Muscular Development Iunie 2009

BUILD MUSCLE BURN FAT NO BULLSHIT!
THE WORLDS
BIGG
BODYBUIELSDTIN
MAGAZINE! G
Volume 46, Number 6, June 2009
NUTRITION & PERFORMANCE
TRAINING
276 Blood & Guts By Dorian Yates NEW!
82
310 Power BodybuildingRx By Justin Harris, BA NEW!
116 Research: Supplements By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD
Research: Training By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD
314 Muscle Form+Function By Stephen E. Alway, Ph.D., FACSM 126 Research: Nutrition By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD
358 Extreme Muscle Enhancement
176 Supplement Performance Creatine Does Not Cause
By Carlon M. Colker, MD, FACN
Muscle Cramps or Overheating! By Robbie Durand, M.A.
366 Iron Mike: The Liberator By Mike Liberatore NEW! 178 Nutrition Performance Casein or Whey Protein: Which
Protein Is Best for Long-Term Fat Loss? By Robbie Durand, M.A.
374 The Predator By Kai Greene
180 Sports Supplement Review MuscleMeds eNOXIDE
378 The True Victor By Victor Martinez
By Robbie Durand, MA
382 Mass With Class By Branch Warren
362 MuscleTech Research Report
392 Telling It Like It Is By Shawn Ray
FAT LOSS
400 Road To The USAs By Branden Ray

404 Big Bad Wolf: The Peoples Choice By Dennis Wolf
92
408 Erik The House Fankhouser By Erik Fankhouser
162 Fat Attack Sleep Your Way to Fat Loss By Dan Gwartney, MD
412 National Hero By Evan Centopani
Research: Fat Loss By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD
DRUGS
418 Contest Guru By Chad Nicholls

422 Trainer of Champions By Charles Glass
136 Research: Drugs By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD
428 The Pro Creator By Hany Rambod
158 Future Pharmacy By Douglas S. Kalman, Ph.D., RD, FACN

294 Testosterone Nasal Testosterone Spray By Dan Gwartney, MD
306 Shred of Evidence By Anthony Almada NEW!
332 The Clear Chemist By Patrick Arnold
336 Anabolics Q&A By William Llewellyn NEW!
340 Anabolic Research Update By William Llewellyn
346 Anabolic Edge By Jose Antonio, Ph.D.
352 MD Walk-In Clinic By Dr. X NEW!
364 Busted! Legal Q&A By Rick Collins, JD
HEALTH & PERFORMANCE

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

170 Muscle Growth Update By Robbie, Durand, M.A. NEW!
ZIVILLE: TOTAL
KNOCKOUT! 282
302 Bodybuilding Science Catecholamines Reduce Muscle Tissue
SPEAKING
WITH WINNER
KAI GREENE 188
MD 22
Breakdown By Robbie Durand, M.A.
328 No Juice Bodybuilding By Eric Broser NEW! With Layne Norton

354 Ask The Doc By Victor Prisk, MD NEW!
www.storemags.com
www.musculardevelopment.com June 2009
BRANCH WARREN
CHEST TRAINING AT
POWERHOUSE!
218
MDS TRIPLE
CROWN TOP 3! 266
DENNIS WOLF
ROAD TO THE
OLYMPIA
PART 2: TRICEPS
250
MDS INSIDE STACK

28
Editors Letter By Steve Blechman
30
Mail Room Where Our Readers Rave & Rant
38
Whos Hot! By Mike Yurkovic
44
MD People Team MDs Latest Industry Sightings!
54
The Gospel According To Lee By Lee Priest NEW!
66
musculardevelopment.com By Gregg Valentino
282 Major Distraction: Ziville Raudoniene By Cheri Owen

292 Womens Bodybuilding By Cheri Owen NEW!
320 Ramblin Freak By Gregg Valentino
432 Hot Shoppe By Angela T. Frizalone
436 Web Directory
438 MD Marketplace By Angela T. Frizalone & Manda Machado
KAI & KEVIN

PUMMEL DELTS
AT POWERHOUSE
232
466 Last Writes By Lee Priest NEW!
FEATURES
188 2009 ARNOLD CLASSIC: TEAM MD TROPHY
WINNER! SPEAKING WITH KAI GREENE
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW AND PICTORIAL BY FLEX WHEELER
200 *EAST COAST MECCA!*

NEVER BACK DOWN!KAI AND VICTOR AT
POWERHOUSE GYM IN SYOSSET, NY SET TO
BATTLE FOR THE MR. OLYMPIA! BY RON HARRIS
VICTOR AND KAI

BACK BLAST AT
POWERHOUSE! 200

TEXAS CHAIN WRECKER POUNDING PECS WITH
BRANCH WARREN AT POWERHOUSE GYM IN
SYOSSET, NY BY RON HARRIS

DOUBLE SHOULDER POWERHOUSE KAI GREENE
AND KEVIN ENGLISH PUMMEL DELTS AT
POWERHOUSE GYM IN SYOSSET, NY BY RON HARRIS
250 DENNIS WOLF ROAD TO THE 2009 MR. OLYMPIA

PART TWO: TRICEPS BY RON HARRIS
266 FLEX CRITIQUE MDS ARNOLD CLASSIC TOP 3:

BREAKING THEM DOWN BY FLEX WHEELER
June 2009
www.musculardevelopment.com
www.storemags.com
MD 23
editors letter
By Steve Blechman Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
THE
MAN WHO
WILL BE KING
always knew hed be a superstar. Thats why I featured him in the 90s, when MD covered natural
bodybuilding; thats why I offered him an MD contract in 2007. Thats why Kai Greene, winner of this
years Arnold Classic, is on MDs cover in his signature
hands on hip most muscular pose crazy wheels and
unrivaled detail, muscle separation and clear striations, in
all their freaky glory.
Kai Greenes win at the
Arnold this year is a triumph on so many complex levels that its hard to
know where to begin. As I
write this, knowing how far
hes come and to what
great lengths he has gone
to finally hold this welldeserved place in bodybuilding history, I naturally
look back at our combined
history. I reflect on the
man I have come to know
as an artist, entertainer,
philosopher, deep thinker, and at the same time, a kind,
compassionate, honest man with more heart than Ive
probably ever seen before. Kai has had so much to overcome, beginning with his childhood in an orphanage and
as a ward of the state of New York, and right on through
his long journey up to that moment when he took his rightful place onstage as the 2009 Arnold Classic Champion.
I first met Kai in 1996 when he was a four-time World
Natural Bodybuilding Champion (WNBF). I knew then that
he was destined for greatness. In 1999 he became the
Team Universe Champion; then in 2008, he became
28 MD
Champion for the second time, thus becoming an IFBB

Pro. Then in 2007, Kai placed a disappointing 6th place at
the New York Pro. I can still remember the look in his eyes
when I went backstage to shake his hand and chat; it
seemed as though hed lost his soul. I can clearly recall the
moment when he said the unthinkable; that he wouldnt
be competing anymore, because he simply could not
afford to. And that, my
friends, was unacceptable. Kai Greene would not
be leaving the world of professional bodybuilding if I
had anything to say about
it! I told him to call me that
Monday and the rest, as
you know, is bodybuilding
history. I offered Kai a publishing contract with MD
and also snagged him a
supplement deal.
Kai Green is without a
doubt one of the greatest
bodybuilding sensations to
come along in quite some time. He is huge, thick and the
freakiest thing we have seen since Ronnie at his peak! Kai
has proven to be one of the top bodybuilders in the world
today and with his dedication, hard work, and the sacrifice
he has employed thus far, along with his coach and mentor
Oscar Ardon, it is certain that he will one day be crowned
KING!! So, watch out for him at the Olympia, bros, hes
hungry and a real threat! Kai has undoubtedly one of the
best sets of legs and back in bodybuilding today, and he
provides an amazing package of mass, shape, incredible
conditioning and detail with striated deep muscle separa-
www.storemags.com
tions. His freaky lats are insane, with low insertions that go all the way
into his hips. He may also be the best poser of all time, as Arnold
acknowledged at the Arnold Classic. Kais presentation is par none; he
carries himself like the King he is destined to be, confidence in his smile
and in every step he takes. In a word, Kai is electrifying.
But words will never do Kai justice; the proof is in the pictures
and weve got a feast for your eyes, within these pages, as well as on
our MuscularDevelopment.com website. Beginning on page 188, in
2009 Arnold Classic: Team MD Trophy Winner! Kai strikes the poses
that won him the trophy and theyll leave you in no doubt as to why
he is the man!
The East Coast Hardcore Bodybuilding Mecca
owned by my dear friends Steve Weinberger and
Bev Francis is a focal point this month for our MD
bodybuilders, and Branch Warren Chest
Training at Powerhouse Gym begins on
page 218. Kai is also featured with
Kevin English as they pummel delts
at the Mecca in Syosset, NY, at the
home of champions on the east
coast, on page 232. Then catch up
with Victor and Kai back training at
the Mecca on page 200.
Check out Dennis Wolf: Road to the
Olympia, Part II Triceps on page 250. When
he started training, Wolf was 160 pounds at
511 and he struggled with weak arms.
Read up on the Big Bad Wolfs own formula for arm growth; find out how he
amassed those guns!
Weve got all three trophy winners from
the Arnold Classic in the MDs Classic Top 3,
starting on page 266. Read what Flex Wheeler
has to say when he critiques the physiques of
Kai, Victor and Branch.
Cheri Owen joins us this month with a new
monthly column: Womens Bodybuilding. Who
are the Hungry in 2009? Find out on page 292.
Cheri also interviews Ziville Raudoniene, this
months Major Distraction, on page 282.
And were thrilled to welcome Jr. USA superheavyweight bodybuilding champion Justin Harris to the team, with
Power BodybuildingRx, starting on page 310. Justin is 29 years old
and holds a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology and is now
working towards his Ph.D. in theoretical physics. As an elite competitive powerlifter, he has squatted 876 pounds, bench presses 537
pounds, and deadlifts 700 pounds. Wow! A very impressive, superhuman resume what a beast! Welcome aboard, bro!
The rest of the book is packed as it always is with the latest breaking
research and cutting-edge information on bodybuilding and building
your body, by the very best in the business. See you next month!
Publisher/Editor-In-Chief
Steve Blechman
Senior Science Editor
Robbie Durand, MA
Managing Editor
Angela T. Frizalone
Creative Director
Alan Dittrich, Jr.
Associate Editor
Alan Golnick
Associate Art Director
Stephen Kolbasuk
Assistant Editor
Louise Powell
Contributing Editors
Carlon Colker, M.D.,Thomas Fahey Ph.D.
Dan Gwartney, M.D.
Executive Assistant
Michele Gampel
Photographers
Chief Photographer: Per Bernal
Bill Comstock
Illustrators
Bill Hamilton, Jerry Beck
Advertising
Advertising DirectorAngela T. Frizalone
(239) 495-6899
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800-653-1151, 631-751-9696
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Irwin Billman & Ralph Pericelli
To Order a Subscription:
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Customer Service & Subscription Inquiries:
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advertising at its discretion.
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
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Copyright. Rate: $49.97 per year (USA); $79.97 per two years
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PRINTED IN USA
Cover photos of Kai Greene and Ziville Raudoniene are by Per Bernal
June 2009 www.musculardevelopment.com
www.storemags.com
MD 29
mailroom
Best Hardcore Bodybuilding Mag
I am a lifelong lifter who has recently fallen in love with MD. I spend all day reading
articles online. When I get home from work, I pick up my print issues and start reading
and becoming inspired inspired so much that I want to have some of the MD toon
images inked on me. Yesterday was my 33rd birthday and the best present that I got
was a yearly subscription to MD. I love the site and mag. The video blogs with Branch
and Kai are awesome motivators. The training videos are amazing and I love to kill my
entire workday getting worked up for the workout.
Thank you for your time and dont ever stop giving us, the reader and lifter, the
best damn source of hardcore information out there.
Jason Williams, e-mail
Never Too Early To

Get In Shape
Erik The House
My husband and I love your magazine

and apparently, so does our 5-month-old
daughter. We handed her the magazine
and she held it and stared at it attentively.
We laughed so hard and snapped a picture. It just proves that caring for your
body can start at any age!!
Jennifer and Colin Schneider
Warman, Saskatchewan, Canada
Ramblin Freak Is the Best

I love your magazine but as soon as I open it up each month, I have to
read The Ramblin Freak. Gregg Valentino is the best! You all need to give this
guy more recognition for being real. The sport needs him, for sure!
John Grueneic
Houston, Texas
I just would like to tell you that I

really enjoy reading Muscular
Development. I find the magazine to
be informative, research-based, and
also a very fun and enjoyable magazine to read. I especially like the articles by Erik The House Fankhouser. I
think his column is one of the best in
the magazine, and I really enjoyed
reading his last leg-training workout
article. Thanks for everything that you
do for bodybuilding.
Saul Hinojosa Jr., e-mail
Amazing Kai Greene

Major props to Kai Greene for snagging a win at the Arnold Classic. I just
got the news, and Im beside myself. Kai is an amazing bodybuilder, and his
posing routines could stop traffic! Not only is it a well-deserved win for Kai,
but its a bittersweet victory. Kai struggled through many issues during his
life, but he never lost focus, drive, or his desire to be the best bodybuilder he
could be. Good things come to those who wait.
Wanda Meehan, e-mail
MD Website Rocks
30 MD
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PHOTO BY PER BERNAL
Just a quick note to say that Im glad

to see Robbie Durand at the helm of
MuscularDevelopment.com. Robbie has
a unique a passion for scientific research
as it applies to bodybuilding. This is
obvious from his thoughtful and wellresearched articles in MD, and he has
continued that trend on the MD website.
MD is number one in print and on the
web. You guys rock!
Marvin Pallerstrom, e-mail
June 2009
www.storemags.com
Photographed
by Mike Yurkovic
Kristal Richardson:
IFBB Figure Pro, Florida
GIRLS OF THE ARNOLD 2009 WEEKEND!
38 MD
www.storemags.com
June 2009
Yenny Polanco:
Fitness America Figure Pro, Massachusetts
Mindi O'Brien:
IFBB Fitness Pro, Canada
June 2009
www.storemags.com
MD 39
Sherlyn Roy:
IFBB Figure Pro, California
40 MD
www.storemags.com
Juliana Malacarne:
IFBB Figure Pro, Brazil
Felicia Romero:
IFBB Figure Pro, Arizona
June 2009
www.storemags.com
MD 41
By TEAM MD
MDPeople
CHECK OUT
MUSCULARDEVELOPMENT.COM
FOR COMPLETE
CONTEST COVERAGE!
TEAM MD BRINGS YOU INDUSTRY SIGHTINGS FROM THE
2009 ARNOLD CLASSIC!
44 MD
www.storemags.com
June 2009
www.storemags.com
MD 45
MDPeople
46 MD
www.storemags.com
CHECK OUT
FOR COMPLETE
CONTEST COVERAGE!
June 2009
www.storemags.com
MD 47
MDPeople
48 MD
www.storemags.com
CHECK OUT
FOR COMPLETE
CONTEST COVERAGE!
TEAM MD PHOTOSHOOT AT THE EAST COAST MECCA!

BEV FRANCIS POWERHOUSE GYM, SYOSSET, N.Y.
POST ARNOLD WEEKEND
June 2009
www.storemags.com
MD 49
THE GOSPEL
AccordingtoLEE
By Lee Priest
Conversing with the Mysterious Predator

This was the first time I ever got the
chance to really talk to Kai Greene. We
talked about life in general. Anyone whos
had a similar conversation with Kai knows
that hes a deep, philosophical type of guy.
After awhile you tend to get confused and
wonder what the hell youre even talking
about! But it was fine.
Kai said he respected me and all I have
done over the years in the sport. He really
wanted to know why I still wanted to compete, since I have done so much already (44
pro shows, but whos counting?). I told him I
just dont feel my time is over quite yet. Like
Rocky said in Rocky Balboa, theres still a little more in the basement. Kai loved Australia
and says he would love to come back again.
AUSTRALIAN PRO REVIEW

Once again, Tony Doherty put on a
first-class event in Melbourne. Kai
made the trip over and joined the list
of past winners that includes me,
Dexter and Chris Cormier, who both
won this show three times, and Ronny
Rockel. Heres how I saw things from
the press pit.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: ROBERT CZEMPINSKI/AMPT IMAGING
54 MD
First Place: Kai Greene

I wasnt at the Arnold Classic, but a
few people here in Australia who had
seen Kai the weekend before in
Columbus agreed that he actually
looked better here a bit drier and
harder overall. He does need to watch
his stomach when he relaxes onstage,
though. I
understand
its not possible to carry
that much
mass on a
frame like his
without
expanding the
midsection,
but he should
still make
every effort to
keep it sucked
in whenever
hes up there.
Im also going
to go against
popular opin-
!
W N
E M
N U
L
O
C
Skipped the Show,

and No Regrets!
I would have loved to have done the show,

but I know I made the right decision getting my
biceps repaired rather than go in with two differentlooking arms. A few people came up to me after prejudging and wanted to know how I thought I would have
done in this lineup. I dont play that game. Did they mean
with the torn biceps, with my biceps the way it was before,
or what? Well never know anyway. Maybe I would have been
Kais toughest competition, or maybe I would have been a few
places down. I leave all that fantasy football type of speculating to the guys on the forums who find it so thrilling.
Healing Time
I have to keep my right arm in a sling for a total of six
weeks, which should be over with by the time this issue
comes out. In the meantime, I have been working legs
twice a week and also doing everything I can for upper
body with only my left arm. Surprisingly, I have been getting some pretty good workouts. For chest and shoulders, I
am able to press a 120-pound dumbbell. I can do dumbbell
curls, triceps pushdowns and rows, pulldowns, and various
types of lateral raises with one hand. Its really been sort of
fun to see how much I can do, using only one arm. Ive even
managed to make up a few exercises of my own. Of course I
would much prefer not having to do all this, but even before
the surgery I was determined to do as much as I could to
maintain my size while I healed.
ion and say that I am not a fan of his posing routine. Its
very entertaining and he does things nobody else in the
sport is able to, but I dont think he hits enough actual
poses; therefore he doesnt really display his physique
the way he should. I know a classical routine wouldnt
be as exciting, but you would be able to see and appreciate his physique better.
consistent than Dexter. We talked about his goals and

what he is trying to do with his physique. Silvio knows
he needs to be bigger to beat the guys who are beating
him right now, but he is taking little steps and trying not
to do it all overnight. Hes playing it smart. Ive seen my
share of guys ruin their shape by packing on too much
mass too fast.
Second Place: Silvio Samuel

I had the chance to talk with Silvio before the show
and hes a great guy very down-to-earth and laid back.
Hes always in shape and in that respect is even more
Third Place: Toney Freeman

Toney looked good, thats all I will say. I was a bit disappointed in the attitude he showed at this show, and
so were many others. Thats all I will say about that.
Fourth Place: Michael Kefalianos
Just a week before, this guy had
placed third in the heavyweights at the
Arnold Amateur show. Apparently he
was able to get cleared for pro status in
record time! He looked pretty good
here. Michael needs polishing, but that
will come with time. In his first pro
show he managed to qualify for the Mr.
Olympia, so congratulations to the guy.
Fifth Place: Ivan Sadek
This was Ivans first pro show. Hes a
big guy, and if he comes in harder and
drier he can do even better. Ivan is still
a raw rookie, so he has plenty of time to
learn what he needs to do and improve.
June 2009
www.storemags.com
MD 55
THE GOSPELACCORDING TO LEE

The Media Fucks Up Again
This retraction appeared in the New York Daily News,Thursday,
February 26th 2009, 9:03 p.m.:
Bodybuilder Victor Martinez Not

Dominican Republic Store Owner
A February 22 Daily News article about purchasing the steroid
primobolan in the Dominican Republic (Dominican Drug
Dilemma) reported that Dominican-born bodybuilder Victor
Martinez is the owner of the Santo Domingo supplement store
Gurabo.
The store sells protein powders, supplements and steroids.
Many steroids are legally sold in the Dominican Republic without
a prescription.
Martinez is not the owner of Gurabo, does not live in the
Dominican Republic and has not lived there for at least 18 years,
according to his attorney, Mike Wilens.
The Daily News regrets the error.
This whole story was just a lame effort to get more mileage out
of that whole Alex Rodriguez steroid scandal. Tabloid newspapers
and TV shows are always trying to milk stories as long as they
possibly can by seeking out the most obscure connections. This
time they were totally wrong, as is often the case when your story
is flimsy in the first place. What I dont get is how this was even
newsworthy in the first place if it is legal to sell steroids in the
Dominican Republic?
If Victor lives in the USA and owns a store in another country
that was following the laws of that country where is the controversy? Its not his fault that this third world nation happens to be
more enlightened than the USA when it comes to anabolic
steroids. And if it ever turns out that he really does own the place,
who cares?
Kai Finally Clicks His

Ruby Slippers Together
and Says, Theres No
Place Like Home!
Like so many others before him,
Kai Greene made his pilgrimage to
the Mecca, Venice Beach, to be
trained by Charles Glass. Heres
what he had to say about the experience to my good friend Shawn
Ray:
SHAWN: Was it everything
you hoped it would be?
KAI: Yes and no. Its kind of like
the Wizard of Oz or The Wiz! I
traveled this road to California in
search of something I thought I
needed. When I got here I simply
found a man someone no more
important to me than people I
already had in my life. He wasnt a
magician or The Almighty, but a
56 MD
Catching Up with Rusty

My good friend Rusty Jeffers came out from
Arizona and stayed with me for two weeks
before the contest. It was great to train with
him again for the first time in almost a year.
His wife Francy also traveled out for the contest and then they both stayed on another
week to do some sightseeing. Rusty didnt
make top five, even though I thought he
should have been around fourth or fifth. Hes
got a very classical type of physique and his
posing is along the lines of the great Ed
Corney. Not only does he hit some unique
poses that you hardly see anymore, but hes
also a master at the transitions. This is the
type of posing I would like to see Kai do. But
what do I know? Im not a judge.
She
Say, In Sickness and
In Health!
My wife has really come in handy since my
biceps surgery! Certain things are pretty much
impossible for me to do with only one arm, like
getting shirts on or cutting my steak or chicken into pieces. Being right-handed, its been
tough doing other things with my left hand,
but I am managing. I can type on the computer, brush my teeth, and so on. The only thing I
really hate trying to do with one hand is drive.
From all my racing experience, I simply feel far
more in control with both hands on the wheel.
I suppose I could just let my wife drive
instead, but that could prove to be even more
dangerous!
person like me. I discovered things

about myself along the way that I
didnt know were there, but in a
good way. Now the Mecca or Golds
may be The Emerald City and my
journey similar to Dorothy, the
Scarecrow, Lion and the Tin Man,
but Charles, for all the great things
he has done and continues to do, is
not The Wizard of OZ! While it was
a different approach to what I had
done in the past regarding training,
I discovered there is no such thing
as one person who can change who
I am. I want to be the best then I
have to take control.
Kai went to Venice to see what
its all about, because for most of
his life he had heard all about how
great it was and had seen all the
photos in the magazines showing
what an amazing place it is. It wasnt what he expected, of course.
How can any real place live up to all

those fantasies and dreams that the
average bodybuilder has about it?
You would think that everyone is a
bodybuilder, and chicken breasts
and steroids grow on trees! At
night while you sleep, the Muscle
Fairies visit all the good boys and
girls and they wake up with no
more weak body parts. And as
excellent of a trainer as Im sure
Charles Glass is, nobody knows
your body like you and those who
have been close to you for years.
Its all well and good to seek out
advice from someone new, but you
cant even think that one person
knows everything. Bodybuilding is
a learning experience and takes
years of trial and error to get it
right. The things that work for you
getting ready for one contest often
dont even work the same way a
www.storemags.com
June 2009
THE GOSPEL
ACCORDING TO LEE
year later when you try them again.
All you can do is make slight
changes and note the results. There
are some very smart people in the
industry who work with the athletes, but in the end nothing beats
your own experience. Its all about
making mistakes and learning from

them. The guys who do this consistently usually end up at the top of
the sport. Those who continue to
repeat the same mistakes well,
you tend not to hear so much about
them!
Stupid Question of the Month!

Lee, I was just at the Arnold Classic expo a couple weeks ago,
and I am still getting over the shame. I thought I was in good
shape, but so many guys there totally showed me up. I admit my
cycle was pretty basic and I hardly even dieted. Now Im really
kicking myself in the ass. For the Olympia Expo I am determined to
look incredible. Would you please suggest a good cycle for both
mass and cuts? I can get pretty much anything and about the only
thing I cant afford for now is GH. But anything else you can recommend I can probably get. Looking forward to your response, bro!
Oh my Lord. This is something that has always bothered me about the
big shows. There are so many idiots strutting around in their tight Affliction
shirts that are two sizes too small, or even worse, string tank tops. Clearly,
they have planned an entire drug cycle and diet around the event. The problem is, they arent the pros competing theyre supposed to be the fans!
These are classic attention whores. Look at me, look at me! Take my picture!
I can understand their desire for recognition among so many of their fellow bodybuilders. They probably come from places where they are the only
big bodybuilders around, and the novelty has worn off in terms of people
being amazed and heaping compliments on them. Now they have a whole
new audience. But audiences are what you call the people sitting in the theater looking at athletes onstage. Thats the appropriate time and place to be
on display. To walk around an expo like youre one of the top pros like Kai or
Victor is just plain stupid.
The really sad thing is when you see guys who were clearly never meant
to be very big, and they have juiced their brains out in a desperate plea for
attention. They dont show many of the desired effects from drugs, like
extreme muscle mass and fullness. What they do have are all the nasty side
effects: red, shiny skin from the high blood pressure, raging acne, and hair
loss. Some of them have convinced themselves that they are the size of Jay
or Ronnie, though they weigh a good 75-100 pounds less. You can tell by
the ILS Imaginary Lat Syndrome. They dont so much walk as waddle,
because its not possible to walk like a normal human when you carry so
much ungodly muscle mass!
To be fair, I have to call out the women at these expos, too. They really
take the whole attention whore thing to another level. Dont get me wrong
now as a red-blooded male I dont mind seeing mostly-nude women with
great bodies strolling around. But again, there is a time and a place for
everything. Late Saturday night at the strip club would be the more appropriate venue for the way some of these women dress.
If theyre working a booth and their job is to get guys to come over,
thats one thing. But there are always at least as many scantily-clad women
at any expo showing a lot of skin, purely for their own amusement. Its all
about insecurity; the girls just want guys to stare and tell them how hot
they are, and take pictures. Like the wannabe pro men, they just want their
starving little egos to be fed. Anyone is free to dress as they please, but in
my opinion, a little bit of modesty and class goes a long way. If your
physique is truly exceptional, you dont need to work that hard to call attention to it.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
SPONSORED THIS
MONTH BY:
muscular
development.com
By Gregg Valentino
I dont know the key to success, but the key to failure is
trying to please everybody.
Robbie Durand GREAT QUOTE,
ROBBIE!!!... HEY, SPEAKING OF
ROBBIE DURAND, HE MADE A
GREAT VIDEO CALLED Victor
Martinez: A Day In The
Life!!!! YO, THIS VIDEO IS AWESOME, IT SHOWS AN INTIMATE
SIDE OF VICTOR MARTINEZ LIFE,
JUST 2 WEEKS OUT FROM THE
ARNOLD CLASSIC HERE IS A
QUOTE FROM ROBBIE ABOUT HIS
TIME WITH VICTORI know he
was eating about every 2-3
hours. I thought I had an
appetite weighing around 265,
THIS IS HOW
WE EAT
but Vic is an eating machine. We

stopped for steak sirloin steak
(twice) chicken, and he kept a
bowl of white rice with him that
he ate frequently throughout the
day. He was doing cardio two
times a day. One thing the video
will show is how people just
dont understand the life of a
bodybuilder. We went to a
restaurant and the waitress was
constantly screwing up the
meal, which we had to send
back. Example, adding salt to
his meals and putting dressings
on the meals, which he did not
ask for. Being with Vic for the
day really made me realize the
frustration a bodybuilder had to
go through and this was just
one day.
Also, we went to the gym.
66 MD
EXPERT
VIDEO GUY
Vic is a people person. The gym
owner commented on how Vic
helps out younger lifters in the
gym. We also interviewed his
workout partner. He said Vic
never became discouraged after
the injury. His drive to win is
amazing. Vic talks about the
visualization techniques to heal
his knee and really talked about
his mindset. Basically, it was
like talking to a Navy SEAL he
said failure was not an
option!... Supplements: He used
MHPs Activite, Probolic-SR,
DREN, Dark Rage before exercise, A-Bomb and Glutamine-SR
(every few hours) YO, ITS DEFINITELY A MUST-SEE VIDEO FOR ANY
HARDCORE BODYBUILDING FAN!!!
VICTOR SPEAKS AFTER HIS
AWESOME SHOWING AT THE
ARNOLD CLASSIC, IN A NEW MD
FORUM JUST FOR HIM CALLED
VICTORs JOURNAL > Check out
Victors daily regimen to find out his
supplements, food choices, meal
times, workout schedule and much
more! Ask questions, review
VICTORS
STACK
answers and get insight into bodybuildings greatest athlete, Victor

Martinez!!!!... Originally Posted by
vshape aka VICTOR MARTINEZ >
Thank you all for the overwhelming support I have
received during this long recovery process! I am happy with my
placing and felt that I did very
well. I am looking forward to
continuing my training for the
Olympia and continuing to
improve my physique.
Rehabilitating my knee was a
long journey but the work is not
over! Thanks again for all my
fans support YO, THERE IS
ONLY ONE PLACE YOU CAN TALK
THIS IS HOW
WE TRAIN
WITH VICTOR MARTINEZ ON A

PERSONAL BASIS > YOU KNOW
WHERE YA GOTTA GO, TO THE
BODYBUILDING INTERNET
HOME OF VICTOR MARTINEZ aka
MuscularDevelopment.com OF
COURSE, WHERE Mental Health is
overrated.
OOOPS NOW, SPEAKING OF
MENTAL HEALTH BEING OVERRATED, HERE IS A POST BY A
YOUNG FAN TO SHAWN RAY, >
Q: Shawn, I was wondering how you
handled going to school and bodybuilding at the same time... S. Rays
REPLY > Easy, when I wasnt
doing one, I was doing the
other. I trained BEFORE school
and again AFTER. I ate my
meals between classes and slept
through the night. Where there
is a will, you will find a way!
www.storemags.com
June 2009
musculardevelopment.com
I
prefer to
continue to
promote the
sport and its
athletes.
AND IN CASE YOU HEARD

RUMORS BUT YOURE NOT READING THE CUTTING-EDGE INFO ON
THE MD BOARDS (SHAME ON YOU),
THEN HERE IT IS, SHAWN RAYS
ANSWER TO THE BIG QUESTION >
Shawn, I was just wondering if you
had already disclosed any more
details in regards to your comeback,
which Ive heard on the No Bull
shows S. Rays REPLY > I
thought I was pretty clear, that
after a couple of weeks of trying
and thought, the interest for me
as an athlete isnt there. I prefer
to continue to promote the sport
and its athletes. Thanks Shawn
Ray!... THERE YA HAVE IT FROM HIS
LIPS TO YOUR EYES, HERE IN MD
AND TAKEN FROM THE MD FORUM
WHERE SHAWN RAY RESIDES
EVERY DAY, CHATTING WITH THE
OTHER MD MEMBERS OH AND BY
THE WAY, IF YOU WANNA KNOW
SHAWN RAYS AB ROUTINE FROM
BACK IN THE DAY, HERE IT IS >>> I
did my abs 3 xs a week. 3 exercises, 3 sets, 25-30 reps. Nothing
special or out of the ordinary.
Crunches, leg raises, incline,
hanging raises, etc ONCE AGAIN
FROM SHAWN RAY TO THE FORUM
MEMBERS ITS GREAT TO TALK TO
A LEGEND LIKE SHAWN RAY
ONLY ON MD.COM!!!!
NOW TO ANOTHER PRO FROM
THE MD FORUM WHO I LIKE A LOT, A
GUY WHO I REALLY RESPECT AND
GET ALONG VERY WELL WITH >>
EVAN CENTAPONI... >>> I LOVE
EVANS ATTITUDE, THE WAY HE CARRIES HIMSELF AND HIS OUTLOOK
ON THINGS HERE IS A GREAT
POST FROM EVAN, TAKEN FROM HIS
68 MD
Q&ATHREAD I think that how

people perceive you has everything to do with how you carry
yourself. Some would say that
being bigger than normal or more
muscular than average would
make most people assume youre
a dickhead. But I dont think
thats true. I think if you carry
yourself with an arrogant air
about you or you act cocky then
yeah, people are gonna think
that. But that goes for pretty
much anyone. I will agree that if
youre out at a bar or club (places
I dont go anymore), people who
are drunk and have their beer
balls are more likely to try and
test you. And I have gotten into
fights with people before because
I had no patience for their shit
but Ive learned a couple things.
For the most part, if I go out
somewhere I keep my eyes to
myself and if I make eye contact
with people I may smile slightly (I
just try not to look so serious
because people often mistake
that as you trying to be tough or
intimidating). In short, I mind my
own business and try to be as
courteous as possible. And I dont
go out in tight shirts or shirts
with the sleeves chopped off or
anything like that! If you look like
a meathead then people will perceive you that way. I think that if
you keep to yourself and are
polite and friendly if approached,
people respect you regardless of
your build EVAN
CENTAPONI THIS
IS WHY I LOVE THIS
GUY!!
YA KNOW, STEVE
BLECHMAN IS
ALWAYS PREACHING
HOW MUCH HE
BELIEVES IN FAMILY
STICKING TOGETHER ON THE MD WEBSITE ONE OF OUR MD
FAMILY MEMBERS, IFBB PRO ERIK
THE HOUSE FANKHOUSERS WIFE
aka THE LANDLORD IS A VERY
ACTIVE MEMBER SHE SUPPORTS
ERIK AND STANDS BY HER MAN I
FIND HER TO BE A VERY REFRESHING WOMAN WITH A GREAT OUT-
LOOK ON HER FAMILY LIFE AS WELL

AS VERY UNDERSTANDING TO
ERIKS BODYBUILDING NEEDS I
MET HER PERSONALLY AND I MUST
SAY SHE IS ALL THAT, FOR REAL
HERE IS A POST FROM MRS. HOUSE
aka THE LANDLORD IN WHICH SHE
SHOWS HER DEVOTION TO HER
HUSBAND, MR. HOUSE Originally
Posted by The Landord > You all
have no idea how hard Erik actually works... he is on a seven-day
stretch finishing that up Thursday
and then we are driving straight
to Columbus, about a two-hour
drive from our home, and then he
gets to work the entire weekend
at the Arnold and then Monday
back to work for another sevenday stretch. He is truly one hardworking man! And he does this
all for our family and never complains. He sat in the emergency
room with me last week from
7:30 pm till 2 am and wouldnt
leave me although he had to be
back up at 4 am to go to work. I
told him to call off but he
refused. Just another great characteristic of his! He is a great
husband and father and I cannot
thank him enough for what he
does for our family!!!!!!...
WOW!!!!.. AND BY THE WAY, ERIK
IS A DADDY OF A 4-YEAR-OLD
SON BUT HE IS ABOUT TO BE A
DADDY AGAIN BECAUSE THE
LANDLORD IS PREGNANT YUP,
I AM HOPING ITS A GIRL, AND IF
SHE IS ANYTHING LIKE HER
MOM SHE WILL BE A REAL WINNER IN MY BOOK HEY ERIK
CONGRATS, I CANT BELIEVE IM
GOING TO BE AN UNCLE
AGAIN wink ANYWAY, SO
NOW IM GOING TO SHUT MY
PIEHOLE AND LET YOU PINHEADS FEEL THE LOVE HEY,
YOUR FELLOW FANS ARE
TALKING, MINGLING WITH THE
PROS, ITS THAT COOL READ
FOR YOURSELVES, BUT AS
FOR ME, IM GOING TO GRAB SOME
REST I BEEN SPENDING WAY TOO
MUCH TIME ON THE FORUM, IM TOO
DAMN ADDICTED You all need to
learn not to interrupt me when
Im talking to myself HOW
RUDE!!!!!!!!!!
www.storemags.com
June 2009
TALK ABOUT > Gorgeous, intelligent, kind, sweet,
charming, witty, hilarious, friendly... well, enough
about ME! I NOW BRING YOU THE BABE OF THE
MONTH OH YEAH, BABEYUM!!!!
Name: Kelly Baker
Forum name: connstellation
Age: 30
Zodiac sign: Virgo
Hometown: Cleveland
Height: 52
Measurements: 34-24-35
Eyes: Brown
Off-season weight: 114 lbs
Competition weight: 106 lbs
Favorite food: Steel-cut oats with a little bit of honey
Favorite junk food: Totos (an Italian cookie, glutenfree of course!)
Favorite quote: We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
Aristotle
Favorite makeup: Bare Escentuals
Favorite body part to train: Legs
Your best asset: (body part): Shoulders
Future plans/goals: Continue to compete in the
Womens Tri-Fitness event. My times improved drastically last year between July and November, so I cant
wait to set some new PRs!
I am one of those people who is interested in doing too
much! I have a high-stress job as a workers compensation
claims manager, I teach spinning, Im an orchestral musician, and Im a Womens Tri-Fitness competitor! Tri-Fitness
requires certain skills, so my training focuses on a more
sport-specific style to allow me to negotiate the obstacle
course and fitness skills (box jumps, shuttle run and bench
press) portions of the competition. I have to try to maintain
a combination of strength,
speed, agility and explosive
power. Theres nothing like
standing on the starting line
after months of training getting
ready to go, and the feeling
when you come sprinting
across the finish line is incomparable!
When I started my journey
into fitness, it was because of
looking at my familys medical
history and deciding I needed to
be at my healthiest, if possible.
As it turns out I enjoyed training
so much that with the help of a
few friends, I finally turned to
competing. I have celiac disease, which is actually very,
very common, and it keeps me
much closer to my competition
weight off-season than I might
be otherwise. I have to be very
careful to keep gluten out of my
diet, so that eliminates a lot of
favorite cheat foods. Due to other intolerances that I have,
I cant really use supplements and have to rely on eating
properly to support my training, so this journey has
become a lot more interesting. You never know what you
can do until you try!
Now a real lady-killer.

YES ITS TRUE, hot babes
take one look at him and
they die of shock.
Name: Timothy
Corscadden
MD Forum member
screen name: tkc1
Hometown: New York City
Age: 36
Years bodybuilding: 18
Goal for the future: To
make a living as a
movie actor
Favorite bodybuilders:
Myself, my girl Andrea
Giacomi, Sylvia Cowan,
Victor Martinez, Craig Richardson, Kai Greene.
Chronicles of a Tattooed Bodybuilder:
Pride. I take pride in myself; pride in who I am as a man.
Proud of the decisions I have made. I am sorry for the mistakes but if I had not made them I would not be me. I try
my hardest to accept others as they are. I always try and
direct my thought to the brighter side. I have hope. I have

will. I have honor. I must honor myself by attempting to be
the best person I can. Not better than anyone but the best
me. I am a bodybuilder. I am structured and driven.
Bodybuilding has given this to me. Discipline, strength,
integrity, vitality all
virtues of bodybuilding.
I fuckin love bodybuilding. Thank you bodybuilding I love you. ;- )
I MUST SAY, After
hearing you talk, I
now know that the
really dead do contact us NO REALLY,
You are very smart.
You just have brains
you never used ALL
JOKING ASIDE
HERE TIM IS MY
BOY AND I WANNA
WELCOME HIM TO
MD.
70 MD
DAMN Kelly, YOURE SO HOT Ive been undressing

you with my eyes all night long, and think its time
to see if Im right OOOPS MY BAD, I GUESS ILL JUST
SAY >> WELCOME TO MD.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
_Word Essay
500
Contest
his months winning entry is an article that should

cause us all to sit up and take notice. In a tightlycontested poll in the Muscular Development
forums, DaveV managed to triumph by a measly two votes.
Oh, I love it when its a tightly-fought battle!
As usual, I would like to thank all who participated in the

contest, either by entering articles or by voting. Maybe
Daves article will give you some inspiration and I will see
some fresh new blood vying for the chance to see their
words in the magazine. Time now to give it up for DaveV!!
Exercise Can Do What Medication Cant

By DaveV
Tourettes Syndrome my nemesis. I was diagnosed at age 20 with this neurological disorder and it had controlled my life. I quickly fell into depression. I went from 180 to 245 in a year. All fat. I stayed this way for 7 years. I
ended up shutting myself away from society. Relying on watching films at home and living vicariously through the
characters in the films. My life was a dull void and it looked like nothing would stop it. Then I found the bodybuilding community of the Internet, the MD boards. I was quickly accepted and encouraged to stay on target. Even having one member message me every day to remind me to work out. Another member made me a diet and training
schedule from the kindness of his own heart. At first it was hard but I stuck with it. I discovered something through
exercise that no drug can do. That is to keep me calm, no tics, no twitches. For those 40 minutes on the elliptical I
am a different person. For those 45 minutes with the iron I am a different person. I get to escape my harsh reality
and live the life of a bodybuilder. Its helped me in every aspect of my life. Knowledge of nutrition and exercise,
keeping up and improving my appearance, pretty much killing my social anxiety. Pushing myself to the limit, then
breaking the barrier and shooting for new heights.
Now I have friends at the gym, whereas for the past 7 years I had none. I have confidence that I never had
before. When I put on my lifting straps its like putting on a suit of armour. Im ready for war, and Im not afraid. Ive
found a goal, to compete, and will not let anything stand in my way. I will take whats mine. I will never quit,
because I am not scared anymore.
Ive only been working out for a few months but have lost quite a bit of fat. I needed to buy new jeans because
my old ones fall off me. My shirts are now becoming loose where they were before tight. I get compliments from
people now saying wow, youve thinned out and youre looking great.
Working out has renewed my interest in sports. I watched football this year for the first time in a long time
and loved every minute of it. I cant wait for baseball season. That is my favorite sport and I know I will be reminded
of my glory days as a player when I was a kid. Those were times when my disorder didnt affect me and I had
friends and we played from sunup to sundown. I still remember those days whenever I walk by a park and hear a
game being played. So to those who bodybuild, I salute you. Exercise is my miracle drug. Without it I wouldnt be or
be able to do what I am today. God Bless!
Daves words are inspiring, yet they are also familiar.
I myself and probably many other people reading this
have been through tough personal battles in this war
we like to call life. Sometimes the only ceasefire is that
time in the gym when a workout eases all the worries of
the world and diverts our focus onto one thing: building
muscle!
Dave has only been a member of the Muscular
Development forums for less than a year, but in that
time he has come a long way, partly due to the guidance and camaraderie of our unique community, where
we are brought together by our common interest. Along
72 MD
his journey, Dave has discovered what many of us

already can attest to and that is that bodybuilding really
is good for you! Daves experiences echo the scientific
research that has shown that weight training can have a
positive effect on a persons mental state. Id love to go
into more detail but that would be a whole new article.
However, anyone who is interested should go and pick
the brains of the experts in the Bodybuilding Science
section of our forums.
Congratulations to DaveV for his excellent entry! I
look forward to seeing another interesting battle of the
articles next month!
www.storemags.com
June 2009
By Steve Blechman and

Thomas Fahey, EdD
RESEARCH
Training
Weight-Training
Principles From
ACSM
The American College of Sports
Medicine (ACSM) issued a position
statement on resistance training
principles for healthy adults.
Recommendations include:
Optimal strength-training programs include concentric (shortening),
eccentric (lengthening), and isometric
(static) muscle contractions and include
single and multi-joint exercises.
Maximize exercise intensity by
training large muscle groups before
small muscle groups; multiple joint
before single-joint exercises; and high
intensity before lower-intensity exercises.
Beginners should do 8-12 reps per
set, two or three days per week
Intermediate and advanced weight
trainers should vary their program
between 1-12 reps per set using a periodized program that systematically
varies the volume and intensity of the
workouts. They should train three to
five days per week.
Intermediate and advanced
strength trainers should work toward
using heavier loads (1-6 repetition
maximum) with 3-5 minutes rest
between sets.
Programs designed to promote
muscle hypertrophy should use loads
equivalent to 6-12 repetition maximum,
with 1-2 minutes rest between sets.
Power programs should include
strength training and light-load exercises performed at fast speeds with 3-5
minutes rest between sets.
Almost any systematic program
works. The important thing is to train
regularly and consistently. (American
College of Sports Medicine, 2009)
Training Methods
of Elite
Powerlifters
Modern powerlifters use diversified
training methods that include heavy
overload, power training, Olympic lift-
82 MD
ing, and elastic bands and chains. Scottish researchers led by Paul Swinton surveyed 32 elite British powerlifters regarding their training methods. Most powerlifters train explosively when they lift maximal and submaximal loads.
Approximately half use elastic bands and chains and 69 percent use modified
Olympic lifts in their training. Modern powerlifters use a variety of training techniques to develop explosive power and maximum strength. (Journal Strength
Conditioning Research, 23: 380-384, 2009)
Whole-Body Vibration Increases

Power Output During Squats
Vibration training is extremely popular in health clubs around the world and has
been embraced by celebrities such as Sean P. Diddy Combs, Claudia Schiffer, and
Madonna. It involves doing basic exercises such as squats, push-ups, lunges, and
modified pull-ups on a vibrating platform. Vibration is transferred through the feet,
hands or butt, which are in contact with the vibrating plate or handlebars.
Vibration activates stretch receptors in the muscles, which trigger thousands of
small reflex muscle contractions. Arizona researchers Matthew Rhea and Joseph
Kenn found that standing on a vibration platform for 2 minutes immediately before
performing squats increased power output during the lift. However, two detailed
literature reviews by Swedish researchers concluded that vibration training caused
little or no additional effect above training alone. The placebo effect probably
accounts for some of the benefits of vibration in untrained people. Placebos work
by the power of suggestion (power of the mind). Vibration is unique and exciting;
people want it to work so it does. (Journal Strength Conditioning Research, 23:
58-61, 2009)
Static and Dynamic Stretching

Do Not Decrease Maximal Strength
Several recent studies showed that pre-exercise stretching decreased muscle
strength, vertical jump performance, and might increase the risk of injury. Some
researchers think that static stretching impairs proprioception (awareness of body
position) and motor control. Barry Beedle and co-workers from Elon University in
North Carolina, in a study on recreational-level weight trainers, found that static or
dynamic stretching before strength testing had no effect on maximal performance
in the bench press or leg press. These results agree with a recent study by Joel
www.storemags.com

Thomas Fahey, EdD
RESEARCH
Training
Cramer and colleagues from the
University of Oklahoma, who found
that light static stretching had no
effect on calf muscle strength but
increased range of motion for 10 minutes. Light stretching does not appear
to decrease strength. Factors such as
training status, type of sport, and
stretching intensity and technique may
influence the effects of stretching on
performance. We need more studies
before we can make definite recommendations. (Journal Strength
Conditioning Research, 22: 1838-1843,
2008; Medicine Science Sports Exercise,
40: 1529-1537, 2008)
Stability Balls Less

Effective Than
Power Lifts For
Building Core
Strength
Go to almost any gym in America
and youll find a wide variety of exercise balls, balance discs, and wobble
boards that are used to build core stability. The core muscles act like a
corset around the spine to provide stability for lower and upper-body movements. For example, squatting on bosu
balls (ball with flat surface on the bottom) requires activation of the core
muscles so that you can maintain balance and perform the exercise.
Unfortunately, training on unstable surfaces decreases the capacity to lift
heavier weights. Consequently, stability training decreases the capacity to
strengthen major muscle groups.
James Nuzzo and colleagues from
Appalachian State University in North
Carolina found that common stability
ball exercises were less effective than
deadlifts or squats for activating core
muscles such as the rectus abdominis,
obliques, and back extensors. They
concluded that stability ball exercises
do not provide sufficient overload to
increase strength and hypertrophy, and
questioned their value in a conditioning program. (Journal Strength
2008)
84 MD
Interval Training
Increases
Anabolic
Hormones and
Inflammation
Interval training involves a series
of short, high-intensity bouts of exercise with rest periods between each
repetition. Canadian researchers
reported dramatic improvements in
aerobic capacity after only two weeks
of high-intensity interval training.
Scientists do not fully understand the
mechanisms behind these rapid
changes. Israeli scientists found that
anabolic hormones such as growth
hormone and testosterone, in addition
to inflammatory chemicals, increased
during an interval-training workout
consisting of four 250-meter runs with
3 minutes rest between repetitions.
Anabolic hormones and inflammation
trigger adaptive changes in physical
fitness. The magnitude of these
changes during a workout is a good
marker of the intensity of training and
the athletes response to exercise.
(Journal Strength Conditioning
Research, 23: 225-230, 2009)
Caffeine
Decreases
Muscle Pain
During Intense
Exercise
As governor Arnold said in his
first mainstream movie Stay
Hungry, You must burn to grow!
Your capacity for pain during exercise often determines if you win or
lose and whether you make consistent training gains. Researchers from
the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign and the Center for Sports
and Health Sciences at the Iceland
University of Education found that
caffeine decreased thigh muscle pain
during 30 minutes of high-intensity
exercise on a stationary bike. The
results were similar in chronic and
www.storemags.com
infrequent consumers of caffeine.

Caffeine was removed from the
International Olympic Committees
banned substance list, even though
it is an effective performanceenhancing drug. High levels of caffeine are still banned by the NCAA.
Caffeine is a good training supplement because it allows athletes to
train harder with less pain.
(International Journal Sports
Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism,
19: 150-161, 2009)
Inverted Rows
Activate Upper
Back Muscles
Without
Overloading
the Spine
Rowing exercises are popular with
bodybuilders and other weighttrained athletes because they build
upper back muscles, such as the lats
and rhomboids, and strengthen
spinal extensors and stabilizing muscles. Ideally, rowing exercises should
overload the prime movers in the
upper back while minimizing the load
on the spine. Stuart McGill and colleagues from the University of
Waterloo in Canada tested muscle
activation and spinal loads during
inverted rows, standing bent-over
rows, and standing one-arm cable
rows. The inverted row activated the
lats, upper back, and hip extensor
muscles best, while minimizing the
load on the spine. Bent-over rows
successfully activated upper back
muscles but caused excessive loading of the lumbar (lower) spine.
Standing one-arm cable rows were
best for developing trunk rotation
strength. Standing bent-over rows
are excellent for developing upper
body strength but might be inappropriate for people with back problems.
The inverted row overloads upper
back muscles without excessively
stressing the spine. (Journal Strength
2009)

Thomas Fahey, EdD
RESEARCH
Fat Loss
Food Intake Not
Influenced by
Workout Time
People burn about 100 calories for
every 10 minutes of moderate-intensity
exercise. Thats not a lot for people
with busy schedules who want to get
the most from an exercise program.
Weight loss depends on taking in
fewer calories in the diet than you
burn through normal metabolism
and exercise. Does the time of day
that you exercise influence how
much food you eat for the rest of
the day? A study from the School of
Sport Science, Exercise and Health at
the University of Western Australia
found that the time of day that people
exercised had no effect on how much
food they ate in 24 hours. Researchers
measured daily food intake in people
who exercised in the morning, afternoon, or when they didnt exercise.
Exercise involved running on a treadmill for 45 minutes at 75 percent of
max effort. The subjects did not eat
more food on exercise days than
they did on rest days, which
showed that the added physical activity contributed to
weight control. The takehome message is that you
should exercise when it is most
convenient. (Meeting abstract
#164, Australian Conference Medicine
Science in Sport, December 2008)
Weight Loss
Reduces
Symptoms of
Sleep Apnea
People with sleep apnea stop
breathing periodically during the night,
which causes restless sleep and daytime drowsiness. This is an extremely
dangerous condition that increases the
risk of automobile accidents and fatal
heart rhythm disturbances. Many
bodybuilders snore or wake frequently
during the night because their large
neck muscles obstruct airflow in the
mouth and throat. If you have these
symptoms, you might have sleep
92 MD
apnea. Inadequate sleep caused by

sleep apnea contributes to obesity.
Obesity also contributes to sleep apnea
because extra tissue and poor muscle
tone in the throat block the airway during sleep. Excess body fat alters
metabolism, which also interferes with
normal sleep patterns. Sleep apnea is
treatable through weight loss, surgery,
the answer to medical questions that

have baffled humans for centuries.
Genes act as controllers for all cell
functions, such as storing and using
energy, repairing damage, and making
new proteins. Interfering with them
disturbs basic body processes such as
metabolism and immunity. Genes fight
off challenges every day from such
diverse sources as ultraviolet light from
the sun, free radicals produced normally during metabolism, and environmental pollutants. Add viruses to
that list. Several studies have linked
viral infections to coronary artery disease. Now, scientists have found that
viral infections may be linked to obesity. Animals infected with the adenovirus-36, which comes from the same
family of viruses that cause colds, diarrhea and pinkeye, had more body fat
than animals not infected. In humans,
about 20-30 percent of obese people
are infected with the virus, compared
to only 5 percent of lean people. If
viruses really contribute to obesity, scientists may be able to make a vaccine
to combat them. (BBC News, January
26, 2009)
Gut Chemicals
Turn Off Hunger
or continuous positive airway pressure

devices (CPAP). A study from Finland
found that weight loss eliminated most
of the symptoms associated with mild
sleep apnea. See your doctor if you
have trouble sleeping or suffer from
daytime drowsiness. Dont take this
problem lightly, because sleep apnea
can kill you. (American Journal of
Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine,
179: 320-327, 2009)
Virus Linked
to Obesity
Can a virus make you fat? The
genetics revolution promises to reveal
www.storemags.com
The hypothalamus, an important

center in the brain that controls
appetite, satiety (fullness), temperature regulation, and hormone release,
is influenced by chemical signals to
increase or decrease metabolic rate
and food intake. Scientists from the
U.K., in a review of literature,
described chemicals in the gastrointestinal tract that turn off hunger and
promote satiety. These chemicals
include peptide YY, pancreatic
polypeptide, glucagon-like peptide-1,
and oxyntomodulin. Drug companies
are studying these chemicals to help
them develop new approaches to obesity control. Current weight-loss drugs
work by decreasing appetite (sibutramine) or fat absorption (orlistat).
These drugs have unpleasant side
effects that limit their effectiveness.
(International Journal of Obesity, 32,
S28-S31, 2008)
June 2009

Thomas Fahey, EdD
RESEARCH
Fat Loss
Growth Hormone
Increases Fat
Breakdown
During Fasting
Growth hormone promotes growth
rates in children but is important for
metabolic control in adults. Increased
growth hormone levels boost protein
synthesis throughout the body and promote fat use. A Danish study led by
Louise Moller showed that growth hormone increased fat breakdown and
blood sugar levels during fasting but
suppressed the release of IGF-1, which
is important for muscle protein synthesis
and hypertrophy. This helps explain
why it is so difficult to gain muscle mass
during caloric restriction. During periods
of low food intake, the body tries to preserve protein (e.g., muscle, blood proteins) and use stored fat for energy. It
does this by increasing growth hormone
levels that promote fat burning, while
decreasing IGF-1 production, which is
important for muscle tissue growth.
(Journal Clinical Endocrinology
Metabolism, 94: 965-972, 2009)
Growth Hormone
Prevents Muscle
Loss After WeightLoss Surgery
More than 30 percent of Americans
are obese, and the numbers keep rising
every year. Diet and exercise do not
work for most obese people, so many
resort to bariatric surgery to help them
lose weight. Bariatric surgery refers to
medical procedures that restrict nutrient intake. Depending on the type of
surgery, weight loss ranges from 70 to
120 pounds. Unfortunately, people lose
muscle mass as well as fat. A study led
by Silvia Savastano from the University
Federico II in Naples, Italy found that
growth hormone supplements preserved lean mass following weight-loss
surgery. Six months after surgery,
patients taking growth hormone lost
less lean body mass and bone mass,
showed improved blood fat profiles, and
normal blood sugar regulation com-
94 MD
pared to patients who didnt take the

supplements. Growth hormone supplementation is an effective way to boost
the success rate of weight-loss surgery.
(Journal Clinical Endocrinology
Metabolism, 94: 817-826, 2009)
Does Drinking
More Water
Promote Fat Loss?
Recent nutritional guidelines issued
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
advise people to drink water when they
are thirsty. Research does not support
previous recommendations that people
should drink at least eight 8-ounce
glasses of water per day. French
researchers speculated that increasing
cell water levels promotes fat loss.
Increased water intake inhibits
angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE),
which helps control blood pressure and
thirst. In animal studies, inhibiting ACE
led to increased water intake and fat
loss. Drugs called ACE-inhibitors combined with increased fluid intake might
contribute to weight loss. (International
Journal of Obesity, 33: 385, 2009)
Decreased Sleep
Linked to Higher
Fat Intake
Sleep-deprived people are fatter.
Inadequate sleep is linked to obesity,
but scientists arent sure why.
Australian researchers found that fat
intake was higher in people who got
less sleep. Fat and carbohydrate intake
increased with decreased sleep duration, but sleep time was not related to
protein intake or blood sugar levels.
People eat more fat when they dont get
enough sleep, which promotes obesity.
The study examined data from nearly
3,000 people living in China. In the
United States, average sleep duration
decreased from 9 hours per day in 1960
to about 7 hours per day in 2009. The
decrease in sleep duration has paralleled the explosive increase in obesity.
Lack of sleep might make you fat!
(International Journal of Obesity, 32:
1835-1840, 2008)
www.storemags.com
June 2009
RESEARCH

Thomas Fahey, EdD
Health
Exercise Prevents
Destructive Effects
of Alcohol
Moderate alcohol consumption
reduces deaths from all causes and prevents cardiovascular disease. Heavy
alcohol consumption is another matter.
Heavy drinking increases the incidence
of domestic violence and automobile
accidents, damages the liver, causes
heart muscle abnormalities, and
promotes cell membrane breakdown throughout the body.
Japanese researchers, in a
study on rats, found that
the destructive effect of
alcohol on cell membranes increases with
age. However, exercise prevented cell
membrane breakdown in young and
older animals. It is
not known if these
results apply to
humans. (Alcohol, 43:
59-64, 2009)
Polidocanol
Decreased Knee
Pain in a
Bodybuilder
Surgery Repairs
Distal Biceps
Tendon Rupture
Patellar tendinitis is extremely

common in bodybuilders and other
weight-trained athletes who do
squats. The injury can be
caused by poor squatting technique (poor
use of posterior chain
muscles) or from overuse. Regardless of its
cause, it hangs on for a
long time and is difficult
to treat. Researchers
Melanotan:
The Underground
Tanning Drug
106 MD
Medical Groups
Recommend
Finasteride to
Prevent Prostate
Cancer
from the University of New South
Wales in Australia reported the case
of a 33-year-old bodybuilder with
patellar tendinitis who was successfully treated with an injection of polidocanol. This drug is commonly used
to treat varicose veins by cutting off
the blood supply to the vessels. The
researchers reported a remarkable
recovery in the bodybuilder. The drug
is currently not approved by the FDA,
particularly for treating soft-tissue
injuries. However, it might be a viable
treatment for painful and debilitating
tendon injuries. (Clinical Journal
Sports Medicine, 19:145-146, 2009)
www.storemags.com
Finasteride is a drug that prevents

the breakdown of testosterone to dehydrotestosterone. It is widely used to
treat prostate cancer and male-pattern
baldness. The American Society of
Clinical Oncology and the American
Urological Association are recommending that men over 55 take finasteride to
prevent prostate cancer. Several studies
found that prostate cancer risk
decreased by 25 percent in men taking
the drug. This recommendation is controversial because of the drugs side
effects that include decreased semen
volume, reduced sex drive, and
June 2009
Illustrated by Jerry Beck/www.ironasylum.com
Health experts in the United States

and Europe are concerned about the
unapproved use of the tanning drugs
Melanotan I and Melanotan II because
they can damage the immune system
and promote cardiovascular disease.
Melanotan I contains alpha-MSH that
increases the release of the skin-tanning pigment melanin. Melanotan II
also contains malanocortin that increases sex drive and controls appetite. Ten
injections of the drug cause a deep, rich
tan that is maintained with weekly
injections. The drug is widely available
on the black market in the United States
and in Europe, as suggested by the
existence of discussion websites such
as Melanotan.org. The long-term side
effects are unknown. (BBC News,
February 18, 2009)
Rupture of the long head of the

biceps in the upper arm is a relatively
common injury in athletes who do
bench presses or curls with high volume or intensity. The injury is obvious
because of the abnormal-looking biceps
bulge in the injured arm. The long head
of the biceps is easily injured when
breaking a fall with an outstretched
arm, during heavy lifting (e.g., bench
press, incline press), and while playing
sports such as snowboarding, skiing,
and football. Less common is an injury
to the tendon on the insertion end of
the biceps (distal biceps tendon rupture). This injury accounts for only 3
percent of biceps ruptures and often
occurs in older athletes who participate
in high-tension, upper-body activities.
French researchers described a surgical
technique for repairing this injury that
has a high success rate. This is not a
common injury but it can end your athletic career if not treated properly.
(American Journal Sports Medicine, 37:
published online January 23, 2009)
RESEARCH

Thomas Fahey, EdD
Health
impaired cognitive ability. Many aging
men take testosterone supplements to
slow down some of the symptoms of
aging. The blanket recommendation
that older men take finasteride to prevent prostate cancer could enhance
problems associated with andropause.
(Reuters, February 24, 2009)
Some NSAIDs
Linked to Heart
Attack and
Sudden Death
Intense training hurts, and drugs like
ibuprofen and naproxen help take the
pain away. Many bodybuilders take
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs) after almost every workout.
That could be a mistake. A Danish
study involving more than 1 million
apparently healthy people showed that
those who used high doses of these
drugs had an increased risk of heart
attack and heart-related sudden death.
Some NSAIDs presented a higher risk
than others. While drugs such as
ibuprofen and naproxen posed no
increased risk, celecoxib, diclofenac, and
rofecoxib increased the risk by 50 to 200
percent above that of non-users. The
researchers advised people to minimize
the use of these drugs and avoid high
doses. (Clinical Pharmacology &
Therapeutics, 85: 190-197, 2009)
Value of PSA
Test Questioned
Prostate cancer is the second leading
cancer-related cause of death in men.
Screening for prostate cancer involves a
digital rectal exam and measurement of
blood levels of prostate-specific antigen
(PSA). The PSA test was introduced in
1986. Before that, many men avoided
prostate cancer screening because rectal
exams are uncomfortable and embarrassing. Now, PSA screening is standard
procedure during medical exams for
men. Two recent large-scale medical
studies questioned the value of PSA
tests. Nearly 50 percent of positive PSAs
were false-positives, which means that
the test showed prostate cancer when
108 MD
none existed. Prostate cancer treatment

can lead to impotence (erection problems) and incontinence (urine leakage);
so false-positive tests have serious consequences. PSA screening resulted in
seven fewer deaths from prostate cancer per 10,000 men screened. One of the
studies found that the death rate from
prostate cancer was actually lower in
unscreened men. These studies have
created a whirlwind of controversy
about the value of the PSA test that will
probably take years to settle. (The New
York Times March 19, 2009)
Do Declining
Testosterone
Levels Cause
Bad Health,
Or Vice Versa?
Total testosterone and the biologically-active free testosterone decrease
with age, which is associated with
muscle and bone loss, decreased sex
drive, depression, insulin resistance
and diabetes, and erection problems.
In a review of literature, Dr. BB Yeap
from the University of Western
Australia School of Medicine suggested
that low testosterone levels observed
in older men might be the result of
poor metabolic health and cardiovascular disease. In other words, failing
health caused low testosterone levels
rather than the other way around. A
relationship between decreased testosterone levels and loss of muscle mass
doesnt mean that one caused the
other. The merits of testosterone therapy have been controversial since 1934,
when the hormone was first synthesized. Surprisingly, there have been
few well-controlled, long-term studies
in aging men on the effects of testosterone supplements on health. The
exception has been a series of excellent studies by Shalender Bhasin and
colleagues from Boston University.
More than 15 studies by this group
have shown the beneficial effects of
testosterone supplements for aging
men. (International Journal of
Impotence Research, 21: 24-36, 2009)
www.storemags.com
June 2009

Thomas Fahey, EdD
RESEARCH
Supplements
L-Arginine Does
Not Increase
Muscle Blood Flow
During Weight
Training
L-Arginine is an important amino
acid for increasing nitric oxide release
(NO) by the cells lining the blood
vessels. Increasing NO levels
could promote muscle blood
flow during exercise and
decrease arterial stiffness
that typically occurs following weight training. Bo
Fernhall and colleagues
from the University of
Illinois gave 7 grams of LArginine or placebo (fake
arginine) before an upper
body weight-training
workout. Weight training
caused a typical pump
effect in the exercise muscles that included
increased arm circumference,
muscle blood flow, and stiffness in
the aorta (the large artery leaving the
heart). L-Arginine had no effect on
blood flow responses beyond those of
exercise itself. (Medicine Science
Sports Exercise, 41: 773-779, 2009)
Foods such as milk, orange juice,

salt, and breakfast cereals are often
fortified with important nutrients
such as vitamin D, calcium, and
iodine in an effort to improve public
health. Leucine and branched-chain
amino acids (leucine, valine,
isoleucine) are important signaling
chemicals that promote muscle protein synthesis and decrease fat.
116 MD
mote weight loss and weight maintenance after weight loss. Are the
effects additive? A study from
Maastricht University in the
Netherlands found that people lost
15-18 pounds in four weeks by consuming low-calorie diets high in protein (110 grams per day) or low calorie, normal-protein diets (55 grams
per day). Both diets were supplemented with either green tea-caffeine (GTC) or placebo (fake
supplement). Increased protein intake or GTC helped
people sustain weight loss
after the diet, but the effect
was not additive. Satiety (feeling
of fullness) was greater in the highprotein intake groups. Increasing protein intake or GTC supplements promote and sustain weight loss,
but combining the two methods provides no added benefit.
(American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, 89: 822830, 2009)
Why not fortify the water supply with

leucine or branched-chain amino
acids to promote effortless weight
control? Christopher Lynch and colleagues from the Pennsylvania State
University College of Medicine, in a
study on rats, found that fortifying
water with either leucine or
branched-chain amino acids had no
effect on bodyweight, food intake,
metabolic rate, movement capacity,
body composition, or blood sugar regulation. Lacing the water supply with
leucine or branched-chain amino
acids is probably not the answer to
Americas fat problem. (Journal of
Nutrition, 139: 715-719, 2009)
Creatine Ethyl
Ester Is Less
Effective Than
Creatine
Monohydrate
Effect of Protein
and Green Tea
Plus Caffeine Are
Not Additive
Increased dietary protein and
green tea-caffeine supplements pro-
www.storemags.com
Muscles have a limited ability to

store creatine and creatine phosphate.
These chemicals are vital energy
stores that resynthesize ATP an
important high-energy compound that
fuels muscle contractions and many
other biochemical reactions. Muscles
have a limited ability to store creatine
and creatine phosphate. Some supplement makers claim that muscles
absorb creatine ethyl esters (CEE)
faster than creatine monohydrate. A
Baylor University study showed that
CEE, creatine monohydrate, or a
placebo (fake supplement) had no
more effect on strength, physical performance, bodyweight, or body fat
than weight training alone. Creatine
June 2009
Should We Put
Leucine or
Branched-Chain
Amino Acids In
The Water
Supply?
Leucine stimulates the mTOR pathway and the release of leptin, which
promotes satiety (feeling of fullness)
and increased metabolic rate.
America is in the midst of an obesity
epidemic that gets worse every year.

Thomas Fahey, EdD
RESEARCH
Supplements
monohydrate increases strength and
muscle mass in most people, particularly when accompanied by weight
training. However, 20-30 percent of
people dont respond to the supplement and 20 percent fail to achieve
peak levels of muscle creatine and
creatine phosphate. Factors such as
genetics, training status, and diet
determine the effectiveness of creatine supplements. (Journal
International Society Of Sports
Nutrition, published online February
19, 2009)
Betaine Increases
Squat Endurance
Betaine is an amino acid compound
found in wheat, spinach, shellfish, and
sugar beets. It is an important regulator of body water and is useful in
reducing homocysteine, an inflammatory chemical that is an important risk
factor for coronary artery disease.
Ranchers use betaine to increase muscle mass in domestic animals. It
assists glutathione with detoxification
reactions in the liver and prevents
depression. Betaine is an important
human nutrient that is rapidly
absorbed and utilized as an osmolyte
(fluid regulator) and participates in
amino acid reactions that help maintain liver, heart, and kidney health.
Betaine might improve athletic performance. Jay Hoffman and colleagues
from The College of New Jersey found
that 15 days of betaine supplementation improves squat endurance (rep
capacity) in college-aged males
involved in a weight-training program.
Betaine may be an effective supplement for bodybuilders, but we need
more research before we can recommend it. (Journal International Society
of Sports Nutrition, published online
February 27, 2009)
L-Ornithine
Prevents Fatigue
L-Ornithine improves nutrition and
cell function in physically stressed
people such as malnourished older
adults and burn patients. It stimulates
118 MD
the production of amino acids, such as

glutamine, proline, and arginine, and
promotes the release of anabolic hormones, such as insulin and growth
hormone. It also increases nitric oxide
(NO) release, which enhances blood
flow throughout the body and is
important for sexual performance and
muscle growth. Japanese researchers
found that supplementing L-Ornithine
for eight days (2,000 mg per day for
seven days and 6,000 mg per day for
one day) reduced fatigue during a
two-hour ride on a stationary bike.
Ornithine prevented fatigue by
increasing energy efficiency and promoting the excretion of ammonia. LOrnithine shows promise as a supplement for bodybuilders, but we need
more research before we can recommend it. (Nutrition Research, 28: 738743, 2008)
Some Weight-Loss
Supplements
Contain
Dangerous Drugs
The U.S. Food And Drug
Administration found that the
weight-loss supplement StarCaps
contained a dangerous drug called
bumetanide that can have serious
side effects. The papaya-based supplement was enthusiastically promoted on The Today Show and sold in
mainstream supplement outlets. The
FDA also found that 69 weight-loss
supplements imported from China
and South America contained illegal
drugs not listed on their ingredients
that could cause high blood pressure,
seizures, and have dangerous interactions with other medications.
These substances included sibutramine (a prescription weight-loss
drug), rimonabant (a weight-loss
drug legal in Europe but not
approved by the FDA), phenytoin
(anti-seizure medicine), phenolphthalein (cancer causing chemical),
and bumetanide (a diuretic or water
pill). Be careful of what you put in
your body! (The New York Times,
February 10, 2009)
www.storemags.com
Whey Increases
Innate Immunity
Whey protein supplements promote gains in muscle mass and
strength and suppress appetite.
Canadian researchers found that
whey might also improve innate
immunity a non-specific way that
the body fights foreign organisms and
heals injured tissue. Inflammation is a
non-specific immune response to
injury or infection that involves the
release of chemicals such as histamine, serotonin, and prostaglandins
that cause pain increased blood
flow to the area, and transportation
of immune system cells to the injured
tissue to promote healing. Beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactalbumin,
components of whey protein, enhance
the response of neutrophils (an
important innate immune system cell)
to infection and injury. Enhanced
immunity is an important benefit of
whey protein supplements. (Journal
of Nutrition, 139: 386-393, 2009)
MD HAS THE
WINNING FORMULA!
The most cutting-edge,
scientifically-based, nobullshit information on
building muscle and burning fatfrom drugs and
supplements to training,
nutrition and dietfrom
the top medical experts
and bodybuilding champions and insiders!
June 2009

Thomas Fahey, EdD
RESEARCH
Nutrition
Protein
Supplements
Do Not Increase
Muscle Mass In
Older Adults
Who Weight
Train
Pre-or post-weight
training protein supplements promote protein
synthesis in young people. The amino acids from
proteins act as building
blocks for muscle hypertrophy. Also, specific amino
acids such as leucine act as
chemical signals to turn on muscle protein synthesis. People lose
muscle mass as they age. Typically,
men lose 20 percent of their muscle
mass between ages 40 and 60. The
problem becomes progressively
worse with age, so protein supplements might be valuable for preventing age-related muscle wasting.
Dutch researchers from Maastricht
University found that supplementing
20 grams of protein immediately
before or after weight training did
not increase muscle mass or strength
beyond the effect of weight training
alone. These results differ from
recent studies conducted at the
University of Texas Medical Branch in
Galveston, which used greater
amounts of protein. (American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 89: 608616, 2009)
Protein Timing
Has No Effect on
Muscle Mass
or Strength
Many studies found that pre-and
post-weight training protein supplements increase the rate of protein
synthesis. However, few studies have
examined the effect of this practice
on strength and body composition.
126 MD
Jay Hoffman and colleagues from The

College of New Jersey found that
protein supplements or the timing of
protein supplement administration
had no effect on strength, power, or
body composition in men involved in
a 10-week weight-training program.
Subjects consumed protein supplements in the morning and evening;
immediately before and after workouts; or consumed no protein or
nutritional supplement. This was a
well-controlled study involving rigorous workouts in experienced weight
trainers. (International Journal Sports
Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism,
19:172-185, 2009)
ACSM Position
Statement on
Nutrition and
Athletic
Performance
The American College of Sports
Medicine, the American Dietetic
Association, and Dietitians of Canada
issued a joint position statement on
nutritional factors important for athletic performance.
Athletes must consume enough
www.storemags.com
energy during high-intensity or

high-volume training to maintain bodyweight, maximize
performance, and sustain
health.
Athletes should not
be overly concerned with
weight or body composition. Fat
loss should occur during the offseason.
Carbohydrates are the
main fuel for intense exercise and are important for
maintaining blood sugar
and replacing muscle
and liver glycogen (stored
carbohydrate).
Endurance and strength
athletes should consume 1.2-1.7
grams of protein per kilogram bodyweight per day.
Fat intake should be 20-35 percent of the total caloric intake. Fats
are important sources of energy, fatsoluble vitamins, and essential fatty
acids.
Athletes who restrict energy
intake are at risk for nutritional deficiencies.
Athletes should consume adequate amounts of fluid before, during, and after exercise.
Pre-game or pre-practice meals
should promote hydration, include little fat or fiber, and contain high
amounts of carbohydrates in moderate amounts of protein.
Nutrient consumption during
exercise should maintain hydration
and blood sugar levels.
Post-exercise meals should contain enough fluids, electrolytes, energy, and carbohydrates to promote
recovery and replenish muscle and
liver glycogen.
Athletes dont need vitamin and
mineral supplements if they consume
enough energy to supply their needs.
Vegetarian athletes are particularly at risk for developing nutritional
deficiencies and should consult a
sports dietitian to avoid problems.
(American College of Sports Medicine,
2009)

Thomas Fahey, EdD
RESEARCH
Nutrition
Does High Fructose Do Meat Eaters Die
Intake Contribute
Young?
to Obesity?
Many nutritionists advise people to
The explosive rise in obesity since
1970 coincided with the increased use of
high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in highsugar soft drinks and many processed
foods. HFCS is extremely sweet, inexpensive, and acts as an effective food preservative. Fructose consumption, mainly in
the form of HFCS, represents up to 10
percent of the caloric intake of many
Americans. George Bray from the
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana concluded that
the sweet taste of HFCS encouraged a
small but persistent positive energy balance in the majority of Americans that
has contributed to the obesity epidemic.
The high consumption of HFCS also
increased the number of people suffering
from Metabolic Syndrome with symptoms that include high blood pressure,
abdominal fat deposition, abnormal blood
fats, insulin resistance, and abnormal
blood clotting. (International Journal of
Obesity, 32: S127-S131, 2008)
Moderate Fish
Intake Reduces
Risk of Heart
Attack, But Not
Cancer
Moderate fish intake prevents sudden
death from heart attack and abnormal
heart rhythms, but its effects on other
health problems are not well studied. A
Harvard Medical School study showed
that neither moderate fish intake nor
consumption of omega-3 fatty acids in
the diet were related to the incidence of
major chronic diseases such as cancer
and stroke. Also, omega-6 fatty acid
intake (considered dangerous by nutritionists if consumed in excess) was not
related to the incidence of major diseases. People can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by consuming
between one and four servings of fish
per week. (American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, 88: 1618-1625, 2009)
128 MD
avoid eating excessive amounts of red

and processed meats. What is the evidence? A 10-year study of 500,000 people aged 50-71 conducted by the
National Institutes of Health and the
American Association of Retired People
(AARP) showed that high intake of red
and processed meats was linked to a
slight increase in the risk of premature
death from all causes, and deaths from
cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Compared to people with low meat
intake, red meat eaters increased the
risk of heart attack death by 36 percent
and processed meat eaters increased
the risks by 16 percent. Cancer deaths
increased by 22 percent in red meat
eaters, and by 12 percent in processed
meat eaters. Eating more white meat,
such as turkey and chicken, reduced
the risk of death from heart attack and
cancer. High intakes of red and
processed meats moderately increased
the risk of premature death from all
causes, and from cancer and heart disease. (Archives Internal Medicine, 169:
562-571, 2009)
Eggs Are Good

Sources of
Essential
Amino Acids
Choosing the
Best Post-Workout
Protein
Supplement
Many studies showed that postworkout protein supplements increase
protein synthesis, slow protein breakdown, and promote muscle hypertrophy. Damon Welles from the United
States Military Academy at West Point
summarized important considerations in
choosing a protein supplement. Protein
sources from foods and supplements
provide some benefit, but optimal
effects require quality protein sources
such as whey, egg, or casein. Make sure
that the amount of high-quality protein
in a supplement is clearly spelled out on
the label. Choose a supplement that
tastes good and mixes easily with milk,
water, or juice. Ideally, the supplement
should contain a blend of fast- and
slow-digesting proteins. Consume 6-40
grams of high-quality protein after exercise for the best effect. (Strength and
Conditioning Journal, 31(1): 27-30, 2009)
MD HAS THE
WINNING FORMULA!
Eggs have been a pariah food for

nearly 40 years because of their high
cholesterol content. However, recent
studies found that people could safely
eat eggs almost every day without
affecting blood cholesterol. Eggs are
high in quality proteins that contain key
amino acids important for activating
muscle protein synthesis and preventing protein breakdown. They are particularly high in leucine, which is central
to stimulating muscle hypertrophy.
Eggs are rich in B vitamins thiamin,
riboflavin, folate, B-12, and B-6. They
are an excellent food for athletes
because they help maintain blood sugar
levels without triggering an abrupt
www.storemags.com
increase in insulin. This helps prevent

hunger and promotes weight control.
(Nutrition Today, 44: 42-48, 2009)
The most cutting-edge,

scientifically-based, no-bullshit
information on building muscle
and burning fatfrom drugs
and supplements to training,
nutrition and dietfrom the
top medical experts and bodybuilding champions and insiders!

Thomas Fahey, EdD
RESEARCH
Drugs
Platelet-Rich
Plasma Therapy
May Violate
Doping Rules
Aromatase
Inhibitors Lower
HDL Cholesterol
and IGF-1 Levels
Blood platelets promote clotting,

but they also release growth factors,
such as IGF-1, that speed healing following injury. Some reports cite
miraculous healing rates from injections of platelet-rich plasma. The procedure involves recovering platelets
from a persons blood and injecting
them into injured soft tissue such as tendons or ligaments. Technically, plateletrich plasma therapy is a form of blood
doping because it involves re-infusing
an athletes blood. Also, platelets
secrete IGF-1, which is also on
the banned list. Platelet-rich plasma therapy is an exciting new
technology for treating athletic
injuries, but it is technically illegal under present doping regulations.
(The New York Times, February 17,
2009)
A portion of testosterone is converted (aromatized) to estrogen.

Many bodybuilders who use anabolic
steroids also take aromatase inhibitors
such as Arimidex to prevent increased
estrogen levels and reduce side effects
such as gynecomastia (breast enlargement). A Belgian study showed that
letrozole (an aromatase inhibitor)
increased blood levels of testosterone
by more than 100 percent in young
and old men, and decreased blood
estrogen levels by 50 percent. The
drug decreased blood sugar by 7 percent in young men and 37 percent in
older men, caused small increases in
LDL (bad cholesterol), reduced APOA1 (part of HDL, the good cholesterol), but had no effects on body
composition. Aromatase inhibitors
increased testosterone, and decreased
estrogen levels.Unfortunately they
also lowered HDL cholesterol and IGF1 levels. (European Journal of
Endocrinology, 160: 397-402, 2009)
block the negative

effect of calcium, which prevents muscle breakdown and encourages hypertrophy. (Brazilian Journal Medical
Biological Research, 42: 21-28, 2009)
Sympathetic
Nervous System
Prevents Muscle
Protein Breakdown Deca Causes
Aggressive
Growth hormone, IGF-1, testosBehavior In Mice
terone, and insulin are well-known ana-
136 MD
Are the mice in your pantry, garage,

and attic more aggressive than normal?
Perhaps theyre taking steroids.
Brazilian researchers examined behavioral and central nervous system
changes in mice given injections of nandrolone (Deca-Durabolin). In humans,
Deca boosts muscle mass and strength
but also increases aggressiveness and
impulsive behavior. Mice given high
doses of nandrolone for 28 days showed
increased bodyweight, anxiety, and violent behavior. The animals also showed
decreased brain activity in the hippocampus, which is important for psychological inhibition. This study may
help explain why some steroid users
are less inhibited and more aggressive. (Genes, Brain and Behavior, 8:
161-173, 2009)
www.storemags.com
Supplementing testosterone to prevent the effect of aging is highly controversial, in part because the hormone might promote prostate cancer.
In fact, suppressing testosterone with
drugs is a common treatment for men
with prostate enlargement or cancer.
Do testosterone supplements promote
prostate cancer? Researchers from the
College of Physicians and Surgeons of
Columbia University, in a review of literature, concluded that testosterone
therapy did not increase the risk of
prostate cancer or levels of prostatespecific antigen (PSA, a test to detect
prostate enlargement and cancer).
June 2009
bolic hormones. Beta-agonists, such as

clenbuterol, are also anabolic and have
similar effects to epinephrine (adrenaline) and other sympathetic nervous
system hormones. This is confusing
because epinephrine also increases the
use of fat, carbohydrate, and protein for
energy and inhibits glycogen storage
during exercise (glycogen is stored carbohydrate). A Brazilian study showed
that sympathetic nervous system hormones block muscle protein breakdown
by interfering with the destructive
effects of excess muscle calcium, which
increases due to muscle cell damage
during exercise. Intense weight training often causes muscle cell damage,
calcium leakage, and inflammation,
which triggers delayed onset muscle
soreness. Drugs such as clenbuterol
Testosterone
Supplements
Do Not Increase
Prostate Cancer
Risk

Thomas Fahey, EdD
RESEARCH
Drugs
They evaluated 197 studies and made
their recommendations based on 44
well-controlled experiments.
Testosterone supplements do not
increase the risk of prostate cancer. In
fact, low testosterone levels are linked
to an increased risk of the disease.
(International Journal of Impotence
Research, 21: 9-23, 2009)
Growth Hormone
Supplements
Effective in
10-Year Study
Growth Hormone (GH) supplements
are popular with middle-aged and
older adults because they build muscle
and cut fat. Physicians are reluctant to
prescribe GH because few long-term
studies demonstrate its safety or effectiveness. Swedish researchers found
that 109 patients (61 men and 48
women; average age 44) given daily
injections of GH for 10 years (0.47 to
0.98 mg per day) increased muscle
mass and strength for five years.
During years six through 10 of the
study, subjects were also protected
against the normal age-related
decrease in strength. Typically, older
adults gain fat and lose muscle mass
as they age. GH reversed this trend.
Men benefited from GH treatment
more than women. This study did not
include a control group (subjects who
took a placebo, or fake growth hormone), but the results look promising.
Older adults gain substantial benefits
from long-term growth hormone supplementation, with minimal side
effects. (Journal Clinical Endocrinology
Metabolism, 94: 809-816, 2009)
Anabolic Steroids
and Immunity
The immune system has been
called the ultimate limiting factor of
performance. A cold or flu can stop
you in your tracks. Many bodybuilders
take anabolic steroids because they
build muscle mass, strength, and
138 MD
power. While many athletes believe

that more is better, high doses of
steroids depress the immune system.
A review of literature by Australian
researchers, led by Sonya MarshallGradisnik, concluded that long-term,
high-dose steroid use has long-lasting,
negative effects on the immune system. Steroids that closely resemble
testosterone (e.g., testosterone esters
such as testosterone enanthate) suppress the immune system. Steroids
modified to slow metabolism (e.g.,
stanozolol) boost immune function,
but increase the risk of liver toxicity.
Many human and animal studies have
examined the effect of steroids on key
immune system cells, but few have
looked at their influence on the incidence of communicable disease.
Scientists do not fully understand the
effect of anabolic steroids on the
immune system. (Central European
Journal Biology, 4: 19-33, 2009)
Testosterone
Therapy Boosts
Sex Drive In
Postmenopausal
Women
Sex drive typically decreases after
menopause and in women with surgically removed ovaries. Since 1938,
many physicians have used supplemental testosterone or combinations
of testosterone and estrogen to boost
libido in these women. The Food and
Drug Administration never approved
these treatments because of fears of
an increased risk of breast and
endometrial cancers. A review of literature by Claudia Panzer and Andre
Guay from the Rose Medical Center in
Denver concluded that the benefits of
androgen therapy for postmenopausal
women outweigh the side effects.
Testosterone supplements can boost
sex drive without increasing the risk
of cancer. Androgen therapy has
become increasingly popular for postmenopausal women who want to continue a zesty sex life. (Journal Sexual
Medicine, 6: 8-18, 2009)
www.storemags.com
June 2009

Thomas Fahey, EdD
RESEARCH
Sex
Will You Die In
Bed Having Sex
with a Hot Babe?
If guys could choose how they
die, many would pick having a heart
attack in bed during sex with a
beautiful woman. A 1996 Harvard
Medical School study showed that
less than 1 percent of heart attacks
occurred during sex. That was before
Viagra. The famous erection-promoting drug has given aging Romeos a
sexual second wind. Erectile dysfunction is an early predictor of coronary artery disease and heart attack.
Men who need Viagra for normal
sexual function most likely have
heart disease and are therefore at
increased risk of heart attack during
sex. However, the physical activity
associated with sex enhances metabolic health, so the benefits outweigh the risks. (Health Magazine,
February 2009)
New York to Tax

Porno Movies
The stock market is in the tank,
real estate values have plummeted,
and state governments are going
broke. Politicians are frantically
searching for new sources of tax revenue that wont upset the voters.
Governor David Patterson from New
York has proposed a 4 percent tax on
porno movies. This is a potentially
gigantic source of income because
adult film revenues rival those of
mainstream Hollywood.
The governors plan met with
mixed reviews. Porno film makers
and DVD store owners fear that the
added tax could have a devastating
effect on their business and drive
porno fans to free Internet sites.
Conservatives fear that the tax will
help legitimize pornography. People
will think that if the government
taxes porno, it cant be that bad.
America has the most advanced
porno film industry in the world. The
tax could make adult videos go the
way of American-made cars, televisions, and tennis shoes. Dont let the
146 MD
American porno industry migrate to

foreign shores! (New York Daily
News, February 16, 2009)
Erectile
Dysfunction
Common In Obese
Men With Low
Testosterone
Levels
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is an
early warning sign of coronary artery
disease and heart attack. At least 50
percent of men with ED have heart
disease. Obesity and low testosterone
levels contribute to blood vessel
abnormalities and ED. Fat cells
release dangerous chemicals called
cytokines that disrupt the inner lining
of the blood vessels and promote
hardening of the arteries.
Adequate testosterone levels are
also important for maintaining blood
vessel health. Researchers from the
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center concluded that erectile dysfunction, obesity, and low testosterone levels are
important markers of poor metabolic
health and each is a predictor of diabetes and coronary artery disease.
(International Journal of Impotence
Research, 21: 89-98, 2009)
glands. Mohit Khera from the

Department of Urology at the Baylor
College of Medicine, in a review of literature, concluded that testosterone
plays an important role in normal
erectile function and that supplements could benefit sexual performance in men following prostate surgery. Testosterone is important for
blood vessel health and critical for
normal erections. (Journal Sexual
Medicine, 6 (Supplement 3): 234-238,
2009)
New Therapies
for Premature
Ejaculation
Premature ejaculation (PE) is the
most significant sexual problem in
men more prevalent than erectile
Testosterone
Supplements
Recommended
After Prostate
Surgery
Physicians often suppress blood
testosterone levels with drugs after
prostate surgery because high testosterone levels have been associated
with prostate cancer cell growth. This
often leads to erectile dysfunction
and loss of sex drive. Harvard
researchers, led by Dr.
Abraham Morgenthaler,
found no relationship
between blood levels of
testosterone and prostate
cancer or enlarged prostate
www.storemags.com
June 2009

Thomas Fahey, EdD
RESEARCH
Sex
dysfunction, lack of sexual desire,
delayed orgasm, or physical abnormalities of the penis. A review of literature by British scientists showed
that help might be on the way. A
drug called dapoxetine hydrochloride,
which regulates a brain chemical
called serotonin, prevents PE.
Unfortunately, it only works in about
50 percent of men.
Many physicians use antidepressants such as Prozac to treat premature ejaculation. Unfortunately, these
drugs can also cause impotence,
which substitutes one problem for
another. Viagra combined with the
antidepressant Paxil not only
improved erections but prevented premature ejaculation.Viagra works by
increasing the secretion of a chemical
called nitric oxide, which increases
blood flow to the penis. High levels of
nitric oxide interfere with ejaculation,
which prolongs the sex act. Also,
Viagra produces a firmer erection,
which gives men more confidence and
control. Some men benefit from numbing sprays containing lidocaine and
prilocaine, but these can be embarrassing and interfere with sexual
spontaneity. (International Journal of
Impotence Research, 21: 107-115, 2009)
Stretching
Machine
Increases
Dick Size
Most guys are inundated with
spam e-mails touting supplements
and techniques to increase the size of
their penis. Nearly 75 percent of men
wish they had larger dicks, so the
potential market for an effective penis
enlarger is enormous.
Italian researchers from the
University of Turin found that men
who wore a penis extender for 4-6
hours a day for a year increased the
flaccid size of their penis by 32 percent and the stretched size by 18 percent. Erectile performance improved
by 36 percent, but there were no
changes in penile girth. The extender
caused bruising and soreness in some
men, but most were satisfied with
148 MD
the treatment. Penile traction extenders are widely available on the

Internet. Manual traction might be
effective for men who cant afford the
devices. (British Journal Urology,
103:793-797, 2009)
Exercise and
Weight Loss
Improves
Erection Capacity
in older men with low testosterone

levels. However, the treatments
increased sexual fantasies, sexual
desire, and the frequency of sex.
Testosterone supplements made older
men want more sex without making
them any better at it. (International
Journal of Impotence Research, 21:
129-138, 2009)
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is usually

caused by poor metabolic health and
blood vessel dysfunction. Blood vessel disease disrupts the capacity of
the cells lining the arteries to secrete
a chemical called nitric oxide, which
controls blood flow. Erection-promoting drugs, such as Viagra and Cialis,
increased erectile capacity by boosting the release of nitric oxide.
Canadian researchers, in a review
of literature, concluded that weight
loss and physical activity promote
erectile function. Several long-term
studies in Europe showed that
increased physical activity and
improved diet boosted erectile performance as well as drugs. Regular
exercise is essential to optimal metabolic health and sexual performance.
(Journal Sexual Medicine, 6
(Supplement 3): 254-261, 2009)
Testosterone
Supplements
Do Not
Improve Sexual
Performance
in Aging Men
Testosterone and the biologicallyactive free testosterone decrease
gradually after about age 30. Low
testosterone levels in middle-aged
and older men contribute to poor
metabolic health, cardiovascular disease, decreased muscle and bone
mass, and depressed sexual desire.
Dutch researchers from the
University Medical Center in Utrecht
found that testosterone supplements
had no effect on sexual performance
www.storemags.com
June 2009
Future
Pharmacy
By Douglas S. Kalman, Ph.D., RD, FACN
Train Smarter
To Get Stronger
very month, the National Strength & Conditioning

Association (NSCA) publishes great studies that are
of interest to bodybuilders, athletes and sports
nutritionists. Other journals, which are also leading
what I call applied research or translational (translational to the gym or workout),
include the Journal of
International Society of Sports
Nutrition (www.jissn.com), and the
International Journal of Sports
Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism.
One goal of this column is to
share data from studies that may
be applicable to your training
goals. An extension of this is the
MD Research radio shows, hosted
by Robbie Durand. I always suggest using science to help design
your training, nutrition and seasonal plans. If there is a
particular area that interests you, feel free to e-mail me,
care of the editor.
tine-L-tartrate) examined whether a 2-gram daily dose

supplementation over a two-week period would have
any effect on how our bodies burn calories during exercise. This study examined how the body used carbohy1
drates, fats or protein for energy during exercise. After
two weeks of supplementing with
2 grams per day of L-carnitine, no
changes in carbohydrate oxidation,
nitrogen retention, branch-chain
amino acid metabolism were
noted. After the two weeks of supplementation, those on the L-carnitine tended to suppress the retention or accumulation of ammonia
during exercise. Preventing or
slowing the accumulation of
ammonia during exercise (this
study used moderate cycling protocol) is one way to reduce metabolic stress and potentially enhance exercise endurance at higher intensities.
Again, since this data and prior work in other labs
indicates that L-carnitine has a buffering capacity, the
potential ergogenic effect for those who engage in
higher-intensity workouts is real and worth exploring.
While many (wrongly)

think that soy is an
inferior protein or one
that should not be
included in the male
bodybuilders meal
plan, new research is
indicating that it may
help with fat loss.
Carnitine
158 MD
Fasting
Some people utilize various forms of fasting in order
to detoxify or cleanse their bodies, while others fast
for religious reasons. What if you are an athlete and
you fast how does this affect your ability to lose fat
2
and positively impact body composition?
The holiday Ramadan (the holiest Islamic holiday)
may affect athletes who observe this religious practice.
The holiday is essentially celebrated by not eating during daylight hours; meals can be eaten during the
www.storemags.com
June 2009
ILLUSTRATION BY LYMAN DALLY
Carnitine is an amino acid that is responsible primarily for transporting fat from one part of a cell to another
(into the mitochondria), with an end result of fat being
burned (oxidized) for energy. This is one of the means
that our bodies use fat for energy. Some people believe
that supplementing carnitine will increase or enhance
the efficiency of beta-oxidation (transport of fat via carnitine into the mitochondria for energy production).
Carnitine is also used inside cells as a buffer during
high-intensity exercise (and this is one area of exercisenutrition that is ripe for exploitation).
Recent research with L-carnitine (specifically L-carni-
Future Pharmacy
nighttime. Thus, you fast all day and
can eat only at night. Some athletes
who are not religious also fast for
their own reasons. The question then
becomes: how does daytime fasting
affect bodyweight, composition and
hormones, or biomarkers of metabo3
lism?
A study was done involving male
rugby players. This study found that
over a four-week period, Warrior
Diet eating led to weight loss, body
fat loss and elevated markers of fat
being burned for energy (lipolysis).
This short-term fasting (controlled
nighttime eating) may just be another means of fat loss. Thus, fasting
might be something to explore as
part of your fat-loss plan. In fact,
alternative day fasting is gaining
popular ground in certain calorierestriction societies.
Soy for Fat Loss?

Whoa did I just write that? Yes, I
did! While many (wrongly) think that
soy is an inferior protein or one that
should not be included in the male
bodybuilders meal plan, new
research is indicating that it may
help with fat loss. The type of soy
that is common in the food chain
and in protein powders is one that
contains isoflavones (plant-sourced
estrogen).
A new soy extract from the black
soybean has been developed. This
black soybean extract is known only
as novel isoflavone-free peptide
mixture (BSP). This soy extract is
not yet on the commercial supplement market from what I can tell,
no one is yet selling this black soy
extract. The study with BSP found
that it reduced food intake and gain
of less bodyweight, compared to
matched controls. Even when mixed
with a high-fat diet, the BSP enabled
reduced food intake in a dosedependent manner, with all doses
4
being effective. Interestingly
enough, when treadmill-like exercise was added to the BSP intervention, the effects appeared to be augmented. Thus, it is realistic to expect
to see weight control products
developed in the near future with or
based on this BSP extract.
Molded for
Weight Loss
Rice has long been a staple of the
diet in Asian countries. This is especially true on the mainland. Various
functional foods can be made from
and with rice. Amongst these are
ones that are known to lower choles5
terol. Red mold rice (Monascus
species) is known to affect or be
effective at reducing cholesterol.
Scientists in Taiwan are re-examining
whether red mold rice (RMR) has
any effect on obesity and other
metabolic markers.
A study examining whether red
mold rice could be used for anti-obe6
sity effects was recently published.
In these exploratory studies, cell
lines are used and are tested with
the RMR supplement. Interestingly
enough, this study found that RMR
can actually prevent body fat accumulation, while enhancing fat-burning (lipolysis) and it seems it may
have an anti-appetite effect. Thus, it
seems that as the research is growing with RMR, a future use in helping with healthy cholesterol AND
body fat levels is in the cards. The
FDA currently does not allow red
mold rice supplements to be sold in
the United States. Thus, when a supplement company wants to come
out with a RMR, they will need a
series of studies to satisfy the FDA
of the safety profile; the efficacy is
not questioned.
Training gains come from many
places. Expanding the mind is just
as important as the body; that said,
the knowledge shared on the MD
boards/forums is second-to-none.
This is a case where the more you
utilize the training, diet, supplement
and ancillary information available,
the better gains we all get. See ya on
the forums!
References:
1. Int J SportsNutr Exer Metab, 2008, 18,
567-584.
2. Int J SportsNutr Exer Metab, 2008, 18,
617-627.
3. Int J Sports Nutr Exer Metab, 2008, 18,
617-627.
4. Int J Obesity, 2008, 32, 1161-1170.
5.http://www.medicinenet.com/red_
yeast_rice_and_cholesterol/article.htm
6. Int J Obesity, 2008, 32, 1694-1704.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
fatattack
By Dan Gwartney, MD
Sleep
Your Way To
Fat Loss
eight-loss gurus on television advise exercise

more and eat less, as
though these statements should
have been included in the original
10 Commandments. There is a principle in logic called Ockhams
Razor, which tells us that the simplest solution is usually the correct
one. Well, what could be simpler
than exercise more, eat less?
Unfortunately, even Ockhams Razor
is not that simple. Friar William of
Ockham stated that when making a
choice, any assumptions that do not
make a difference should be excluded; however, it is vital to include
assumptions that are relevant.
Step away from the high-tech
world of liposuction, gastric bypass,
appetite suppressants, thermogenic
and lipolytic drugs; the human body
adapts to its environment. At the most
basic level, that includes the amount
of food available, the amount of activity needed to acquire that food, and the
amount of rest one can obtain before
needing to forage again.
Sleep is an under-appreciated need
in American society. In fact, society
often rewards individuals who forego
sleep in order to work longer hours,
party harder, watch adult entertainment and enjoy the night life. People
go to great lengths to eradicate the
need for sleep. It is not just post-adolescent ravers taking methamphetamines and ecstasy to prolong nights
of hedonism; the ranks of the sleepdeprived are filled with students and
162 MD
professors using Adderall to allow for

academic all-nighters; physicians and
nurses using Provigil to stay sharp

during careers of extended hours;
policemen and power plant workers
walk the health store aisles looking for
energy supplements that will get them
through rotating shifts; children guzzle
Red Bull to pwn [sic] friends and

strangers through early morning
online gaming; and mothers brew coffee every morning to meet the
1-5
demands of family.
Sleep is an underappreciated need in

American society. In
fact, society often
rewards individuals
who forego sleep in
order to work longer
hours, party harder,
watch adult entertainment and enjoy
the night life.
Prior to the information age, most
jobs were labor or service related;
social norms were more conservative
and people were praised for being
practical, not outrageous or risk-taking. One popular axiom was Early to
bed, early to rise, makes a man
healthy, wealthy and wise. These
observations would suggest that previous generations may have actually
hibernated. In fact, sleep patterns
were not overly different from today,
www.storemags.com
on a day-to-day basis. Of course,

leisure time has been extended and
the introduction of electric lighting
and varied forms of entertainment
remove many of the cues that would
normally send one to sleep. Most conventioneers can attest to the temporal
(time) confusion experienced inside
the casinos of Las Vegas where fluorescent lights and the absence of
clocks mask the passage of time.
Nonetheless, there has been an
overall trend toward sleep deficit. In
comparison to several decades ago,
Americans are sleeping, on average,
6
90 minutes less per night. An hour or
two makes little difference in the shortterm, but over time, a chronic sleep
deficit dramatically affects ones
health. A number of studies have
shown that sleep deprivation results in
reduced cognitive function (thinking),
hormonal changes, negative changes
in blood pressure, worsened insulin
7-9
sensitivity, etc.
In fact, during the recent daylight
savings time-related time change,
news channels reported the findings of
a 2008 Swedish study published in the
New England Journal of Medicine,
showing that the risk of a heart attack
increases 5 percent during the three
days immediately following the
spring forward change that results in
the loss of an hours sleep for most.
Conversely, there was a smaller reduction in risk during the three days following the fall back that gifts an extra
hour of sleep. The authors posited that
the increase in heart attacks following
fatattack
the loss of an hour of sleep was due to
an increase in sympathetic tone
(adrenalin) and a pro-inflammatory
10
state. These factors are already elevated in the obese, making the time
11
change very risky in this group.
Perhaps it is time for the FDA to
review daylight savings time.
Sleep Deprivation
and Obesity
Sleep deprivation does not just
increase risks associated with obesity,
but it also increases the risk of obesity.
Several studies have associated sleep
deprivation with obesity, as well as the
Metabolic Syndrome, which includes
negative changes to cardiovascular
health and insulin sensitivity, and
changes in hormones that promote fat
12
storage. Even as this article is being
written, new studies are linking sleep
deprivation with poor health. Research
is being presented at the American
Heart Association, reporting an
increase in the risk of developing type
II diabetes in people who sleep less
than 6 hours per night, compared to
13
those who sleep 6 to 8 hours.
Is there more to the inverse association between sleep loss and weight
loss than metabolic and hormonal
changes? Could the increased number
of waking hours somehow relate to
foraging behavior as well? After all,
except for the rare case of somnambulist bingers (those who sleepwalk to
the refrigerator to eat), people dont
14
break their diet while they are asleep.
Researchers investigated the effect
of shorter daily sleep with food intake,
confirming what many suspected
people who stay awake longer tend to
be sedentary during those additional
waking hours and increase their food
intake by snacking. Look at the question from a personal perspective
late-night study sessions require pizza
and Mountain Dew ; Left 4 Dead

gamers down energy drinks and chips
while waiting to be re-spawn; dates
and parties take place over dinner,
drinks and hors doeuvres; movie
marathons require popcorn and Good
& Plenty candy.
Anecdotal rumors of culture-wide,
dark-dependent gluttony do not constitute scientific evidence; thus, Dr.
Nedeltcheva and colleagues at the
164 MD
University of Chicago recruited 11

non-obese subjects who agreed to be
followed in a controlled environment
for 14 days on two separate occasions,
in a study published in the American
15
Journal of Clinical Nutrition. These
five women and six men were healthy,
normal individuals who were not
actively trying to lose weight and did
not exercise. During the study periods,
they were allowed to follow a normal
routine, including normal leisure activities such as watching television, reading, using the Internet, etc; access to
food was unlimited. They were not
allowed to leave the observation area
for more than 30 minutes a day. Prior
to each two-week vacation, scientists
measured 24-hour energy expenditure, total calories consumed (divided
into meals and snacks), and the
appetite-regulating hormones leptin
and ghrelin.
Sleep deprivation does

not just increase risks
associated with obesity,
but it also increases the
risk of obesity. Several
studies have associated
sleep deprivation with
obesity, as well as the
Metabolic Syndrome,
which includes negative
changes to cardiovascular health and insulin
sensitivity, and changes
in hormones that promote fat storage.
The study periods differed only in
the number of hours of sleep allowed
to the subjects; no naps were allowed
at any time. During one session, subjects slept 8 hours daily for the 14
days; during the second, they only
slept 5 hours per day. Surprisingly,
there was not much difference in the
total energy expenditure when these
subjects were awake 3 hours more.
Considering that the activity options
were limited to normal, couch-potato
activities, this shows that there is not a
lot of difference metabolically between
sitting on the couch versus sleeping.
The appetite-regulating hormones,
leptin and ghrelin, were similar
between the groups as well. Of
course, there was no calorie-restric-
www.storemags.com
tion, so the subjects never experienced periods of hunger or starvation

during this time.
The subjects were not provided
with diet guidelines; they ate what
they wanted and were provided with
snacks of their choice throughout the
study. As might be expected, with no
restrictions and little to focus on, the
subjects ate plenty. On average, the
amount consumed during the three
meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
was similar during the two study periods. The macronutrient profile of the
meals was typical American fare, with
an approximate 52:34:14 ratio of carbohydrate:protein:fat by calories. The
primary difference seen between the
sleep-deprived state and sleep-aplenty
state was in calories consumed as
snacks. When restricted to 5 hours of
sleep daily, subjects consumed significantly more calories during snack time
and tended to increase carbohydrate
content of these snacks. Most importantly, the biggest difference was seen
in snacking occurred between 7 p.m.
15
and 7 a.m. It is believed that access
to and temptation of snacks is a deciding factor in dieting success.
All subjects consumed in excess of
the number of calories expended, eating more than 1,000 calories in excess
every day when rested (1,012 calories
during the 8 sleep daily period).
When sleep was restricted to 5
hours for 14 days, 1,173 calories were
consumed in excess. Those numbers
(calories in excess) were calculated by
measuring the food intake and subtracting the measured daily energy
expenditure, so the number is as accurate as possible. Thus, when 2-3 hours
of sleep deficit occurred, subjects consumed more food that resulted in an
additional 161 calories per day; 161
calories above a baseline that was
already over 1,000 calories in excess.
Lost Sleep
is Lost Muscle
The question that logically follows
is: did the additional calorie burden
result in weight gain, or more importantly, fat gain? The subjects underwent both regular weigh-ins and DXA
scans to measure body composition.
Not surprisingly, subjects gained a
similar amount of weight during both
fatattack
periods, approximately 2 kg; this follows the study design of sedentary
conditions supplemented with freely
available food.
Though the results were not significant, there was a noticeable trend in
the character of that weight gained.
During the 8 hour sleep period, subjects gained (on average) 2.1 kg with
1.5 kg being fat 71 percent. When
restricted to 5 hours of sleep, 1.9 kg
weight gain was recorded, with 1.7 kg
arising from fat gain almost 90 percent. The authors did not comment on
this observation, but it appears to suggest that the stress of losing sleep is
catabolic to lean mass (muscle). Given
that the subjects consumed a similar
amount of protein, the sleep-deprived
conditions included a greater amount
of calories, and the consumption of
more carbohydrates would maintain a
higher insulin concentration, one
would expect that muscle would be
better preserved and the sleepdeprived conditions would lead to
equivalent changes in body composition, if not a preference to lean mass
gains. Instead, the opposite was seen.
Another explanation may be that adequate sleep promotes anabolic
processes, allowing muscle to be
maintained or increased when adequate rest is obtained.
It is likely no coincidence that as
sleep hours have decreased societywide, Americans have become fat and
are developing metabolic conditions
that are threatening the stability of the
national health system. An impressive
body of evidence is being reported,
associating the loss of sleep with a
number of health risks. Yet, people still
burn the midnight oil, determined to
squeeze the last bit of productivity or
enjoyment out of each day if it kills
16
them. Guess what? It might. Dont
sleep in though too much sleep can
be just as bad for you. For all the people who are attempting to lose weight
to attract Mr. Right or Ms. Sweetheart,
those late nights are taking a toll, not
just on ones health and lifespan, but
also on the ability to be a hard body.
Grabbing a good nights sleep regularly is vital to promoting optimal weight
management. Perhaps more relevant
to the man or woman working to
improve his/her physique is the nega-
000 MD
www.storemags.com
tive impact those extra hours have on

fat gain. Slip between the sheets for
your daily eight and if conditions
require you to stay awake longer, put
away the snacks.
References:
1. DeSantis AD, Webb EM, et al. Illicit use of
prescription ADHD medications on a college
campus: a multimethodological approach. J
Am Coll Health, 2008 Nov-Dec;57(3):315-24.
2. Kumar R. Approved and investigational
uses of modafinil : an evidence-based review.
Drugs, 2008;68(13):1803-39.
3. Jay SM, Petrilli RM, et al. The suitability
of a caffeinated energy drink for night-shift
workers. Physiol Behav, 2006 May
30;87(5):925-31.
4. Dworak M, Schierl T, et al. Impact of singular excessive computer game and television
exposure on sleep patterns and memory performance of school-aged children. Pediatrics,
2007 Nov;120(5):978-85.
5. Hunter LP, Rychnovsky JD, et al. A selective review of maternal sleep characteristics in
the postpartum period. J Obstet Gynecol
Neonatal Nurs, 2009 Jan-Feb;38(1):60-8.
6. Spiegel K, Leproult R, et al. Impact of
sleep debt on metabolic and endocrine function. Lancet, 1999;354:1435-9.
7. Kahol K, Leyba MJ, et al. Effect of fatigue
on psychomotor and cognitive skills. Am J
Surg, 2008 Feb;195(2):195-204.
8. Samuels C. Sleep, recovery, and performance: the new frontier in high-performance athletics. Neurol Clin, 2008 Feb;26(1):16980; ix-x.
9. Mullington JM, Haack M, et al.
Cardiovascular, inflammatory, and metabolic
consequences of sleep deprivation. Prog
Cardiovasc Dis, 2009 Jan-Feb;51(4):294-302.
10. Janszky I, Ljung R. Shifts to and from
Daylight Saving Time and Incidence of
Myocardial Infarction. N Engl J Med,
2008;359(18):1966-68.
11. Good D, Morse SA, et al. Obesity,
hypertension, and the heart. J Cardiometab
Syndr, 2008 Summer;3(3):168-72.
12. Miller MA, Cappuccio FP. Inflammation,
sleep, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Curr
Vasc Pharmacol, 2007 Apr;5(2):93-102.
13. Wilbert C. Sleep Deprivation Linked to
Prediabetes. WebMD 2009 March 12. Available
http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20090312/sle
ep-deprivation-linked-to-prediabetes, accessed
March 15, 2009.
14. Schenck CH, Mahowald MW. Review of
nocturnal sleep-related eating disorders. Int J
Eat Disord, 1994 May;15(4):343-56.
15. Nedeltcheva AV, Kilkus JM, et al. Sleep
curtailment is accompanied by increased
intake of calories from snacks. Am J Clin Nutr,
2009 Jan;89(1):126-33.
16. Ferrie JE, Shipley MJ, et al. A prospective study of change in sleep duration: associations with mortality in the Whitehall II cohort.
Sleep, 2007 Dec 1;30(12):1659-66.
MuscleGrowth
Update
By Robbie Durand, M.A.
FOR MUSCLE
HYPERTROPHY
he term tempo is used to
define the speed of movement of weight-training
exercises. More specifically, it is the
rate of movement of the weight or
limb involved in any strength-training exercise. Most bodybuilders
might change their exercise
selection, sets, reps and rest
periods, but the one variable
that has been largely overlooked and which may significantly impact training
results is the tempo or speed
at which the exercise is performed.
For years, the standard repetition speed has been to lift up or
concentrically in 2 seconds and
lower the weight eccentrically in 4
seconds in a slow, controlled manner for optimal muscle mass. Some
top trainers have even taken this
type of training a step further and
developed SuperSlow training. The
interesting fact is that there is no
research to validate that this tempo
is the optimal pace for increasing
muscle hypertrophy.
According to a study published
in the European Journal of Applied
Physiology, lowering the weight
slowly may not be the best way to
increase muscle mass and strength.
In the study, male and female subjects were assigned to train for 10
weeks using either slow- or fastvelocity eccentric training while
lowering the weight. At the end of
170 MD
the study, the group who trained with

fast eccentric contractions had the
greatest increase in muscle hypertrophy. Muscle hypertrophy of the type
IIB fibers (fast-twitch fibers) increased
from 6 percent to 13 percent in those
subjects. The slow group did not
1
experience any gain in muscle mass.
This was not the only study to
show that training with fast eccentric
contractions is best for increasing
muscle mass. In a follow-up study by
the same research group,
researchers compared fast and slow
training in a group of 12 untrained
men who exercised both arms, three
days per week for eight weeks. The
men trained one arm using a fast
velocity, while they did the same
number of repetitions for the other
arm at a slow velocity. At the end of
the study, type I muscle fibers (slowtwitch, aerobic fibers) increased in
size by an average of 9 percent, with
no significant difference between fast
or slow training. The change in fiber
area after training for the type II
fibers was greater in the fast-trained
versus the slow-trained arm. In addition to greater increases in type IIB
fibers, the fast eccentric contractions
group increased strength more than
2
the slow contractions group. These
studies demonstrate that lifting
explosively can enhance the recruitment of type II muscle fibers, which
are more prone to muscle hypertrophy. What about explosive lifting,
concentrically?
www.storemags.com
June 2009
MuscleGrowthUpdate
New Study: Explosive
Weightlifting Induces
Muscle Hypertrophy
Greater Than Traditional
Weightlifting
Researchers from Brazil conducted
a new study that should raise awareness that bodybuilders need to incorporate some explosive lifting into their
routine. Researchers took two groups
of men and had them perform all exercises with an equal work output. The
exercises were performed with rest
intervals of 90 seconds between sets.
The men were divided into a fast,
explosive concentric group with a normal eccentric phase, or traditional
weight training with 2-3 seconds up
and the weight lowered in 2-3 seconds. The explosive group performed all exercises moving the
weights as fast as possible in the
concentric phase, and took 2-3
seconds to complete the eccentric
phase. The concentric action was performed in approximately 1 second. The
traditional weight-training group spent
2-3 seconds in the concentric phase
involved the same resistance training

exercises with an equal work output,
and the only difference between the
two methods was the speed at which
the exercises were performed. It was
demonstrated that a high-velocity
power training program appears
to be more effective in improving
muscular hypertrophy than tradi13
tional resistance training. This
seems to contradict the current practice of many trainers, especially bodybuilders, who typically employ lowvelocity contractions in their training.
Why Lift Fast And

Explosive for Muscle
Hypertrophy?
In order to induce hypertrophy,
either the exercise intensity or volume must be increased. Most bodybuilders perform enough sets, but
may have difficulty increasing training intensity to make additional gains
in strength and size. Since the
amount of weight cannot be
increased, an alternative to increasing
the intensity must be implemented.
The amount of force you generate during

weightlifting can be increased by lifting more
weight or lifting the same amount of weight
at a faster speed. If you are performing the
same number of reps with the same amount
of weight but lifting with more acceleration,
you are producing more force.
and 2-3 seconds in the eccentric
phase. Here are the results of the
study after 10 weeks of training:
Strength:Training-induced gains in
strength were similar between groups;
however, explosive lifting induced
significantly greater development
in muscle power.
Muscle Size: Explosive lifting was
more effective than traditional weight
training for increasing muscle size.
Both training regimens led to significant increase in arm muscle thickness;
however, the results obtained by
the explosive lifting group were
greater than traditional weight
training. Additionally, only explosive lifting was effective for
improving leg muscle size.
The protocols used in the study
172 MD
Moving the weight at a higher

speed implies using more power, and
more power translates directly to a
higher intensity. Speed training provides an alternative path to the progressive resistance principle, which
states that in order to induce muscle
hypertrophy, one has to constantly
keep increasing the weight used.
Muscle hypertrophy is defined as an
increase in muscle mass that is related to two factors: the amount of
workload employed and the tension
developed during muscle
3
contraction. Most bodybuilders focus
mainly on workload or the amount of
sets utilized during their training routine to increase muscle hypertrophy,
seldom changing repetition speed.
Speed training may develop motor
unit recruitment patterns different

from traditional weight training, thus
potentiating better gains with subsequent regular training cycles.
According to world-renowned
strength coach Dr. Verkhoshansky, the
tempo of resistance exercise has a significant effect on the development of
muscular strength (because of fasttwitch fiber enhancement). Dr.
Verkhoshansky reported that a combination of different movement tempos
produce superior gains in strength,
compared to a set tempo. In that 10week study, men who trained with a
combination of tempos produced a 48pound increase in strength, but using
a standard tempo pace only resulted
4
in a 36-pound increase in strength.
The results of the study demonstrate
the importance of changing repetition
speed during a training cycle.
The amount of weight lifted
depends on the laws of physics.
Simply, FORCE = MASS X ACCELERATION. This means the amount of
force you generate during weightlifting can be increased by lifting more
weight or lifting the same amount of
weight at a faster speed. If you are
performing the same number of reps
with the same amount of weight but
lifting with more acceleration, you
are producing more force and this
means larger central nervous system
activation. This is not a new concept.
A study in 1954 by Bigland-Ritchie
and Lippold demonstrated that the
faster a weight is accelerated through
a lift, the more nervous system acti5
vation is required for the movement.
The more motor units or muscle
fibers that are activated in a repetition, the greater the activation in the
central nervous system. This represents an increase in training intensity.
During muscle contraction, motor
units or muscle fibers are recruited in
relation to the force generated by the
muscle. For example, during slow
muscle contractions, type I fibers are
recruited, but as workload increases,
more type IIA and finally, IIB fibers are
recruited. This is a basic tenet of motor
unit recruitment. What is unique about
eccentric contractions is there some
evidence that the size principle could
be altered or even reversed during cer-
www.storemags.com
June 2009
MuscleGrowthUpdate
tain types of movements specifically
those that contain an eccentric (muscle-lengthening) component such
that fast-twitch motor units are recruited before slow-twitch motor units. It is
possible that a preferential recruitment
of fast-twitch motor units is influenced
by the speed of the eccentric contraction, and can only occur using moderate to fast speeds.
When examining the potential for
hypertrophy between muscle fibers
(i.e., slow type I and fast type II), there
are differences. In general, type IIB
muscle fibers have the greatest potential for muscle hypertrophy, yet are the
last fibers recruited during a lift. This is
a basic flaw in the SuperSlow training
principles. With low force or slow activities, type I fibers are activated first and
as the exercise becomes more fatiguing, type IIA and then type IIB fibers
are recruited later. When using fast
explosive exercises, faster-twitch motor
units are activated and more hypertrophy can occur. Hypertrophy will only
occur in those muscle fibers that are
overloaded, so that fast-twitch fibers
must be recruited during training for
6
hypertrophy to occur.
Most bodybuilders do not train
explosively and can benefit from
incorporating explosive multi-component plyometric or speed resistance
movements into their training regimen. For example, most bodybuilders
experience increases in type IIA fibers
during resistance training studies,
7
with no changes in type IIB fibers.
This may be partially due to using
high-volume (i.e., 5-8 sets) and highrepetition (i.e., 10-15 reps) training.
However, incorporating plyometrics
and other explosive lifts may cause
additional muscle growth of IIB fibers.
There have been numerous studies
that have documented increases in
type IIB fibers after explosive weight
8, 9
10, 11
training and plyometrics. When
male subjects performed plyometric
training for three days a week for
eight weeks, this resulted in significant increases in type IIB fiber hypertrophy and peak power production.
The plyometric training consisted of
vertical jumping, bounding, and depth
12
jumping.
Type IIB fibers are utilized during
174 MD
high force-generating movements. Just

remember, at any given speed, the
force production of the muscle increases with the percentage of fast-twitch
fibers and, conversely, at any given
force output, the velocity increases
with the percentage of fast-twitch
fibers. For example, look at the thighs
of 100-meter sprinters compared to
distance runners. World-class sprinters
have legs that would make some
bodybuilders jealous. Sprinters train
fast and explosively, utilizing a lot of
type IIA and type IIB fibers during training, compared to distance runners
who rely mainly on type I fibers.
Sprinters train in the gym the way they
run fast and explosive.
A typical sprinter trains with explosive squatting, lots of plyometric
jumps, and bounding exercises.
Training specificity states that you
should weight train like you perform in
your competitions. For example, basketball players were assigned to either
train with traditional weight training or
traditional weight training plus explosive, eccentric plyometrics for six
weeks. While both groups had increases in their vertical jump at the end of
the study, the group that trained with
weight training and plyometrics
increased their mean overall vertical
jump by 8 percent. Thus, high-force
eccentric training can possibly increase
gains and muscle power by increasing
muscle size.
In conclusion, many bodybuilders
and fitness-oriented athletes would
benefit from adding a few explosive
exercises such as plyometrics to their
training regimen. In competitive athletics, when all other factors are equal,
power is the deciding factor between
winning and losing. The ability to generate concentric and eccentric force
over a range of contraction velocities is
often a critical determinant of athletic
success. For years, weight training was
considered to slow an athlete down
and make him inflexible. Fifteen years
ago, the University of Nebraska started
training their football team using only
explosive Olympic lifts and squats.
Performing explosive lifts such as
power cleans, jump squats, and depth
jumps recruits entirely fast-twitch
motor units. The training effect pro-
duced a stronger, faster and more

mobile athlete and a winning record.
Now, virtually all football teams incorporate Olympic lifts for explosive
strength and power. Incorporating
these movements into your training
routine will increase size and strength
beyond traditional weight training.
References:
1. Paddon-Jones D, Leveritt M, Lonergan A,
Abernethy P. Adaptation to chronic eccentric
exercise in humans: the influence of contraction velocity. Eur J Appl Physiol, 2001
Sep;85(5):466-71.
2. Farthing JP, Chilibeck PD. The effect of
eccentric training at different velocities on
cross-education. Eur J Appl Physiol, 2003
Aug;89(6):570-7.
3. Glass DJ. Skeletal muscle hypertrophy
and atrophy signaling pathways. Int J Biochem
Cell Biol, 2005 Oct;37(10):1974-84.
4. Verkhoshanskii IuV, Biru AA. Patterns in
the long-term body adaptation of the athlete to
physical loads] Fiziol Cheloveka, 1987 SepOct;13(5):811-8.
5. Bigland-Ritchie B./Lippold O. 1954 The
Relation Between Force, Velocity, and Integrated
Electrical Activity in Human Muscles. J
Physiol,123, 214-224.
6. Shoepe TC, Stelzer JE, Garner DP, Widrick
JJ. Functional adaptability of muscle fibers to
long-term resistance exercise. Med Sci Sports
Exerc, 2003 Jun;35(6):944-51.
7. Jurimae J, Abernethy PJ, Quigley BM,
Blake K, McEniery MT. Differences in muscle
contractile characteristics among bodybuilders,
endurance trainers and control subjects. Eur J
Appl Physiol Occup Physiol, 1997;75(4):357-62.
8. Hakkinen K, Pakarinen A, Kraemer WJ,
Hakkinen A, Valkeinen H, Alen M. Selective
muscle hypertrophy, changes in EMG and
force, and serum hormones during strength
training in older women. J Appl Physiol, 2001
Aug;91(2):569-80.
9. Hakkinen K, Kraemer WJ, Newton RU,
Alen M. Changes in electromyographic activity,
muscle fibre and force production characteristics during heavy resistance/power strength
training in middle-aged and older men and
women. Acta Physiol Scand, 2001
Jan;171(1):51-62.
10. LaStayo PC, Woolf JM, Lewek MD,
Snyder-Mackler L, Reich T, Lindstedt SL.
Eccentric muscle contractions: their contribution to injury, prevention, rehabilitation, and
sport. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther, 2003
Oct;33(10):557-71.
11. Lindstedt SL, Reich TE, Keim P, LaStayo
PC. Do muscles function as adaptable locomotor springs? J Exp Biol, 2002 Aug;205(Pt
15):2211-6.
12. Potteiger JA, Lockwood RH, Haub MD,
Dolezal BA, Almuzaini KS, Schroeder JM,
Zebas CJ. Muscle Power and Fiber
Characteristics Following 8 Weeks of Plyometric
Training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning
Research, Volume 13, Number 3, 275-279, 1999.
13. Nogueira W, Gentil P, Mello SN, Oliveira
RJ, Bezerra AJ, Bottaro M. Effects of power
training on muscle thickness of older men. Int J
Sports Med, 2009 Mar;30(3):200-4.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
Supplement
Performance
Cause Muscle Cramps

or Overheating!
D
ont take creatine your kidneys will explode! Even

worse, your muscles will
cramp up and contort your body
like some person getting electrocuted, and you can overheat and
go into a coma! We have all
heard the rumors that creatine
causes you to cramp during exercise, and some have speculated
that creatine can lead to overheating. Athletes have used creatine supplementation for nearly
20 years, but speculation remains
regarding its efficacy, as well as
its potential side effects.
Headlines were being flashed
all over the newspapers that creatine was linked to several deaths;
but the newspapers failed to
mention that the deaths from the
autopsy reported that the cause
of death was from exertional heat stroke, not crea1
tine. Aside from the aforementioned media reports on creatine, most anecdotal reports of side effects have described
muscle cramping or gastrointestinal distress. However,
research studies never substantiated this.
ry or hydration variables,
including body temperature
regulation, percentage of
dehydration, urinary hydration measures, plasma volume, or sweat losses. The
amount of creatine consumed
was similar among trials (20-25
grams), whereas the supplementation duration varied (five to 28
days). Despite variations in
dosages, the results of the 10
studies were similar with regard
to changes in body mass and
2
body temperature.
No substantial evidence exists
demonstrating that creatine supplementation hinders the bodys
ability to dissipate heat or body
fluid balance when appropriate
doses are consumed. Controlled,
experimental trials of athletes
exercising in the heat over a short period of time resulted in
no adverse effects from creatine supplementation. So bodybuilders can now rest knowing that good science has put
another supplementation rumor to rest.
References:
Creatine Does Not Cause

Muscle Cramps!
Researchers from the University of Connecticut performed a meta-analysis of all the studies investigating creatine supplementation. Despite anecdotal reports of creatines side effects in athletes exercising in the heat, none of
the 10 studies showed detriments in thermoregulato-
176 MD
1. Terjung RL, Clarkson P, Eichner ER, et al. American College of

Sports Medicine roundtable: the physiological and health effects of oral
creatine supplementation. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2000;32(3): 706-717.
2. Lopez RM, Casa DJ, McDermott BP, Ganio MS, Armstrong LE,
Maresh CM. Does creatine supplementation hinder exercise heat tolerance or hydration status? A systematic review with meta-analyses. J Athl
Train, 2009 Mar-Apr;44(2):215-23.
www.storemags.com
nutrition
performance
CASEIN OR WHEY
PROTEIN:
Which Protein Is Best
for Long-Term Fat Loss?
An
effective approach to weight

loss is to increase dietary protein or lower the ratio of carbohydrate to protein in the diet. A low carbohydrate-to-protein ratio (<2) with greater
than 100 grams of protein per day in the
form of meat, eggs, cheese, milk and nuts
has been shown to increase fat loss and
1-3
retain lean muscle during dieting.
Different protein (whey and casein) has
different physiological effects on the body.
Fast proteins, such as whey protein, are
soluble, whereas slow proteins, such as
casein, clot in the stomach. Slow proteins
can delay gastric emptying and result in
lower but more sustained plasma amino
acid elevations after ingestion, which may
be associated with differences in hormonal and thermogenic responses.
On the basis of their absorption pattern, dietary proteins can be divided into
fast and slow digestible proteins. For
example, whey proteins modulate several
hormones that influence body composition. Acute ingestion of whey protein has
been shown to significantly lower hyperinsulinemia (less lipogenesis less fat-storage potential), lower cortisol levels (lean
muscle preservation) and increase ghrelin
release (satiety enhancement).
Based on acute studies, whey protein
seemed superior to casein for weight loss.
Two human studies conducted at the
University of Surrey in England compared
the acute effects of whey and casein
(another milk-based protein) on appetite
and satiety-related hormones, including
cholecystokinin. In the first study, partici-
178 MD
pants consumed a liquid meal containing

equivalent amounts of either whey or
casein. Ninety minutes later, both groups
were allowed to eat freely at a buffet. The
whey group consumed significantly fewer
calories. Compared to the casein drink,
the whey beverage produced a 28 percent
increase in plasma amino acid concentrations over 3 hours, and a 60-65 percent
increase in two hormones associated with
satiety, cholecystokinin and glucagon-like
peptide-1. The whey group also reported a
greater sense of fullness and satisfaction
4
than the casein group. Whey protein may
be superior to casein for weight loss; however, long-term studies comparing the two
have yet to be examined.
Whey Versus
Casein Over 12
Weeks: Which Is
Better?
Researchers from the Netherlands
compared the effects of different types of
protein (whey and casein) on weight loss.
Forty-eight subjects consumed protein
during an energy restriction period of five
to six weeks, followed by a weight maintenance period of 12 weeks. During weight
maintenance, subjects were assigned to a
high-protein casein group or a high-protein whey group. Each group consumed 50
grams of protein daily two doses a day
(25 grams total) of protein, either casein or
whey. The subjects were instructed to
maintain their normal daily activities while
adhering to their diet. At the end of the 12
weeks, there was no difference in weight
loss or change in hip circumference

between the casein and whey groups. The
only physiological difference was
improvement in LDL/HDL ratio for the
casein-protein group.
Differences in protein blends need to
be examined further to determine if different whey proteins (isolate, hydrosylate,
etc.) have different effects on weight loss.
Many of the positive studies examining the
effect of whey protein have been acute
studies, but this study found that longterm, there is no difference between
casein and whey protein for long-term
weight loss. High-protein diets have long
been shown to enhance weight loss, but it
may not matter whether its a fast- or
slow-digesting protein. Based on the
study, both proteins worked equally for
weight loss. Further studies need to examine different types of whey protein and
their relation to weight loss.
References:
1. Layman DK, Boileau RA, Erickson DJ, Painter JE, Shiue H,
Sather C, Christou DD: A reduced ratio of dietary carbohydrate to
protein improves body composition and blood lipid profiles during
weight loss in adult women. J Nutr, 2003, 133:411-417.
2. Layman DK, Baum JI: Dietary protein impact on glycemic
control during weight loss. J Nutr, 2004, 134:968S-73S.
3. Noakes M, Keogh JB, Foster PR, Clifton PM: Effect of an
energy-restricted, high-protein, low-fat diet relative to a conventional high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet on weight loss, body composition, nutritional status, and markers of cardiovascular health
in obese women. Am J Clin Nutr, 2005, 81:1298-1306.
4. Hall WL, Millward DJ, Long SJ, Morgan LM. Casein and
whey exert different effects on plasma amino acid profiles, gastrointestinal hormone secretion and appetite. Br Nutr, 2003
Feb;89(2):239-48.
5. Claessens M, van Baak MA, Monsheimer S, Saris WH.
The effect of a low-fat, high-protein or high-carbohydrate ad libitum diet on weight loss maintenance and metabolic risk factors.
Int J Obes, (Lond), 2009.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
Sports Supplement
Product Review
MuscleMeds: eNOXIDE
ased on the latest research,

L-Arginine is not the best way to
increase nitric oxide. If you have
read the Supplement Performance
section of MD, you will realize that a
major university study reported that
L-Arginine administered to healthy
young adults failed to increase nitric
oxide and was no better than a place1
bo. So why have bodybuilders been
using L-Arginine for all these years,
expecting to get better pumps?
When the research is examined
closely, previously published trials
have suggested that oral L-Arginine
supplementation affects vascular
function in high cholesterol individu5
als, patients with coronary artery dis2
3
ease, healthy elderly individuals,
and healthy young individuals who
4
smoke. Additionally, a study published in the American Journal
Clinical Nutrition reported (metaanalysis: 12 studies, 492 participants)
that individuals with apparently
impaired endothelial function
(low baseline FMD) are likely
to benefit from short-term
oral L-Arginine intake.This
beneficial effect seems not to be
dose-dependent when the dose
of L-Arginine ranges from 3 to 24
g/d. However, its long-term effec6
tiveness and safety is not clear.
This means taking L-Arginine is
not the way to go for getting better pumps!
is perhaps the sports industrys most

effective and potent nitric oxide formula for all of your pre-workout
needs. eNOXIDE belongs to a new
class of endothelial vasodilation compounds called Exogenous Nitric
Oxide Molecules (ENOMS), which is a
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180 MD
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Sports Supplement Product Review

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1. Fahs CA, Heffernan KS, Fernhall B. Hemodynamic and

Vascular Response to Resistance Exercise with l-Arginine. Med Sci
Sports Exerc, 2009 Mar 7.
2. Adams, MR, McCredie, R, Jessup, W, Robinson, J, Sullivan, D
& Celermajer, DS. Oral L-arginine improves endothelium-dependent
dilatation and reduces monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells in
young men with coronary artery disease. Atherosclerosis,
1997;129:261-9.
3. Bode-Bger, SM, Muke, J, Surdacki, A, Brabant, G, Bger, RH
& Frlich, JC. Oral L-arginine improves endothelial function in
healthy individuals older than 70 years. Vasc Med, 2003;8:77-81.
4. Siasos, G, Tousoulis, D, Vlachopoulos, C, et al. Short-term
treatment with L-arginine prevents the smoking-induced impairment
of endothelial function and vascular elastic properties in young individuals. Int J Cardiol, 2008;126:394-9.
5. Clarkson, P, Adams, MR, Powel, AJ, et al. Oral L-arginine
improves endothelium-dependent dilation in hypercholesterolemic
young adults. J Clin Invest, 1996;97:1989-94.
6. Bai Y, Sun L, Yang T, Sun K, Chen J, Hui R. Increase in fasting
vascular endothelial function after short-term oral L-arginine is effective when baseline flow-mediated dilation is low: a meta-analysis of
randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr, 2009 Jan;89(1):77-84.
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2009
ARNOLD
CLASSIC:
TEAM MD
TROPHY
WINNER!
SPEAKING
WITH
KAI GREENE
By Flex Wheeler, Photography by Per Bernal
I am always proud to be a member of Team MD,
but I felt an extra swell of pride when Kai Greene
won this years Arnold Classic. Kai had traveled his
own bumpy road to get here, and when you realize
that he had hernia surgery in 2008, which forced him
to sit out last years Mr. Olympia as a result, it starts
to dawn on you just how inspirational this achievement is. Some athletes never even return to competition after getting hurt, yet Kai dominated the secondtoughest physique contest on the planet. I spoke to
Kai to get his feelings about the show, what it meant
to him, and where he goes from here.
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MD 189
FW: First of all Kai,

Congratulations! I am so happy
for you. I know this is a silly
question, but how did it feel
the moment Lonnie Teper
announced your name
as the winner of the
21st annual Arnold
Classic?
KG: Prior to that
actually happening, my
mentor Oscar and I had
spent considerable time creating that moment and visualizing it
over and over. I meditated on that win a lot.
But the reality is that when the moment actually arrived, it was hard to process my emotions.
It still is right now, almost two weeks later.
A lot of times people see someone win
something like this and they take it for granted. They say things like hes genetically gifted,
he has a big sponsor, he has someone to cook
his food for him. What they dont talk about
and fail to see are all the tough times and sacrifice that led up to the win. And truth be told,
I think that stage was full of winners. I dont
mean that in the usual clichd manner that we
all worked hard and looked great. What I
mean is that by losing, each of the other athletes was given a blueprint for how not to win
that he could avoid in the future. Every perceived failure is essentially an opportunity to
learn a lesson that will contribute to future
success. My own success is owed in large
part to implementing many of those lessons that I learned over the years.
FW: Was it difficult to remain composed while Arnold started interviewing
you live onstage?
KG: In a way it was, because I was overwhelmed with two feelings; exhaustion
and relief. If you have ever really studied the face of a man who is crossing
the line of a triathlon, you would
have a glimpse into what was going
on inside my head. The hardest part
was over, the goal had been reached
and the dream was made into reality. To have a meaningful conversation with Arnold Schwarzenegger
under those circumstances took a
great deal of focus to stay in the
moment.
FW: How would you compare the way you looked
here to the package you
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had at last years Arnold, and later the New

York Pro?
KG: Better. I had put on a lot of quality muscle,
even though many said I was most likely maxed
out and incapable of doing so. I also made a concentrated effort to put a posing routine together
that was not only fresh, original, and entertaining,
but also allowed me to truly display my physique
to its best advantage. Feedback I had based on
previous routines led me to believe that once I
added that extra level, I would be one step closer
to making my routine something everyone would
appreciate.
FW: Considering you won Best Poser
and Arnold himself called you the best
poser he has ever seen, I would say
you succeeded in that. Now Kai,
there were a lot of rumors going
around about you. First we had the
one where you passed out at Golds
Venice, then we kept hearing that
you were way behind in your condition. I almost expected to see you
smooth at the show and place seventh or
eighth. Finally, another magazine actually
reported online the night before that you had
dropped out. Why do you think there was so
much crap being talked about you?
KG: To be totally honest with you Flex, I wasnt
even aware of most of these rumors. My focus
was directed on my preparation for the contest,
and nothing else existed for me those last few
weeks. The people starting and spreading these
rumors were so out of the loop with what was
really going on with me that I chuckle about it now.
I think I inspire these people to talk because I am
the master of my own reality.
Most people are anchored in mediocrity and
have very limited vision to imagine being anything
greater or better than what they already are. They
only see whats right in front of them. So when
they see a man with passion and vision, it threatens them. Hence the rumors and the negative gossip, nothing more than a futile attempt to bring me
down to their level.
FW: You are one seriously deep brother,
Kai. Steve told me how Oscar Ardon is much
more than a trainer and coach. He says Oscar
actually cooked all your meals, and even had
you listening to motivational tapes. How critical is it to have someone like that in your
corner when you are up against such tough
competition?
KG: Its absolutely essential, in my mind. Oscar
is not my coach or my trainer. Thats why I refer to
him as my mentor. A coach is someone who takes
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MD 191
you through a workout, then pats you on the back

and sends you on your merry way, leaving you to
your own devices. People focus on the training and
the diet and this and that, but its what goes on in
your mind, the conversations you have with yourself and the emotions that you choose to feel that
really make the key difference.
I am very fortunate to be able to work with
Oscar. Hes been instrumental in my going from the
back of the pack to where I am now in just a couple
brief years. No man is an island, and trying to do
everything on your own is a poor strategy. Im privileged to say that this victory is in large part a
result of recognizing that before it was too late.
FW: That leads me to ask the million-dollar question as it pertains to Oscar and
Charles. If it wasnt broke, meaning you
had done so well with Oscar over the past
few years, why did you try and fix it?
KG: All I will say is that there were moments
of uncertainty and hours of despair and at the
time I thought a change was best. Only when I
had spent some time out west did I realize that
what I really needed to be my best was at home
in New York all along.
FW: You qualified for the Mr. Olympia in
2007 but didnt do it. Then in 2009 you qualified again but had to have your hernia taken
care of. Now, you are once again qualified
and will be entering your first Olympia as the
reigning Arnold Classic Champion, which is a
heck of a way to do it. Do you feel that this
is one of those cases of everything happening
for a reason, as you definitely wouldnt be
going into those other two Olympias with the
clout you have this time?
KG: Flex, I know you are looking for a dissertation on how I plan to be this weight, improve this
body part, and end it all with a confident prediction
that I will be my best ever and hope to win. But I
have to be honest with you; I just got home today
from Australia, where I competed for the first time
abroad as a pro and won. Before that I was in L.A.
for photo shoots, before that I was in Ohio, and I
had been going back and forth between L.A. and
Brooklyn for a few months before all that.
I havent even called up my biological brother to
tell him about all this yet. I havent even had a
good meal without worrying about being asked to
do another photo shoot the next day yet. I have
dozens if not hundreds of e-mails and phone calls
to answer, I have to meet with an accountant about
doing my taxes all Im trying to say is that right
now, the Olympia is not even in my mind at all.
FW: OK, thats fair enough. Im sure well
be talking about it eventually. I guess I will
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just ask if there are any people you

need to thank or acknowledge
before I let you go?
KG: Of course I want to thank
Steve Blechman, Gerard Dente,
and Oscar Ardon. And I also want
to take this opportunity to thank
Charles Glass for the time we
worked together. There is still
some water under the bridge
that I need to resolve with
Charles from my time in L.A.,
but I want to let everyone know
that I do regard him as contributing
toward my win at the Arnold. Charles was nothing but helpful and a gentleman, and I want to
express my gratitude toward and respect for him.
If any of my actions during the final crunch time
caused anyone to assume anything negative about
Charles or his services, I am truly sorry. My returning home to New York and Oscar should not be
construed as having any reflection on Charles,
whom I consider one of the greatest trainers alive
today. Other people out in L.A. were also helpful
and supportive, such as Will Harris, Danny Hester,
Dave Bourlet of Max Muscle Venice, and the desk
staff and management at Golds Gym.
FW: Good enough bro, and
Congratulations again. The win wont really
hit you for another couple weeks.
KG: Thats what Ive heard!
Kai On His Second MD Cover

Just before this issue was sent off to the printer,
Steve Blechman had creative director Alan Dittrich
e-mail the cover to Kai. Kai had a pretty good idea
he would be appearing on the cover of the June
MD; but once he got a look at this iconic white and
silver masterpiece, Greene felt as if the prizes from
his Arnold Classic win were still coming in.
Per Bernal is such a master at light and how to
interpret light and shadow that he can even cause
me to wonder is that really me Im looking at?
The shot was taken shortly after the conclusion
of prejudging in the studio Per had set up back at
the hotel, and in it Kai is hitting what has become
his signature pose: the single hand on hip most
muscular. The pose displays his unique combination of mass, deep muscle separations, shape, and
clear striations. Its safe to say that Kai owns this
particular pose, and its also possible that this may
be one of the most memorable MD covers ever.
I am honored to be on this cover and I
want to thank Steve Blechman from the bottom
of my heart.
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MD 195
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KAI GREENES
MUSCLEMEDS
SUPPLEMENT
STACK
Arimatest: Sublingual
Anti-aromatase and
Testosterone Booster.
1 tablet in the morning
and 1 tablet in the afternoon.
eNOXIDE: New Nitric
Oxide Super Molecule.
2 sublingual tablets preworkout to increase
pumps and growth.
CARNIVOR: Bio-engineered All Beef Isolate
Protein Powder.
3 scoops (69g protein) 3
times per day.
HexaGHen: IGF-1 and GH
Optimizer containing sublingual GHRP-2.
2 tablets before bedtime.
June 2009
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200 MD
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Kai and
Victor Set
to Battle
for the
Mr. Olympia at
Powerhouse!
By Ron Harris,
Photography by Per Bernal
Two Kids From the hood

Made Good
Casual observers who didnt know the personal
histories of Kai Greene and Victor Martinez missed
the deeper meaning of watching them place first
and second at the prestigious Arnold Classic. Both
men were hatched from some of the roughest
neighborhoods in New York City Brooklyn and
Washington Heights and grew up without most
of the things us more fortunate children of the suburbs took for granted.
They werent supposed to become success stories. Where they came from, only a small percentage
of kids ever went to college and went on to work in
rewarding careers. Far more common were low-paying jobs, unemployment, or getting caught up in the
one booming career in the hood: narcotics trafficking. The last occupation often led to either premature
death or prison. So to emerge from an environment
such as this and become a star in a sport where precious few athletes ever make a living, much less turn
professional, truly is exceptional.
Maybe he was the one.

Kai remembers Victor from back in the mid-90s
when they both trained at a little hardcore hole-in-
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MD 201
the-wall called Johnny Lats Gym. I distinctly remember

seeing him doing curls in a T-shirt over in the corner, Kai
says. I remember thinking he had some decent arms,
but overall he was nothing special. Certainly there was
no way you would have looked at him and had any idea
he would go on to win the Arnold Classic and be an
uncrowned Mr. Olympia.
But over the following years, Kai watched Martinez
climb the ladder from winning local shows to turning pro.
Though I cant say I didnt feel a twinge of envy, at the
same time I celebrated each of his victories. You could say
I was living vicariously through him.
As the years went by, Kai watched others he had
known from that same gym turn pro, like Kevin English
and Orville Burke, and started to wonder if it was ever in
the cards for him.
One day I went to a restaurant in Manhattan called
Evas that I hadnt eaten at for a couple years, and there
were so many pictures up of Victor it was almost like a
shrine, Kai remembers. By then he was already a top pro
with supplement and magazine contracts. I thought maybe
he was the only one of us destined to be a real star in the
sport. I asked myself if I could accept being anonymous
and mediocre. The answer was no.
Victor also remembers Kai and how few saw the great
bodybuilder he would become. Kai used to do only natu-
202 MD
ral shows, and he was definitely huge for those, but him
being a threat to win the Arnold or the Olympia one day,
nobody ever would have guessed.
Victor remembers Kai being the butt of more than a few
jokes in his rookie pro years. Kai used to lug around this
cooler on wheels that you could have stuffed a body inside.
He was always eating so much food it was ridiculous. If
you asked him, he told you he was trying to grow, but a lot
of people thought he was a little nuts.
As we all know by now, Kais dedication to extreme eating did pay off, and within a short time he went from
standing in Victors shadow to standing alongside him on
the pro stage as an equal. Not many people believed in
Kaibut Kai did.
The Arnold Is History

What About The Olympia?
Kai beat Victor for the first time in his IFBB career at the
Arnold, but the major battle is set to take place at the
Olympia this September in Las Vegas. Greene acknowledges that he caught Martinez on an off day, and certainly
doesnt count on a repeat of that performance.
I watched Victor almost win the Mr. Olympia in 2007,
and I feel he really did win the contest that day even
though Jay managed to hold on to his title. Victor has
one of the very best physiques of the past decade, and I
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I watched Victor almost win

the Mr. Olympia in 2007, and
I feel he really did win the
contest that day even though
Jay managed to hold on to
his title. Victor has one of the
very best physiques of the
past decade. Kai Greene
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Typical Pre-Contest Back

Workout for Victor
Chin-ups (often weighted)
Lat pulldowns
Seated cable rows
Good-mornings
Hammer Strength low rows
Hammer Strength reverse-grip
pulldowns
3 x 12
3 x 10-12
3 x 10-12
3 x 10-12
3 x 10-12
3 x 10-12
would never assume anything with regard to

being able to beat him again if he comes in
with superior condition. I know I will have to
step things up and look even better, because
Victor is a formidable champion.
Victor shares a mutual respect for Kai. I know
that based on his creativity, his hunger, just his
way of thinking, that Kai will make a big impact
at the Olympia, he comments. He is never happy
to show up looking the
same as last time always
better. And his posing routine forget about it. I
decided I am gonna go
head-to-head with him and
really work on a more
entertaining routine this
year. You wont see me
doing any handstands, he
laughs, but I will be hitting more notes with the
poses and the beats.
Who Has The

Better Back?
Both of these guys can
feel total confidence when
the head judge calls for a
quarter-turn or a pose that
highlights the back, as Kai
and Victor have two of the
best backs in the business
right now. It may seem a
cop-out to avoid the pronouncement of one having
a better back than the
other, but the truth is that
each has its own unique
characteristics that make it
stand out.
I know that based on

his creativity, his
hunger, just his way of
thinking, that Kai will
make a big impact at
the Olympia. He is
never happy to show
up looking the same as
last time always better. And his posing routine forget about it.
Victor Martinez
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Victors Training
Split*+
Day one:
Day two:
Day three:
Day four:
Legs
Chest and biceps
Back and triceps
Shoulders
*Rest days are taken as needed.

Sometimes this will be after three or
four days of training. Other times,
Victor may go as long as seven days
before taking a day off.
+Every two weeks, leg day is only
for quads, and hams are paired
with back. Every third week, arms
are done on a separate day rather
than with chest or back.
June 2009
Kais Off-season Back Workout

Wide-grip overhand pulldowns
Deadlifts
One-arm dumbbell rows
Seated pulley rows
Barbell rows
5 x 6-8
5 x 6-8
5 x 6-8
5 x 6-8
5 x 6-8
Kai Greenes Sample Training Split*

Day one:
Back and biceps
Day two:
Legs
Day three:
Chest and triceps
Day four:
Shoulders
Day five:
OFF
*Kai rotates the order he trains body parts on a fairly regular basis.
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A Photo Shoot That

Was More Like A Party
If it isnt obvious from the accompanying photos,
Victor and Kai had a great time at this photo shoot. The
ingredients involved guaranteed a fun, relaxed atmosphere. These two New York guys go back almost 15
years, and they had just finished first and second in the
next-biggest contest in the world, after the O. The location was the East Coast Mecca, Bev and Steves
Powerhouse Gym in Syosset, New York where both
have trained off and on for years. And the photographer
was old friend Per Bernal, whom both have worked with
on many occasions to capture inspiring images for the
pages of MD.
Per is not a control freak like some photographers I
have known, notes Kai. He has ideas, but he also asks
us what we think and is always open to suggestions.
Victor relished the chance to finally do a photo shoot
with Kai, his brother in iron, and was happy for his
Arnold win even though it meant he had to settle for
second place himself.
At one point in the shoot, it just hit me how we had
both beat the odds and found success after struggling
over the years growing up, Victor recalls. It was after
we did those clowning around pictures fighting over the
Arnold trophy. I just looked at Kai and I could tell he
was thinking the same thing weve come a long way
since we were those kids at Johnny Lats dreaming
about being famous bodybuilders someday.
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Kai has those low, low insertions that go all

the way into his hips, Victor notes. So the thickness is even from top to bottom, something you
almost never see its freaky.
Kai is equally complimentary of the back
development of Martinez. Victor has a fairly
long trunk, and in most cases guys like that
have high lat insertions, he observes. But
Victor doesnt. His lats flare out and sweep
down the shape is almost perfect. And you
cant leave out his crazy shoulders and traps,
because those just complete the whole effect.
Of all the top Olympia competitors I can think
of Dexter, Jay, Heath, and Wolf Victor
has the best back, hands-down.
Notice that the ever-gracious Kai conveniently
left himself out of that comparison!
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MD 209
Battleground
Vegas For The
Olympia Crown
Neither of these young warriors will take the stage again
until the Mr. Olympia. That gives
each more than half a year to do
what he does best: bust ass in
the gym to bring a package
thats as close to unbeatable as
possible. Nobody knows how
things will sort out in the end, as
this will surely be one of the
closest Mr. Olympia contests in
many years. Personally, I think it
would be great to see Victor and
Kai place first and second
again either way. Because they
both have so much respect for
each other, I have a feeling they
would be genuinely happy to
see the other capture the top
title in pro bodybuilding and go
into the history books. One thing
you can bank on is that when it
comes to working hard and
fighting for what they want, neither man will back down.
Kai and
Victors
Back-toBack Workout
Chin-ups
Longtime MD readers know
that Victor was doing endless
chin-ups in a doorway of his
apartment before he even lifted
his first weight, and has kept
doing them even well into his
pro bodybuilding career.
Nowadays he does them first in
his back routine, but considers
them more of a vital warm-up
rather than an actual exercise.
I think chin-ups are the best possible way to warm up
everything you will be using for your back workout the
lats, the biceps, the rear delts, he comments. Because its
a warm-up, he doesnt add any weight. Then again, most
of the year he hovers around 275 pounds at 59, which is a
lot of resistance to pull in the first place.
Vic starts off with wide-grip chins, aiming for 3 sets of
12. These are not the bouncing, jerky movements many
guys consider a chin-up, either. He starts every rep from
210 MD
a dead hang, letting the lats stretch, then pulls up until

his upper chest hits the bar, squeezing the lats for a second before lowering slowly. Vic usually will follow that
up with 2 or 3 sets of close-grip chins, using an underhand curl grip.
Kai wasnt into chin-ups or pull-ups in his very early
years, but in recent years he has made them a mainstay in
his back workouts. Like Victor, he typically does them at the
beginning of the session. Kai has made it a point to completely master pull-ups, even going so far as to be able to
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halt the movement at any part of the range of motion as a

means of demonstrating absolute control.
Its interesting to note that both Victor and I still do
pull-ups, as big and heavy as we are, he says. And Victor
will even add weight. Thats inspired me to start doing that
lately as well.
Deadlifts
Victor has also done deadlifts more consistently than
Kai has. That goes back to a two-year span that followed
June 2009
his disastrous competition debut at age 20 in which he

trained purely as a powerlifter in an effort to pack on some
serious beef. Martinez stopped the deads once he returned
to bodybuilding, on the advice of older bodybuilders at his
gym, but that didnt last long.
After a few months I was checking out my back in the
mirror and it just didnt look as thick as it used to. It looked
like it had shrunk. I thought about how all the great bodybuilders with great backs have done deadlifts. Its the core
exercise for a great back.
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MD 211
When Vic deadlifts, he doesnt do the half or rack

deadlifts that have become trendy over the past few years.
I pull from the floor, he says. I have always done them
like that. The half range of motion doesnt feel right when I
try it, and lets be real they are easier. I think the hardest
way of doing an exercise is almost always the best way.
Both hands are overhand, knuckles out. The over-andunder mixed grip is really just for powerlifters, because
they cant use straps in their meets, Victor clarifies.
Bodybuilders should have both palms facing down to
distribute the weight evenly to both sides of the back.
Kai wasnt really aware of deadlifts in his early years,
and instead did stiff-legs where he eventually was able
to handle a staggering 500 pounds. By his early 20s, regular deadlifts became an off-and-on feature in his back training, and a couple years ago his coach Oscar Ardon
inspired him to do them on a regular basis.
I only use 405 pounds, he says modestly. Its not as
heavy as I used to go, but I am definitely getting a lot
more out of the exercise now than I used to.
212 MD
One-arm Dumbbell Rows

Interestingly, Kai doesnt go any heavier than 120
pounds on dumbbell rows. Lee Haney was famous for
saying he never used more than a 70 or an 80-pound
dumbbell for rows, Kai reminds us, but he made it a
point to say that he went all the way up for a full contraction. And his back was incredible, the best in the world at
that time.
Greene subscribes to the same philosophy, though its
something that has come over the course of time. In my
younger years, I was all about moving big, big weights,
and wasnt so concerned with things like the quality of contraction. That has definitely changed.
Victor will go as heavy as a 180-pounder for 8 reps,
though the sets leading up to that are usually with 120, 140,
and 160, all for 8-12 reps. Vic pulls all the way up and
squeezes his lats on the side of the working arm at the top
of each rep. He actually prefers the dumbbell row to the
bar, for safety reasons.
I used to round my back way too much on bent rows,
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and I hurt my lower back very badly a few times, he tells

us. Doing the row one arm at a time helps you keep a
better body position.
Barbell Rows
Kais back training has changed and evolved over the
years, but there have been certain exercises that were
always in there. Barbell rows would be one of those, and
he is able to pull 405 for good, quality reps, using the
standard overhand grip.
Most of my life, I have had access only to the most
basic equipment, barbells and dumbbells and some
cables, he relates. But I learned how to make the most
out of whatever I had, and I really feel it was a blessing
in disguise. There are plenty of nice machines out there,
but after having finally tried a lot of them, I realized that I
wasnt missing out on anything. Free weights are still the
most valuable tool for any bodybuilder. You can get a
great physique by using all free weights and no
machines, but I seriously question whether the opposite
would be true. Instinct tells me it wouldnt.
Victor agrees. Barbell rows are like deadlifts and
chin-ups a bread-and-butter movement for the back.
Without rowing a lot of heavy free weights, you cant
build the type of back thickness it takes to be a pro bodybuilder in 2009.
June 2009
Seated Cable Rows

If hes in pre-contest mode, Victor will always
include a machine or cable row for 3 sets.
These are more for detailing. I like to really
hold the squeeze and exaggerate it, flexing as
hard as I can for a couple seconds for every rep.
He will use either the seated cable row or one of
a couple Hammer Strength rowing machines he
is partial to. In either case, he will hit it for 4 sets
of 12-15 reps.
Kai likes the freedom cables allow to tailor
the movement and target specific areas of the
lats. You can pull to lower or higher points on
the front of your torso, and attach any number
of different grips. Those are things that are virtually impossible with barbell or dumbbell rows.
Lat Pulldowns
Kai makes use of this exercise in virtually
every back workout. Its great for going heavy
and still being in control of the contraction, he
says. You can use various hand widths and
positions and stimulate the back in different
ways, which is definitely another bonus.
As for pulldowns being an inferior substitute for pull-ups, Kai isnt quick to agree to that
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We both beat the odds and found success after struggling over
the years growing up. I just looked at Kai and I could tell he was
thinking the same thing weve come a long way since we were
those kids at Johnny Lats dreaming about being famous bodybuilders someday. Victor Martinez
commonly-held belief. As I said, pull-ups are a great
exercise, but its all about hard work, mind-muscle connection, and stimulating the muscle intensely. Whos to
say that there arent those out there who are able to
accomplish this much better with pulldowns?
Kai even does pulldowns behind the neck, despite
their infamy as being rotator-cuff wreckers. I have never
had a problem, but I realize this is an individual matter,
he states. If someone feels that pulling behind the neck
aggravates his shoulders, then obviously he shouldnt
do them.
At the lat pulldown station, most often you will see
Victor using a wide grip and pulling to the front. That
really pulls the lats out and makes them wide, over
time, he comments. But you have to get a good
stretch, too. You should feel a tug on your shoulder
blades when your arms are raised up all the way.
Martinez, like Kai, will also pull behind the neck. I
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do them later in the workout and with lighter weight

for sets of 15 reps. Behind-neck pulldowns hit all those
little detail muscles in the upper back, like the rhomboids and the teres major and minor. These are the
muscles that will really pop when you hit your rear
double biceps pose.
Close-grip Cable Pulldowns
Another type of cable pulldown Vic likes to do is the
close-grip, pulling to the upper chest. These will work
the lats down real low, and thats a critical area.
Knowing that he wasnt gifted with the extremely low lat
insertions of a Dorian Yates or a Franco Columbu (or, of
course a Kai Greene), Martinez made a point years ago
to always include some type of vertical pulling movement that would target that region, either using the
attachment shown here for lat pulldowns, or underhandgrip pulldowns with a short straight bar.
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Pounding Pecs
WITH Branch Warren
at Powerhouse GymThe East Coast Mecca!
By Ron Harris, Photographyby Per Bernal
ack in the old days, the AAU Mr. America contest (which was
the top amateur bodybuilding event in the world until the NPC
was formed) used to give out awards for individual body parts.
We havent seen anything like that in decades, but suppose we
started doing it again at IFBB pro events? I think I know who would
soon have a whole collection of trophies for best chest none other
than Branch Warren. And I think its safe to say he might pick up
more than a couple for his legs, too.
The only other guy I can think of who would have been able to give
him a run for his money is fellow Metroflex Gym member Ronnie
Coleman who seems to be retired for the time being. Dennis
James and Johnnie Jackson are no slouches in the chest department, but Branch is still the King. Flex Wheeler described the thickness of Warrens pecs in the following poetic terms: It looks like he
puked up a ton of muscle all over his chest.
While I give you a minute to soak in that visual, lets talk about how
the best chest in the sport today came to be.
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MD 219
turned 20, his chest was developed enough to win the

NPC Teenage Nationals in 1993, beating out a field that
included not only Jay Cutler, but also future IFBB professionals Capriese Murray, Rodney St. Cloud, and
Jeff Willet.
Not only had the mass increased exponentially, so
had the power of his pecs, as he also bench pressed 450
pounds in an official competition. Eventually Branch
worked up to being able to press 585 pounds in the gym,
and his chest became a standout body part.
If there is a lesson to be learned from how he was
able to transform a wimpy flat chest into thick slabs of
striated beef that enter a room before the rest of him
does, its this: hard work on the raw basics is the most
effective strategy. There are no complex giant sets, no
fancy percentages, not even a prescribed rep tempo
that has to be adhered to wherein you are supposed to
His Chest Used to

Really, Really Suck
Its tough to believe looking at him
now, but in Branch Warrens early years
as a teenage bodybuilder, his chest was a
glaring weak point. His wheels were
already taking off and becoming a standout body part, but up top, things werent
coming along quite so well. His chest
was flat, which frustrated him. Even
worse, he had very little strength.
When I was 15, I could already squat
as much as a lot of guys twice my age at
the gym, but my bench press was embarrassing. All I could do was 135, and you
know how young kids always want to
know how much you can bench.
Branch didnt make much progress
until he decided to do something radical
and hit chest hard twice a week. The routine he set upon was remarkably simple
and also quite similar to Ronnie
Colemans: Flat, incline, and decline
presses with barbells one day, and
dumbbells the other workout, Branch
recalls. I kept it pretty heavy for a bodybuilder 5-8 reps.
At last, his chest began to catch up
with the rest of his physique. Before he
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Training Split:
Sunday:
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Off
Back
Chest
OFF
Arms
Legs
Shoulders and Deadlifts
Typical Chest
Workout:*
Incline Barbell Press 2 x 8-10
Flat Dumbbell Press
2 x 8-10
Chain Dips
2 x 10-12
Cable Crossovers
2 x 12-15
*Only work sets are shown
adequate warm-ups are always done first.
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Top Mistake Bodybuilders Make

I would say the number one mistake would be using too much weight
and terrible form on pressing movements, Branch declared. You have to
forget about ego training, relying on spotters to lift half the weight for you
and bouncing the bar off your chest. You need to keep a slight arch in your
back and roll your shoulder blades down toward your lower back, not
hunch your shoulders forward. Otherwise, you press with the front delts
and triceps, and hardly involve the pecs at all.
raise the weight in so many seconds, hold it at the contraction for

another number, and lower it in
x number of seconds. I never
bothered with any of that shit,
Branch says with clear disdain. I
just busted my ass pressing with
a lot of heavy iron.
Incline Barbell
Presses
More often than not, the Branch
Warren chest workout starts with
incline barbell presses. By prioritizing the upper pecs, he has managed to create a dense shelf of
muscle just below the clavicles
that nearly meets his chin.
Ill warm up with 135 for 10,
225 for 10, then 315 for 8-10 reps
before I get to the real sets,
Branch explains. I dont think
you need more than two good
work sets if youre going heavy
and taking them to failure, so I
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take 405 and do it for 10 reps,

then again for about 8-10. In
the off-season I have gone up
to 455 many times.
He also offers a word of caution with regard to any type of
barbell press for the chest. If
you have a shoulder injury or a
history of shoulder injuries, you
are probably better off lowering
the bar to a couple inches above
your chest and not going for
that very deep stretch. The risk
would definitely outweigh the
benefit in this case.
Flat Dumbbell
Presses
Branch will also include a flat
pressing movement in each
chest session, trading off from
week to week between dumbbells and the bar. For dumbbells, he uses the same weights
as he does on incline presses.
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MD 223
would be so interested in duplicating

the chain dips he does at Metroflex.
Its become a cult thing almost, he
says. I get so many e-mails and people coming up to me asking about it. I
even had one guy in the Navy telling
me he was using one of those giant
anchor chains for his dips.
Youll notice that he angles the bells inward. Thats a

habit he picked up once he became strong enough to
handle the very largest dumbbells in the gym.
When they are that long, they tend to collide
before you even get them pressed up all the way
unless you angle them like I do, he notes. For most of
us, this isnt a common problem, but keep it in mind
for future reference if you ever get to the freak end of
the dumbbell rack.
When he opts for the flat barbell bench, his work
sets are usually as much as five plates a side, or 495
pounds. I have done that for as many as 15 reps, he
says, but consistently I can get it for 8 or 10. He was
handling the 200s on dumbbell presses for years and
has now just lightened up slightly, out of respect for
his recently healed triceps tendon.
Believe it or not, Branch very often does drop sets
on his final set of an exercise. Its hard to imagine that
with the monster dumbbells, but he confirmed that he
does it. (And many of you have seen it on video by
now, too). Thats where your training partners really
come in handy, he added. If they werent helping me
get the dumbbells in position, Id be worn out before I
even got a decent amount of reps and it wouldnt
even make sense to do drops.
Chain Dips
(shown minus the chains!)
Some bodybuilders have popularized otherwise
obscure exercises and given them new life in gyms all
over the world. With Dorian Yates, it was the underhand barbell row. The next Mr. O, Ronnie, had gym
parking lots everywhere filled with lunging meatheads. Now, Branch Warren has sparked new interest
in weighted dips, thanks to his DVD Unchained, featuring him on the DVD cover with the cumbersome
iron links draped over his enormous shoulders.
He never thought for a minute that bodybuilders
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Branch doesnt even bother counting the chains or the

weights when he does the dips, as the chains range in
weight from 30 to 70 pounds each. Dips are most often seen
at the very end of Warrens chest workout, and many times
as part of a superset. Usually we will do them as a heavy
exercise, but sometimes we will superset cable crossovers
and bodyweight dips.
The best part of using the chains is that they are tailor-
June 2009
made for drop sets. I will do a few reps, take a chain off
and keep going, and continue until all the chains are
gone, Branch tells us. The pump in my chest after that is
just ridiculous.
Cable Crossovers
Branch does do standard cable crossovers as shown,
but he prefers the variation where the stirrup handles are
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MD 225
attached to the low pulleys. He stumbled upon it while messing around in the gym over a decade ago, and it became a
favorite finishing exercise for pecs.
It hits that area of your chest on the outside and bottom
of the pecs, and you can feel the fibers being isolated just
perfectly. I actually feel these a lot more in general than I do
with regular crossovers but I know the other ones look better in pictures.
When he really wants to finish off chest with a sickening
full-blown pump, Branch will superset cable crossovers with
the humble push-up. Its humbling to see how fast you run
out of gas on those push-ups, he warns. Ive seen guys who
can bench press 400 pounds any day of the week have trouble
doing more than a few push-ups right after the crossovers.
Pec Deck
On rare occasions, Branch will use the pec deck machine to
finish off the pecs instead of cable crossovers. I like the contraction you can get with the machine, he says, but it does
lock you into a very specific movement pattern. I like the
cables because I feel I am able to move them in exactly the
plane thats ideal for my structure, rather than be forced into
one that may not be.
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Next Up for the

Most Muscular
Man: The Mr. Olympia
By the time Branch gets onstage in Las Vegas
this fall, it will have been three years since he
competed in the Mr. Olympia. To say he is ready
to tear shit up and surprise a lot of people would
be a massive understatement. If this article and
the photos have you raring to run to the gym
and blast chest to get a set of pecs like Branchs,
just be ready to go to work. Branch built his
incredible chest with years of balls-to-the-wall
workouts with a lot of heavy iron. There is no
secret other than that good form plus heavy
weights plus high-intensity equals a thick chest
that will fill out any shirt.
You can choose to use mostly machines or to
superset your chest exercises so the weights
arent so heavy yet you get a great pump, but
your chances of ever developing the type of granite-hard, etched and grainy pecs like Branchs are
slim and none. Bust your ass on the basics
thats the Branch Warren way.
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MD 227
Pressing Matters:
Grip Width and Range
of Motion
Two facets of chest training that limit the chest
development of many bodybuilders are almost
impossible to separate: grip width in barbell pressing
movements, and the range of motion the movement
is trained through. As a powerlifter in his teenage
years, Branch Warren took a wide grip on the bar.
Thats something they all do to be able to push up
more weight, because it shortens the range of
motion considerably, he notes.
If your goal is to actually stimulate maximum
growth in the pecs, a grip thats just beyond shoulder-width is optimal. If you dont think so, do a quick
pantomime of both motions in the air right now a
bench press with a shoulder-width grip and then one
with your hands set far apart. No comparison, as
youll see.
Watching Branch Warren train chest in his DVD
Unchained or in his recent MD TV videos, you may
wonder why he doesnt push either the bar or dumbbells all the way up to lockout, which you would
think would allow for a more complete contraction of
the pectoral muscle.
Thats because I have now torn both triceps, and
I have to avoid putting unnecessary stress on my
elbow tendons, he explains. The first time I tore
my triceps was actually while doing incline presses
with 495 pounds. For everyone else, I would recommend going to complete contraction of the pecs
but you should also be able to do that without totally
locking out the elbow joints and transferring the
stress there. Always keep tension on the pecs until
the set is over. It just takes some practice and a good
mind-muscle connection with your chest.
Hardcore Havens:
Metroflex vs.
Powerhouse
A Fast Comeback
Watching Branch train chest leading up to the Arnold, you would never
know that he had torn his triceps just last August. A big reason his rehab
was so fast and he was able to regain his previous level of strength in that
time was that the process was almost old hat by now.
Having torn my biceps years ago and then my other triceps, I knew
exactly how to do my own rehab, Warren explains. I started off using just
my other hand to provide a very small amount of resistance and to help me
regain my normal range of motion. From there I progressed to rubber bands,
then light dumbbells. Within 10 weeks of the surgery I was back to light
training for that arm.
From past experience, Branch knew to take the weights slow and only
go heavier in small increments each week, even if he felt capable of more.
By New Years, I was back to my normal weights, or close enough. I am
doing inclines with 405 and dumbbell presses with 170s again. I think thats
about as heavy as I need to go now anyway.
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When a guy trains at Metroflex, you might

expect him to sneer at just about any other training facility in the USA as a pussy gym. Its pretty hard for any other place to live up to the dungeon in Arlington, Texas that spawned both
Ronnie Coleman and Branch Warren. But Branch
has nothing but respect for the Powerhouse
Gym in Syosset, NY, owned by Bev Francis and
her husband Steve Weinberger.
Powerhouse is an awesome place to train
and I have never had a bad workout there,
Branch tells us. Square-footage-wise, its got
to be at least four times the size of Metroflex,
with a lot more equipment. They have all the
best cardio equipment and when it comes to
machines, at least two or three different types
of everything.
Branch wasnt just there for the MD photo
shoot. A good friend of his lives just 15 minutes
away, so he actually trains at Powerhouse at various times when he heads east to visit.
Beyond the equipment, Bev and Steve have
always been so nice and accommodatingits no
wonder that just about every top IFBB pro has
trained here at one time or another.
June 2009
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MD 229
Kai Greene and Kevin English

Pummel Delts
By Ron Harris, Photography by Per Bernal

At the New York Pro last year, they were the two hometown heroes. Kai Greene, competing
on the very same stage where he earned his pro card and in the same show he had made his
forgettable pro debut just three years ago to the day, reigned supreme as the open division
champion. Another native New Yorker, Kevin English, picked up his first pro victory, as he ruled
the 202s as well as taking a strong runner-up to Kai. Now, both men are favorites for this years
Mr. Olympia and the under 202 Olympia Showdown. We reunited these two old acquaintances
to tell us how they blast shoulders, reminisce about the old days, and look forward to bright
futures in the sport.
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MD 233
RH: Kevin, how long have you

known Kai? Have you ever actually
trained with him?
KE: Since 1995 or 1996, around there.
When I lived in the city, we both used to
train at a little hardcore gym called Johnny
Lats. Victor Martinez and Capriese
Murray used to work out there, too. This
was years before he turned pro, but Kai
was always a big kid. We never did train
together, but we would be in there at the
same time and always said Hi.
RH: Kai, do you remember Kevin
back then?
KG: Yeah, of course I do! We go back
even further than Johnny Lats. We actually
competed as teenagers together in a show
called the Natural American
Championships.
KE: Thats right, we did.
KG: I actually knew his cousin Duke a
lot better than I knew him. I trained with
him for a while. I kind of looked up to
Duke because he had things I wanted, like
a car, and parents who cared about him.
KE: Big Duke! I never competed as a
teen. That was Duke. Kai has us mixed up,
I think.
KG: Sorry, its been a long, long time.
How is he these days, anyway?
KE: He still trains. Duke weighs over
270, but he stopped competing years ago.
He owns a real estate company in
Brooklyn.
KG: Excellent, good for him.
RH: What were your early shoulder
routines like?
KG: At the very beginning they were
very basic, then I started copying routines
of the pros that I would read in the magazines. But even then, shoulder training typically isnt overly complex compared to
other body parts like back or legs.
KE: I did a lot of high reps, lots of
supersets. I did a lot of the same exercises
I do now: dumbbell and cable laterals,
dumbbell presses, and the reverse pec
deck or cable rear laterals for rear delts. I
had been training on my own for a few
years and then I hooked up with a trainer
named Arnie around the time I was 22. He
was big on supersets.
RH: Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently
in your shoulder training in the early
years?
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June 2009
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MD 235
KE: I would have done more

heavy compound movements for
straight sets. As a beginner, you
respond to pretty much anything,
but I would have made even better
progress if I had done that.
KG: The exercises I did were fine,
but I had little grasp of the proper
body mechanics of the movements.
I had a good mind-muscle connection with other body parts, but not
my shoulders. On presses, for
instance, I only thought in terms of
the weight moving up and down
and didnt consider how I should be
attempting to contract my deltoids. I
assumed that because I was using
more and more weight, my shoulders were improving. Only when I
dieted down and saw how developed and striated my triceps had
become, did I realize that they had
actually been taking the brunt of the
work. My shoulders certainly didnt
have a capped, round look at all.
RH: Were shoulders always a
good body part for you?
KG: Not at all. In the early
stages of my bodybuilding career,
my traps actually overpowered my
shoulders. It gave me a narrow
appearance.
KE: Shoulders and arms were
always crazy body parts for me.
They grew from the beginning and it
was more of a struggle to make sure
everything else kept up with them.
RH: Do you usually train
traps with shoulders?
KE: I do, usually as the last
movement on shoulder day. My
back workout is too long already,
without trying to tack traps onto it. I
usually only do four exercises for
shoulders, which leaves me plenty
of energy to do traps.
Kais Shoulder Workout (example) Kevins Typical Shoulder Workout

Barbell clean and press
Pull-ups (for rear delts)
Dumbbell front raises
Dumbbell lateral raises
Bent lateral raises
Seated barbell military presses
Standing one-arm cable laterals
236 MD
4
3
4
4
4
3
3
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
8-10
12-15
12-15
12-15
12-15
10-12
12-15
Dumbbell laterals
Seated dumbbell presses
Alternating dumbbell front raises
Wide-grip upright rows
Dumbbell shrugs
Bent laterals
Cable laterals
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Warm-up, then 3 x 10
Warm-up, then 2 x 6-8
3 x 10
3 x 8-10
3 x 6-8
3 x 10-12
2 x 12-15
KG: I have done traps as part of a shoulder workout,

but it feels more natural to me to work them with back.
Thats what I usually do.
RH: Do you do most of your shoulder pressing
with dumbbells, a bar, or machines?
KE: I use dumbbells most of the time. They give me
better control over the movement. Ive had shoulder issues
in the past and dumbbells let me adjust to the right plane.
KG: I have always loved free weights. I use the barbell
June 2009
quite a bit, but I also like dumbbells because they

demand a greater mastery of technique. I was using
mostly machines out in California. They were interesting, but it only solidified in my mind that free weights
are still the superior tool for crafting a physique.
RH: Kevin, you mentioned an injury what
was it?
KE: I had an abnormal bone spur that was pointing
downward and looked like a hook. The doctor actually
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MD 237
said it was the biggest bone spur he had ever seen on a

shoulder. Anytime I raised that arm up, the pain was terrible. I went in for surgery and had the spur shaved down.
RH: Kai, have you ever had a shoulder injury?
KG: No, thank goodness. The hernia was bad enough!
RH: How do you keep your shoulders healthy and
prevent injury?
KE: I train a lot smarter. Back in the day, I lifted the
weight any way I could. Now I use stricter form and much
less momentum. I still keep it heavy, and I will swing a little bit toward the end of the set, but everything is always
done under control and I get a good contraction. I also do
rotator cuff exercises three times a week. Ive been doing
that for the last year and a half. I used to see people doing
238 MD
those and thought it was a waste of time. But I can honestly

tell you that my weight on presses has gone up noticeably
since I got consistent with the cuff exercises. They give you
much better stability and control of the weight. I feel more
locked in to the weight, if that makes sense. On the occasions that I have gotten away from rotator exercises, my
weights start to go down on presses.
RH: Well, that may actually get some of the younger
readers to start doing them. Injury prevention is
meaningless when youve never had an injury, but getting stronger is something that may motivate them.
KE: I would hope so. Shoulder injuries are pretty miserable things.
RH: Youre preaching to the choir, Kevin. Kai, do you
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Kevin English
Complete Contest History
1996
1998
1998
1998
2000
2006
2008
2008
2008
Atlantic States
Atlantic States
Junior Nationals
NPC Nationals
Night of Champions
New York Pro
New York Pro
202 Mr. Olympia
Mr. Olympia
2nd, Middlweights
Middleweight & Overall Champion
Middleweight & Overall Champion
Middleweight Champion (Pro status)
14th place
17th place
2nd Open, Under 202 Champion
2nd place
16th place
Kai Greene Contest History
do anything for the rotator cuffs?

KG: Not until recently. I have been
training with a guy named Joe Williams.
Hes big on doing those before any heavy
workout.
RH: How about side and rear laterals. Do you prefer dumbbells, or
do you mix machines and cables in
there too?
KG: Dumbbells have always been my
favorite. If I do a cable movement, its
typically at the very end.
KE: I use both pretty much every time.
I like to use dumbbells in the beginning,
June 2009
1994
1996
1997
1997
1997
1997
1998
1999
1999
1999
2004
2005
2006
2006
2006
2007
2007
2007
2008
2008
2009
NGA American Nationals

WNBF Pro Natural World
NPC Atlantic States
NPC Blue Thunder
NPC NY Amateur Grand Prix
NPC Team Universe
NPC Team Universe
NPC NJ Suburban
NPC Team Universe
IFBB World Championships
NPC Team Universe
New York Pro
Iron Man Pro
New York Pro
Colorado Pro
New York Pro
Keystone Classic
Colorado Pro
Arnold Classic
New York Pro
Arnold Classic
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Overall Champion
Winner
2nd, Heavyweights
Heavyweight & Overall Champion
2nd, Heavyweights
3rd, Heavyweights
Super Heavyweight Winner
6th, Heavyweights
14th place
Did not place
Did not place
14th place
6th place
3rd place
Winner
3rd place
Winner
Winner
MD 239
then cables later on, or else a

machine like you see in these
photos. I really think you need
to use dumbbells to get that
thick mass, then you can polish
it off later with a cable or a
machine. I definitely feel better
contractions with the cable or
machine, but when you get
away from free weights, you
start losing size.
RH: At the shoot, whose
idea was the behind-back
Lee Haney shrugs and the
close-grip upright rows?
KE: Kais. I do shrugs to the
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front, never to the rear. I think behind the back can

impinge a nerve in your shoulders or your traps. I like
wide-grip upright rows. It improves your shoulder width,
and it also hits the traps.
KG: I dont really do those too often. I was just throwing ideas out at Per [Bernal] and seeing what looked good!
RH: Kevin, do you still train chest and shoulders
together? You dont find that the shoulders suffer if
you work them after chest?
KE: No, actually for me I find that as I get older, my
body needs more recovery to grow. When I was
younger, I would train six or seven days a week and do
chest and shoulders on different days. There is a lot of
overlap between them, mainly in the triceps and front
delts. The older I get, I find I am better off doing them
together so the muscles have more time to recuperate
June 2009
between workouts. I only train four days a week now and

its working out very well.
KG: I will only do that right before a show. In the offseason, I definitely do those on different days, usually at
least a couple days apart.
RH: I know Kai works with Oscar Ardon. Kevin,
do you work with anyone on your training or diet?
KE: Every other week I am trained by Dr. Michael Camp.
Over the past few months, I have also been working with
Hany Rambod, so on alternating weeks I train in FST-7
style. Hany has also made some big changes to my diet. I
was never a big eater. For most of my bodybuilding career,
I have been eating three meals and a shake every day. I
have never really been a big eater, so I didnt want more
than that. Hany convinced me to try boosting my food
intake gradually until I was eating eight meals a day plus a
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shake! I couldnt even imagine getting

all that food in every day, but since Ive
been doing that, the results have been
amazing. Youll see what I mean at the
New York Pro and then later on this
year at the 202 Mr. Olympia.
RH: So you are definitely staying in the 202s?
KE: Yeah. I talked it over at length
with a few people, especially Steve
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Weinberger. He said, Why are you

going to bang your head against the
wall, maybe winning a small show
here and there, but never doing too
well at the big shows in the open class,
when you have the potential to be the
Ronnie Coleman of the 202s? He feels
I could dominate that class for as long
as I want to, if I work hard enough.
RH: Kai, are you pretty happy
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with your shoulders now, or is

there anything about them you
still want to improve?
KG: Overall mass thats it.
RH: Kevin, what about you?
KE: Id like to bring out my front
delts a little more. Thats about it.
RH: Last question
Powerhouse Gym in Syosset,
NY is now called The East
June 2009
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Coast Mecca. How did it earn that name? Kevin, you manage
the place, you go first.
KE: Powerhouse has been there for 22 years now, in which time I
have seen a lot of other gyms in the area come and go. Steve and Bev
built the place from scratch. It was a lot smaller in the early years, but
it has expanded a lot since then. Bev and Steve have been in the sport
for so long that they know exactly what bodybuilders need and like,
even though the gym is for everyone, from all walks of life. The equipment is top-notch, and the atmosphere is unique. You have bodybuilders, pro athletes from the NFL and NBA, MMA fighters, and plenty of regular people. And everybody helps everybody else. It feels
more like a family than a gym.
RH: Kai, you know this gym pretty well. Why do you think its
become the renowned gym that it has?
KG: Any gyms climate is a direct reflection of the ownership and its
vision. Not only was Bev Francis a true icon and pioneer in womens
bodybuilding, but you also have Steve Weinberger. Hes the NPC district
chairman, an IFBB judge, and promotes various amateur and professional events every year. The pulse of bodybuilding runs strong inside those
walls. Anyone whos ever trained at Powerhouse knows this firsthand.
June 2009
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Kais Training Split*

Day One:
Back and biceps, calves
Day Two:
Quads
Day Three: Chest and triceps
Day Four: Hamstrings and calves
Day Five:
OFF
Day Six:
Shoulders
*Kai rotates the order he trains body
parts on a fairly regular basis.
Kevins Training Split

Sunday:
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Chest and shoulders

OFF
Back
Arms
OFF
Legs
OFF
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By Ron Harris, Photography by Per Bernal
Part Two: Triceps
In all the post-Arnold Classic excitement, it seems all we keep hearing about are Kai
and Victor. Both are now being bandied about as possible usurpers to Dexters Mr.
Olympia throne. Thats all well and good, as they are both phenomenal bodybuilders and
will certainly be in the mix. But lets not forget the guys who skipped the Arnold and are
focusing solely on the O. You have reigning champ Dexter, Phil The Gift Heath, and last
but by no means least, Big Bad Dennis Wolf. Currently, he is hitting it hard and heavy
over in Germany, to spoil the plans of all those other guys who crave the Sandow trophy. Last month, we looked at how Dennis works his awesome deltoids. This time, we
shift our focus just south of those boulder shoulders to his big old horseshoe triceps.
June 2009
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MD 251
Not Born With Monster Guns
how they train their arms; its not like they have some brilI may hold the dubious honor of having written more
liant strategies we can use.
arm-training articles than anyone alive today, and there is
Dennis Wolf was not so outrageously gifted in the arm
a common thread among most of the guys with outstanddepartment. I have no idea what they measured back
ing biceps and triceps. Either their arms were already pretwhen I started training, but I was 160 pounds at 511 and
ty big before they ever touched a weight, or they grew at a they were not big at all, he says. I had no idea how to
ridiculous rate almost from the minute they started traintrain correctly, so I just did a lot of barbell curls and dumbing. Since most of us arent so
bell curls. The weights I used
Actual Triceps Workout
lucky, it can be intimidating to
were much too heavy for me
March 2009
hear these tales.
and my form was terrible. The
Dip Machine
2 warm-ups: 90 x 15, 135 x 12
I will never forget Gustavo
reps were too fast and I never
185 x 8
Badell telling me how his arms
really felt my arms working.
225 x 8
grew two inches in the first two
As the rest of his physique
275 x 8
weeks of lifting weights! I had
sprouted, Wolfs arms lagged
Skull-Crushers 90 x 8
hoped he was confusing cenbehind in development.
155 x 8
timeters with inches, but he wasEventually as he learned how
175 x 8
nt. Its hard for normal guys to
to train the muscles more
One-arm Cable
Pushdowns
3 x 8 as heavy as possible
relate to that and it doesnt
effectively with better form,
(cant remember the weight!)
exactly make us want to read
they started to grow at last.
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Now, although he still doesnt consider them a strong point, its clear
to the rest of us that Dennis has
managed to bring his arms up to a
very respectable size and shape. Last
year at the Mr. Olympia, a fan politely asked to measure his arm. In contest condition, though he had
dropped over 15 pounds toward the
very end, they still stretched the tape
out at 21 inches. Not bad, he
says, but they really need about
another inch before they really
match my shoulders.
Finding His
Own Formula
For Arm Growth
Dennis struggled with weak arms
for years. It wasnt even so much
that they were weak, but with shoulders like his, arms that are anything
less than huge dont cut it. I tried
every possible workout you can think
of, he tells us. I tried going very
heavy, doing different exercises,
higher reps, free weights only,
machines only and eventually I figured out that free weights gave me
the best results out of everything.
The high-volume approach, however, didnt work so well. I have tried
doing as many as 20 sets for biceps
or triceps, like Lee Priest does. My
arms didnt look like Lees they just
got overtrained and may have even
lost a little size. Lower volume, heavy
weights for sets of 8, and variety have
all contributed to respectable gains in
recent years.
Back when I was an amateur, I did
almost the same exact routine for
arms every time I trained, he
explains. Since I turned pro, I have
had the opportunity to train with guys
like Milos Sarcev, Dennis James,
and Hide Yamagishi. I picked up a lot
of different exercises and techniques
so that now I rotate my workouts. I
dont think any two arm workouts I do
now are ever exactly the same. Even
if its the same exercises, I change the
order or something.
Here are some of the exercises
you will find Dennis using to blast his
tris into new growth.
June 2009
Best-Ever Mr. O Guns?

I think this is a tie between Arnold and Ronnie, Wolf declares. For pure
inspiration, you have to give it to Arnold. How many of us wanted to become
bodybuilders after seeing his arms in photos or in the movies? But Ronnies arms
were amazing in his prime, too. He had those double-split peaks to his biceps and
his triceps were so round and full.
If and when Dennis becomes Mr. Olympia, he wants his arms to be worthy of
the sports highest title. I need higher peaks to my biceps and a fuller, rounder
look to my triceps. I would never want people to say sure, he is Mr. Olympia, but
his arms arent so great. I look at someone like Phil Heath and obviously the
genetic factor is why his arms are so great but still I strive for development
close to his level, whether I ever get there or not.
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Cable Pushdowns
Skull-Crushers
Starting off a triceps workout with

cable pushdowns is something most
top bodybuilders do, because it just
makes a lot of sense. The elbow
joints in particular should always be
thoroughly warmed up before any
type of extension movement with
free weights at least if you want to
continue training without agonizing
pain. Dennis wisely kicks off his triceps sessions with an initial warm-up
set of 135 for about 20 reps on pushdowns, then proceeds to pyramid up
with 3 work sets of about 150, 170
and 180 pounds for 10-12 reps.
I always do these first, because
until I get a little pump in the area, I
never feel ready to do skull-crushers. The grip attachment could be a
short straight bar, a V-bar, or a
rope he varies these from workout
to workout.
Next comes a classic mass builder:

skull-crushers. Wolf considers skullcrushers his bread-and-butter mass
exercise for triceps, but he is also
aware that it can be treacherous to the
elbows if performed too heavily or
without proper warm-up. Even though
he already did cable pushdowns, he
still takes time to do 2 light (for him)
sets with 70 pounds for 20 reps each
before moving on to 3 work sets with
135, 155, and again 155 pounds.
Its important to keep the elbows
up high and not let them move during
the set, he adds. Normally he does
his skull-crushers on a flat bench.
Once in awhile just for variety, Dennis
will perform them as an overhead
extension movement. I definitely feel
the triceps stretching more that way at
the bottom of the rep, he adds.
Some of you may recall from read-
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ing about Gustavo Badell that the

seated overhead EZ-bar extension
happens to be his favorite triceps
exercise of all time. We are all different, Wolf comments. For me the flat
bench feels best. Everyone should
always try the different variations of
an exercise to see which one gives
the muscle the best feeling and works
it hardest.
Dips
After the extension movements,
Dennis often likes to bring his chest
and delts into the picture to take his
triceps into a deeper state of exhaustion with dips. For these, he used to
use parallel bars, but now he saves
those for chest day.
I get a much better control and
contraction for the triceps if I use a
seated dip machine, he says, and its
also easier to make it more of a pure
Dennis Wolf
Training Split
Monday:
Tuesday:
Chest, triceps and calves

Biceps, hamstrings and
calves
Wednesday: Quads
Thursday: Back and calves
Friday:
Shoulders and calves
*Most days, Dennis trains on a double
split, hitting a large body part in the
morning, then a smaller body part and
cardio in the evening.
June 2009
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triceps movement. Sometimes

I do them at the end of the
workout; other times I do
machine dips at the start of
the triceps workout and I can
go a lot heavier.
Seated dip machines are
especially useful for anyone
who has a rough time maintaining an upright torso doing
traditional dips, as the natural
inclination for many is to lean
forward. Wolfs rep speed is
generally fairly slow, to
emphasize the contraction,
though he may occasionally
finish with a drop set and
speed up the rep tempo to
force a maximum pump into
the muscle.
If youre trying to do a
drop set with regular dips,
youre pretty limited, Dennis
observes. The lightest you
can go is your own bodyweight. When you flatten the
scale at over 300 pounds most
of the year like the Big Bad
Wolf does, that can be problematic!
Bringing Bigger
Guns to Las
Vegas
This years Mr. Olympia
may very well be the most
competitive we have seen
since the new millennium
began. Dennis is well aware of
that fact, and is currently making his very best effort every
day in the gym to make sure
he brings a physique to Las
Vegas that none of the other
front-runners Dexter, Jay,
Phil, Kai, or Victor can
match. In addition to working
brutally hard to improve his
back, chest and calves, Wolf is
also doing everything in his
power to bring up his biceps
and triceps. Because when
you are walking into the
toughest battle of your life,
you need to pack some powerful guns!
June 2009
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MD 259
Arms On Their
Own Day
Dennis trains arms with other
body parts these days (though
not all at once usually as the
second workout of the day, hours
after a larger muscle group has
been worked), but in the past he
also got good results training
them on their own day. As for the
other common practice of prioritizing arms by training them
twice a week, he isnt sure this is
a good idea for everybody.
Arms are a relatively small
muscle group, he explains.
Working them twice a week in
addition to what they have to do
when you train chest, back and
shoulders is probably too much
for most bodybuilders. You can
try it, but if you dont see
improvements within a few
weeks, I would say go back to
working them once a week. And
also, you probably dont need to
do more than 10 or 12 work sets.
More isnt always better, and
sometimes its actually worse.
You have to remember that no
muscle can ever grow if it doesnt get a chance to recover.
260 MD
Dennis Wolfs Pro Record

2006 Santa Susanna Pro
2006 Europa Super Show
2006 Montreal Pro
2006 Mr. Olympia
2007 New York Pro
2007 Keystone Pro Classic
2007 Mr. Olympia
2008 Mr. Olympia
3rd place
7th place
5th place
16th place
3rd place
Winner
5th place
4th place
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MD 261
FLEX CRITIQUE
MDS ARNOLD
CLASSIC TOP 3
By Flex Wheeler, Photography by Per Bernal
This month I want to break down the physiques of the top three men at the Arnold Classic, who also happen to be
MD athletes. I thought this was one of the most closely fought Arnold Classics in years. It was also a stunning upset,
as many people were talking about the impending win by 2007 Arnold Classic champ Victor Martinez as a foregone conclusion, not much more than a lucrative pit stop on the way to winning the Mr. Olympia.
But as we all saw, The Predator Kai Greene turned out to be too much for him to handle on this particular
unseasonably balmy March day in Columbus. Victor was also pushed hard for second place by a massive mountain
of freaky muscle from Texas named Branch Warren. Lets look at how the three stacked up in various categories.
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MD 267
FLEX CRITIQUE
SIZE
Size
Kai was stupendous. He was so huge and thick that I would
even advise him to be careful not to try and get any bigger than
this. Just like a pretty girl can overdo it with too much makeup, a
great physique can eventually be spoiled by too much mass. Kai
just doesnt have any more room on his frame to hold it before
his nice lines and shape are in danger of being ruined. He can
still improve on muscle quality and continue to address specific
areas, but as far as overall mass, he is all set. I even thought he
could have conceivably won the Most Muscular Award that went
to Branch for the third time.
Victors upper body looked almost as big as it ever has, but his
legs were not quite back to form. Having to stand next to Kai and
Branch, two of the best pair of wheels in the game today, didnt
help either. To be fair, it took the guy 15 years to build his quads
up in the first place, so only having a few months of good training after missing a few months due to surgery wasnt adequate
time to regain all the lost mass and fullness. He has a little over
six months until the Olympia to rectify his lower body situation,
so I am sure Victor will be fine by then.
Now we come to Branch. Pound for pound, he may just be
the most thickly-muscled man in the sport right now. Every
year he gets bigger and improves his conditioning. Like Kai, I
think Branch has pretty much maxed out the amount of mass
his frame can hold before it starts getting distorted. But when
you talk about head-to-toe freaky size and density, Branch
Warren is the man.
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SHAPE
try. He also needs just a little more

sweep and fullness to his triceps.
Branch was blessed with the ability to build slabs and slabs of thick,
Grade A beef, but he was not so
lucky when it came to shape. This is
the area where Victor was able to
edge him out. Shape is almost
entirely genetic, so I neither give
credit nor fault to any of these guys
for theirs.
Condition
CONDITION
Shape
Of the top three
men, Victor
Martinez has by far
the most aesthetically pleasing shape
and structure. He
was blessed with
wide clavicles, a
narrow waist, small
joints, and round
muscle bellies. I
havent seen the
actual score sheets,
but it would not
surprise me if Victor
won the symmetry
round made up of
quarter-turns.
Kai has a shorter torso and his
lats insert so low
that it almost looks
like he has no
waistline. Hes
brought his shoulders up a lot, but I
still think he needs
more rear delts to
improve his overall
shape and symme-
June 2009
This is where Kai truly secured

his win. Its true that Kai has probably been a little sharper before, but
considering the amount of mass he
carries now, its incredible that he is
able to show so much detail and
clear separation. It also makes me
wonder if he was ever really behind
in his prep, or if that came from people out in L.A. who werent used to
seeing what he normally looks like
that far out
from the show.
I used to be like
that, too.
Things usually
all came
together in the
final few weeks
and there were
times before when people would

whisper behind my back that I would
never be in shape for the show.
Victor was not in his top condition. To my eyes, it didnt seem to be
an issue of dieting. He didnt seem
to have body fat, but he was holding
water. Elsewhere in this issue, there
is an interview with Victor where he
will answer that question.
As for Branch, the man was
peeled. But as much as he has
worked his tail off to improve his
back detail, it is still not at the level
of other areas like his legs and chest.
If you compare the grooves and striations in his chest and quads to his
back, youll see what I mean. Even
Victor, being off, showed more detail
in his back. This is no dis to Branch,
who is definitely one of the hardestworking men in this business.
Presentation
Last year, Kai was not feeling well
at prejudging and it was obvious. He
could hardly stand up there under
the lights, and hitting every pose
seemed like a labor of agony. I can
always tell how someone feels by
watching how they stand and how
they get into their poses. This time,
Kai carried himself like he was 10
PRESENTATION
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MD 269
FLEX CRITIQUE
Who Wins Each
Mandatory Pose?
Lets go through each mandatory pose and
I will give my opinion on which of the three
guys wins each one.
Front Double Biceps

This pose is really all about shape, proportion, and symmetry. The only things you are
actually flexing are your biceps and quads
(the lats are expanded, not flexed). Victor wins
this shot easily.
Front Lat Spread

When you get into the front lat spread, conditioning and muscularity start to take on more
significance. I give this one to Kai. When Victor
is in better condition, he shines in this shot.
Abdominals and Thigh

This is a tough one to call between Branch
and Kai. I might just have to hand this one to
Branch, because I think his midsection is a little better.
feet tall and 1,000 pounds,

ripped! He had a confident
smile on this face and was having a good time. Spunky, hungry, and aggressive thats
how I would describe Kais
presentation at the judging.
Victor also appeared confident and was energized by the
support of his fans in the
crowd, but I could tell he knew
that his supposed easy win
wasnt going to go as planned.
He was in for a battle, and it
looked to me as if he knew he
might not prevail.
Branch is always gung ho
up there. He comes to every
show ready to battle, and hes
all business.
As for posing at the finals,
Ill only mention Kai. He took it
to a whole other level that was
literally breathtaking. I have
seen all the best posers of my
generation, and this was something totally new and fresh.
270 MD
Color
Branch has made a lot of
progress with his stage color
over the past few years. As a
white guy who doesnt tan
because skin cancer is prevalent in his family, he is forced to
rely on tanning products that
will often look better or worse
depending on the lighting at a
particular show. At the Arnold,
the lights gave Warren a reddish-orange tint. It wasnt really
distracting, but it wasnt doing
him any favors. Even Victor
looked a bit light and washed
out under those lights.
Kai is lucky to have the optimum skin tone for this show
not too light and not too dark.
He was dark enough so that
you could really see all the
muscular detail, but not so dark
that the shadows blended in.
This aspect may seem trivial to
a lot of you, but it does make a
difference.
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FLEX CRITIQUE
Side Chest
You might be able to make
a case for Branch again here,
because he does have the
thickest chest out of the three
guys. But the side chest pose
is about a lot more than your
pecs. In this shot, Kai has
more pleasing lines and
rounder muscle shape overall.
The chasms between his
glutes, hams, and quads are
so deep and clearly delineated in any of his side poses
when hes in shape that its
crazy. Kai wins.
Side Triceps
I have to go back to Victor
and say he has the best side
triceps. Its true that his legs
from the side werent as
impressive as Kais or
Branchs, but the fullness and
shape of both his shoulders
and his triceps in the side tri
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pose is a killer. Both are areas

Kai needs to bring up somewhat if he wants to get past
Victor this fall at the O.
Rear Double
Biceps
Had Victor been sharper,
this would have been a pose
he would have owned with
authority. His back width and
shape are phenomenal. But Kai
is no slouch in the back department. His thickness and detail
made this a great shot for him,
plus its another chance to
show off those striated glutes
and hams.
Rear Lat Spread

Kai again. This pose really
draws your attention to how
low his lats are. In that way he
reminds me, in this shot, of
past Mr. O champs like Franco
Columbu and Dorian.
FLEX CRITIQUE
back just over a year later from a very serious knee injury and
look as good as he did. I did my best to avoid the very common
practice of comparing Victor not to the men he was standing
next to this time, but to how he looked at the 2007 Mr. Olympia,
which I feel was the best package he has brought to a stage yet.
Its also to Victors credit that even at about 80-85 percent of
his best, he was able to knock off guys like Branch, Toney, and
Silvio who were all in amazing condition. It actually brought
me back to 1995, when I was returning to the Arnold Classic
after having won it in 1993 and then sitting out 1994 due to
breaking my neck. Considering everything I had been through,
I looked pretty good about 85-90 percent of my best. But that
wasnt good enough to defeat Mike Francois, who just had
gobs of thick muscle and was ripped and grainy-looking.
Shape-wise, there was no contest between Mike and me, but I
was off and he won.
Victor is still a strong contender to win this years Mr.
Olympia, and now Kai has shown that he can challenge for that
title, too. It will be a great show this year, of that Im sure.
Congratulations to Kai on his well-deserved win, and congratulations to Steve Blechman for having the top three men at the
Arnold Classic as MD athletes.
Congrats to Rampage
Most Muscular
Kai wins this pose this time because of his mass
and condition. Personally, I dont like the variation he
chooses, as I dont think its best for his particular
structure. Kai does the hands on hips version, often
taking one hand off the hip. Bodybuilding
crowds love the crab most-muscular. Its the
money shot most guys end a routine with,
and one they pull out most often in posedowns. Im not sure why Kai doesnt do it, but
I have to think it would be a good pose for
him. Victor and Branch both do the crab, and
its a brutal display of muscle.
I cant leave this month without congratulating Quinton

Rampage Jackson for his unanimous decision over Keith Jardine at
UFC 96, held just a few blocks away at Nationwide Arena while we
were all watching the finals of the Arnold Classic. He picked up 325
Gs for it. Im a big fan of Rampage and actually saw him the next
day at the airport, but didnt go up to him. A couple of guys from his
entourage came up to take pictures with me, but I couldnt do that
to Rampage. Its just a thing I have about respecting his privacy
when hes not out there on display. I dont mind when my fans come
up to me that way, but its just not my style.
Shape Isnt Everything

I know that coming from a guy who some
called The Sultan of Symmetry, the above
statement sounds odd. But as much as my
overall shape was a strong point, I always felt
that condition was equally important. The
2009 Arnold Classic was Victors show to win,
and had he brought his best condition, I have
no doubt that he would have won. I have the
highest respect for him to be able to come
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DORIAN YATES
BLOOD&GUTS
By Dorian Yates
MD is immensely proud to welcome one of bodybuildings true icons to our family. In addition to winning the Mr.
Olympia six times, Dorian Yates is respected as one of the hardest-training bodybuilders who has ever lived. Equally
feared for his keen intellect and unwavering discipline as he was for his incredible physique during his Olympia reign,
Dorian is widely considered to be one of the most knowledgeable men in the industry when it comes to areas such as
training, nutrition, the psychology of bodybuilding and more. Its been a long time coming, but at last we are able to
bring you the man once known as The Shadow the one and only Dorian Yates!
What Does
Really Mean?
T
he term hardcore has been

tossed about so much in
bodybuilding that its basically
become a clich. If it ever really had a
definitive meaning, its either been forgotten or nobody seems to be able to
agree on what it really means.
Although I never gave myself any
label or made any such claims, a lot of
bodybuilding fans seem to consider
me one of the most hardcore champions of the modern era. So this month I
will do my best to answer the question, what does hardcore really mean?
apart. Sorry, but that just means youre

doing a piss-poor job as a gym owner.
But its not really even about how
heavy the dumbbells are or whether
they have this or that specific item
like a power rack or a heavy-duty leg
press. The most important factor in
where you train is whether the majority of members are there to train seriously. There is a certain vibe you feel
in a place like that. Bev and Steves
Powerhouse Gym in Long Island
[Syosset, NY] is a perfect example.
You have professional athletes as
Is Hardcore All
About Where You
Train?
My Temple Gym in
Birmingham and Metroflex
Gym in Texas have gained reputations as being the ultimate
in hardcore gyms. And I do
think a good workout environment is important, as well as
good equipment. Some gyms
claim to be hardcore, but its
really their excuse for why
they dont maintain their
equipment and its falling
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well as plenty of average folks, but

everyone is in the gym to work hard
and get results.
Another great gym I have been
training at lately is Apollon Gym in
Edison, New Jersey. Rich Gaspari
built his physique there in his early
years, and its still got an excellent
array of all the best equipment a
bodybuilder could ever want plus
more importantly, that atmosphere of
a blue-collar work ethic that permeates any real hardcore gym. In many
other gyms and health clubs, people
are there to get a light sweat
going while they socialize or
read the newspaper. The management likes it that way, and
does not welcome things that go
along with hard training, like
grunting or dropping weights.
I could really care less about
cosmetics. A gym doesnt have to
have a concrete floor with spit
and sawdust all about, with water
dripping from the ceiling and a
bathroom that doesnt smell too
nice for it to be hardcore. By the
same token, a gym can be perfectly clean and brightly lit and
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other cases, I found certain
machines were better-suited to isolating a given
body part. The Nautilus
pullover machine, for
example, was something
that allowed me to work
my lats intensely without
being limited by the
smaller biceps muscles
failing first.
A question I get all the
time at seminars is,
Which one is better, free
weights or machines?
There is no reason you
have to choose. Use them
both. Free weights are more
physically challenging, so
some people consider them
to be the mark of a true hardcore trainer. But you can certainly challenge yourself with
machines as well.
Very early on in my Mr.
Olympia reign, a black-and-white
training photo on the Hammer
Strength seated rowing machine
ran of me that became one of the
most well-known shots ever taken
of me. One day I was training in
Golds Gym Venice, and Chris Lund
wanted to take some training shots
of me. Back then, everyone would
wear dark sunglasses, cut-off
denim shorts, and boots and they
would do these very staged workout photos. Often the guys would
be all oiled up and used fake
weights. I told Chris I didnt want
any of that nonsense. He was welcome to follow me through my
real workout and take pictures.
I know that picture of me on the
Hammer Strength machine didnt
become popular because of my
physique, as I was wearing a cut-off
sweatshirt. It was the effort and intensity Lund captured that inspired people.
From that point on, Chris started having
the bodybuilders use real weights during
photo shoots. It brings out a different look
when the subject is actually putting out
maximum effort. The veins stand out more,
and the muscles strain against heavy resistance. But to get back to the original question, using machines does not disqualify
one from being hardcore.
still be a great place to train. Any facility can be

considered hardcore as long as it has a large
group of serious trainers
and hard training is
encouraged rather
than frowned on.
Do You Have
to be 300
Pounds
Ripped to be
Hardcore?
Some of the laziest
bodybuilders I have known
were very large guys. They
moved in slow motion and
spent half their workout yapping
away on a cell phone while they
did pumping sets with weights not
even remotely challenging. One of
the most hardcore members of
Temple Gym isnt a huge pro. Hes a
guy nearly 70 years old who comes to
the gym every day to train seriously. This
guy has more energy than most of the
young men in their 20s who work out there,
and everyone tends to train a bit harder
when hes around.
Hardcore is about challenging yourself.
Some of the most serious trainers I have
known have been women. You show them
how to do an exercise just one time, and
they will do it correctly from then on.
When left to their own devices, men
usually end up throwing too much
weight around in horrendous
form. I am sure this is all tied
into the male ego. If you push
yourself to the limit every
time you train and are determined to get the best of
your workouts, it doesnt
matter how big or small
you are youre hardcore.
Is Being Hardcore
About Using Only
Free Weights?
I use a mix of free
weights and machines, and
have for many years. The
core of my routine has
always been free weights. I
started incorporating
machines more later in my
career. Sometimes it was
out of necessity, as I was
working around injuries. In
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A Passage to India
I just came back from a trip of several weeks to India to promote myself and the sport of bodybuilding. India has the
second-largest population in the world after China, with over a billion people. Fitness and bodybuilding is a rapidly-emerging market in India, and I was really surprised at the enthusiasm I saw over there. Any time I arrived at an airport, I was
literally mobbed by hundreds of pushing and shoving fans. It was actually a bit unnerving!
In their culture, people want to get close to and touch celebrities, not just stand behind a velvet rope and wave at
them. I helped to promote a large regional contest in the Punjab region in northern India, and we gave away a motorcycle
to the Overall Winner. Next year we want to give away a car. I also gave a seminar.
In terms of training and nutritional knowledge, India is probably about 20-30 years behind the USA and Europe. Some
of the questions I got showcased their naivet. One fellow asked what the difference was between supplements and
steroids. Of course, one is a nutritional compound and the other is a pharmaceutical product, but they had no idea.
I also spent some time in Mumbai, a city of 13 million people. Its the financial capital of India and also the home base of
Bollywood, Indias film production industry. Its not quite as big as Hollywood, but its not as far behind as you might
think, either. I actually met with some of the more famous actors and actresses, and they are all interested in getting into
shape. You can bet that once they start seeing their favorite movie stars with fit, muscular bodies, the people of India are
going to want to look just like them. And even though there is a great deal of poverty in India, there is more opportunity
than ever before for social and financial advancement. Its a truly untapped fitness market that is on the verge of a boom.
Must You Squat,

Deadlift, and
Bench Press to be
Hardcore?
Lets start with squats.
When I started training in
1984, Tom Platz was the man.
Prior to Platz, legs had never
been a big deal in bodybuilding. Once The Golden Eagle
came on the scene with
those incredible legs of his,
all that changed. Tom was
known for his brutal squat
workouts. In my gym, as in
most gyms where serious
bodybuilders trained at that
time, you werent even considered a real man unless
you squatted. So I did my
best, but my body wasnt
structurally suited for squats.
My hips were rather small
for my frame, which was a
liability when it came to
heavy squats. I tore a muscle
in my hip and underwent
surgery. This was before I
even turned pro.
I should also note that as
hard as I did work on squats
up to that point, my leg
development was nothing
really special. After my
surgery, I never did a single
set of squats again. I used
Smith machine squats, the
leg press, and the hack
squat. I found that for me,
those exercises did a much
better job at working my
quads, whereas squats had
always involved a lot of
June 2009
lower back and glutes. I still

say that the barbell squat is
a wonderful exercise for
some people. For anyone
who plays a sport like football or soccer, they are a
great all-around movement
and will help develop superb
core strength. But in my
case, squats never delivered
the best results. I managed
to win six Mr. