Muscular Development №1 2009

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EXCLUSIVE!

MAX

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MAX

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X-MAN

TRAINING

X-MAN

TRAINING

THE WORLD’S

BIGGEST

BODYBUILDI

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THE WORLD’S

BIGGEST

_NG

BODYBUILDI

_MAGAZINE

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PLUS!

HOWLIN’

WOLF!

HOWLIN’

WOLF!

OF MD’S

2008

BABES!

THE

BEST

PLUS!

OF MD’S

2008

BABES!

THE

BEST

WTF HAPPENED

AT THE O?

WTF HAPPENED

AT THE O?

HIGH REP

S

VS.

HEAVY WEIGHTS

HIGH REP

S

VS.

HEAVY WEIGHTS

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V o l u m e 4 6 , N u m b e r 1 , J a n u a r y 2 0 0 9

BUILD MUSCLE • BURN FAT • NO BULLSHIT!

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Research: Fat Loss By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD

166

Fat AttackBrown Fat May Be The Key To Fat Loss

By Dan Gwartney, MD

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Research: Training By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD

122

Research: Supplements By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD

132

Research: Nutrition By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD

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Nutrition PerformanceThe Latest ResearchBy Robbie Durand, MA

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Supplement PerformanceThe Latest Research

By Jose Antonio, PhD, FACSM, FISSN

354

MuscleTech Research Report

TRAINING

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Muscle Form+Function By Stephen E. Alway, PhD, FACSM

360

Extreme Muscle Enhancement By Carlon M. Colker, MD, FACN

368

The True Victor By Victor Martinez

374

The Predator By Kai Greene

380

Mass With Class By Branch Warren

384

Lee Priest Confirmed! By Lee Priest

NEW!

390

Telling It Like It Is By Shawn Ray

NEW!

400

Branden Ray: Road To The USAs by Branden Ray

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The Big Bad Wolf: The People’s Choice By Dennis Wolf

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Erik “The House” Fankhouser By Erik Fankhouser

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National Hero By Evan Centopani

416

The Pro Creator By Hany Rambod

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Contest Guru By Chad Nicholls

426

Trainer of Champions By Charles Glass

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Research: Health & Performance By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD

152

Research: Sex By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD

188

Muscle Growth Update By Robbie, Durand, MA

NEW!

312

Bodybuilding ScienceCialis Increases Testosterone

By Robbie Durand, MA

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No Juice Bodybuilding By Eric Broser

356

Ask The Doc By Victor Prisk, MD

NEW!

NUTRITION & PERFORMANCE

FAT LOSS

DRUGS

HEALTH & PERFORMANCE

THE WORLD’S

BIGGEST

BODYBUILDING

MAGAZINE!

MD

22 CUTTING EDGE

RESEARCH!

142

Research: Drugs By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD

162

Future Pharmacy By Douglas S. Kalman, PhD, RD, FACN

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TestosteroneWeight Loss Decreases Free Testosterone

By Dan Gwartney, MD

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The “Clear” Chemist By Patrick Arnold

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Anabolic Research Update By William Llewellyn

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Anabolic Edge By Jose Antonio, PhD

348

The Anabolic Freak By David Palumbo

364

Busted! Legal Q&A By Rick Collins, JD

VICTOR VS.

PHIL AND

DEXTER!

212 CYBER WARS:

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January 2009 www.musculardevelopment.com

FEATURES

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30

Mail Room Where Our Readers Rave & Rant

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Who’s Hot! By Mike Yurkovic

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MD People

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The Romano Factor By John Romano

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musculardevelopment.com By Gregg Valentino

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Flex Critique By Flex Wheeler

NEW!

288 Major Distraction

BEST OF 2008!

332

Ramblin’ Freak By Gregg Valentino

436

Hot Shoppe By Angela T. Frizalone

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Web Directory

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MD Marketplace By Angela T. Frizalone & Manda Machado

470

The Last Word By John Romano

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DENNIS WOLF: THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE WHAT THE F*CK HAPPENED AT THE O? EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RON HARRIS

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CYBER WARSVICTOR VS. DEXTER & PHIL HEATH

BY FLEX WHEELER

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TONEY FREEMAN, THE X-MAN:TRAINING AND DIET SECRETS (PART 1, UPPER BODY) BY RON HARRIS

242

NEXT YEAR’S VICTOR!THE COMEBACK OF VICTOR MARTINEZ, PART 2 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RON HARRIS

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PRIEST OLYMPIA CONFESSIONAL LEE PRIEST CRITIQUES THE TOP 10BY LEE PRIEST

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UNDER-202 OLYMPIA SHOWDOWN! DAVE HENRY VS. LEE PRIEST IN 2009: WHO WILL WIN? BY RON HARRIS

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THE NEW MUTANT NINJA MR. OLYMPIA DOES DEXTER’S AUSPICIOUS VICTORY INDICATE IT’S OUT WITH FREAKS AND IN WITH THE PHYSIQUES? AN OLYMPIA EVOLUTION…BY JOHN ROMANO

MD

23 DENNIS

WOLF: WTF

HAPPENED

AT THE O?

196 YEAR’S

VICTOR

242 X-MAN

TRAINING

SECRETS! 228

BEST OF MD’S MAJOR

DISTRACTIONS!

288 OLYMPIA

EVOLUTION

280 MD’S INSIDE STACK

Editor’s Letter By Steve Blechman

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I first heard the sad news of Ben Weider’s passing on Friday, October 17th. At the time, I was with my wife and kids visiting our parents (and their grandparents) in Florida. My 28-year-old daughter also hap-pened to get engaged while we were visiting.

In person, Ben was very easy to talk to and always a gentleman with great elegance. Ben lived a full life, with many achievements that touched many people’s lives. He was also a promoter and passion-ate Ambassador of the International

Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB). Ben had an amaz-ing career. What a success story! Ben and his brother Joe were great businessmen and through their vision and hard work, they helped build the Weider Empire. They were also instrumental in launching Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career in the United States.

Ben’s contributions to bodybuilding are insur-mountable! If it were not for Ben and the vision of his brother, Joe (the father of bodybuilding), the sport would not be what it is today. Ben built the best feder-ation in the world, where the best bodybuilders in the world call it home. No one can deny that and he has my utmost respect. Thank you, Ben, for the opportuni-ty and all you have done for us. Rest in peace.

Moving on…looking at this cover of Dennis Wolf, you have to ask: “What the fuck happened to him at the O?” Well, if you read the interview on page 196 you will find out, among other things, that he lost 15 pounds of muscle the last two weeks on a zero-carb diet! I’m not a fan of low-carb diets for building muscle. It’s great for fat loss, but at the expense of losing lean muscle mass. “Assisted” body-builders have less of a concern, but it’s still an issue for some guys. Low-carb diets lower testosterone, insulin and IGF-1, 3 important anabolic hormones. Low-carb diets also increase cortisol, a catabolic hor-mone plus increase blood acidity which can also enhance muscle protein breakdown. I think low carbs were a mistake for Dennis. He also had an abdominal hernia, which accounted for his stomach protruding. He is having surgery in a couple of weeks to fix it and will be back training for the Olympia in January.

Toney Freeman, on the other hand, seems to do very well on low carbs. He’s also into some other freaky shit. I was speaking to Toney on the phone ask-ing him if he cheats on his low-carb diet and he assured me he doesn’t. He went on to tell me some of his X-Man training secrets (you can check out part one

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MD

By Steve Blechman Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

editor

’

s letter

THANK YOU,

BEN…

…For What You Have Done

For The Sport

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on page 228), which include these crazy weekly colonics and branched-chain amino acid suppositories! I’m telling ya, this guy gives new meaning to the word “freak!”

Part two of Victor Martinez’s comeback can be found on page 242. This was shot of course at the ultimate hardcore gym, Metroflex. I know you need heavy weight to build muscle and that was a concern considering Victor’s injury, but I’m happy to see he has kept his size. This is going to finally be Victor’s year. All he has to do is get in shape and he will finally get the Olympia he has been denied for the last two years.

Speaking of Victor, check out page 212 for another installment of Cyber Wars. This time, Flex Wheeler pits Victor against both Phil Heath and Dexter Jackson. Guess who wins?

On page 264, the Under 202 Olympia Showdown has David Henry up against Lee Priest in 2009. Who do you think will win? Lee is also featured on page 256 in his Olympia confessional, where he critiques this year’s Olympia. As you can imagine, it is pretty enter-taining reading.

John Romano rounds out the features this month on page 280, with an interest-ing look at the future of bodybuilding now that con-vention has been tossed into the wind, along with the incumbent champ, and Dexter Jackson is Mr. Olympia. Does Dexter’s aus-picious victory indicate it’s out with freaks and in with the physiques?

Finally, you guys have been after me to put more babes in the magazine, so I’m giving you what you want. On page 288, I’m giv-ing you 13 pages of the best of 2008’s Major Distractions. No words, just sizzling-hot pictures. Enjoy.

The rest of the book is packed as always with all the news and information you need to build your best body by the very best experts our industry has to offer. See you next month!

Publisher/Editor-In-Chief Steve Blechman Senior Editor John Romano Managing Editor Angela T. Frizalone Creative Director Alan Dittrich, Jr. Associate Editor Lana Russo

Associate Art Director

Stephen Kolbasuk

Assistant Editor

Alan Golnick

Contributing Editors

Carlon Colker, M.D.,Thomas Fahey Ph.D. Dan Gwartney, M.D.

Executive Assistant

Michele Gampel

Photographers

Chief Photographer: Per Bernal Mike Yurkovic, Dan Ray, Bill Comstock

Illustrators

Bill Hamilton, Fred Harper, Jerry Beck

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MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT (ISSN 0047-8415) is published monthly by Advanced Research Press, 690 Route 25A, Setauket, New York, 11733. Copyright ©2008 by Advanced Research Press. All rights reserved. Copyright under the Universal Copyright Convention and the International Copyright Convention. Copyright reserved under the Pan Am Copyright. Rate: $49.97 per year (USA); $79.97 per two years (USA); foreign: $79.97 per year. Nothing appearing in MUS-CULAR DEVELOPMENT may be reprinted, either wholly or in part, without the written consent of the publisher. Send edito-rial submissions to: MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT, 690 Route 25A, Setauket, New York, 11733. Stamped, self-addressed envelope must accompany all submissions, and no responsi-bility can be assumed for unsolicited submissions. All letters, photos, manuscripts, etc. sent to MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT will be considered as intended for publication, and MUSCU-LAR DEVELOPMENT reserves the right to edit and/or com-ment. Periodical postage paid at Setauket, N.Y. 11733, and at Glasgow, KY 42141. Postmaster: Send address changes to MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT, Box 834, East Setauket, NY 11733-9704. Advertising Office Phone: (239) 495-6899. PRINTED IN USA

Cover photos of Dennis Wolf And MD’s Major Distractions are by Per Bernal

MD

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BEN WEIDER ACCEPTS A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER AT THE 2008 ARNOLD CLASSIC.

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More Evan!

For a while there you guys had a lot on Evan Centopani…now not so much. What happened? I want to read more about Evan’s diet and training and what he has going on. Me and my friends think he’s the best!

Mark Aaron, e-mail

Huge Fan

Hello. I wanted to write in and say thanks for such a kick-ass magazine. I turn to MD each month for all the news I need about the industry, scientific research, training… everything. It’s what I really look forward to reading every month and I always tear through it. Keep it up!

Rodger, e-mail

Way To Go, Dexter!

Major props to Dexter Jackson for snagging the Mr. Olympia! It’s a long time coming that a more visually pleasing physique was rewarded, instead of mass monsters. Some of the past blocky winners looked just plain gross, and they were about as visually pleasing as a dead horse. Finally, a Mr. Olympia who aspires to the true ideals of bodybuilding. Congratulations, Dexter!

Wanda Marcotte, e-mail

Cutler’s Last Stand?

I’m glad the Mr. Olympia judges didn’t give it to Jay again. It was bad enough that he won the title last year, when Victor Martinez was clearly the better man onstage. Jay looked almost as bad this year; for him to win again would have been a disgrace. The judges saw the light. And from the looks of Jay, he saw more than his fair share of Twinkies.

Magda O’Brien, e-mail

MD Rules

I never write in to magazines, but I’ve been reading MD for too many years not to finally let you know how awesome I think it is. I literally take MD to the gym with me so I can read it while doing boring cardio! It helps me get through it. I also think the photos are amazing. Everything looks so real. Thanks again.

Scott Martin, e-mail

Titus Report

Enjoyed John Romano’s report on Craig Titus and the interview with the prosecutor who helped put bodybuilding’s top chump behind bars [December 2008]. I’d say that Craig Titus got what he deserved, which is to rot in jail! As a journalism major in college, I’d say that some of Romano’s reporting was a bit skimpy. Too many accusations, too little facts. Titus has a history of wild sex? John, how would you know that? Did you film the video? Or were you part of the action yourself? Your readers want to know!

Warren Hargrove, e-mail

The Best Man Won

I’m relieved Jay didn’t win the Olympia. Finally, things are changing and becoming fair. Go, Dexter! Please cover Dexter more, especially now. I think it’s sick that he won and I hope he can hold onto it

Jason Korne, e-mail

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Photographed by Mike Yurkovic

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MD www.musculardevelopment.com January 2009

Claudia Verela Fitness Model, Arizona

WHO’s HOT!

