PHOTOGR
K E V I N L I L LY, C . S .
BY
WORKOUT

74 MUSCLE & FITNESS M AY 2 0 1 9

POWERED BY

FOR MORE
 T H E WA R M U P
EXERCISE REPS

SQUAT 20

LUNGE 10 PER LEG

LATERAL LUNGE 10 PER LEG

CRUNCH 20

FRONT RAISE 10

REAR-DELT RAISE 20
*

REVERSE SHOULDER 10
T COMBO **
***
*Raise the dumbbells straight out in front
of you as you would for a front raise, then,
instead of lowering the weights, spread
your arms out to your sides to form a T.
Bring the weights back in front of you,
then lower them. That’s 1 rep.
**Bend over at the hips, keep your back
flat, and perform a rear-delt flye. Hold
your arms straight out to the sides,
then sweep your hands forward so the
weights are straight out in front of you.
Bring the weights back to your sides,
then lower them. That’s 1 rep.
***Explosively perform a pushup so
that your hands leave the ground as
you reach the top position. Don’t land
stiff; absorb the impact of the landing by
simultaneously lowering yourself into
the next rep.

TRICEPS PUSHDOWN
With a reverse grip, grab a straight-bar
attachment hooked to a cable pulley set
high. Flex your triceps and push the bar
down until your arms are locked out.
 ROCK HARD CHALLENGE: PART 2

PLATE CURL
Grab each side of a
45-pound plate and let your
DAY 1
arms extend as far down as
the plate allows. Curl the
plate up until your biceps
contract. Go slowly to tax T O TA L- B O D Y C I R C U I T
your muscles.
DIRECTIONS: Perform all
exercises marked with the
same number as a superset or
STANDING triset, performing them back-
HALF ARNOLD to-back without rest, before
PRESS moving on to the next cluster.
Stand holding a pair of dumb-
bells at shoulder level, palms EXERCISE SETS REPS REST
facing in. Brace your core,
press your arms up until your -
elbows are fully locked out,
then lower bells back down.

-
*

-
**

-
-
-
***

-
****
*After completing 10 reps, drop the weight
and perform another 10 reps.
**Perform dips by rotating your torso to
the right for 1 rep, then to your left for the
next, until you have 10 on each side.
***Do 30 total reps using 2 dropsets: 10
reps on the initial set, 10 on the first drop,
then 10 on the final drop.
****Get your max heart rate (MHR) to 70%.
RO C K H A R D C H A L L E NG E: PA RT 2

DAY 2
T O TA L- B O D Y C I R C U I T
DIRECTIONS: Perform all
exercises marked with the
same number as a superset or
triset, performing them back-
to-back without rest, before
moving on to the next cluster.

EXERCISE SETS REPS REST

2019 RHC SHRED STACK

-

-
* MASS GAINS INTENSITY DEFINITION

*Walk for 1 minute, then run for 1 minute.

ANAFUSE WILD THING TRUE SHRED
Set the foundation of Get the most out of You’ve built the mass,
If using a treadmill, walk at a pace of
your body by piling your gym session by now chisel it out
3.5 mph, and run at a pace of 7.5 mph
or more. Push your intensity to 85% of on muscle mass with channeling your mind with the metabolic
your MHR. the help of Anafuse. and body to get the enhancer True Shred.
$55; strong best workout possible. $60; strong
supplements.com $35; strong supplements.com
supplements.com
 SEVEN DAYS
TO A SIX-PACK
IF YOU’VE BEEN following the
nutrition guidelines we laid
out in Part 1 of the RHC, your
abs should be pretty sharp.
But to give them the polish
they need to look their best
on the beach, follow the
seven-day plan provided by
Nate Miyaki, C.S.S.N., a trainer
and nutrition coach to
physique athletes. Begin it
seven days out from the day
you want to look your best
and follow it to the letter. In
this example, we’re assuming
a Saturday party. It won’t
make a dramatic difference
unless you’re hovering below
the 10% body-fat barrier. If you
are, then this plan will tighten WEDNESDAY FRIDAY
the skin around your abs to For the best results, perform Continue adjusting your carb
show them to their best effect. Day 2 three days out from intake based on how you
your event. This upper-body look, and keep drinking your
SUNDAY TO WEDNESDAY workout will leave your normal amount of water
Eliminate all potential trophy muscles primed to until late in the day. In the
allergens in your diet, absorb glycogen in the form afternoon, drink smaller
including gluten, dairy, and of carbs. After lifting, get 2 to glasses or avoid water entirely
artificial sweeteners. You may 3 grams of carbs per pound after your last meal.
not think you have food of your body weight before Continue eating your
intolerances, but any that you go to bed. If you train normal amount of salt until
exist—no matter how mild— at night, eat half your carb 24 hours before you plan to
can negatively impact your total Wednesday and finish present yourself. So if you’ve
ability to get as lean as the other half Thursday. been salting your food this
possible by causing bloating Otherwise, go back to your whole week, continue to do
and water retention. normal diet on Thursday. so but stop about a full day
Otherwise, follow the diet Note: This isn’t a cheat meal, before party time. You don’t
that’s been working for you so so choose healthy carbs. have to avoid salt outright;
far. If you hit a roadblock just don’t add any to what’s in
consuming 12 calories per THURSDAY your food naturally.
pound of body weight, you If you feel you look small
might need to drop to 10. and flat on Thursday (after SATURDAY
Allow two full days of rest a carb feast on Wednesday), On this morning, drink about
before your event, so if eat 25 to 50 more grams of half the water you usually
Saturday is your unveiling, carbs on this day. If you look do until you’re ready to pump
your last workout should be soft and bloated, eat 25 to 50 up and party. Avoid all salt
on Wednesday. grams fewer. as well.

Shot on location at Muscle Underground Strength and Conditioning, Chatsworth, CA

RO C K H A R D C H A L L E NG E: PA RT 2
DAY 3
S T E A D Y- S TAT E C A R D I O
Set an elliptical machine to a
high incline, then do 60 to 75
minutes of steady-state cardio,
pushing the intensity to at least
50% MHR.
DAY 4
T O TA L- B O D Y C I R C U I T
DIRECTIONS: Perform all
exercises marked with the
same number as a superset or
triset, performing them back-
to-back without rest, before
moving on to the next cluster.
EXERCISE SETS REPS REST
- -
-
-
- -
* -
*Get your max heart rate (MHR) to 70%.
DAY 5 DAY 6
T O TA L- B O D Y C I R C U I T S T E A D Y- S TAT E C A R D I O
DIRECTIONS: Perform all Set an elliptical machine to a
exercises marked with the high incline, then do 60 to 75
same number as a superset or minutes of steady-state cardio,
triset, performing them back- pushing the intensity to at least
to-back without rest, before 50% MHR.
moving on to the next cluster.
EXERCISE SETS REPS REST
-
DAY 7
-
R E S T D AY
NOTE: If you feel as if you still
need to burn more fat, you can
- add 20 to 30 minutes of light
steady-state cardio.
-
-
-
*
**
***
*After the initial 10 reps, drop the weight,
and then get 10 more.
**Perform a dumbbell lateral raise, keep
your elbows locked out, then rotate your
arms straight in front of your body. Lower
the weights and repeat.
***Walk for 1 minute, then run for 1 minute.
If using a treadmill, walk at a pace of
3.5 mph, and run at a pace of 7.5 mph
or more. Push your intensity to 85% of
your MHR.
 INCLINE BARBELL
BENCH PRESS
Unrack a loaded barbell and lower it to
your chest. Drive your heels into the
floor and push your knees outward as
you push the bar back up.

HEART-RATE CALCULATOR
Throughout this workout,
you’ll see cardio intensity
expressed in terms of maximum
heart rate (MHR) percentage.
To estimate your MHR, use
this simple formula:
220 MINUS YOUR AGE
So, if you are a 25-year-old male,
your MHR would be 195 beats
per minute (220 – 25 = 195). On
days when you need to reach
85% MHR, you’d multiply the 195
by 0.85, for a target heart rate of
166 for that cardio session.
>

///
DI L L ON DE PI A Z Z A
HE AIR FORCE
high school. I didn’t
s a lifelong career, but I
y liked it. I became a
hysical training leader. As a
19-year-old airman first class, I
was the youngest and lowest-
ranked person in my squadron
to train generals, lieutenants,
and colonels.
I did my four years and got out.
I started going to Las Positas
junior college in Livermore, CA.
It was in the middle of my first
semester, and I had just bought
a motorcycle, a Yamaha FZ-09
naked streetfighter. Supersexy.
It was Sept. 7, 2014, my day off
from working construction, and
I was taking a nice cruise on my
84 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
motorcycle. I came around this
turn, on Calaveras Road in San
Jose, and this woman driving a
sedan hit me head-on. It put me
under the car, and I guess the
woman didn’t know where I was,
so in her panic, she backed over
me again.
I tried to get up twice and my
legs didn’t work, so I knew I was
paralyzed. The cops came, there
was a helicopter above me going
“whoosh, whoosh.” I was hearing
firefighters talk to me in slow
motion. It was like something
out of a movie. I put my head
down, and it was so comfortable.
I was like, “Is this what dying
feels like?” I closed my eyes and
that was it. I woke up a week
later out of a coma. I was told
that I had fractured my T5
vertebrae, my spinal cord was
severed, and I would never
walk again.
There was never a period of
depression. But I was angry.
Because I had been in the Air
Force. I used to teach martial
PHOTOS COU RT E SY OF DI L L ON DE PI A Z Z A
arts. I was such a capable man.
The word that I use is emascu-
lated. I felt like someone had cut
my balls off, because in the
hospital I was shitting and
pissing on myself. They were
turning me around as if I were
a goddamn lab rat, cleaning me
off and shooting me up with
antibiotics and other meds. I was
pissed off that I couldn’t do what

I wanted to do anymore—hiking
mountains, taking a jog, taking
my rottweilers out, doing martial
arts. There’s purity in all of that.
I instantly knew I wanted to
get back to the gym. Lifting
weights was something I had
done my entire life. It’s my thing.
It’s my peace. I figure out
problems there. So about a
month after leaving the hospital,
I was back at my old gym. I
started going six days a week.
It was rough at first. All the
equipment in the gym is
designed for people who walk.
You’ve got to be a contortionist
to use some of these machines.
Do you know how many times
I fell on my face?
I was also embarrassed.
Because at the gym I go to, I
had been the stud. Everyone
knew who I was. When I
walked, I would look so killer.
This had been my home gym for
15 years, so I didn’t want them
to see me. I began going to the
gym right when it opened so I
could transfer and fall and no
one would see it.
I started training a lot with a
buddy. One day somebody on
Instagram saw my pictures and
said, “You should compete in the
bodybuilding championships in
Fresno.” So I said, “Boom, I’m
there.” And I won the wheelchair
division—less than a year after
being injured. That was my first
From far left: DePiazza in
the Air Force; the accident
that changed his life;
DePiazza now, as a
competitive bodybuilder.
taste for competition, and I took
off from there. In March 2017 in
West Palm Beach, FL, I took
second at nationals.
By May 2017, everything was
good. I was finally on a sleeping
routine and an eating routine.
The pain was subsiding. The
family life was good. I had a
car—a really badass Subaru
WRX with hand controls that I
had made.
Then one night, about 11 p.m., I
was coming back from visiting
with my buddies. I don’t drink
alcohol or take painkillers, so I
was completely sober. I was
merging on the freeway in San
Jose, and that’s the last thing I
remember. I got clipped from
M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 85
DI L L ON DE PI A Z Z A

behind by a driver, and it put me

all the way in the median—five
lanes away. DILLON
I partially fractured my C2
vertebrae. I broke both of my
femurs. I broke my right knee. I
DEPIAZZA
BIRTH DATE:
broke my left talus. And I was in
Dec. 28, 1991
a coma for a couple of days. HEIGHT: 5'11"
After three weeks in the WEIGHT: 165 lbs
hospital, I go, “Send me home, BIRTHPLACE:
man.” I had to wear this neck Antioch, CA
RESIDENCE:
brace like the dude from Bleed
Pleasanton, CA
for This. But the second they CAREER
took that off after eight weeks, I HIGHLIGHTS:
was back in the gym. I was 2015 NPC Central
rolling around in a wheelchair, a California
Championships, 1st;
big old purple cast on my leg,
2017 NPC Wheelchair
working out like a goddamn Nationals, 2nd;
savage. Just incredible feats of 2018–19 NPC
strength. I’m not bragging. It’s Wheelchair
just everybody can do this if they Nationals, 1st
INSTAGRAM:
realized how powerful they were.
dill_pickkle
So under a year after all that, I
flew by myself to West Palm
Beach, FL, and I won nationals.
Oh, it’s crazy. I love thinking
about this now. It felt fucking

I DON’T HAVE MY
LEGS. I MISS MY
FAVORITE THINGS,
BUT I’M AT PEACE,
AND I’M ABLE
TO ENJOY MY
LIFE STILL.

amazing, you know what I
mean? The fruits of your labor
come to bear. You have to
understand that it’s a marathon,
not a sprint. That sometimes it
takes a whole year for one day of
success. For me, it took four
years to get this one day of
success. People are so addicted
to the now, not the how.
Right now, I’m focused on
winning the 2019 nationals,
earning my pro card, and
competing at the Olympia.
Actually, I’m not focused. I’m
laser-focused. This bitch is mine.
I firmly believe it. It’s meant to
be. I’m giving it all I’ve got,
because this might be my last
one for a little while. I’ll need a
couple of surgeries. I’ve got a
dislocated hip and other stuff
that I’m working through. I’ve
got two rods and 12 screws
running through the middle of
my back, and my metal is
coming loose. This is my year.
I’m still going to school. I’ll
graduate next year from junior
college. Then I want to go to San
Jose State. I’m hoping to get into
the health and fitness side of
things. I also train about 20

86 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
WALL BALL SHOT SEATED CHEST PRESS
Assume a shoulder-width
stance in front of a wall, holding
a medicine ball at chest height.
Squat down until your thighs
are parallel to the floor and then
explode up, tossing the ball at
the apex of the squat. Catch the
ball and descend back into a
squat. That’s 1 rep.

HIGH-CABLE CURL
Attach D-handles to the ends of
two cable pulleys set to high.
Get in the middle of the cable
machine and grab a handle in
each hand. Fully extend your
arms out and then curl them in
toward your head until you feel
your biceps contract.

clients. I write diet plans, and I
help people in the gym, when
I’m not training for nationals.
Ultimately, I think I want to
get into occupational therapy,
where I help new paraplegics—
show them how to move, how to
stretch, how to go to the gym.
The thing that has always
confused me is, I’ve never gone
to a hospital that has a person in
a wheelchair showing people in
wheelchairs how to move. It’s all
people who can walk. So in my
mind, that’s doing a real disser-
vice. I believe there are things
that need to be changed.
I appreciate the fact that
people draw inspiration from
me. It does make me feel good,
and I appreciate that people go
out of their way to let me know
that I inspire them. It reminds
me that everything that I’m
doing isn’t all for naught. When
people reach out to me on
Instagram and say that I’ve
inspired them, it actually lights a
fire under my ass just as much
as it does theirs.
Am I happy now? I wouldn’t
necessarily say happy. I don’t
know how anyone could be

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 87
DI L L ON DE PI A Z Z A

happy with losing their legs. But

what I am is at peace. I’m at
peace with the life that I have to
struggle through now. I don’t
have my legs. I miss my favorite
things, but I’m at peace, and I’m
able to enjoy my life still. I’m
able to laugh still. I’m able to
smile still. I’m able to have good
times. You know what? Let me
rephrase that: I am happy.
Will I ever be as happy as I
was? I don’t think so. But am I
happy? Yeah.
Sometimes I sit here and I look
at myself and I go, “Dude, what
the fuck?” Because to be run over
by a car in 2014, then hit by a car
in 2017, to break my neck, my

I DON’T USE
PAINKILLERS.
I’M NOT
GOING TO
LET THIS
INJURY BE
TOUGHER
THAN I AM,
PLAIN AND
SIMPLE.

back, both legs, my knee, my

ankle. I’ve still got my face and
good looks. Those are the posi-
tives I try to take from it. But,
man, the pain. I can’t put into
words, because it’s not normal
human pain. When I hit some-
thing, it goes right to my brain
because my nerves are so messed
up. So everything that hurts, it’s
in my brain, if that makes sense. But I don’t use painkillers. I’m doctors want to prescribe me.
My knee doesn’t hurt. My knee not going to let this injury be This is going to sound spiritual
hurts in my brain. So I’m con- tougher than I am, plain and and kooky, but I believe the
stantly thinking about my pain simple. You watch the news words of Louis Zamperini. He’s
because it’s always sending it every day—opioid addiction, the guy from Unbroken who
straight to my head. All the pain death by fentanyl, it’s every- went through all those prison
I feel—it’s excruciating. where. Those are all the things camps. He said, “If I can take it,

88 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
BATTLE ROPE SLAM
Grab the end of a battle rope in
each hand and get into an
athletic stance. Alternate your
arms up and down to create
waves with the ropes.
DILLON-STRONG
DEPIAZZA’S UPPER-
BODY WORKOUT
To build championship-caliber
muscle, try the following routine,
which DePiazza employs and
adjusts to fit his own needs.
EXERCISE SETS REPS
4
3 is chest, Day 2 is back,
3 and Day 3 is arms and
3 though, because when
I can make it.” That rings true.
Maybe when I’m 70 years old I’ll
be opting for painkillers, but
right now I can take what it did
to me. Life is going to have to
try a lot harder to put down this
thoroughbred.
In March, DePiazza successfully
defended his title by winning the
complete paraplegic division at
the 2019 NPC Wheelchair
Nationals. Despite this achieve-
ment, he failed to earn his pro
card. After the competition,
DePiazza told his Instagram
followers that he was “done
wheelchair bodybuilding” but
would continue to be an advo-
cate for wheelchair fitness.
A FEW SIMPLE RULES
Here are the training and nutrition principles that
work for DePiazza.
THREE ON, ONE OFF
DePiazza works out three
days in a row, takes a day
off, then repeats. Day 1
shoulders. He doesn’t hit
his shoulders too hard,
you’re pushing yourself in
a wheelchair all day, you
get plenty of delt work.
KEEP IT BRIEF
DePiazza’s workouts last
45 minutes to an hour,
max. He makes sure not to
overtrain, either, focusing
on the mind-muscle con-
nection rather than hoist-
ing a ton of weight. “I call it
the longevity lift, because
I want to lift for my whole
life,” DePiazza says.
KEEP IT COMPACT
DePiazza isn’t trying to get
humongous. He just wants
to build solid muscle and
a symmetrical frame. “I
like the lean granite look
rather than the bigger
look,” he says. “I think it
looks better on me. The
muscle is very dense, and
everything flows together
pretty well.”
STICK TO MACHINES
For the sake of simplicity
and ease of use, DePiazza
prefers machines to free
weights. The Hammer
Strength equipment is his
favorite. “These machines
are designed by engineers,
so they hit your muscles
perfectly,” he says.
EAT SUPERCLEAN
When it comes to nutri-
tion, DePiazza says he eats
like an old-school body-
builder. There are no chips
and cookies in his meal
plan. Instead, it’s a steady
diet of grilled chicken with
mustard, white rice, eggs,
protein powder, almonds,
walnuts, all-natural
peanut butter, bananas,
and apples. “Just straight-
up Neanderthal diet,” he
says. “It’s what works.”
/
/
 u e R i c a rdo
s t a r , M o niq
a n d b i k ini j i t s u w o rld
a f i g u r e i l i a n j i u - d m o m .
>bOanlcances life as a uBcrtaor, fitneCsH Is/ / /mP HoO TdO GeR Al,P HaS B Y I A N S P A N I E R
e z n
n ow i o n , i n s t r BY STEVE MAZZUC
champ

W /
WORKS: ANTERIOR, LATERAL DELTOID

I DON’T MISS
EATING DRY
CHICKEN.
I DON’T MISS
THE TAN.

/
Jiu-Jitsu Federation) world
champ, Ricardo is also an
instructor at husband Eddie’s
Cobra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Plano,
TX, a Better Bodies fitness-
apparel model, and a devoted
mother to two young sons, Max
and Michael.
Monday through Friday, she’s
taking the kids to school, hitting
the weights, picking the boys up,
taking them to class, teaching
BJJ, practicing it herself, cooking,
and, because the whole family’s
so active, doing multiple loads of
laundry. Throw in photo shoots
and competitions, and it’s a
heckuva hustle. But with proper
prep, routine, psychology, and re-
covery (see sidebar, next spread),
Ricardo thrives. And ever since
she got into BJJ 11 years ago, she’s
been hooked.
“I did some classes in 2008, and
Eddie was like, ‘You have some
talent, the way you move. I can
make you a world champion,’ ” she
says. “And I thought, ‘This guy’s
just trying to hit on me.’ It ended
up working every way.”
The sport has taken her and
Eddie all over the world, where
they’re an integral part of a
like-minded community. That
and continually striving for gold
are what keep Ricardo coming
back for more.
“They say it’s like a human chess
game,” Ricardo explains. “I love
the adrenaline you get in the com-
petitions, and it’s just a different
feeling whenever you win.”
She knows that feeling well—
dominating even as female
participation has grown dramati-
cally over the past several years—
and recently became the IBJJF’s
top-ranked Master 1 black belt
female. The keys to her success?
Hard work, persistence, and a
champion’s mindset.
“I visualize how I want a match
to go, how I’m gonna step on the
mat, how I want it to end,” she
says. “So it’s like I’ve been there
before, and my body just follows.”
Of course, to stay on top, that
body has also had to step away
from figure and bikini competi-
tions. Ricardo last hit the stage
in 2014, but she still loves and
follows bodybuilding, and not
only because her sister Janet
Layug—who won the 2019 Bikini
International—is a top talent.
“I don’t miss eating dry chicken.
I don’t miss the tan,” she says. “I
do miss being supershredded.”
Then again, Ricardo hasn’t
exactly let herself go. Her
diet’s clean, packed with shakes,
vegetables, and lean protein like
egg whites, chicken, salmon, and
WO R KO U T
BOULDER SHOULDERS
SETS REPS
4
4
4
4
Ricardo burns out her shoulders with
25 minutes of sparring with gloves and
mitts, focusing on a basic jab-jab-
cross-hook sequence.
/
 WORKS: LATERAL
DELTOID

THEY SAY FRONT RAISE

WORKS: ANTERIOR DELTOID
BJJ IS LIKE Hold a dumbbell in each
HUMAN hand, with a slight bend in
your knees. Lift one up, arm
CHESS. extended, until your arm is
parallel to the floor. Then
slowly lower it and lift the
other arm.
 MOTHERING—AND MAINTAINING
MUSCLE—WITH MONIQUE
Be a better, healthier parent with
Ricardo’s time-tested advice.

PREP AHEAD OF TIME

“I don’t want to be on the road and have a situation where,
‘Oh, my kids are hungry, I’m gonna have to buy McDonald’s.’ So I
WORKS: TRICEPS
WO R KO U T O U T F I T: T O P BY B O DY L A N G UAG E ; B O T T O M S BY L N D R ; S H O E S BY N E W B A L A N C E

have a lot of snacks in my car—carrot sticks and pita snacks for

the kids and a thing of protein powder, so there’s no excuse to
eat bad. And I always have extra workout clothes and extra
clothes for the kids, just in case I’m not able to come home.”
B R A Z I L I A N J I U -J I T S U O U T F I T : G I B Y H AYA B U S A ; S H I R T B Y N E W B A L A N C E .

STICK TO A SCHEDULE
“My husband and I are very routine-ish, and our kids are on
that routine. It makes things so much easier because they know
what they’re doing at all times. Everything works smoothly, and
the kids don’t know any different. It’s just what they do.”

EASE UP ON THE PRESSURE

“We haven’t had our kids compete in BJJ yet, because we
know they’re in it for the long run, and we don’t want them to get
bored or tired of it. If you push too hard, it’s so easy for it to
become something they have to do. We even play games with
them, like, ‘We’re not going to take you today,’ and they get
upset, and they’re like, ‘No, we want to go,’ because they have
friends there, and they’ve built a family there.”

FIND TIME TO RECOVER

“I take naps daily because of all the training I do, plus with
kids and stuff, I have to rest my body. Just like 30 minutes—it’s
not very long, but it’s very helpful. There are techniques to calm
the mind enough to go to sleep fast, and then when you wake
up, you feel revived.”
 KETO DIET
96 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
> Going keto can help you cut fat in the short term, science says,
so stock up on these 25 foods if you’re looking to shed fat fast.
BY COURTNE Y ANAYA

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 97
I
1 RED MEAT AND POULTRY
F YOU’VE BEEN LIVING UNDER A ROCK,
here’s a primer on the keto diet: Our body traditionally
uses glucose to fuel both our muscles and our brain. When Red meat and poultry contain
you cut your carb intake to less than 5 to 10% of your total zero carbohydrates and are loaded
calories, the glucose deprivation forces your body to instead with B vitamins and minerals,
use fat as fuel in your workouts and forces your brain to including selenium, potassium,
release ketones, a backup brain food that has such effects and zinc. A 3-ounce steak contains
as stopping epilepsy and enhancing mental clarity. 26 grams of protein, and 3 ounces
So far, science has found that keto is a viable option for of a skinless chicken breast
those looking to trim body fat and can also help improve contains 28 grams of protein.
O P E N E R A N D T H I S S P R E A D : G E T T Y I M AG E S

your insulin resistance, reduce blood pressure, improve Bonus: Red meat and poultry take
cholesterol levels, and maybe even offset type-2 diabetes. on the flavor of whatever they’re
However, another study from The Lancet suggests that limiting seasoned with. The following
your carb intake can shorten your lifespan, and a large study seasonings are keto-friendly: chili
presented at the 2018 European Society of Cardiology Congress powder, ground cumin, paprika,
found that people on the lowest-carb diets were the most likely to garlic powder, onion powder,
die from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and all other causes. oregano, salt, and pepper.
While the jury is still out on the long-term effects of the keto
diet, it can help you shed fat quickly and is safe in the short term.
Looking to go keto? Be sure to stock up on these 25 essential
foods that are easy to always have in the house.

98 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9

2 EGGS
Eggs are a nutritional
powerhouse and can be used in any
dish. There’s less than 1 gram of
carbohydrates and about 6 grams of
protein in one egg. The yolk is the
most nutritious part—loaded with
B vitamins and antioxidants.
3 CHEESE
One ounce of sharp cheddar
cheese has less than 1 gram of carbs
but contains 10 grams of total fat
(5.5 grams of saturated fat). Since
cheese is high in saturated fat, it’s
important to note that eating too
much of it can do damage to
fat-related blood levels.
4 AVOCADOS
Looking for a jolt of
nutrition? Make an avocado part
of a meal or snack, such as using it
as a low-carb substitute for spreads.
One cup of avocado packs just
12 grams of carbs, 21 grams of fat,
and 3 grams of protein.
5 FISH
Fatty fish get the nod because
they are high in omega-3 fats,
which can lower blood fat levels,
curb joint pain and stiffness, and
help treat depression. So start
piling your plate with salmon and
B E ST K E TO FO ODS
mackerel twice a week to create a
leaner physique.
6 COCONUT OIL
Extra-virgin olive oil can
move aside because coconut oil is
the preferred choice for the keto
diet. It’s made up of medium-chain
triglycerides (MCTs), which are
absorbed by the liver and converted
into ketones. Ketones are used as a
source of energy during the keto
diet. It’s best to use coconut oil
when cooking with low heat. This
oil pairs well with seafood, baked
goods, and Asian recipes.
7 NUTS
You can go nuts with nuts on
the keto diet. Pecans, Brazil nuts,
and macadamia nuts contain the
lowest amount of carbs per serving,
with 4 to 5 grams of carbs in each
3-ounce serving. When you need
a quick fix, nuts can provide you
with the right amount of energy to
help you continue powering
through the day.
M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 99
8 SEEDS

12 UNSWEETENED ALMOND MILK

y p

9 LEAFY GREENS
Dark greens, like spinach
and kale, can fuel the body with
vitamin K, fiber, B vitamins,
calcium, and lutein. The fiber found
in leafy greens aids in weight loss
and promotes digestion, while
vitamin K increases cardiac
output—letting you hit the gym
more efficiently. One cup of kale
contains 6 grams of carbs, and
a cup of spinach has only 1 gram.
you hit up the supp store, keep an
eye out for BPI Sports ISO-HD
Protein Powder, Perfect Keto
Collagen, and Optimum Nutrition
Platinum HydroWhey. Perfect Keto
Collagen is made of MCTs and
collagen—feeding your hard-trained
13 LOW-CARB BREAD
Yes, low-carb bread does
exist. ThinSlim Foods produces
low-carb foods, ranging from sliced
bread to bagels. One bagel or one
slice of bread from ThinSlim Foods
has zero net carbs, so you can still
enjoy a classic sandwich for lunch.
GREEK YOGURT
Most yogurts are high up

10
G E T T Y I M AG E S

find a keto-approved protein

100 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9

full-fat Greek yogurt is approved
for keto. One cup of whole-milk
Greek yogurt will feed your body
with 22 grams of protein and just
7 grams of carbs.
15 RICED CAULIFLOWER
Continue to enjoy pizza
and stir-fry by using cauliflower as
the crust or rice. You can grate a
head of cauliflower for rice or find
it pregrated in the frozen section.
One cup of riced cauliflower has
only 5 grams of carbs.
16 BEEF JERKY
When you’re on the go
and need to keep your protein up,
grab beef jerky. One large piece of
beef jerky packs 5 grams of total
fat, 2 grams of carbs, and 7 grams
of protein. Popular brands to look
out for are Krave, Field Trip, and
Jack Links.
17 COTTAGE CHEESE
If you’re looking to
change up snacks or meals, try so
cottage cheese. A half-cup of regu
cottage cheese contains 4 grams of
fat and 12 grams of protein. Enjoy
cottage cheese by itself or add it to a
salad or a fajita bowl.
18 MUSHROOMS
They’re supernutritious
and can add a punch of flavor to
any meal. Pick up some shiitake
mushrooms during your next
shopping trip—they’re loaded with
vitamin B12 and vitamin D, which
will aid in energy production and
muscle recovery.
19 BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Give brussels sprouts a
second chance by roasting them,
creating a warm, nutty flavor. Just a
cup of this underappreciated veggie
has 8 grams of carbs and 3 grams
of protein.
20 BACON
For those on the keto
diet, bacon is a treat and should
be consumed only in moderation
due to the high saturated fat
content. When shopping around
for bacon, make sure to avoid ones
that are sweetened.
21 SPICES
Keto-friendly spices
will add more flavor to a dish
without wreaking havoc on your
carb profile. Try your choice of
basil, oreg h me,
or cil
22 DELI LUNCH MEATS
B E ST K E TO FO ODS
23 SPAGHETTI
SQUASH
Not only is it nutritious, but
spiralized squash has 7 grams of
carbs per cup. It’ll also take on the
flavor of whatever it’s cooked in, so
keep it simple with coconut oil and
a bit of salt and pepper.
24 COCONUT AMINOS
Containing 17
amino acids and an array of B
vitamins, coconut aminos provide
a sweet-salty flavor. Use them as
a salad dressing, dipping sauce,
or marinade.
25 PROTEIN BARS
Low-carb protein bars
do exist, and the options are not
mited. You can still get your
tein fill when you’re craving
ething sweet. Add these to your
ping list: Perfect Keto Protein
Quest Nutrition Protein Bars,
-Crave Energy Bars, and
Slim Protein Bars.
 These six
women are
breaking
new ground
in typically
male-
dominated
fields and
inspiring a
new, diverse
generation to
follow their
passions.

WOMEN
OF
ACTION
 JESSICA EYE
ufc female flyweight fighter
A string of losses nearly cost Jessica Eye her spot in
the UFC, until a change in weight class and mindset
revitalized her career and turned her into a force.
LOSING THREE FIGHTS IN
a row is the unofficial Mendoza
Line of the UFC. Only a few
special fighters have been
allowed to stay with the organi-
zation after four consecutive
losses, so when UFC president
Dana White called Jessica Eye
the Monday after her fourth
loss back in 2016, she expected
the worst.
“I was like, ‘You guys are going
to cut me, aren’t you?’ He said,
‘No, but I want you to take some
time off and get your mind
right,’ ” Eye says. “My dad had
died in July. I was dealing with a
M I K E R O A C H / Z U F FA , L L C / G E T T Y I M A G E S ; J O S H H E D G E S / Z U F FA , L L C / G E T T Y I M A G E S
lot. I thought I could push
through that. But I wasn’t fully
me on that fight day.”
The UFC is filled with athletes
who fight well, but White has a
soft spot for those rare speci-
mens who have combat coursing
through their veins, the type of
fighters who live to hear the gate
of the Octagon click shut behind
them. It would turn out to be a
prescient move by the UFC.
Eye took 2017 entirely off
from fighting. She sorted
through her father’s estate,
entered grappling tournaments
to shore up her boxing-centric
fighting style, and, most import-
ant, began to bring her weight
down. In May of that same year,
the UFC announced it would
be adding a new 125-pound
female flyweight division, which
is right below Eye’s previous
home in the 135-pound bantam-
weight division. Losing those
10 pounds would be a game
changer for Eye.
“During fight week I saw
myself in the mirror, and I was
like, ‘Who is this girl?’ ” she says.
“I never had a six-pack like that
in my life, and I’m in my 30s!”
The results speak for them-
selves. Eye, who is bigger and
stronger in her new weight class,
went on a tear in 2018, winning
three straight fights and setting
herself up for a June 8 title shot
against flyweight champ Valen-
tina Shevchenko, one of the most
intimidating fighters—male or
female—in the UFC today. Eye’s
faith in herself, despite the
deafening chorus of voices
telling her to hang up the gloves,
is epitomized in her line of “Eye
Believe” T-shirts.
“I feel like I’ve shown what it’s
like to be a comeback kid,” says
Eye. “I want to teach girls
self-belief. I want to empower
them. If I can give them a little
more strength to succeed in life,
then I have done my job in
society.” —Mike Carlson
DURING FIGHT
WEEK I SAW
MYSELF IN THE
MIRROR, AND I
WAS LIKE, ‘WHO
IS THIS GIRL?’
M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 103
 ELITE GOALS
All Elite Wrestling is the new
alternative in professional
wrestling. For the longest time,
there has been one force driving
the professional wrestling
industry, and the people behind
All Elite really just wanted to
provide an alternative for
people looking for anything
different. We tout that we have
the best talent in the world and
that wrestling is the main focus.

ALL-INCLUSIVE
We’ve partnered with a compa-
ny called KultureCity, and they
are focused on making all
large-scale public events and
arenas sensory-inclusive—to
cater to people with autism,
PTSD, high levels of anxiety,
recent stroke victims, people
who sometimes are bothered
by things like loud noises,
bright lights.

WOMEN IN POWER
Myself being in a high-level
executive position, it should
absolutely give hope to other
females who are right now
going through the wrestling
industry and saying, “OK,
what’s going to happen to me in
10 years or so?” Or, you know,

BRANDI RHODES
“What happens if I get hurt and
I can’t continue in this?” It’s just
going to provide that much
chief brand officer, all elite more opportunity for these
wrestling women to continue to be in
the industry that they’ve grown
to love.
No longer just a ring announcer, Brandi Rhodes looks
to push the boundaries in an industry in the midst of a BRAND BUILDING
women’s revolution. For me, a lot of my journey is
establishing partnerships,
THE UPSTART PRO WRESTLING company All Elite Wrestling community outreach, a lot of
(AEW) prepares to hold its first live event at the MGM Grand Garden marketing, and aligning our
Arena in Las Vegas on May 25. And the company’s chief brand officer, brand with like-minded people.
AB+DM STUDIO

Brandi Rhodes, wife of executive VP Cody Rhodes, son of the legendary I’m very proud of that opportu-
Dusty Rhodes, has made it a priority to champion diversity and nity, and hopefully we’ll set the
inclusivity, especially when it comes to female talent. Here, she explains bar as high as what they can
Elite’s—and her—mission. —Tina Benitez-Eves expect from me going forward.

104 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 WOM E N B R E A K I NG G ROU N D

MIA KANG
I started modeling pretty
young. I was 13 when I got
scouted, and then I took my
model and professional career full-time when I finished
muay thai fighter school. In 2015, my career
peaked. Everything was amaz-
ing, but I was ridden with eating
By learning to embrace her health and figure, disorders. I ate only when I had
model Mia Kang has become a voice against the to; I’d have a square of choco-
industry’s traditional views on beauty. late, or a couple of nuts, or a
chunk of a protein bar. I got a
IN 2015, MODEL MIA K ANG (@missmiakang) was touring the phone call from a client telling
world, representing big brands like Guess. But at 5'10" and 95 pounds, me to go on nothing but liquids
the size 2 model was anorexic and on the verge of a mental break- for 10 days. Unfortunately,
down. She decided that she had had enough and called it quits. Then that’s not a crazy request. I
she found Muay Thai boxing and gained appreciation for what it remember breaking down
meant to be healthy. In 2017, Kang had her first fight and won with a completely, and I was like, this
third-round knockout. Now, at 180 pounds and wearing a size 8 to 10, is the last time I do this. And
Kang is back modeling and advocating for the industry to embrace a then I just went to Thailand.
healthier, more realistic body image. In Kang’s own words, this is her I was driving around and
story. —Andrew Gutman passed a local Muay Thai gym. I
pulled over and went in to try it.
I fell in love instantly, and I
started training every day, twice
a day. I ended up moving into
the gym and staying there for
nine months. It was during that
process that I got healthy. I
overcame all the things I was
battling before. For the first
time, I learned to respect my
body. I came back to New York
and decided that the industry
needed to change and that I
wanted to change it.
In the beginning, it was a huge
shock. I lost so many of my
clients. I wasn’t booking any
work. Everybody was telling me
that I was either too big or too
small—that I wasn’t a sample
size and I wasn’t plus-size. The
industry is promoting two
extremes, and there’s no repre-
sentation of the middle. That’s
what I’m pioneering for, and I
call that middle-size range
“street size.”
C OU RT E SY O F M I A K A NG

What’s my goal? I don’t want

young women to go through
what I went through. I want to
change the standard of beauty
to something that’s not just
aspirational but attainable.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 105
WOM E N B R E A K I NG
G ROU N D
C A N D AC E
about her debut on the show
last fall.
PA R K E R
The Los Angeles Sparks’
All-Star power forward/center
has since switched to flats to
wnba all-star, make it easier to school Smith
and the other NBA Hall-of-
nba analyst Famers and former All-Stars
she shares the floor with as
The 2016 WNBA Finals an analyst for the in-studio
MVP proves that talking NBA show.
hoops is no boy’s club. Parker isn’t the first women’s
basketball player to analyze the
CANDACE PARKER G AVE NBA on TV, but it’s no secret
former NBA champion Steve that these gigs have typically
Smith a shoulder shimmy in the been held by men. Now Parker
post, before sinking a shot wants her work to help continue
during a turnaround jumper opening doors for women to get
demonstration on TNT’s Players similar opportunities.
Only—and, most impressively, “Basketball is basketball, and
she did it in high heels. we should give opportunities to
“The producer didn’t tell me we individuals who are deserving
were doing a demo,” Parker says [regardless] of their gender or
106 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
was 11 years old, and until then I
was out in my driveway pretend-
ing to be Michael Jordan and
Chris Webber—all these players
that didn’t look anything like
me,” she remembers. “So, when I
first turned on the television and
saw somebody that looked like
me, that’s when I really started
dreaming about being a basket-
ball player and professional
athlete. I hope young girls—and
even young guys—look at the
T U R N E R S P ORTS
television and see somebody like
themselves and know they can
do whatever they want to do.”
—Mark Lelinwalla
 A N D R E A H U DY
assistant athletics director for sport
performance, university of kansas

It’s rare for a woman to serve in the strength and

conditioning world at a university—let alone for one of
the country’s most successful men’s basketball teams.
THE ONLY TRUE requirement success is based on interpersonal
for Andrea Hudy’s gym is a skills and 15% on specific skills,”
willingness to work hard. Hudy says.
As the assistant athletics direc- Under her leadership, KU
tor for sport performance at has developed one of the most
the University of Kansas, Hudy technologically advanced
oversees strength and condition- strength programs in the coun-
ing for most of the university’s try. She’s partnered with Sparta
sports teams, including the Science and installed six force
highly lauded men’s basketball plates in the KU gym to help
program. analyze and improve movements
“This gym is the one place that such as the vertical jump. She
all athletes in the athletic also utilizes Elite Form tech-
C O U RT E S Y O F K A N S A S AT H L E T I C S C O M M U N I C AT I O N S

department pass through,” says nology, a velocity-based tool that

Hudy. “We have to have a
culture that can bleed into all
of the 14 different cultures of
sports we have here. They have
different personalities and
different coaches, but we have
to get along with everyone.”
Hudy’s people skills have been
indispensable as a female who
has climbed to the top of a
male-dominated industry.
“I always go back to the
Carnegie quote that 85% of
gauges bar speed (in a power
hang clean, for example), watts
produced, and several other
metrics. Hudy, who programs
individual workouts for each
athlete, measures and records
performance in the gym to track
improvement over time, explain-
ing that “putting those two
pieces of tech together and the
concepts we have learned from
that has separated what we do
from other programs.” —M.C.
 NEW WOM E N B R E A K I NG G ROU N D

ProSupps®
Mr. Hyde® Icon KRISTIN RHODES
a m e r i c a’s s t r o n g e s t w o m a n

In between being a wife, business owner, and mother

of three, Kristin Rhodes has found the time to earn the
title of America’s Strongest Woman—eight times.
LOVE AT FIRST SHOW
I did sports growing up, and I
was a thrower in college. I have
kids, and I just kind of hadn’t
really worked out in years, and
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I started training when my
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to get to the gym at night when
you have small kids is just hard.
I’d be cooking pasta on the stove,
I’d be out there training, I’d do a
couple sets, come back in, stir the
pasta, go back out, do a set, come
back in, serve their food.
MOM STRENGTH
I run a daycare for teachers. I
watch other people’s kids from
7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday
through Friday. My children are
in sports, so then I’ve got to do
their sports with them, usually
four nights a week. Then I go to
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get my workout in.

LONG LASTING RAISING THE BAR

It’s definitely hard being a
woman in a male-dominated
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Look for ProSupps® barriers and trying to prove that
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CASEY WITHERS

© 2019 Nutrition 21, LLC Nitrosigine® is a trademark of through something that I enjoy
Nutrition21, LLC: U.S. Patents include, but are not limited to:
6,803,456; and 7,576,132. Reference: Data on file 2017, and I love, but I’m impacting so
Nutrition 21, LLC DRA1803022819
many other people’s lives.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food —Kelly Twardziak
and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to
diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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S, Komorowski J. An evaluation of the effect of inositol-stabilized arginine silicate on heart rate and blood pressure. The FASEB Journal. 2018;32(Suppl 1). 3. Harvey P., Rood-Ojalvo S.,
Komorowski J. The effects of inositol-stabilized arginine silicate on cognitive function. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2015; 34(6):544.Komorowski J, Perez Ojalvo S. A
pharmacokinetic evaluation of the duration of effect of inositol-stabilized arginine silicate and arginine hydrochloride in healthy adult males. The FASEB Journal. 2016;30(Suppl
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EXTEND
YOURSELF > Jack up your arm size
with these hard-hitting
variations of skull
crushers, overhead
extensions, and
kickbacks.
///

110 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
C
OMMERCIAL GYMS MUST BURN
through rope and V-bar cable attachments,
what with all the people relying primarily on
pushdowns to work their triceps. Memo to
all those experiencing pushdown fatigue
(aka, boredom and plateaus): That’s not
the only movement available for building
up the horseshoe muscles, which dwarf
the biceps and make up roughly two-thirds
of your upper-arm mass. Another family
of triceps exercises demands your utmost
attention: extensions, including skull crushers,
overhead extensions, and even kickbacks. Hit
your extensions hard, using any and all of the
following six variations, and you’ll start burning
through T-shirts with bigger tri’s.
M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 111
1 M OV E , 6 WAY S : E X T E N SIONS

BODY-WEIGHT SKULL CRUSHER

REVERSE-GRIP CABLE SKULL CRUSHER

M AY 2 0 1 9 // M U S C L E & F I T N E S S
ONE-ARM CABLE OVERHEAD EXTENSION

114 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
ONE-ARM CABLE KICKBACK
1 M OV E , 6 WAY S : E X T E N SIONS

MEDICINE BALL OVERHEAD EXTENSION THROW

116 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9 Shot on location at Muscle Underground Strength & Conditioning , Chatsworth, CA
DECLINE DUMBBELL SKULL CRUSHER

M AY 2 0 1 9 // M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 117
 you follow this two-part plan to the letter.
BY DAVID SANDLER, C.S.C.S. /// PHOTOGRAPHS BY DUSTIN SNIPES

L h
r gram—whic
okin’ cut”—and y
mmer comes o a close
at s

M AY /
A B S I N FOU R W E E K S

Step 1: Fix Your Diet Step 2: Train Like a Bodybuilder

No amount of ab training or cardio or fat-burning
supplements will reveal your abs if you’re eating
too much food or eating the wrong proportions of
macronutrients. Start by multiplying your body
weight in pounds by 12 to find the number of
calories you should consume daily. You should
take in 1 gram of protein per pound of your body
weight, 1 gram of carbohydrates per pound, and
0.4 grams of fat per pound. Follow the guidelines
in the Muscle & Fitness Food Pyramid (muscle
andfitness.com/foodpyramid) for the particulars
on setting up a fat-loss diet, including which
foods to eat.
It may be tempting to remove carbohydrates
altogether, as much has been written about the
effectiveness of low-carb diets. But cutting carbs
too much and too soon can send your energy levels
into the tank and can cost you the muscle you need
to keep your metabolism burning bright. Use our
food pyramid at muscleandfitness.com/pyramid
to calculate your macros.
You’ve probably tried a CrossFit class and have been
led to believe that your workouts must be “function-
al.” And you may have no interest in ever competing
in a bodybuilding contest. (It’s the skimpy under-
wear, isn’t it?) But put these hang-ups aside for the
next month, and understand that snatches and box
jumps won’t give you the beach-ready physique you
crave. Moves like the bench press and crunch aren’t
flashy, but they will build muscle and give you the
shape and definition that make the body impres-
sive—in and out of a shirt. Focus on the basic lifts,
body part by body part, and avoid the temptation to
break WOD PRs for a bit.
Concentrate on how you perform each rep, too.
For maximum muscle gain, slow and steady wins
the race. Using a full range of motion for 12 situp
reps will produce deeper ab cuts than repping out
50 fast, sloppy ones. Take at least four seconds to
perform each rep on your ab exercises. You’ll train
abs directly three days per week, followed by
interval cardio activity to burn excess fat.

The Fast-Abs Training Plan

Perform each workout (Day 1 through Day 6) once per week.
Rest on Day 7. Repeat for 4 weeks.

Day 1: C
EXERCISE SETS REPS REST (SEC.)

4 8
4

4
4

Day 2: Chest
EXERCISE SETS REPS REST (SEC.) WIDE-GRIP BARBELL
4 BENCH PRESS
Incline Dumbbell Flye 4 12
4
Machine Pec Flye 4 12
4
glutes engaged.

120 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 DECLINE
WEIGHTED SITUP
Set
a 30
Ho
weig
c
you

sittin
A B S I N FOU R W E E K S

Day 3: Abs, Cardio

EXERCISE SETS REPS REST (SEC.)

4
Decline Weighted Situp 4 12 75
4
RKC Plank 4 Hold 60 sec. 90
3
Sprint/Walk 20 Sprint 15–20 sec., None
walk 60–90 sec.
Day 4: Back
EXERCISE SETS REPS REST (SEC.)

4
One-arm Dumbbell Row 4 12 90
4
Straight-arm Pulldown 4 12 75
4

BENT-KNEE HIP RAISE Day 5: Abs, Cardio

EXERCISE SETS REPS REST (SEC.)

4
Decline Weighted Situp 4 12 75
4
Medicine Ball 4 12 60
Rotation Situp
3
Sprint/Walk 25 Sprint 15–20 sec., None
walk 60–90 sec.

Day 6: Arms, Shoulders

EXERCISE SETS REPS REST (SEC.)

RKC PLANK 4
Skull Crusher 4 12 90
Set up as you would for a regular plank,
4
but tighten your glutes and thighs and
think about actively drawing your elbows Barbell Biceps Curl 4 12 90
and knees together. (But don’t move.) 4
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 4 12 75
4

/
ONE-ARM DUMBBELL ROW
Use your knee and opposite
arm for support. Draw your
shoulder blade back and row
the weight to your hip. Avoid
twisting or using momentum to
power the dumbbell up.

MEDICINE BALL
ROTATION SITUP
Hold the ball at arm’s length and
raise your feet off the floor.
Twist your torso to one side and
then the other. That’s 1 rep.

V-UP
Extend your legs and reach
your arms overhead. Raise
your torso off the floor and
bring your legs up to meet
your arms.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 123
A B S I N FOU R W E E K S

SKULL CRUSHER

DB REAR-DELT RAISE
Keep your
maintain a slight arch in your
lower back. Raise the dumbbells
out 90 degrees to your sides,
squeezing your shoulder

PLANK PIKE
Get into a plank position and
then drive your hips to the
sky. Keep your lower back as
flat as possible. You’ll feel a
stretch in your hamstrings.
 ENTER THE

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T H E M&F DE A DL I F T GU I DE

I
N THE GYM OR ON THE
platform, the deadlift is the
great equalizer among
competitive lifters and gym
rats alike. There’s nothing
THE THREE KINGS
more telling of a person’s raw When it comes to deadlifting, there’s more than
strength than whether he one way to pull heavy weight off the floor. Here are
can load up a steel barbell the three best deadlift variations.
with heavy weight and rip it
up off the floor. You can’t CONVENTIONAL DEADLIFT your glutes and quads
cheat the deadlift—it either goes WHY DO IT: Because it’s are weak in your
up, or it doesn’t. the industry standard for conventional pull,
It’s also good for you. Pulling measuring brute strength switching to sumos for a
weight from the floor is about and power. “It’s the king of while will build strength
as basic (read: necessary) of a lifts,” says Ollie Quinn, a in those muscle groups.
movement that exists. Anytime strongman competitor, a EXECUTION: With your
you pick up your kid or bend over former Royal Marine, and feet shoulder-width apart
to retrieve a fallen wallet, you’re the owner of BattleBells and toes pointed out, sink
personal training in your butt down and grab
technically doing a deadlift, so
Austin, TX. “No other the bar with your hands
strengthening and reinforcing this
deadlift variation screams just on the inside of your
movement pattern will only ben-
static strength and thighs. (You can use a
efit you as you get older. From a athleticism like this one.” closer grip, as shown on
gym standpoint, deadlifts engage EXECUTION: Stand in front the opening spread, if it’s
your entire posterior chain—that of a loaded barbell resting more comfortable.) Start
is, your hamstrings, glutes, and on the floor in front of with your butt down,
every muscle in your back—along you, feet hip-width apart. torso as upright as
with your core, shoulders, and Keeping your back flat possible, and core tight.
arms. So if you want to get bigger and head up, bend your Deadlift the bar off the
and stronger...deadlift. knees and hips to grasp floor, keeping your back
It’ll also test your grit. And this the bar with a shoulder- flat and knees pointed
year’s Arnold Strongman Classic width grip. This is your outward the entire time.
winner, Hafþór Björnsson, knows start position. Stand up When your hips and
all about that. with the bar in one knees reach full
Last year, Björnsson, aka Game explosive motion by extension, lower the
of Thrones’ “the Mountain,” set extending your knees bar back down.
a record on the Rogue Elephant and driving your hips FORM TIP: “Keep as much
Bar—a longer, unstable bar that forward. of your body behind the
moves as you pull it—by lifting FORM TIP: “Fill your bar as possible,” says
1,041 pounds. Then, at this year’s belly with air to brace Quinn. “Think about
Arnold, Björnsson put four more your abs,” Quinn says. pushing the floor apart
pounds onto his already other- “Hinge your upper body, hard with your feet to lift
keep a neutral spine, and the bar off the floor. When
worldly total. Four pounds may
squeeze the bar—imagine you get the bar moving,
not seem like a lot, but when
bending it into a horse- keep your knees out and
you’re pulling more than a half-
shoe shape, using your finish by driving your
ton of weight, every ounce counts. lats, before you pull.” hips into the bar.”
In the spirit of strong men lifting
OPE N E R: E D GA R A RT IGA

big weight, we’ve compiled a SUMO DEADLIFT TRAP-BAR DEADLIFT

comprehensive guide to help you WHY DO IT: For starters, WHY DO IT: According to
become a better deadlifter. We the wide stance creates a Quinn, trap-bar deadlifts
can’t promise you’ll be pulling shorter range of motion, are great for three
weight like Björnsson (in fact, we which can help relieve reasons: 1) They help
can almost guarantee you won’t), lower-back pain. Also, if immobile lifters get into
but follow the advice and you’ll be
setting new PRs in no time.
128 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 TRAP-BAR
DEADLIFT

SUMO
DEADLIFT

the proper starting CONVENTIONAL

position; 2) a better DEADLIFT
starting position is
more spine-friendly,
making it safer; and
3) the optimal starting
position and neutral
grip usually mean you
can lift more weight.
C L O C KW I S E F ROM R IG H T: E D GA R A RT IGA; PE R B E R NA L; E D GA R A RT IGA

And more weight

means more strength
gained over time.
EXECUTION: Stand in
the middle of a trap
bar, feet hip-width
apart. Grab the
handles and drop
your hips. Your hands
should be in line with
your heels, allowing
your torso to be more
upright. Shift your
weight back to your
heels and then pull. get a little squatty with down low,” Quinn when you grab the
Reach full hip and the trap-bar deadlift— says. “This lets you handles, keep your
knee extension at meaning, it’s fine to let take full advantage of middle fingers in line
the top. your knees come your quad muscles to with the center of
FORM TIP: “It’s OK to forward and hips drop start the pull. Also, your foot.”

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 129
T H E M&F DE A DL I F T GU I DE
SHATTER STICKING POINTS
A lot of lifters can get stuck at different points of th
deadlifts—mainly at the bottom or midway throu
or they have trouble locking them out. Luckily
are exercises you can use to strengthen differ
of your deads. Here are our favorites for each
YOU GET STUCK...
AT THE START
DEFICIT DEADLIFT: Perform
your deadlifts standing on a
45-pound plate (or two).
This extends your range of
motion, which will help
make you stronger in your
standard ROM.
OVERLOAD DEADLIFT: Load
up a barbell with 150% of
your one-rep max, set up,
and pull on it as hard as you
can. The bar won’t budge, but
this will engage all your
deadlifting muscle and allow
you to tug harder than you
would with lighter weight.
BANDED DEADLIFT: Set up a
heavy dumbbell about a
foot in front of and in back
of both sides of a barbell
loaded with about 60% of
your 1RM. Loop a band
around one dumbbell and
then stretch it over the
inside of the barbell, in front
of the plate sleeve, and then
loop it around the other
dumbbell. Repeat on the
other side. Then perform
standard deadlifts. This will
make the band harder to
pull off the floor but easier
to lock out.
HALFWAY THROUGH
ONE-AND-A-HALF DEADLIFT:
Perform a standard deadlift,
but as you lower the bar, stop
at midshin level and pull
back up. Then lower the bar
130 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
DEFICIT
DEADLIFT
all the way back down. This
increases your body’s time
under tension, strengthening
all the key deadlift players
in the process.
ISO PIN PULL: Load a barbell
with light weight (either 95
or 135 pounds) using full- DEADLIFT
WITH CHAINS
size plates. Set the safety
pins of a power rack to knee
height. Deadlift the bar into
the pins, pulling as hard as
possible. Hold for five
seconds. Slowly lower it
back down. Pulling a light
bar as hard as you can into
the rack places your body
under immense tension.
The result is an ability to
pull harder for longer. This is
a favorite move among
strength athletes to improve
the midpoint of the deadlift.
AT THE TOP
DEADLIFT WITH CHAINS:
Drape chains over a loaded
barbell, either in the middle
of the bar or inside of the
plate sleeve. As the bar

ONE-AND-A-HALF
DEADLIFT
raises with the chains, the
load will increase at the top
C L O C K W I S E F RO M R I G H T: JA S O N B R E E Z E /C O U RT E S Y O F M H P ; M I C H A E L DA RT E R ; C H R I S N I C O L L ; P E R B E R NA L
of the deadlift, having you
handle more weight than
normal at the lockout point.
RACK PULL: Rest a barbell
across the safety pins of a
power rack set right below
the knee. Load it up with
about 25 to 50% more
weight than you could
normally lift. This eliminates
the pull from the floor,
reducing your ROM and
allowing you to lift from
knee height to lockout with
heavier weight.
REVERSE BAND DEADLIFT:
Loop a band around the top
of both sides of a power
rack, then loop the other
ends around the inside of a
barbell, inside of the plate
sleeve. Load the bar with
about 125% of your one-rep
max and do standard
deadlifts. The bands will be
most tense when the bar is
on the floor, making the lift
easiest off the floor and
hardest at lockout.
PERFECT YOUR PULL
Follow these five rules for a more masterful deadlift.
1OVER
GET YOUR
SHOULDERS
THE BAR
Having your shoulders over the bar
will help ensure that you’re moving
the bar through the most efficient
path of motion, as opposed to
wasting energy compensating
when it drifts too far forward.
1 which will aid in sparing your
4 CONTROL
THE WEIGHT
It may feel primal to slam the
weight on the ground after hitting a
huge PR, but studies show that
slowly lowering the weight
increases muscle protein synthe-
sis compared with a quick drop.
So lower the weight with control.
M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S
2 DON’T
EXTEND
OVER-
Leaning too far back at the top
of a deadlift is inefficient, as it
forces your knees to flex, which
takes tension off your glutes and
hamstrings. It can also put your
spine at risk of hyperextending,
potentially leading to injury.
3 FLEX YOUR
TRICEPS
Deadlifts place a lot of pressure on
your biceps, which can put you at
risk of a tear. Flexing your triceps
is a great cue to guarantee that
your arms are fully extended,
biceps from potential injury.
2
3
4
5
5 WEAR THE
RIGHT SHOES
The soft sole of a running shoe
absorbs weight and compresses,
which reduces your ability to pro-
duce power through your heels. If
your gym allows, try deadlifting in
socks. If not, try a shoe with a flat
sole, like Chuck Taylors or Vans.
131
T H E M&F DE A DL I F T GU I DE

HOW TO SET A PR
These tips will help you hit a new personal
record in the gym.
RAISE THE BAR
Use this four-week deadlift progression
YOU’VE BEEN GRINDING away at the above
from Jon-Erik Kawamoto, C.S.C.S, owner of
program for weeks, and now you want to
JKConditioning in St. John’s, Newfoundland,
test your strength. Follow these guidelines
Canada (jkconditioning.com), to continually
from Brandon Smitley, C.S.C.S., a world-
record-holding powerlifter at 132 pounds add weight to your deadlift.
and owner of Terre Haute Intensity
Resistance and Sports Training (THIRST) DIRECTIONS: Follow this program for 4 weeks.
in Terre Haute, IN. Then add 5 pounds to your deadlift sets and repeat
the 4-week cycle. This program can be repeated for
GO IN FRESH a few cycles until progress stalls. The focus here is
Four to five days before your PR attempt, on upping your deadlift, but feel free to add 1 to 2
Smitley recommends that you limit your upper-body days or perform a couple of upper-body
workouts to 40 minutes, avoid barbell lifts, moves after your main workout is done.
and stay in the 15-to-25-rep range.

CARB THE HELL UP

The day before, Smitley recommends
taking in 3 grams of carbs for every pound
of body weight. “You’d much rather overeat
than undereat, because that will definitely
affect the way you’re going to perform,”
he says.

WARM UP PROPERLY
Take big jumps during warmups until the
weight is 50% of your PR. After that, do
singles and add only 10% more each set.
“You don’t want to be fatigued, but you
want to prime your nervous system before
you go heavier,” Smitley says. Hit a single at
90%, and if that moves well, go up to 95 to
97%. Then attempt your PR. “A 3% jump
isn’t going to feel superheavy.”
 HAMSTRING CURL
Lie down on a hamstring curl
machine and secure the pads
right above your ankles. Curl the
pad until it’s at your butt.

DAY 1
EXERCISE SETS REPS
* *

GLUTE-HAM RAISE 4 15
4

*For Week 1, do 5x5 with 80% of your

one-rep max (1RM); for Week 2, do 5x3
with 85% of your 1RM; for Week 3, do
6x2 with 90% of your 1RM. Week 4 is a
deload that has you perform 3x5 with
65% of your 1RM.

BARBELL HIP THRUST BACK SQUAT DAY 2

Lie back against a bench with a loaded Place a loaded barbell
barbell in your lap. Brace your abs and across your traps and squat EXERCISE SETS REPS
drive your heels into the floor to raise your down until the bottoms of
hips up; hold the position. Lower your butt your thighs are parallel to * 3
down to begin your reps. the floor. Now drive back up.
BACK SQUAT 4 5
4

*Use 60% of your 1RM and pause the bar

below your knee for 1 to 2 seconds right
below the knees.
F RO M L E F T: P E R B E R NA L ; S T E V E B OY L E ; SA M RO B L E S L ; P E R B E R NA L

DAY 3
EXERCISE SETS REPS
* 4
ROMANIAN 4 5
DEADLIFT

*Stand on two standard 45-pound plates

or one 45-pound bumper plate. For
these, use 70% of your 1RM.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 133
 ASK

SUN’S OUT...
Prep for the shirtless
season with expert
advice on swelling beach
muscles, shredding
PER BERNAL

bellies, and generally

looking your best.
134 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 I hit my triceps hard twice a week,
with lots of compound movements,
but they’re not growing or getting a
lot stronger. Any ideas?

A
Compound exercises ing out at the top of each
are great for building contraction, without locking
muscle and strength, out your arms.
but double-check that
your form is perfect
by keeping your elbows On my
VINCE SANT upcoming
tucked into your sides. Also,
do an equal number of triceps is a certified trainer and vacation,
co-founder of the popular
exercises—such as close-grip vshred.com fitness platform.
bench presses, dips, and skull Instagram: @vshred.
not be so
crushers—focusing on squeez- pale that I
make doves
jealous. In
2019, are
tanning beds
safe?

A
Good ol’ caffeinated
coffee and green tea—
lean out on a the OG thermogenics—

A
budget. Any are excellent choices. Caffeine Tanning beds exude
natural increases heart rate and body ultraviolet light similar to
thermogenics temperature, working simi- the sun but often more
that can help? l l t t l t concentrated. Ultraviolet light
is ionizing radiation, meaning
it can induce DNA mutation in
r skin cells, which can lead to
skin cancers such as melano-
ma. It can also prematurely
) age the skin and cause pig-
mentary issues such as sun
spots and melasma (brown
patches). Suffice it to say,
you’re better off with self-
tanning products or sprays.

DERMATOLOGIST
SUSAN BARD, M.D.,
practices at Vive Dermatology in
is the president of Walsh NYC. Instagram: @thedermdiva.
Nutrition in West Palm Beach,
FL. Instagram: @cannolis
andcarrots.
GET

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 135
A S K

everything
for my bench
press—
Wendler’s
5/3/1,
undulating
periodization,
high reps, low
reps—and
nothing is
working!
What’s a plan
I can use to
finally blow
lats. The fur obscuring them, not past 225?
so much. What’s the best way to
get rid of unwanted body hair?
How do the pros do it?

A
First, master your form.
Grip the bar in line with
wrists and elbows and

A
The best way to just beyond shoulder width.
permanently remove Squeeze shoulder blades
body hair is with together and lift chest to bar,
laser hair removal. arching upper back and
Another good permanent maximizing leg drive. Second,
solution for white, blond, don’t program hop. Third,
or red hair is electrolysis. favor compound lifts over
For short-term removal, isolation movements. Finally,
shaving is quick, cheap, try benching and overhead
and easy but can lead to pressing three times a week.
folliculitis (inflammation),
P E R B E R NA L ; G E T T Y I M AG E S

so make sure to use a

JON-ERIK KAWAMOTO,
clean, sharp razor. Wax- C.S.C.S.,
DERMATOLOGIST
ing works, but it can cause
SUSAN BARD, M.D., is a strength and conditioning
ingrown hairs—and
practices at Vive specialist and owner of
cursing like Steve Carell JK Conditioning. Instagram:
Dermatology in NYC.
in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Instagram: @thedermdiva. @jkconditioning.
of course.

136 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 T H E U LT I M AT E A U T H O R I T Y I N B O D Y B U I L D I N G ! M AY 20 19

DEPARTMENTS
14 8 BACK TO BASICS
152 FLEX 101
154 MY FAVORITE
WORKOUT
1 5 6 ASKED AND
ANSWERED
1 5 8 5 TIPS
1 6 0 ON THE RISE
1 6 2 ANATOMY OF AN
EXERCISE
1 6 4 NPC REPORT
1 9 6 ASK THE EXPERTS
2 0 0 IFBB PRO
LEAGUE INSIDER

FEATURES
142 BEST OLYMPIA ARMS
Ranking the top 10 at the O.
166 SPREADING THEIR
WINGS
How Wings of Strength sup-
ports women’s bodybuilding.
168 SHADOW STRENGTH
7X
MR. O
Tips from Dorian Yates.
176 CARVE A CLASSIC
CHEST
Build a Golden Era chest.
182 SUPERSET FOR
SUPER SIZE
Get big in less time.
PHIL HEATH
190 FIX THESE DIET
MISTAKES BEST ARMS EVER?
PER BERNAL

The rules to eating right.

 10
in Mr.
Olympia
History

A defined triceps
that flows into
the shoulder
is a key part of
well-developed
arms.

142 MUSCLE & FITNESS M AY 2 0 1 9

 F
F FEW BODY PARTS garner
the attention and admira-
tion of bodybuilding fans
like an enormous, hulking
set of arms. And while
there have been some enor-
mous biceps and triceps
over the years, bodybuilding
Hall of Famer and analyst
Shawn Ray gave us his
rundown of the 10 best sets
of arms to ever grace the
Olympia stage.

Larry Scott (left)

and Lee Priest
(right) were
known for
C L O C K W I S E F RO M L E F T: C O U RT E S Y O F W E I D E R H E A LT H & F I T N E S S ;

their arms in
different eras.
C H R I S L U N D ; C O U RT E S Y O F W E I D E R H E A LT H & F I T N E S S

10
VINCE TAYLOR
Vince Taylor earned
his pro card in 1988
and went on to hold a spot in
the Guinness World Records for
the bodybuilder with the most
IFBB Pro wins (22), including five
Masters Olympia victories, until
he was surpassed by Ronnie
Coleman (who earned 26).
Taylor, who was known as “the
Quiet Storm,” had perfectly
balanced arms to thank in part
for his success.
9 8
LARRY SCOTT
Guys in the ’60s had to
look no further than
Larry Scott when trying to imag-
ine their ideal physique. He was
the total package of size and
symmetry in those early days,
but it was his arms that played
an integral role in his becoming a
two-time Mr. Olympia (1965–66).
To this day, his biceps workouts
are a solid blueprint for anyone
looking to get stage-worthy
arms of their own.
LEE PRIEST
The majority of Lee
Priest’s photo shoots
during the ’90s and ’00s fo-
cused on his freakish bi’s and
tri’s, inspiring plenty of people
to start building their own pair
of sleeve-busters. Despite
standing at only a mere 5'5", he
possessed a physique that could
outshine his taller competition.
And it'd be remiss of us to talk
about his arms without mention-
ing those freaky forearms.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 143
FLEX_ OLYMPIA ARMS
Mike Matarazzo
didn’t have the
most aesthetic
body, but for
sure the biggest.

Left: Three-time
Mr. O Sergio
Oliva. Right:
Albert Beckles.

144 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 7
MIKE MATARAZZO
While not the most
genetically gifted, Mike
Matarazzo brought the “freak
factor” to the Mr. Olympia stage
with the sheer size of his arms.
Though he never placed in the
Olympia top five, for fans of the
sport in the ’90s, it’s hard to
forget that physique.

6
SERGIO OLIVA
Three-time Mr. Olym-
pia legend Sergio Oliva
had proportions that were on a
different level compared with
his contemporaries. His biceps,
in particular, looked much larger
than the tape measurers even
suggested. While he lacked the
“peak” or detail of some of the
others on this list, he had a level
of mass that people hadn’t seen
before—and that separated him
from the pack.

5
ALBERT BECKLES
Although Albert Beckles
never held the coveted
C L O C K W I S E F RO M L OW E R L E F T: C O U RT E S Y O F W E I D E R H E A LT H & F I T N E S S ; C H R I S L U N D ;

Mr. Olympia title, he competed in

more than 100 shows through-
out his career, and his arms can
be credited for a slew of victories
spanning four decades. More
P E R B E R N A L ; C H R I S L U N D/C O U RT E S Y O F W E I D E R H E A LT H & F I T N E S S

impressive than those bulging

biceps is the fact that Beckles
took second place at the 1985
Mr. Olympia—at the age of 55.

4
PHIL HEATH
Phil Heath’s level of
completeness and
symmetry in his bi’s and tri’s
separates him from most of
the others on this list. Those
powerfully built, perfectly
balanced arms helped him earn
seven consecutive Mr. Olympia Heath has got
titles, tying him with Arnold it all in the arm
Schwarzenegger in his number department—
peaked bi’s and
of Sandows. thick tri’s.
FLEX_ OLYMPIA ARMS

3
ROBBY
ROBINSON
Robby Robinson, oth-
erwise known as “the Black
Prince,” rose to fame for his
impressive front double
biceps pose. The overall
girth of his arms was some-
thing that people could only
guess at, as Robinson had a
unique way of hitting poses
that made his arms seem to
grow in front of your eyes.
In his prime, Robinson had
a physique that could drop
your jaw—and he still looks
impressive in his 70s.

2
RONNIE
COLEMAN
Eight-time Mr. Olym-
pia Ronnie Coleman was all
Ronnie
Coleman is tied about the mass—and that
for the most went double for his arms.
Olympia wins
with eight. Weighing in at a whopping
287 pounds, Coleman had
a victory pose that put his
enormous peaks on full
display. When he hit a front
double biceps pose, it was
simply lights-out for anyone
standing next to him.

1
ARNOLD
SCHWARZENEGGER
Seven-time Mr. O
Arnold Schwarzenegger
possessed huge, billowing,
mountainous biceps peaks
that separated him from
everyone else, and his most
memorable poses put his
famous guns on full display.
While his arms could be
considered a tad “too heavy”
in the biceps department,
they were so superior that
not many people cared
whether he had equally Even by today’s
developed triceps. standards,
Arnold’s arms
are considered
to be massive.

146 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 C L O C K W I S E F R O M R I G H T : Z E L L E R / © F I T N E S S P U B L I C AT I O N S I N C . / C O U RT E S Y O F W E I D E R
H E A LT H & F I T N E S S ; C H R I S L U N D ; C R A I G D I E T Z /C O U RT E S Y O F W E I D E R H E A LT H & F I T N E S S

VERSAGRIPPS.com
NEW

IN THE WORLD
THE BEST GRIP
FLEX

Using a cable
for this exercise
keeps tension
on your muscle
throughout the
entire move.

148 MUSCLE & FITNESS M AY 2 0 1 9


Take Your
Triceps to
(Old) School
Combine old-school body-weight moves with a couple
of proven triceps blasters for a bigger set of pipes.
BUILDING BIGGER TRICEPS
is one of those do-it-yourself
projects you can do anywhere.
Bang out some diamond push-
ups in your living room and a
few sets of dips on your kitchen
countertop and boom—your tri-
ceps are fried. We love physique
enhancers that can be done in
a studio apartment, but we’re
suckers for weight rooms, too.
So what we’ve done here is
take that at-home routine to the
gym to spruce it up with some
barbell and cable work for added
triceps isolation. This workout is
bookended with the aforemen-
tioned DIY moves (replacing the
granite countertop with actual
dip bars), sandwiching lying
EZ-bar extensions and cable
Cable Overhead
Extension
Keep your torso station-
ary throughout the move-
ment to support triceps
isolation. Point your elbows
out to the sides and flex
your triceps at the end.
BY M&F EDITORS
overhead extensions in between.
We've also built in some inten-
sity techniques—like rest-pause
sets and sets to failure—into
your triceps training to tax more
muscle fibers. What you’re left
with is a nice blend of body-
weight and machine training,
multijoint mass builders, and
single-joint detailers. Know what
else you’re left with? A beefier
pair of tri’s you can enjoy in the
comfort of your own home, or
anywhere else you care to flex.
THE WORKOUT
BACK TO BASICS:
BUILD BEEFIER TRICEPS
EX ER C I SE SETS RE PS
* 4
3
2
**
*On the first 2 sets, stop short of
failure (SF); on the last 2 sets, go to
failure (F) on each.
**Failure + rest-pause (RP). Fail,
rest 15 seconds, rep out.
M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 149
 O P E N E R : P E R B E R N A L . T H I S P A G E : P AV E L Y T H J A L L

Lying EZ-bar
Extension
For these skull crushers,
go as heavy as you can for
10 to 12 reps, with minimal
flaring out of the elbows
(though slight elbow flare
on the last 2 to 3 reps is
allowable). Bring the bar
lightly down to your fore-
head and push up.

150 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 FLEX

Dip
Keep your torso vertical
with the floor (upright)
throughout the set and lock
out the elbows at the top of
each rep.

Triceps Pushup
Keep your elbows tight
to your sides as you lower
yourself to activate the tri’s
more than the pecs. Use a
closer hand position if your
shoulders are healthy.
JOSEPH COTTRELL; PER BERNAL

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 151
FLEX_ 101
WHEN SOMEBODY ASKS
you to make a muscle, you don’t
roll up your pant leg and flex
your calf, or hit a side chest
pose—you flex your biceps.
heads (bi = two, ceps = heads),
so to thoroughly train the biceps,
you should target both of the
heads in every workout. Incorpo-
rating a combination of exercises

New They’re the first body part

people think of and, whether
you’re a pro bodybuilder or a
from the lists below will have
you busting sleeves and turning
heads in no time.

Curl gym newbie, the muscle that

folks love to train the most.
Unlike every other body part
One word of caution about
training biceps: Straight bars
are notorious for causing fore-

Order
Building a set of
shirt-busting bi's takes
curls—and lots of them.
(with the exception of calves),
biceps can be built with only
one movement: curls. There are,
however, a number of variations
of the curl, each of which offers
a unique type of resistance to
develop the bi's in different ways.
The biceps muscle has two
arm splints (that is, similar to
shin splints). These are painful,
can last for weeks, and will
severely hamper your arm train-
ing. Dumbbells are your safest
option, but if you choose to use a
bar for curls, opt for an EZ-curl
bar, since they're joint-friendly.

Z E L L E R © F I T N E S S P U B L I C AT I O N S / C O U RT E S Y O F W E I D E R H E A LT H & F I T N E S S ( 2 )

Barbell curl
Dumbbell curl
Seated barbell curl
Alternating dumbbell curl Rope cable hammer curl
Cable curl Narrow-grip cable curl
Cable single-arm curl Hammer curl Bend torso over
Preacher curl Incline dumbbell curl so it's 90 degrees
to floor, with a
Scott curl Narrow-grip barbell curl dumbbell in one
High-cable curl EZ-bar curl hand. Curl it to
your head.
Machine curl Concentration curl

152 MUSCLE & FITNE /


PRO TIPS
RONNIE COLEMAN:
“I’m an avid proponent of
performing preacher curls
with a cambered bar, because
it reduces the stress on the
wrists and biceps tendons,
and it also brings the brachia-
lis partly into play.”
ROBBY ROBINSON:
“To up the intensity, I’ll do
my concentration curls with
ARMS LIKE ARNIE’S
Seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold
Schwarzenegger topped our
best-arms list on page 142. Here
are the moves he used to curl
his way to legendary biceps.
BARBELL CHEAT CURL
“Choose a weight that is too
heavy to curl with strict form,
but not so heavy that you have to
rely solely on body English to get
the weight up,” Schwarzenegger
says. “The idea is to get the bar-
bell past your sticking points and
let your muscles get stressed
at the points where they would
normally find the exercise easy.”
INCLINE
DUMBBELL CURL
“Dumbbell curls performed on
a bench set at 45 degrees are
great for biceps growth. You
feel tension throughout the
entire range of motion when
doing incline dumbbell curls,”
Schwarzenegger says. “When
you get to the top of the move-
ment, really squeeze your biceps
and hold for a second.”
a barbell, taking a close grip
and leaning over so my torso
is parallel to the floor. At the
top of the movement, I’ll hold
the weight for several sec-
onds, flexing and cramping
my biceps. It’s hard and pain-
ful work, but it builds density
in the muscle.”
SERGIO OLIVA:
“The best biceps results I’ve
experienced are from stand-
ing barbell curls, barbell
preacher curls, and dumbbell
CONCENTRATION CURL
“If you’ve seen the film Pumping
Iron, then you’ve seen this exer-
cise,” Schwarzenegger quips. “I
stand and brace myself with one
hand on a bench and the working
hand holding the weight hanging
free. For me, that’s the optimal
way to perform concentration
curls. I can fully contract my
biceps at the top, which is the
goal of this exercise.”
BY M&F EDITORS
concentration curls. These
are not the only exercises in
my routines, but they’re in al-
most every workout because I
love the feeling they produce
of blowing my arms so big
and tight that they hurt.”
LARRY SCOTT:
“The key to getting the most
out of your biceps workout
is isolation. By isolating the
biceps and using strict form,
you force them to accept the
total workload.”
TRAINING
EX ER C I SE SETS R E PS
1
5
5
5
M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 153
FLEX_ MY FAVORITE WORKOUT
Mr. Pectacular
Rack up the gains with 2017 Ferrigno Legacy
Men’s Physique champ Stan Morrison’s
chest-expanding workout.
THE RACK KING. It may not
be the most obvious nickname at
first blush, but it makes plenty
of sense once IFBB Professional
League men’s physique competi-
tor Stan Morrison explains it.
“People on Instagram [@feddy
moe] have started saying my
chest development looks like a
rack or a shelf you can put things
on,” says the 29-year-old native
Texan. “I’ve been getting tagged
by people with, like, water bot-
tles balanced on the top of their
chests, guys trying to build their
own pecs, and they’ve all been
calling me ‘Rack King.’ ”
The following chest workout of
his dials up a mix of exercises,
intensity, and tempos. Give it a
go, and you might just end up
with a handy place to stash your
training journal after you’re done.
APPROACH THE BENCH
After a thorough stretching-
focused warmup, Morrison
jumps right into his working
weight on his first superset,
going with about 75% of his one-
rep max on Hammer Strength
incline presses, followed by 60%
of his max for the barbell bench.
“I start with a machine because
I like that it provides resistance
through the full range of motion,
and I can fire up the full pec
muscle,” he says.
RIGHT ON TARGET
Morrison chooses weights that
cause him to fail within his target
rep range. So, for example, on
154 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
BY MICHAEL BERG
Changing up
the tempo and
intensity is key
for Morrison.
the selectorized machine chest TRAINING
presses, he’ll pick a resistance MORRISON’S
that leaves him gassed by the CHEST WORKOUT
15th rep. “If I fall short of 12 to
EX ER C I SE SE TS R EPS
15 reps, I’ll back off the weight
on the next set, and if I can keep 3
going beyond 15, the weight was
too light, and I’ll bump it up for
the following set,” he says.
3
NEGATIVE
REINFORCEMENT
When it’s time to really thrash 4
his chest, Morrison brings out the
negatives and rest-pause sets.
“I’ll do negatives for any exercise 4
when I have a partner,” he says.
“They’re really good with dumb-
bell presses in this workout. 4
Instead of ending the set with
negatives, I’ll start with them. I 3
do as many as I can, taking three
to four seconds to lower the
weight—say I get five, then I’ll
PER BERNAL
drop the weight as needed so I 3
can do five full reps on my own
to finish the full set of 10.”
FLEX_ ASKED AND ANSWERED BY MICHAEL BERG

Did your running

background give
you any advantages
in figure?
Running created good habits and
a physical fitness base. Sprints
and jumps helped me devel-
op my back, hamstrings, and
quads, and the distance races
I did after my collegiate career
really helped develop the mental
toughness that gets me through
each contest prep.

In 2016, you finished

outside the top 15 at
the Olympia, and you
came back in 2018 and took
third. How did you accomplish
that feat?
I gave absolutely everything I
had, trained harder and heavier
than ever, made my diet more
NADIA WYATT challenging, and really focused
Birth Date:
July 21, 1990 on recovery. One thing I realized
Height: 5'1" is that to be a top competitor, I
Weight: need to have the full package.
112 lbs
So I also spent more time on
Residence:
St. Louis, MO my posing, sought out a great
Instagram: company for my figure suit,
@ifbb_figure_pro_dia and started working with pro-
fessional makeup artists.

Race to How did you handle

the high expectations
people put on you

the Top
How 2019 Figure International runner-up Nadia Wyatt
going into the 2019 Arnold?
Not many people had me on
their radar going into the 2018
Olympia, so after that, I knew
I had to show everyone that it
moved through the upper echelon of the pro figure ranks. wasn’t a fluke. I definitely felt the
pressure, and that just fueled my
motivation and drive leading up
NADIA WYATT ENTERED HER FIRST NPC figure contest in May to the 2019 Arnold. I liked know-
2014 and earned her IFBB Professional League card by November of ing that people were watching,
that same year at the NPC Nationals. Since then, the 28-year-old because it pushed me to be con-
Missouri native has shined in the pro ranks, most recently taking sistent, to get better, and to be
second at the 2019 Figure International this past March, right on the my absolute best. Now I’m most
heels of two-time champ Cydney Gillon. focused on establishing myself
Wyatt has earned plenty of accomplishments during her young as a top IFBB figure pro, so my
CHRIS NICOLL

career, and here’s how the former Division II track athlete at Northwest future goals for sure are to be
Missouri State University hit the ground running in figure and what the Figure Olympia and Fitness
goals she’s speeding toward next. International champion.

156 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
FLEX_ 5 TIPS BY MICHAEL BERG

1
ASSESS, ASSESS,
ASSESS. “I’ve never been
someone who tape measures
my body parts. What I feel has
worked for me is the mirror. I
also take weekly photos front
and back, so that I can monitor
progress. You want someone you
trust in your corner, like a coach
or significant other, to be your
second set of eyes. They need to
be honest—otherwise you might
overlook a problem that can hurt
your score.”

2
SINGLE OUT THOSE
WEAKNESSES. “There
will always be at least
some slight differences in a
muscle group, comparing one
side to the other. I use unilateral
movements to help even things
out as much as possible.”

3
DOUBLE DOWN
Shaun Clarida ON LAGGARDS. “I’ll
has made four
appearances increase my training
at the 212 frequency for weaker muscle
Olympia.
groups. For instance, if your back
is lagging, do it twice in your
split, while your other areas are

The Pursuit of getting hit once.”

4
REMAIN CONSISTENT.

Perfection
“By this I mean I still eat
the same foods in the
off-season as I do in-season. I
still keep cardio in my regimen,
Short or tall, big or small, 2018 New York Pro 212 and my training intensity never
champ Shaun Clarida shares his secrets to overcoming changes. I believe you can grow
flaws and building your best body. and still maintain a clean and
balanced physique.”

5
IN BODYBUILDING, we all want to craft the “perfect” physique. FUEL UP WITH YOUR
And in that pursuit, everyone has flaws to overcome, from Arnold GOAL IN MIND. “I eat
Schwarzenegger’s famously stubborn calves to Dorian Yates’ torn the same foods off-season
triceps and biceps during his Olympia run. as I do pre-contest, but in the
For 212 contender Shaun Clarida, his height of 5'2" could have proven off-season I give myself more
to be a limiting factor in his competitive pursuits. That is, if he let it. flexibility to eat bigger meals.
Instead, the 36-year-old New Jersey native adjusted his training style As long as I’m training hard and
and diet, personalizing his plan to amplify his symmetry. doing cardio, I know my body
PER BERNAL

“I can’t do anything about my height, but I can do something about will utilize those calories and
my width,” he says. Here’s how the four-time IFBB Professional League help me put on quality size as
212 winner suggests you turn potential shortcomings into strengths. opposed to being stored as fat.”

158 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
FLEX_ ON THE RISE
Turnaround
ArtistDoubt the power of fitness? The inspiring story of
IFBB Professional League bikini champion
Romina Basualdo might just change your mind.
“IF I CAN,
you can, too!”
That was
Romina
Basualdo’s
Instagram
message on
Feb. 6, along with
before and after
photos displaying the
Argentinian bombshell’s
transformation from over-
weight and out of shape to the
IFBB Professional League bikini
champion we know today.
It was a change that eventu-
ally propelled her to stardom in
the sport—but more important,
ROMINA that commitment to get fit also
BASUALDO
Birth Date: turned her life around.
Aug. 6, 1987 “In 2008, I had a baby who was
Height: 5'3" born six months premature and
Contest Weight: died,” she reveals. “Around that
105 lbs
Residence:
time, I also had some family
Miami, FL problems, I could not find
Website: work, and I also went through
rominabass.com a [breakup] that led me into
Instagram: depression by 2010.”
@rominabass
In 2011, she met with a doc-
tor who gave her a life-altering
prescription: physical activity.
“That was the first time I entered
a gym,” she recalls. “One year
later, Claudio Hait, who’s now
my husband and coach, invited
me to see a contest. I had never
before connected with the body-
building world.”
By 2013, an inspired Basualdo
entered and won her first local
show in Bahia Blanca, Buenos
160 MUSCLE & FITNESS /
BY MICHAEL BERG
TRAINING
BASUALDO’S GLUTE
WORKOUT
EX ER C I SE S ETS RE PS
3
3
5
Deadlift 3 20, 20,
20
3
Basualdo finishes with 15 minutes
of stretching and 35 to 45 minutes
of cardio.
Aires, Argentina. After a string
of amateur wins, the Argentinian
Bodybuilding Federation took
notice and gave her a pro card
in 2015. She’s since gone on to
have plenty of impressive contest
showings, including finishing
fourth at the 2018 Arnold Bikini
International and seventh at the
2018 Olympia Bikini event.
“I love to be able to travel
around the world, with amazing
moments along the way,” Basu-
aldo says. And despite admitting
that the dieting required of the
sport can be monotonous, she
says she loves “to be onstage
and to give motivation to others.”
Photograph by Per Bernal
FLEX_ ANATOMY OF AN EXERCISE BY M&F EDITORS

Side Plank
Abs are made in the kitchen, but a strong core starts
with the side plank. Where It Hits
Rectus abdominis, obliques,
transverse abdominis

THE MOVE OSqueeze your abs and make

At the end of
SIDE PLANK sure that your hips are up
and that your body forms a your workout
How to do it
straight line from your shoulder
OGet into a plank position, with
to your ankles 3–4 sets of
your forearms on the ground and
10–30 seconds
in line with your shoulders.
per side

Perfect Your Side Plank

Follow these three tips to prevent side plank slipups.

1 2
DON’T ROLL OVER.
A lot of side plankers
will allow the top hip
to roll forward and, in turn,
create torsion in the spine,
which violates the intent of the
exercise. The side plank is meant
to increase stability through
KEEP YOUR KNEES
LOCKED OUT.
move gets difficult, a lot
of people will attempt to bend
the knees. Don’t. The goal is to
create tension from head to toe,
and a bent knee is a broken link
in the chain. Try flexing your
3
WATCH YOUR ELBOW
POSITIONING. Another
major fault is placing
the hand or elbow (depending
on which you’re leaning on) too
far forward, up close to your
head. This puts undo stress on
the shoulder and also extends
PER BERNAL

the entire core musculature quads while engaging glutes, your torso. Instead, your hand
and spine—not to become a abs, and hips—you’ll find that it and elbow should be directly
rotational exercise. forces your knees straight. beneath your shoulder joint.

162 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 THE TOP PRE-WORKOUT,

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FLEX_ N P C M O N T H LY BY FR ANK SEPE

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contest was the most successful
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Check out the NPC News Online This year, five Arnold Classic winners started their pro careers by
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164 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
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FLEX_ WINGS OF STRENGTH

Spreading Their Wings

How longtime bodybuilding fan and advocate JAKE WOOD turned a passion
project into Wings of Strength, a premier promotions and media brand in the sport—
and now a presenting sponsor for the 2019 Olympia Weekend.

JAKE WOOD REMEMBERS

vividly the first time he saw a From left: 2018 IFBB
Rising Phoenix
female bodybuilder in person. “I champion Alina
was 16, and my friend and I went Popa; 2018 Rising
Phoenix Best Poser
down to Gold’s Gym in Santa winner Nicki
Monica,” he recalls. “We were Chartrand.
benching—because that’s what
teen boys do when they go to the
gym—and I saw a woman curling
who had seriously huge biceps.”
Back in the 1970s, the idea of
females training for muscle was
a little taboo, certainly on the
societal fringes, even as men
like Arnold Schwarzenegger
were bringing bodybuilding into
the public consciousness. “I had
the idea in my head that women
couldn’t add muscle like that,”
Wood admits. He worked up the
nerve to approach her and dis-
covered it was Stacey Bentley—
who would go on to compete as
a pro, taking fifth in the inaugural
1980 Ms. Olympia, where Rachel
McLish won her first of two
Olympia titles.
Wood counted himself a fan
of the women’s sport from that
day on, but life kept him from
doing much more than following
along in magazines while he
continued to train. When he was
19, his wife gave birth to his first
daughter, and he ended up in the
family aircraft fastener manu- for so long. He started with a which showcased female com-
facturing business for the next sponsorship of promoter Tim petitors in bodybuilding, fitness,
WINGS OF STRENGTH (2)

few decades. Gardner’s bodybuilding show and figure, paying flat fees for
That is, until 2008, when that at the 2009 Tampa Pro, fol- shoots while also using the pro-
successful company was sold lowed by a membership website ceeds to support contests.
COU RT E SY OF

to Alcoa, and Wood, at the age launched with his now ex-wife Wings of Strength partnered
of 46, saw a chance to finally do and former business partner, with Gardner on the inaugural
more for the sport he had loved Kristal, called Wings of Strength, Chicago Pro in 2011. Other show

166 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9

sponsorships were added over
the years, across the country
from Omaha to Virginia Beach.
When the Arnold Classic
dropped the Ms. International, its
women’s pro bodybuilding event,
in 2013, followed by the Ms.
Olympia cancellation in 2015,
WINGS OF STRENGTH AT A GLANCE
• YEAR FOUNDED: 2011
• PRINCIPAL: Jake Wood
• MAJOR CONTESTS
PROMOTED: Tampa Pro,
Chicago Pro, Rising Phoe-
nix World Championships,
Romania Muscle Fest
Wood leaped into the void.
“At that point, we saw the
need for a women’s world cham-
pionship and our opportunity
to provide one,” he says. After
meeting with IFBB Professional
League president Jim Manion,
Wood and Gardner organized the
first Rising Phoenix World Cham-
pionships contest in San Antonio
in 2015. The show, held every
year since, has moved to Phoenix
and remains the top prize in the
women’s professional bodybuild-
ing circuit. This year on Sept. 7,
the Rising Phoenix champion will
take home $50,000, along with
a new American iconic vehicle—
last year’s prize was a Corvette
Z06—and the title of world’s
best IFBB Professional League
female bodybuilder.
Recently, Wings of Strength
began branching out into other
businesses. Wood purchased
digitalmuscle.com, and his
team is relaunching its Wings
of Strength website, while ex-
panding into video and television
production. The Arizona-based
company has also signed on
as a presenting sponsor for the
2019 Olympia Weekend, Sept. 12
to 15 in Las Vegas, as part of a
larger effort to introduce itself
to the widest possible bodybuild-
ing audience.
In addition to hosting a booth
at the Olympia Expo at the Las
BY MICHAEL BERG
• WEBSITE:
wingsofstrength.net
• OTHER PROJECTS:
Trophy Kids (documen-
tary, 2013), Trace Amounts
(documentary, 2014), Buff
Dynasty (TV show, 2019),
digitalmuscle.com
Vegas Convention Center and
being involved in numerous as-
pects of the weekend’s activities,
Wings of Strength is planning a
surprise for its fans.
“We will be putting on a wom-
en’s bodybuilding event—not a
competition—on the Olympia
Expo stage,” Wood says. “We’re
still designing that event, but we
want something that showcases
the sport.”
The sponsorship falls directly
in line with Wood’s vision as he
expands his company into media
projects and more live events.
“Our mission statement here
at Wings of Strength is to
support bodybuilding, period,”
he says. “We’re known for
specifically supporting women’s
bodybuilding, but we support
the entire sport. I have stepped
in because of my personal belief
that if women’s bodybuilding
goes away, so can men’s body-
building, and eventually the
other divisions, too. That’s been
my mantra for a long time: body-
building for every body.
“This all started as a passion
project, but after years of hard
work, we have earned the op-
portunity to serve as presenting
sponsor at the most prestigious
event in the world. I’m incredi-
bly proud of what our team has
been able to accomplish. The
future is bright.”
M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 167
 Learn the lifting
methods championed
by six-time Mr. Olympia
Dorian Yates.
I N T R O B Y G R E G M E R R I T T ///
TI PS BY D O R I A N YATE S

Shadow
Strength
 AT H L E T E
SNAPSHOT

DORIAN
YATES
Birth Date:
April 19, 1962
Height: 5'10½"
Contest Weight:
265 lbs
Birthplace:
Warwickshire,
England
Olympia Wins:
6 (1992–97)
Instagram:
@thedorianyates

BEFORE 21-YEAR-OLD
Dorian Yates picked up
weights in 1983, he picked
up books, reading all he
could about training. He
did four to eight working
sets per body part. He
also put emphasis on low
reps, doing six to eight for
most body parts. As he
advanced, he pushed these
sets beyond failure, usually
with two to three forced
reps, but he incorporated
techniques like forced FOR UPPER PECS, CHOOSE INCLINE
reps, dropsets, and par- PRESSES OVER FLAT BENCH PRESSES
tials. In 1988, Yates won I’m no fan of flat bench presses, as they rely
the British Championships too much on the power of the front delts.
at 226 pounds—46 pounds Incline presses do a fine job of stimulating
heavier than he was five the muscle fibers of the upper pecs. Set
years prior. And he was the bench at a 30-degree angle to ensure
about to launch the most that the resistance is placed on your pecs.
consistently superb pro A steeper incline will shift the emphasis to
career of all time: 15 wins, the delts. Be sure to complete each rep with
C H R I S LU N D; ROB E RT R E I F F

two losses (both seconds),
including six consecutive
Mr. Olympia titles from
1992 to 1997. Here are 10
pieces of advice from “the
Shadow” to help you add
some freaky mass.
strict form. Begin with a light warmup set
of 20 reps, then perform three all-out max
sets of six to eight reps. Keep the movement
slow and precise on the way down. Use an
ordinary lockout at the top. In other words,
as soon as you reach full extension, bring the
weight back down in one continuous motion.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 169
FLEX_ DORIAN YATES’ TRAINING TIPS

2
GO BEYOND
FAILURE
Forced reps are
an excellent way to
extend a set beyond
failure. Here’s how it
works for incline barbell
presses, for example.
During incline barbell
presses, I often reach
failure at the eighth rep-
etition. Failure means
being unable to complete
another rep with that max-
imum weight—it does not
mean that I’ve depleted
all my strength. To put the
forced-reps principle into
action, my training partner
places his hands under
the bar to provide me with
only the assistance—and
no more than that—needed
to keep the bar moving. In
this manner, I can com-
plete another two assisted
reps and take the muscles
beyond their normal point
of failure.

3
WORK YOUR
MUSCLES TO
THE MAX WITH
DESCENDING SETS
For exercises in which
forced reps are difficult
and impractical, try
descending sets instead.
For seated dumbbell curls,
for instance, I work to
failure with my standard
set of dumbbells. At that
point, I put the dumbbells
down, grab a lighter pair
of dumbbells, and pump
out another two reps.
After another two reps,
as I hit failure again, I grab
an even lighter set and
grind out another two reps.
This is a way to extend the
set and work the muscles
to the max.

170 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 EMPLOY A BACK-BUILDING TRIFECTA
Your first back movement
should be the Hammer
Strength machine pulldown.
To get the back thoroughly
warmed up and ready to go,
do two warmup sets followed
by three working sets. Focus
on pulling with the lats. Pause
for a complete contraction at
the midpoint and release the
weight in a slow, controlled,
and smooth movement. Never
lean back too far, or you’ll limit
the range of motion. Barbell
rows come next, with one
CHRIS LUND
warmup set and three working
sets. Most bodybuilders do
barbell rows with their bodies
parallel to the floor, pulling
the bar into the chest. But if
you want to hit the bulk of the
lats and lift with max weight,
align your upper body at a
70-degree angle and pull the
bar up off the floor and lift it
to the waist. Finish the session
with one warmup set and three
working sets of seated cable
rows done with a long bar. I
prefer a shoulder-width over-
hand grip to thicken the teres
major and rhomboid muscles.
Pull the elbows as far back
as possible to help target the
upper back and to produce a
complete contraction.
172 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 FLEX_ DORIAN YATES’ TRAINING TIPS
5
PLAN AHEAD
My mental focus kicks
in the night before a
workout. I establish the right
mindset by visualizing the
training environment in minute
detail, preprogramming my
workout right down to what
poundages I’ll use. Nothing
is left to chance when I walk
into the gym. I’m completely
focused on the exact exercises
I’ll perform that day, how hard
I’ll push myself, and how the
pump will feel.
6
KNOW THAT TWO
MINDS ARE BETTER
THAN ONE
Find a training partner who is
in sync with your psyche and
who can help you get the best
out of yourself. A good training
partner will know precisely
when to assist and how much
assistance to give in order to
CHRIS LUND
barely keep the weight moving.
What’s more, he will know how
to do this without breaking
your concentration.
7
BE NEGATIVE
Negative reps extend a
set beyond failure and
more fully work the muscle
fibers used during the descend-
ing part of a rep. For example,
once I reach failure with push-
downs, my partner assists in
lifting the stack until my arms
are at the lockout position.
My triceps are pretty much
fried at this point, so the weight
feels heavier than normal.
From the fully locked-out
position, I start to release the
weight. The key is to lower
the weight as slowly as possi-
ble in order to really burn the
muscles. For safety reasons,
I recommend limiting this prin-
ciple to machine movements.
FLEX_ DORIAN YATES’ TRAINING TIPS

BUILD UP LAGGING
HAMSTRINGS
People have a tendency to put
more emphasis into their quad
movements simply because
they don’t see hamstrings in
a mirror. I start my hamstring
work with lying leg curls.
Hamstrings respond best to
continuous tension, so I throw
in a firm contraction at the top
of the movement and really
burn the muscle. The stiff-leg
deadlift, the next movement
in my hamstring routine, is a
crucial exercise that a lot of
people don’t do correctly or
skip entirely, but this exercise
can make a big difference. I
use an overhand grip, slightly
narrower than shoulder width,
and I lift the bar with my back
straight and my head up, then I
end each rep by going down to
midshin. Never return the bar
to the floor until you’re finished
with your total set. I finish my
hamstring work with standing
leg curls. These give my hams
a different emphasis from lying
curls, but the movement is
still slow and deliberate, while
tensing the muscle at the top
of the contraction.

174 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 9 10
DO YOUR CARDIO
I advocate that all body-
builders, at all levels,
initiate an aerobics program. It
enhances general cardiovascu-
lar fitness, and this better level
of general fitness increases
metabolism. I did cardio year-
round when I was competing
because it increases endur-
ance, and as a result I was
better able to endure the rigors
of my intense contest prep pe-
riod. Doing cardio all year also
means you are able to take in
CHRIS LUND
a few more calories on a daily
basis than what you could if all
you did was lift.
DON’T SHY AWAY
FROM PARTIAL
REPS
Dumbbell side laterals are
an exercise for which I often
use partial reps. As I reach
failure on a set of this exercise,
rather than ending the set, I
continue to raise the dumbbells
as high as my strength will
allow—typically, it’s three-
quarters of a full movement
or slightly higher. I manage
that movement for a couple
of reps and then continue for
a couple of half-reps and then
quarter-reps until my delts are
fully fatigued.
 Carve a
Classic B Y E R I C “ M E R L I N ” B R O S E R ///
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
EDGAR ARTIGA

Chest
SNAPSHOT

STEVE LAUREUS
Birth Date: Feb. 24, 1986
Height: 5'11"
Contest Weight: 210 lbs
Career Highlights:
2017 NPC BEFORE THE MASS-MONSTER ERA
New Jersey Championships, began to dominate bodybuilding
Classic B and overall; during the 1990s, with competitors
2018 IFBB Pittsburgh sporting immense muscularity of all
Pro Classic, 1st; extremities, a dense and balanced
chest made a physique stand out for
2018 Classic Olympia, 7th; the better. Serge Nubret’s vascular
2019 Arnold Classic, arms, round shoulders, and tight
Classic Physique, 2nd midsection looked great, for example,
but they all drew the eyes up and in
Instagram: @steve.laureus
to his massive chest—the centerpiece
of his body. Same for Arnold and
Franco Columbu.
What follows is a three-week
pec-punishing program I put together
for FLEX readers who covet the
ideals of Golden Era bodybuilding.
(Read: symmetry, balance, and
proportion.) It utilizes three unique
training protocols meant to stimu-
late growth via different pathways
and many of the same basic types of
movements that have built some of
the greatest sets of pecs in history.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 177
TRAINING
EXPLAINED
THIS IS A THREE-WEEK-LONG
program that you can work into
your normal regimen. So instead
of doing your normal chest
routine, you’ll perform these
workouts instead.
Each week will have a separate
focus—power, varied rep ranges,
and shocking principles. This en-
sures that all your muscle fibers
are taxed and that you’re able
to focus on different aspects
of training, like muscle fatigue,
strength, and hypertrophy. Keep
in mind that three weeks is the
amount of time it will take to see
noticeable results. You’re wel-
come to run this chest program
for longer, repeating the cycle
every three weeks.

WHAT
DEFINES
A CLASSIC
CHEST?
Big, thick, and
powerful musculature
that isn’t out of
proportion to the rest
of the physique.
Evenly distributed
muscle from top to
bottom, and outside
to inside.
A well-developed GOLDEN
and delineated lower
pectoral line that does MOVES
Get to know the
not appear saggy.
mainstays of your
Upper pecs that three-week classic-
jump off the clavicles chest routine.
and create a shelf-
like appearance.
(Think Arnold’s side
chest pose.)

178 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9 Shot on location at Bev Francis Powerhouse, Syosset, NY

CLASSIC MUSCLE_FLEX
180 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 CLASSIC MUSCLE_FLEX
WEEK 1

Power Phase
EXERCISE SETS REPS TEMPO REST

Smith Machine 4 4–6 5-1-X 3–4

Incline Press min.
4

60-degree 3 4–6 3-3-1 3–4

Incline DB Flye min.
3

WEEK 2

Varied-Reps Phase
EXERCISE SETS REPS TEMPO REST

Weighted Dip 2 4–6 3-1-3 2–3

min.
3

Dumbbell 3 10–12 2-1-2 2–3

Pullover min.

Multi-angle 3 16–20 2-0-1-1 2–3

Cable min.
Crossover

WEEK 3

Shock Phase
EXERCISE SETS REPS TEMPO REST

Smith Machine 2 7–9 3-0-1 1–2

Incline Press* min.
-

Dumbbell 2 7–9 2-1-1 1–2

Pullover min.
Superset with
Weighted 2 7–9 3-0-1 1–2
Dip** min.
-
***
*After completing 7 to 9 reps, drop the weight and
bust out another 4 to 6. Do that for both sets.
**After completing 7 to 9 reps, drop the weight and do
max reps with your body weight. Do that for both sets.
***After completing 13 to 15 reps, rest 15 seconds
and do reps to failure. Then rest another 30 seconds
and go to failure again.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 181
Superset for
Super
Muscle growth is a sure bet with
this time-saving technique.
BY ERIC “MERLIN” BROSER
THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT THAT, for most of us mere mortals
(which does not include men like Ronnie Coleman, Morgan Aste,
or “Big Ramy”), building new muscle year after year becomes an
increasingly difficult and arduous endeavor.
The human body does not con-
sider the creation of a massive,
Herculean physique to be a high
priority in its hierarchy of needs
and thus will fight our efforts
every step of the way. I have
a little quote that I tell all my
clients when it comes to making
serious progress in the gym that
I would like to now relay to all
FLEX readers: “If you really want
to get huge, you cannot politely
tap your muscles and ask that
they grow—you must instead
knock them over and demand it!”
In my many years as a
coach and competitive body-
builder, one of the best tech-
niques I have found to force
the muscles to respond, adapt,
and grow is, without a doubt,
supersets. A superset is gener-
ally when two exercises for the
182 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
Size
same body part are performed
back-to-back with as little rest in
between as possible.
Your rest periods occur only
after the completion of both
exercises, with each having been
taken to momentary (positive)
muscular failure. While there are
many ways to incorporate super-
sets into a workout, in my own
training system there are two
basic types that I like to focus on
most often: pre-exhaustion and
post-activation.
A pre-exhaustion superset is
one in which the trainee per-
forms an isolation exercise
followed immediately by a com-
pound movement. Some combi-
nations include leg extensions + Pair a compound
move like the
squats, dumbbell flyes + bench T-bar row with
presses, and lateral raises + up- an isolation
move for greater
right rows. The main advantage gains.
of pre-exhaustion supersets is forcing the target muscle to
that you can more precisely iso- continue contracting.
late the target muscle with the A post-activation superset
first movement—pushing it to involves a high-load, heavy
its momentary limits—and then (about three to five reps per set)
coax it beyond those limits with compound movement followed
a multijoint exercise that brings immediately by a single-joint
in other muscle groups to assist, isolation exercise. A few exam-
ples might be weighted dips
+ cable crossovers, stiff-leg
TRAINING
deadlifts + lying leg curls, and
PEC PUMPER barbell bentover rows + stiff-
EX ER CIS E S E TS R E PS
arm pulldowns. The interesting
(and cool) element of this type of
superset is that research studies
3 show that low-rep, compound it normally would. Talk about
exercises manifest enhanced entering into a state of anabolic
3 central nervous system (CNS) nirvana!
activation, creating a physio- So are you now champing
logical environment where the at the bit to hit the gym and
3 second (isolation) movement (in experience some hypertrophy-
a post-activation superset) will igniting supersets? I thought
actually activate more muscle so! Here are some of my per-
3 fibers and exhaust a greater sonal favorites for each major
number of motor unit pools than muscle group.

184 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
 SUPERSET
TIPS
1
If you train in a crowded
gym, it’s best to create
supersets that allow
you to stay in the same
area to make sure you
can go from one exercise
to the next without
interruption. A few
examples would be lying
dumbbell pullovers +
close-grip seated cable
rows, incline dumbbell
flyes + flat bench
dumbbell presses, and
seated dumbbell
lateral raises + seated
dumbbell presses.

2
When performing the
compound exercise in a
superset, use a slow
eccentric contraction
(four to five seconds) and
an “explosive” concentric
(pushing or pulling
the weight as rapidly as
possible).

3
When performing
the isolation exercise
in a superset, do the
eccentric portion of the
rep in about two seconds,
then hold the midpoint
(stretch position) for
OPE N E R : PE R B E R NA L . T H I S S PR E A D : PE R B E R NA L ( 3 ) ; C H A R L E S L OW T H I A N

one second, and finish

with a two-second
concentric. Note: If the
isolation exercise allows
for a powerful “peak TRAINING
contraction” against
resistance (as with leg BACK BLASTER
extensions or cable
EX E RC IS E SE TS RE PS
crossovers, for example),
then make sure to hold
for a full second at that
point as well.
3

3
4
Even when not using
supersets through an
entire workout, they are
an excellent way to finish 3
off a body part—
especially if it is one 3
that is lagging behind
the others.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 185
S U PE R SE T S

TRAINING

DELT DESTROYER
EX E RC I S E SETS R EP S

TRAINING

BICEPS BOMBER
EX E RC I S E SETS R EP S

2
 TRAINING

TRICEPS TRASHER
EX E RC I SE S ETS RE PS

UPERSET BENEFITS
1 2 3 4 5
Supersets allow for Supersets bring Supersets increase Supersets are Supersets help
CHRIS LUND; PER BERNAL (5)

a greater time about a more lactic acid very time efficient, stimulate the
under tension for intense and production, which allowing one to metabolism,
the targeted dramatic pump, coaxes the body to train with making them an
muscle, which is which saturates release more growth maximum intensity excellent adjunct
associated with the target muscles hormone (GH) into in shorter periods to proper diet and
igniting more rapid with enhanced your system. GH is a of time. cardio when
hypertrophy. amounts of amino powerful muscle- looking to burn
acids, natural building and more body fat.
hormones, oxygen, fat-incinerating
and vital nutrients. hormone.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 187
 EX ER CIS E
TRAINING
S U PE R SE T S

HAM HURTER

2
2
2
2
S E TS

/
RE P S
EXE RCISE
TRAINING

QUAD KILLER

3
3
3
3
S ETS
RE PS

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P R I G H T : PAV E L Y T H J A L L ; P E R B E R N A L ; E R I C A S C H U L T Z ; PAV E L Y T H J A L L
 Go lighter on
squats, since you’ll
be fatigued from
the extensions.
Diet
Offenses
and
How
to Fix Them
BY JOE WUEBBEN

IF ONLY WE COULD hire referees to sit with you at every meal. If

only someone with a discerning nutritional eye could look over your
shoulder as you fix your pre- and post-workout shakes and cry “foul”
when your protein-to-carb ratios didn’t add up or you used only one
scoop of protein rather than two. Because here’s the deal: Too many
bodybuilders make too many dieting mistakes. Whether it’s a lack of
protein, an overabundance of simple carbs, or a faulty bedtime snack,
such shortcomings are holding back loads of people from achieving
their bodybuilding goals. Here, we break down a handful of the most
egregious diet fouls we come across regularly. If you can just fix these,
you’ll be in good shape—literally.

DIET FOUL: Remember, when you sleep, you

1
SKIMPING
AT BREAKFAST
THE FACTS: You may think
that if you’re trying to lean out,
eating less at each meal is a
good idea. But when it comes
to breakfast, regardless of
your goal, eating too little can
are essentially fasting and your
body turns to your muscles for
fuel. Consume 80 to 100 grams
of carbs (Aceto suggests oat-
meal and sugar) and 30 to 50
grams of protein.
DIET FOUL:

put your body in a catabolic
(muscle-wasting) state, which
breaks down muscle tissue and
prevents fat burning by slowing
down your metabolism. “When
blood sugar [the amount of
digested carbohydrates floating
around in the bloodstream] is
lower, coupled with a lack of
recently consumed protein, the
body is more likely to fall into a
catabolic state, where muscle
is burned rather than built,”
says Chris Aceto, author of
Championship Bodybuilding and
Everything You Need to Know
About Fat Loss.
THE FIX: Eat more carbohy-
drates at breakfast, says Aceto,
to cushion blood sugar levels,
which alleviates the burden to
use up protein and muscle mass.
2
GOING TOO
LOW ON PROTEIN
THE FACTS: “Protein
equals damage control,” says
Aceto, who notes that high-
training individuals need more
protein in their diets. “When you
hit the gym, even if you’re a rank
beginner, you create muscle
fiber damage in those muscles,
and the primary ingredient that
repairs that is protein. ‘Clinical’
recommendations are good, but
look no further than your local
contest winner—his protein
intake will be higher than what
most recommend.”
THE FIX: Set your protein-intake
needs to a minimum of 1 gram
per pound of body weight every
day. For hardgainers, this may
need to be as high as 1.5 grams

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 191
per pound. Getting all that
protein through whole foods
is tough, which is why most
(if not all) competitive body-
builders ingest a couple of
protein shakes daily.
DIET FOUL:
3
EATING UNBALANCED
MEALS
THE FACTS: We’ve all
been there—eating a meal that
consists of nothing but protein
or, worse yet, practically all
GRAZING
ON SIMPLE
CARBS
192 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
carbs. In most situations, you protein shake and nothing else
should shoot for a balance of post-workout—the amino acids
protein and carbs at every meal. from the protein aren’t being
Because, according to Aceto, absorbed as effectively into the
having a meal too high in carbs muscles because of a lack of
compared with protein will insulin in the blood.
result in a blood sugar spike. THE FIX: Aceto suggests keep-
That may be followed by a blood ing meals balanced at a protein-
sugar crash, which not only de- to-carb ratio of 1-to-1, with a
creases energy but also blunts moderate amount of healthy fats
fat burning. On the other hand, mixed in (more on dietary fats in
when protein is present in huge No. 5). “If you have a fast me-
amounts but carbs are AWOL— tabolism, feel free to boost the
for example, when drinking a carbs up from there,” he says.
THE FACTS:
If your typical mass-building
phase results in you gaining
every kind of mass (a lot of
muscle and body fat), your
choice of carbs might be the
DIET FOUL problem. (If your leaning-out
phase isn’t working, carbs could
be the issue here, too.) More spe-
cifically, you might be eating too
many simple carbs. Your best
bet then is to stick with slower-
digesting carbs like sweet pota-
toes, oatmeal, and whole-wheat
bread. “Slower-burning carbs
tend to have a smaller impact
O P E N E R : B E T H G A LT O N I N C . /G E T T Y I M AG E S . M A R K T H O M A S /G E T T Y I M AG E S
on the fat-storing machinery in
the body than refined or other
carbs,” Aceto says.
THE FIX:
Eat slower-digesting carbs and
keep simple carbs (white bread,
sweets, other types of sugars)
at a minimum—except, of course,
immediately after workouts,
when you’ll want anywhere
from 40 to 100 grams of fast-
absorbing carbs to begin the
muscle-recovery process ASAP.
 DIET FOUL:

5
GOING FAT-FREE Set a clear,
THE FACTS: Sure, eating specific goal in
order to focus
fat can make you fat. successfully on
But so can carbs and protein, if achieving it.
eaten in excessive amounts. If
the goal is to get lean, or even to
build mass, fried foods are out,
no doubt. Healthy (“good”) fats
shouldn’t be outlawed, though—
they should be embraced.
“Dietary fats found in whole
eggs, salmon, lean red meat,
and olive oil provide the building
blocks for hormones that regu-
late both growth and fat burning,”
Aceto says. “If you eat a fat-free
diet, you restrict real change, be-
cause the body is constantly in an
inner turmoil searching for these
healthy fats that are a necessity
to facilitate positive change.”
THE FIX: Eat one to three egg
yolks a day. Eat lean beef
regularly (as often as once a
day), as even the saturated fat
found in beef will raise testoster-
one levels. Put olive oil on your
salad or cook your eggs in it. And
don’t be afraid to snack on plain
nuts like almonds or on peanuts
or natural peanut butter. All
in all, 15 to 30% of your daily
nutrient intake should come from
healthy fats.

DIET FOUL:

6
NOT HAVING
A DEFINED GOAL
THE FACTS: In whatever
it is that you’re doing, you need
to set a goal—and not a vague
one. The goal needs to be tangi-
ble and specific. Dieting is no dif-
ferent. Simply saying you want
to get bigger and leaner isn’t
enough. Because, in reality, even
though it’s definitely possible
to gain muscle mass while also
getting leaner, maximizing either
P AV E L Y T H J A L L

requires a different nutritional

approach. Why else would body-
builders follow different diets
off-season and pre-contest?

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 193
THE FIX: Set a goal to gain
(or lose), say, 10 pounds. Don’t
think the goal’s lofty enough?
Well, then, when you’ve reached
that goal, set another. If gain-
ing (or losing) 10 pounds was
relatively easy, set a goal on the
heels of that to gain (or lose)
10 more pounds, or 20 more
pounds. And, of course, where
there’s a goal there needs to be
an appropriate plan of action.
Don’t set a goal to gain 20
pounds and then eat like a bird;
make sure you’re eating suffi-
cient protein (see foul No. 2)
194 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
and doing the other things nec-
essary to gain mass, including
taking in the right amounts of
carbs and fats.
DIET FOUL:
7
EATING TOO MUCH
BEFORE BEDTIME
THE FACTS: Your me-
tabolism slows down at night
compared with earlier in the day,
when you’re more active. As a
result, calories consumed late
in the day are more likely to be
stored as body fat. This holds
especially true with carbs. “Your
body requires more carbs during
the day, when you’re training
and working,” Aceto says, “not
at night, when you’re resting and
doing very little physical activity.”
E X T R E M E - P H O T O G R A P H E R /G E T T Y I M AG E S
THE FIX: This doesn’t mean you
should skip eating altogether
before going to bed—just steer
clear of carbs. Before bedtime,
consume 20 to 40 grams of
slow-digesting casein protein (in
powder form, mixed with water).
This will provide your muscles
with a steady influx of amino
acids while you sleep to help
keep you anabolic, not catabolic.
DIET FOUL:
INCONSITENCY
FLEX_ ASK THE EXPERTS

Shred Up

Sprinting will
N O E L DAG A N TA

boost your
body’s ability to
burn calories for
longer compared
with steady-state.

/
 BY M&F EDITORS

Will sprinting get me

more shredded than
standard cardio?
Sprinting is one of the few forms
of conditioning that will burn a
significant amount of fat within a
short amount of time. Instead of
doing slow steady-state cardio
for one hour, you can sprint for
30 minutes and burn the same
amount of calories or more.
One of the biggest benefits of
sprinting is the resulting high
EPOC (excess post-exercise
oxygen consumption), aka the
“afterburn” effect, meaning the
ability to burn calories after the
workout is over. Research shows
that high-intensity interval train-
ing produces much higher EPOC
than steady-state cardio due
to the intensity of the workout.
In other words, the higher the
intensity, the higher the EPOC
effect. In addition to maximizing
fat burning, sprinting also builds
and preserves lean muscle by
increasing growth hormone lev-
els and specifically targeting the
fast-twitch fibers. Plus, sprinting
improves athleticism and even
saves time from a workout per-
spective. Try the sprint workout
below for a month and see
where you’re at after.

TRAINING

SPRINTING WORKOUT
DIRECTIONS: This will take
you no more than 30 minutes to
complete. Do it 3 days a week
with at least 1 day of rest
between each session.
SPRINT S P RI N T
L A D DER N O. 1 L AD DE R N O. 2
E D GA R A RT IGA

Rest when walking back to the

starting line.

M AY 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 197
MARKETPLACE
FLEX_ ASK THE EXPERTS
I want to lose
15 pounds this
summer, so I
need to up my training
big-time, right?
Remember that your diet
is 80% of the battle when
trying to lean out. For fat
loss, I believe in a diet
of 10 to 12 calories per
pound. If your goal is to
lose weight, you should
lose a minimum of a
pound or two a week. And
the typical template I use
for the macronutrient ra-
tio is roughly 50% protein,
35% carbs, and 15% fat.

Can I drink beer

socially and cheat on
my diet on the week-
end and still lose weight?
Yes! You can lose weight and
drink alcohol within modera-
tion—one to two low-calorie
drinks a week. As for cheat
meals, I typically advise clients
to have one or two cheat meals
a week, but I would never advo-
cate a cheat day in which you’re
cheating for its duration. That
will screw up your diet.

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FLEX_ IFBB PRO LEAGUE INSIDER BY ANGELICA NEBBIA

Should You Hire

a Prep Coach?
While it may be worth it to reach that next level,
there’s a lot to consider before you hire a prep coach.

THE WORLD OF BODY-

BUILDING and fitness is
flooded with prep coaches and
trainers, but are they worth the
money? In my opinion—you bet!
The right coach will have expe-
rience and expertise, evaluate
your strengths and weaknesses
to develop a plan specifically for
you, push you harder than you
could ever push yourself, keep
you on track to reach your goals,
and bring you back when you get
off course. But before you hire a
prep coach, be sure to ask your-
self the following questions.
Hiring a pro prep coach
CAN YOU AFFORD IT? like Neil Hill (at right)
is pricey but worth the
Hiring a prep coach typically extra money.
costs between $1K and $3K per
prep, depending on his or her
résumé and how much time he Coaches who have “walked the but you’ll also need to open up
or she will be dedicating to you. walk” and competed themselves emotionally. Competing is men-
If money is tight, take an honest are much more likely to offer tally draining, and it’s important
look at your expenses and decide sound advice, based on person- that your coach is aware of your
what you’re willing to sacrifice in al experience. Check out the current state of mind, as your
order to reach your goals. When I reviews and results of their past mood and outlook can affect your
started competing in 2008, I put and current clients online, and in- results. And, of course, when you
most of my belongings in storage, terview the best prospects. Your screw up and eat that unsched-
downsized to a smaller apart- coach will be working for you, uled cheat meal (because you
ment, and traded in my SUV for a after all, so ask lots of questions. will), you need to come clean.
midsize economy car, all to afford Remember, if you’re lying, it’s
a prep coach and daily trainer. ARE YOU READY TO only going to waste your money.
BARE YOUR SOUL?
HOW DO YOU In order for the partnership to
ABOUT THE INSIDER
CHOOSE ONE? work, there needs to be trust on
Research, research, research! both sides, which requires full Angelica Nebbia is a
former IFBB Pro League
It’s important that you do your transparency. For obvious rea- figure competitor, an NPC
homework, or you may find sons, you’ll need to inform your judge, a senior editor of
PER BERNAL

Muscle & Fitness, and

yourself wasting a lot of money coach of any physical ailments the official liaison
on someone who promises (everything from digestive issues between M&F and the
IFBB Pro League.
the world but doesn’t deliver. to worrisome aches and pains),

200 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / M AY 2 0 1 9
THE KING OF
PREWORKOUTS
STRENGTH STAMINA RECOVERY

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