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MD

39 Terri Jett NPC Figure athlete, South Carolina

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MD www.musculardevelopment.com January 2009

Rachelle Richardson IFBB Figure athlete, Holland

WHO’s HOT!

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January 2009 www.musculardevelopment.com MD

41 Jamie Costa IFBB Pro Figure, Nevada

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MD

People

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MD CHECK OUT FOR COMPLETE CONTEST COVERAGE! CHECK OUT FOR COMPLETE CONTEST COVERAGE!

MUSCULARDEVELOPMENT.COM

By TEAM MD

Team MD brings you more industry sightings from the

2008 Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas, Nevada

Joe and Ben Weider backstage at the 2008 Mr. Olympia. Rest in peace, Ben.

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MD

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MD

People

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MD CHECK OUT FOR COMPLETE CONTEST COVERAGE! CHECK OUT FOR COMPLETE CONTEST COVERAGE!

MUSCULARDEVELOPMENT.COM

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MD

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MD

People

FOR COMPLETE CHECK OUT

CONTEST COVERAGE! CHECK OUT FOR COMPLETE CONTEST COVERAGE!

MUSCULARDEVELOPMENT.COM

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THE WAY I SEE IT

The

Romano

Factor

By John Romano

500-WORD SUBMISSION FROM

THE MD ONLINE CREW…

MOTIVATION

BY rhickman

For 19 years of my life, I was the fat kid. Or that is who I was constantly told I was by my peers. I spent 19 years of my life pretty much alone. I was known as fatty; chubby; the big guy. Lunchtime would come around and everyone would get into their groups of friends and enjoy the break. Not me. I would end up alone, eating— just waiting for the day to be over with. Guys would just walk by and stare. Girls would just laugh at me. My childhood was not one I care to remember, but it sticks in my memory. And it will forever.

After 19 years of constant humiliation and loneliness, I needed to change my life. I had no job. I wasn’t in school. I had nothing. I was just a fat guy liv-ing at home with nothliv-ing and no one. I was fed up with life. So I turned to fit-ness. Not alcohol or drugs. I wanted to change my appearance. I was tired of being called the fat guy. I was tired of getting laughed at by a girl when I would muster up the shred of confidence I had in me to ask her out. I was determined to change my life. I had no money, so I couldn’t afford a gym membership or a nutritionist. I quit eating fast food, drinking soda and eating candy. I made up a 1,000-calorie-a-day diet that I religiously followed for the next eight months of my life. The weight started to come off nicely. I ended up taking 110 pounds off and I was a lean 155 pounds. A mere shadow of what I used to be.

I had been reading bodybuilding magazines the entire time and wanted to be more than lean and in shape. I began my quest with two dumbbells and push-ups. With these dumbbells, I put on 20 pounds over the next year and wanted more. March 29, 2008 comes around. I am 175 pounds and at 3 percent body fat. I place third in the open men middleweight divi-sion. I did it. I am no longer that fat kid everyone picked on. I am now a bodybuilder. That is what motivates me to be the best. I sit here now in the midst of training for the Washington Iron Man show in October. I am in the best shape of my life. I have everything I could want. I have a beautiful fiancée, my family and bodybuilding. Anyone can do anything. It depends on how bad you want it.

My main motivation when I’m training is the humiliation and anger I have inside of me from my past. But now when I look in the mirror I’m not that fat kid. I have the physique those losers that made fun of me will never have. So who’s doing the laughing now?

Another month, another winner…and, as I always seem to say, the submissions to this contest keep getting better and better! I’m happy to see more and more submissions— some from women! And more and more members voting. At some point, we need to consider what to do with all these submissions. I’m thinking perhaps a book of the

best-of-the-best and donating the profits to a worthwhile cause. But we still have some time to figure that out. In the mean-time, please join me in congratulating rhickman for winning this month’s contest. The voting was fierce, but this fairly new member edged out the competition and won by a sin-gle, solitary vote with his article “Motivation.”

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THE WAY I SEE IT, rhickman and I have a lot in common! I started out the very same way. I wasn’t as big as he was, but “obese” was definitely an accurate, descriptive word. This essay really hit home for me. I’m thinking off the top of my head that it does the same for a few other guys and girls I’ve come to know. Bodybuilding is the greatest thing to ever come along. It makes lives and it saves lives and it does what no amount of money can. Rhickman, I’m very proud of you! Damn, I’m going back to read this thing again…this is good stuff!!

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MD

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January 2009 www.musculardevelopment.com On Friday, October 17th, our world

put the final punctuation on the era that created one of the biggest and best sports federations ever known. We all know that Joe Weider is the father of bodybuilding. He is the guy who first brought bodybuilding to the world through his publishing efforts that started long before any of our fathers were born…under a sheet under his mother’s dining room table in the middle of the night on a rented typewriter with a war chest of $7.00. While Joe toiled away creating our world, it was his younger brother, Ben, who created the venerable feder-ation where we would compete. It was Ben Weider who nearly single-handedly created the IFBB.

It was 1946 and Joe and Ben were going to put on their first bodybuild-ing show called the Mr. Montreal. At that time, there was no bodybuilding federation to sanction a bodybuilding show. The only organized sanctioning body at the time was the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), which had bodybuilding fall under the auspice of the weightlifting federation, headed then by Bob Hoffman in the U.S. The same Bob Hoffman who used to own York Barbell and Muscular

Development magazine.

Prior to the show, Ben had secured permission from Hoffman to stage the Mr. Montreal bodybuilding contest. The evening of the show, literally min-utes before the show was to start, two of Hoffman’s henchmen delivered a notice from the head of the AAU weightlifting committee to the ath-letes, telling them that the show was not being sanctioned by the AAU and in order to preserve their amateur sta-tus, they needed to leave the theater right away.

Ben had no idea why the AAU would all of a sudden come in and pull their sanction, but it was at that

moment, in a hailstorm of fury, that Joe and Ben created the IFBB. They told the bodybuilders not to leave, that now they have their own govern-ing body and that they were gogovern-ing to make bodybuilding bigger and better than ever. While the whole thing hap-pened at the spur of the moment, Ben and Joe were able to convince all the competitors to go with them and defected from the AAU.

Other than promoting the very first true bodybuilding shows, Ben literally traveled the earth spreading Joe’s message and uniting bodybuilders under a single federation. Oddly, Ben devoted his life to doing this while never making any claim to ever have been a bodybuilder. I have never read anywhere of Ben uttering a word about picking up a weight. If he ever did, it’s not like he was throwing down. While Joe sure did, clearly Ben

was not of our ilk. Joe was one of us; Ben wasn’t…but he sure didn’t lack the passion for it. Ben Weider is from another era— a formidable culture. So much so that I often wondered what the hell he’s doing all tangled up in bodybuilding.

I was fortunate enough to actually meet Ben. While the guy was all about bodybuilding, he seemed as out of place in our world as a pearl onion on a banana split. Nevertheless, I found him to be the consummate gen-tleman and natural-born diplomat. As Joe says, Ben went all over the world and “looked kings and presidents and sports ministers straight in the eye and talked them into recognizing and supporting the IFBB.” Remarkably, altogether, Ben sold the idea to 173 countries. The hell with the weights and the sweat and the dieting; if that’s not a passion for something, nothing is.

His unique ability to understand the workings of a sports federation were duly noted. It was this under-standing that allowed Ben to spread competitive bodybuilding even into places that would normally discrimi-nate against color or religion. Be it Jews and Muslims on the borders of Israel and Palestine or blacks and whites in South Africa during apartheid, Ben Weider stuck to his guns and got everyone to agree that the IFBB would bridge the gap. And, because it did, in 1983, Ben Weider was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Peace. He was recognized for adminis-tering a sports organization that was dedicated to bringing people of all dif-ferent ethnic backgrounds and reli-gions together in peace and for self-enhancement. Not a whole lot of people can say that about themselves.

So what kind of man walks around with a Nobel Prize nomination? A his-torian, a humanitarian, a

philan-IN MEMORY OF BEN WEIDER

1924–2008

This month marked the passing of two great members of our community. All the news of the challenges we face and the controversy it represents are going to have to take a backseat to these two great men.

“The Weiders are the Medici of bodybuilding. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. What Lorenzo did, I did along with Ben. We brought to our world prosperity, stability, and safety from tyrants who wanted to oppress bodybuilders.” – Joe Weider

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The Way I See It—

Romano Factor

thropist with 66 awards and honors he accumulated during his lifetime, including the Order of Canada, l’ordre du Québec and the French Légion d’honneur— Canada’s highest honor— which was established by the

Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and awarded to Ben for his years of dedi-cation in proving that Bonaparte was murdered. Who is it who would want bodybuilding in the Olympics and toil for 30 years to get it in, all to no avail? Who never lost hope that one day bodybuilding would be in the

Olympics? I can only imagine that had the architectural firm to which Ben had applied just before he started working with Joe not been anti-Semitic, and he did in fact dedicate his life to architecture rather than to bodybuilding, there would be a mighty strong bridge somewhere with his name on it. Probably more than one. Ben’s life was dedicated to bring-ing people together.

The gentleman aristocrat, medaled and honored with degrees from three prestigious universities, presiding over a bunch of body-builders paints a very curious picture. Nevertheless, Ben tirelessly posi-tioned bodybuilding as a sport wor-thy of Olympic recognition. In 1971, Ben got the IFBB’s application for

recognition on the agenda of the IOC meeting that year, but no action was taken. Since then he attended 30 meetings with four IOC presidents, including two with the current presi-dent, Jacques Rogge of Belgium. Always the goal was the same: for-mal recognition of his federation by the International Olympic Committee, which would mean that bodybuilding belonged to the most elite group of amateur athletes in the world. The ultimate dream was to see bodybuild-ing become part of the games. Indeed, that was Ben’s dream, and in order to appease Olympic officials sufficiently enough to be taken seri-ously, Ben had to pay particular attention to the IFBB’s drug policy. As far as members of the IOC were concerned, bodybuilding had a very strong association to drugs.

Ben worked so hard to put the kibosh on drugs in the IFBB. In spite of the fact that IFBB pros evinced no abstinence from banned substances whatsoever, the amateurs were expected to follow some pretty strict rules. In their book, Brothers of Iron, Ben talks about Dr. Eduardo DeRose, member of the Olympic Committee’s Medical Commission with special responsibilities related to the Committee’s anti-doping program,

who wrote a letter to Ben in 1998, that the IFBB’s “protocols are up to standard.” Ben continues that, “Under the guidance of Dr. DeRose, we created our own 51-page, anti-doping manual laying out even more stringent guidelines and procedures. As mandated in our manual, we initi-ated out of competition testing to help ensure that athletes remain drug free year-round.” Effective January 1, 2000, every one of the 173 national federations of the IFBB was given the mandate to test for drugs at all national and regional-level competi-tions, subject to penalties for non-compliance. “No sports federation was tougher on drugs than the IFBB and we get tougher every year.”

As dyed-in-the-wool bodybuilders, we may read that and chuckle at the implied hypocrisy, knowing what we do about our world. But you have to remember, Ben led this international amateur federation with the convic-tion he had, because he believed that throughout the world his IFBB looked as pristine as any other sports federa-tion and he dedicated a good chunk of his life to seeing to it that the IOC did, too. Bodybuilding on the interna-tional amateur level looks as good as it does because of Ben. Imagine if someone like me ran it?

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THE WAY I SEE IT, you only get one go-around in life. Ben was fortunate enough to have 85 healthy years of it, and he didn’t seem to waste a second. There is no doubt that Ben took the life he was given and lived it in such a way that as many people as possible could benefit from his time on earth. We only know him in our world, but Ben transcended ours and forged relationships and friendships all over the world, making him an iconic benevolent figure in his beloved home of Montreal. I don’t think you could look back on Ben’s lifetime of achievements and look at his life as anything but a raving success.

There were times when I had my differences with Ben and what he was doing. I can only imagine the difficulty in hav-ing to deal with such a blindhav-ing paradox as bodybuildhav-ing. Here you’ve got a great man with the best of intentions tryhav-ing to get a sport recognized by the IOC and committing his life to ensuring that the amateur athletes around the world adhered to a doping policy as strict and as sound as any other international federation, while its pros and U.S. amateurs are the poster children for drug use run amuck, with his own brother promoting those jacked bodybuilders in his magazine and in ads for his supplements! Then, on top of that, you have me trumpeting the hypocrisy of it as loud as I could. I have to salute Ben for taking it all in stride. He never wavered, never faltered and stayed his course right up until the very end. You’ve got to give the man mad respect for that.

Thankfully, I was able to address Ben in person recently and bury the hatchet. Knowing the voracity of my charges against him, it was almost intimidating to shake his hand. After our short exchange where I apologized to him if I had ever offended him personally, he shook my hand again and this time cupped it with his other and said to me, “Thank you. Thank you for all you have done for our sport.” There could probably be no more a perplexing moment in my entire life. I thanked him back and left him feeling like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders. The whole thing still puzzles me.

Godspeed Ben Weider. Robert F. Kennedy once said, “Let no one be discouraged by the belief there is nothing one per-son can do against the enormous array of the world’s ills, misery, ignorance, and violence. Few will have the greatness to bend history, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. And in the total of all those acts will be written the history of a generation.” There is no doubt in my mind that when that history is written, they are going to mention the name of a great man who believed all of us muscleheads do something worthwhile. Thank you, Ben.

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Steve was my close personal friend of 23 years. He worked within the body-building sports field as a great champion as well as an outstanding sporting offi-cial from the USA East Coast area and helped run the Special Olympics. Steve passed doing what he loved best. Steve Stone was coordinating the backstage activities at the 2008 IFBB Mr. Olympia. He was making sure the best in the world were represented with the pride and dignity they deserved. His events always had precision and a profes-sional look and Steve loved this sort of duty. This was because he loved the sport, and there was nothing he would not do for it.

Steve had his own cross to bear physically in that he battled pul-monary disease for years. And yet, Steve could not say “no” to the sport he lived and died for. All asked his help routinely and he gave it until his end. Some who asked and asked were unthinking promoters, unaware com-petitors and even television shows that stressed him out...and Steve would never let them down.

And this would also be the case on September 25, 2008 at the “O.” This would be Steve’s first year run-ning the show by himself, with his personal crew. He was suffering from bad headaches and drinking tons of coffee to stay energized and alert. The man really loved his coffee. And for sure, no matter what Herculean effort and patience it took, Steve Stone would not let them down. Anyone who has worked with Steve in his life as a national-level expediter remem-bers him as a solid, competent force

backstage. Steve’s compassion in regard to the competitors was unique in the fact that he helped and coached newcomers who he had never even met before, as well as calmed the veteran’s nerves. All quickly acknowledged it was a very good thing to become reliant on Steve’s sincere encouragement and advice during each and every show he was involved with.

Back in 1985, I was Associate Editor for Muscle Training Illustrated magazine.

Steve was training at my gym in Rutherford. And I needed a model for a documentary on “how-to” equip-ment articles. Denie, the magazine edi-tor and head photographer, believed when he first saw Stone that his look was outstanding and more than that, he even had a resemblance to action film star Steve McQueen. This early publicity in which Steve Stone debuted would propel him toward eventual bodybuilding fame, followed by many articles and magazine covers. Most magazines in the industry clam-ored to follow suit and showcase this rugged champion.

I bet you guys didn’t know that Steve was a two-time NPC Nationals title winner! Once in the North America Light-Heavyweight Class and overall with posing partner Sharon Marvel at the National Mixed Pairs competition. As a hard trainer...no one could touch Steve for intensity and power. I routinely watched him squat with 700 and plus pounds for 10 reps. Steve’s wife Andrea is special, too. They were made for each other. You could see and feel the devotion between them. She told me when she just visited my gym STRONG AND

IN MEMORY OF STEVE STONE

Stephan J. Kroll (1956 – 2008)

The Way I See It—

Romano Factor

Just after the women’s prejudging at the Olympia, the news spread like wildfire through the expo hall that one of our own had met his end. When I found out it was Steve Stone, I couldn’t believe it. I had just spoken to him! Dave Palumbo and I were doing the play-by-play for the MD website and I needed a competitor’s list. I asked everyone from Jim Manion to Steve Weinberger and no one had a spare sheet. When I saw Steve, I knew I’d get what I needed. Sure enough, within a minute he found me a copy. I thanked him, exchanged a few words, he told me he had a splitting headache; I told him it was probably the heat and make sure he drank enough water. He laughed and said, “Yeah.” He slapped me on the shoul-der and that was the last I’d ever see of him.

While I knew Steve, I didn’t know him as well as the other members of our community who had known him for decades. One of whom is my friend, Bob Bonham, owner of Strong and Shapely Gym in New Jersey. He offered to write the tribute to Steve that only a man who knew him well could write. The following are Bob’s words:

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The Way I See It—

Romano Factor

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SHAPELY today that from the first day in 1991 she first saw a picture of Steve at the gym where they trained, until the very last moment, she thought he was cute and still had the biggest crush on him. My heart goes out to you, Andrea.

The funeral service for Steve was domi-nated with sadness and massive feelings of loss. The energy shouted delicately out for the great respect all had for this man. Usually at a bodybuilding wake only a handful of the industries’ mover and shak-ers will show up. But not this different day for this particular fallen and loved

hero. The New York church could not hold all those who attended. The industry came from across the country and all of the sur-rounding east coast area. Among them were Robin Chang from California, the promoter of this year’s Olympia, Jack the

wheelchair Bodybuilding Champion from Canada, National promoter Pam Betz with husband Ron from Florida, Jeff Taylor, NPC Colorado State Chairman, IFBB Pro Betsy McNally-Harris of Chicago, NPC National Chairman Jim Manion in from Pittsburgh, IFBB Pro Maggie Blanchard drove down from New Hampshire, as did pros Carla Salotti and Heidi Fletcher out of Massachusetts plus so many more. It was standing room only at the beginning of the service.

I can picture the first thing in heaven waiting for Steve, his bulldog Bam Bam run-ning to welcome him. Shit! Bam Bam is probably at his heels snorting, while Steve helps others get their wings.

Contributions in Stephan’s Name can be made out to Stop the Clot at

HTTP://stoptheclot.org/donate.htm

When I first inter-viewed Jose Canseco after his book Juiced came out, which focused attention on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball and led to con-gressional hearings on the subject, I did have some empathy for him and could understand why he wrote it. Now he says he should have never written the book and named names of alleged steroid users. During the A&E Network program “Jose Canseco: The Last Shot,” Canseco said he “regrets mentioning players [as steroid users]. I never realized this was going to blow up and hurt so many people,” he said.

During the show, Canseco said he “wanted revenge” on Major League Baseball because he

believed he had been forced out of the game. The book was his way of getting even, and he named the names he did in order to show he was telling the truth about steroids in baseball.

Among the names Canseco named in

Juiced as alleged steroid users were

Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa. All three addressed the congressional hearing on steroids, with McGwire’s testimony damaging his chances of being voted into

Cooperstown and Palmeiro’s unequivo-cal denial of steroid use haunting him when

he later tested positive and was suspended.

Since Canseco admits to using steroids himself for the past 24 years, there is the basis for a reality show for Canseco to finally get clean. But he’s terrified about what may happen when he goes through the process. There has been no medically documented case of some-one quitting steroids after using them for so long, and the doctors have different opinions about what Jose will go through physically and mentally. We could thicken the plot by having Canseco go through his withdrawal in prison if he gets convicted of something bigger than his recent charge in federal court for trying to smuggle HCG across the border from Mexico.

THE WAY I SEE IT, we need a legal opinion here and what better legal opinion would there be than that from my lawyer, who is also Canseco’s former lawyer, who appeared with Canseco in front of Congress? But Rob had “no comment.” So I deferred to my other lawyer, my good friend, Rick Collins. “Good judgment has been to Canseco what selflessness has been to Wall

Street. This dude is a frickin’ mess, bro. You can consider that my legal

opin-ion on the subject.” I don’t think anyone else would disagree.

It’s sad though. Canseco was indeed a seriously good ball player who didn’t really do anything the oth-ers didn’t do. He just didn’t keep his mouth shut, giving credence to the saying, “You die by your lips.”

Falls from grace were quite common this month.

JOSE CANSECO

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By Gregg Valentino

muscular

development.com

SPONSORED THIS MONTH BY: www.musculardevelopment.com January 2009

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WELCOME TO THE HOUSE WHERE EVEN

BULL-SHIT TALKS…HHHMMMM WHAT DOES

THAT MEAN? AM I SAYING THAT THERE’S BULLSHIT ON THE MD “NO BULL” FORUM? OR IS EVERYONE STRAIGHT UP???…THERE IS NO SUCH

THING AS 100% BULLSHIT

FREE, BUT WE GOT LESS

BULLSHIT THAN ANY

OTHER BODYBUILDING FORUM ON THE NET….OOPS, I

guess I should just keep talk-ing and maybe someday I’ll say something intelligent!... SPEAKING OF

SAYING SOMETHING INTELLIGENT,

DAVE PALUMBO, CONTEST

TRAIN-ER/GURU TO THE STARS, HAS NOW GIVEN OUT MORE FREE ADVICE ON MD’s

MuscularDevelopment.com WEBSITE FORUM THAN

ALL THE BOOKS EVER PUBLISHED ON BODYBUILDING ADDED TOGETHER…. CURRENTLY APROACHING 2 MILLION HITS AND 25,000 REPLIES, IT HAS TO BE BY FAR THE GREATEST WEALTH OF BODYBUILDING INFO EVER COLLECTED IN ONE SPOT ….OH YEAH BABE, THERE IS LOTS OF DRUG AND NUTRITION

ADVICE THAT YOU CANNOT FIND ANYWHERE ELSE ON

THE PLANET!!!.... I’M NOT BLOWING SMOKE UP MY FRIEND DAVE

PALUMBO’S BIG STRIATED ASS,

BUT NO ONE KNOWS MORE IN THIS AREA THAN DAVE PALUMBO…EVEN THE PROS RUN TO DAVE FOR INFO COME CONTEST TIME….BUT THE REAL CRAZY THING IS THAT IF YOU ARE A FREE MEMBER ON THE MD WEBSITE YOU GET ALL DAVE’S VALUABLE TRAINING INFO FOR

FREE….YO, THE PROS PAY HIM

TOP DOLLAR FOR WHAT THE MD FORUM MEMBERS READ FOR FREE… AND DAVE ANSWERS ALL YOUR QUESTIONS, EVEN THE FUCK-ING DUMB-ASS QUESTIONS ……SO THIS MONTH I’M GOING TO GIVE YOU ALL A QUICK TASTE OF A Q&A WITH DAVE PALUMBO AND THE MD MEMBERS ON THE SUB-JECT OF “CONTEST PREP”… YOU WON’T FIND THIS INFORMATION ANYWHERE OTHER THAN

MuscularDevelopment.com...

CHECK IT OUT >>> “When we talk about contest

diets, we’re no longer worried about packing on new muscle. The name of

the game now is PRESERVATION! In that light, there’s no such

thing as a post-workout shake following your workout. Just eat

whatev-er the next protein/fat meal in the diet is!”...Dave Palumbo

QUESTION: What is the amount of water I should take the week before the competition?

ANSWER: I keep my water intake the

same. Don’t start playing water games a week before a show. The less your change, the better!

QUESTION: Do you deplete sodium on that Friday before the show while taking diazide? ANSWER:YES

QUESTION: I’m assuming you should be fully carb-loaded at this point, due to depletion of sodium affecting the ability to load carbs; correct? ANSWER: NO, I still have my ath-letes carb-loading on the day before the show as well. AS long as you’re drinking, you’re fine! QUESTION: Since you need sodium+carbs+water to store and hold glycogen, and water follows sodium, wouldn’t depleting sodium with diazide to a large extent

pull water from the muscle as well and flatten you out? ANSWER: NO....WATER

fol-lows CARBS...the sodium is unnec-essary. Besides, I have my

ath-letes so loaded up on sodium that they don’t really get sodi-um depleted till the day of the show (when they’re already “dry”).

QUESTION: Why do you recom-mend a high-sodium, fatty meal such as burger and fries the morning of the show after you worked so hard to clear sodium with all the diazide? Wouldn’t putting all that sodium back in (which predominantly sits extracellularly as you said) water someone over? ANSWER: When you’re already DRY, putting sodi-um back into the body helps to balance electrolytes and prevents cramping. It also keeps POTASSI-UM inside the muscle, which makes the muscles looks fuller.

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“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but instead it’s rising every time we fall.”…

Name: Richard Davies

MD Forum member screen name: Flexfreak

Hometown: Peterborough, Ontario, Canada Age: 39

Years Bodybuilding: 27

Goal for the future: To one day step onstage. Favorite Bodybuilders:

Coleman, Yates, Cutler, Wheeler, Priest

Rant: This space is usually reserved for heated passion-ate rants about how intense someone is, or how hardcore they are. Well I’m going to do something different here. I want to use this opportunity to say something to my wife Patricia. You see, we’ve been together for over 11 years,

mar-ried for six and a half of those. We have two beautiful boys, Conor, who is 2, and Aiden, who will be 4 in December. The last few years have been rough for us especially for her and at present, we are separated. I just want to tell Patricia how much I love her, how much she means to me. Ever since she walked into my life, the sun has shined a little brighter. Take it from me, a fellow

meat-head, if your wife and children are not priority number one in your life, then your priorities are out of whack!

Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to

sur-render, that is strength”…. RICHARD HAS COME A LONG WAY

AND HAS PROVEN HE IS A WIN-NER..WE AT MD WISH HIM AND HIS FAMILY THE VERY BEST OF

LUCK...RICHARDYOU ARE ONE OF OUR MD FAMILY NOW,TOO.

WE GOT A TON OF PROS POSTING & CHAT-TING WITH OUR MEMBERS ALMOST EVERY DAY >> VICTOR MARTINEZ, DENNIS WOLF, SHAWN RAY, FLEX WHEELER, LEE PRIEST, BRANCH WARREN, MARKUS RUHL, DEXTER JACKSON, EVAN CENTOPANI, ERIK

FANKHOUSER, TONEY FREEMAN, TROY BROWN, BEN WHITE, MILOS SARCEV, MELVIN ANTHONY, LUKE WOOD, GARY STRYDOM , JIMMY “THE BULL” PEL-LECHIA, PATRICK ARNOLD, VICTOR CONTI, JOHN ROMANO, RON HARRIS AND THERE IS A WHOLE LOT OF PRO WOMEN WHO I CAN’T EVEN BEGIN TO NAME HERE. I THINK THE GIRLS OUTNUMBER THE GUYS!!!!….YO, WE MUST

HAVE CLOSE TO 100 PROS, BOTH MEN & WOMEN

BODY-BUILDERS, AS WELL AS A LOT OF PRO FIGURE & FITNESS GIRLS,TOO; OH YUM!!!!…. PSSSTTT SSSSHHHH, LET’S KEEP

THIS JUST BETWEEN US BUT >> A LOT OF THE FIGURE/FITNESS GIRLS ARE SINGLE,!!!!...OH YEAH BABE, THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW HOOK-UPS INCLUDING JOHN

ROMANO, WHO MET HIS HONEY ON THE MD FORUM… THANKS OF COURSE TO MY “LOVE & RELATIONSHIP”THREAD….OOOPS, I ALMOST FORGOT, OF COURSE YOURS TRULY

IS ON THE MD BOARD EVERY DAY, TOO.

YOU ARE ALL VERY LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO THESE PROS AND LEARN FROM THEM FIRST-HAND…YO, I BEEN SPENDING WAY TOO MUCH TIME ON THE MD FORUM; I’M TOO DAMN ADDICTED….WOW, I NEED TO REST!!!..You

know you should go to sleep when the sheep you’re counting start to hit the fence!!!!

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WOW!!!! I know that drinking milk does a body

good, but damn girl, how much you been drinking?..

OK OKTHAT’S BEING SILLY, I KNOW, BABE; BUT I WANNA SAY WELCOME TO MD.

Name:Arina Manta Forum name:Arina Manta Age: a lady never gives her age :) Zodiac sign:Taurus

Hometown:Sydney, Australia Height:5’4”

Measurements:chest: 37 inches (94 cm), waist: 23.2 inches (59 cm), hips: 33.1 inches (84 cm)

Eyes:brown/hazel

Offseason weight:123.2 lbs (56 kg) Competition weight:114.4 lbs (52 kg)

Favorite food: Oats/egg whites pancake with fresh blueberries

Favorite junk food: caramel brulée

Favorite quote: “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of some-body else.”

Favorite makeup:bareMinerals SPF 15 natural foundation

Favorite body part to train: legs Your best body part: legs

Future plans/goals:To continue to be successful in my carrer and to be satisfied with my achievements; to be one of the most popular fitness models; to be the best I can be as a competitor and to keep having a happy and healthy lifestyle.

I became springboard diving champion of Romania at a very early age, which meant developing a lot of disci-pline and focusing on becoming the best athlete I could be. I learned to treat “failure” simply as a learning experi-ence, an opportunity to work harder and overcome

obsta-cles. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said that bodybuilding

taught him the life lessons that

allowed him to succeed in sports,

in movies, in busi-ness and now in

politics. I feel my sports experi-ence as a diver has

done the same for me. Because I became a compet-itive athlete so early, and sports has always been an important part of my life, when I

moved to Australia and

was no longer diving I felt the need for some kind of athletic challenge. I was already strengthening my body by training with weights and people were very complimentary about my looks and my body, so dedicating myself first to fitness and then figure came very naturally. Winning Ms. Fitness Australia and then after two victories in the Ms. Figure Australia, I earned my IFBB pro card and was able to come to the United States to compete on an international level. This has been a very gratifying experience for me. Several magazines have run articles and layouts on me and a number of organizations have asked me to work with them at the major expos.

One achievement I am proud of is the way I’ve learned to fly 22 hours from Australia to the US, compete in one or more contests and stay in shape over a period of weeks. Many competitors – in bodybuilding, fitness and fig-ure – have trou-ble doing this and I have been asked to write articles to explain how I am able to sus-tain my condi-tioning for so long while doing so much traveling. I’m

looking forward to working on articles like this to help other competitors and those who would like to stay in the best shape possible in spite of the demands of daily life, business and travel. Anyone who would like to know more about me can go to my website at

www.arinamanta.com —and my fans can expect to see my first DVD, which will be available to December.

SHE LOVES ME; SHE LOVES ME NOT…DAMN!!!…. OH GOD, YOU’RE SUCH A CUTIE… “Stick with me

baby and I’ll buy you rocks as big as diamonds.”…… *BIG SIGH*… One of us is thinking about sex...OK, it’s me.

musculardevelopment.com

www.fantamag.com

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FLEX Critique

By Flex Wheeler

T

he under-202 class is breathing new life into the sport, giving a chance to guys who might have a difficult time compet-ing against monsters with a 50-pound weight advantage. James “Flex” Lewis is one such man. I have a running joke with him about using that nickname, but all kid-ding aside, this guy is as hardcore as they come (must be something in the fish n’ chips). At 24 years old, he’s got to be the youngest pro in the sport right now. I was a little sur-prised at that, because it seems like he’s been around for a considerable amount of time. I’ve seen him pack on more and more muscle each year and all of it’s been quality weight. In his fresh-man year, he’s shown he can hang with the best of them, winning his first pro show (2008 Europa Pro 202-under) and taking third place in the 202-under at the Olympia, finishing only behind Kevin English and winner David Henry, both of whom have been pros for

years now. PHO

T

OGRAPHY B

Y PER BERNAL

James“Flex”

Lewis

James Flex Lewis November 15, 1983 Swansea, Wales UK 5’5” 198 pounds www.musculardevelopment.com January 2009

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James has a very symmetrical, proportionate physique. His arms, while not a liability, aren’t exactly powerful.They look better from outside angles, such as the most-muscular; they’re a little light in the front dou-ble biceps and quarter-turn shots. He just needs to add more mass to both biceps and triceps. I’d also like to see more fullness and peak to those bi’s, as well. Delts are round, with even development in the anterior, medial and posterior heads; riddled with striations and separa-tion, too. Chest is nice and square. A little more upper thickness wouldn’t hurt (who couldn’t use more upper pecs?). Inner striations pop them to life. Back is an area that will need lots of work— especially if he plans on bumping with Dave Henry in the under-202 class. His Christmas tree is in place, but he needs to add the rest of the branches and leaves. Legs are standouts. Great teardrops and good sweep; separation is stupendous, but he has the habit of forgetting to flex them (Come on! There’s no excuse with a name like that). Hamstrings have nice hang, with cracks like a dry riverbed. Calves! Now we come to the meat-and-potatoes of his physique. First Dorian, now James; I’m telling you, there’s some-thing with these British bulldogs. If you’re impressed by photos of those “things,” wait ‘till you see them in per-son. For starters, they insert into his heels!The way they pop out to the sides from the front is unreal.

2003

WFBB Junior Mr. Wales EFBB Junior Mr. Britain

2004

NABBA Junior Mr. Wales NABBA Junior Mr. Britain NABBA Mr. Europe EFBB Junior Mr. Wales EFBB Junior Mr. Britain NABBA Mr. Universe

2006

Mr. Wales, Light-Heavyweight & Overall Mr. Britain, Light-Heavyweight

2007

Mr. Britain, Light-Heavyweight & Overall (pro card)

2008

Europa Super Show, Under 202 Champion Mr. Olympia Under 202, Third Place

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SHAPE

Outstanding shape. Muscles attach all the way down to the joints.There are no empty spaces on his compact frame.

MASS

He’s not a big “little” man, ´a la Priest. But the kid’s only 24, so give him time to grow. With more size throughout his chest, back and arms, he’s sure to make a serious dent.

SYMMETRY &

PROPORTION

Excellent symmetry. Legs stand out, so he’ll require more upper body size for better balance.

CONDITIONING

He’s got a lock on this depart-ment. Gets hard and dry all over, especially in the front upper body and hams and glutes. I’d like to see criss-cross striations on his thighs,

but then again, maybe he’s just not squeezing them all the time (rookie mistake).

FRONT DOUBLE BICEPS

Great overall shape. Nice lines and proportions. Legs look fabulous with those deep cuts. Terrifying calves, even from the front. Tight waist, although clavicles aren’t exceptionally wide. Arms need more size and fullness.

FLEX CRITIQUE

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FLEX CRITIQUE

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REAR DOUBLE BICEPS

Ripped hams and glutes— and first full view of those mon-strous calves. Back needs more thickness and width from top-to-bottom.

REAR LAT SPREAD

Maybe his weakest shot. Really has to pull his lats out. Christmas tree is very impressive, though.

ABS & THIGH

Shredded serratus! Has a deeply delineated four-pack. Needs to keep his legs tight during the duration of this pose.

MOST-MUSCULAR

Nice compact package. Not the overflowing with mass-type most-muscular, but impressive for proportion and aesthetics.

James has a good amount of muscle for his frame, but there are guys his height carrying 20 pounds more. I feel he should stay in the 202-under class for a while, but may want to add the size necessary to be more competitive in the open class. I see him doing well with his natural gifts. It’s obvious that this kid lives and breathes bodybuilding. He even trained with the immortal Dorian Yates for a time and Dorian doesn’t train just anybody.The Welsh Dragon is breathing fire and he’s hungry to make his mark. And you can bet I’ll by keeping my eye out.

FRONT LAT SPREAD

Good taper. Nice chest and delt thickness. Upper body still needs a little more meat to balance out lower half.

SIDE CHEST

Awesome quad-ham split. Can’t take my eyes off those calves! Upper body has pleasing shape and lines. Pecs are balanced. Needs more size to arms and overall thickness— especially from this angle.

SIDE TRICEPS

Nice shape, but will need to beef up his guns consid-erably to be competitive in this pose. Good balance between lower and upper pecs. Lower body already there..

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By Steve Blechman and Thomas Fahey, EdD

that can create excessive torque and unnatural stresses. Also, the exercises are artificial and do not transfer well to functional movement. Angelo Cacchio and coworkers from the University of Rome in Italy and Illinois State University found that exercising on a machine that provided free motion similar to dumbbell and bar-bell exercises created greater activation of shoulder girdle muscles than a machine that forced movement in a fixed path. They concluded that unconstrained weight training is superior to fixed path weight machines because it builds intramuscular coordination that might transfer better to functional activities. (Journal

Electromyography Kinesiology, 18: 618-627, 2008)

You Don’t Know Squat!

Most people don’t squat correctly. They bend at the spine, rely too much on their quadriceps (thigh muscles), minimize the use of their gluteal (butt) muscles, lift their heels and collapse their chests. Poor leg, hip and spinal mechanics put excessive stress on the knees and back and will eventually lead to injury. Stand with your feet placed slightly more than shoulder-width apart, toes pointed out slightly, head neutral, back straight and support the bar on the fleshy part of your upper back. Center your weight over your arches or slightly behind. Squat down, keeping your weight centered over your arches and actively flex your hips until your thighs break parallel. During the movement, keep your back straight, shoul-ders back, chest out, head neutral and let your thighs part to the side so that you are “squatting between your legs.” During the movement, try to “spread the floor” with the outside of your feet as you drop to the squat position. Push back to the starting position, maximizing the use of the posterior hip and thigh muscles, main-taining a straight back and neutral head position. Paul Comfort and Peter Kasim from the London Sports Institute concluded that the essential elements of the squat for minimizing injury and maximizing strength include a wide stance with natural foot positioning, keeping the weight back by hinging at the hips and not the back, holding the head in a neutral position and maintaining the normal curves of the spine during the exercise. If you can’t squat, then you ain’t strong. (Journal

Strength Conditioning, 29: 10–13, 2007)

Muscle Strength

Highest In The Afternoon

What is the best time of day to train? Most studies show that muscle strength, power and endurance are greatest between about 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Muscle temper-atures are generally highest at this time, which probably accounts for the difference. A study from Finland showed that daily variations in strength and power cease to

RESEARCH

Training

Stretching

Decreases

Muscle Strength

Power

Pre-exercise stretching was once part of the normal warm-up ritual of almost all strength, power, and endurance athletes. Most fitness experts said that stretching increased muscle and joint range of motion, which made movements easier and reduced the risk of injury. It turns out that pre-exercise stretching is a bad idea that decreases performance and increases the risk of injury. Pre-exercise stretching reduces muscle strength and power and interferes with the brain’s ability to control the muscles. Greek researchers found that muscle power decreases the longer you stretch the muscle. They measured the effects of stretches lasting from 10 seconds to 60 seconds on isometric strength and power. Stretching for 30 seconds decreased isometric strength by nearly 9 percent, while stretching 60 seconds decreased power by 16 percent. Stretching 30 seconds or longer has similar effects in decreasing muscle power. They recommended that ath-letes avoid static stretching of muscles for 30 seconds or more before activities requiring maximum strength and power. (Journal Strength Conditioning

Research, 22: 40–46, 2008)

Are Free Weights

Or Machines

Better For Building

Strength And

Muscle Size?

Proponents of free weights and weight machines are very much like sheepmen and cattlemen in the old west: both feel strongly about their point of view and have inflexible atti-tudes toward the other side. Machines are convenient, high tech, comfortable and attractive. However, they move joints through fixed ranges of motion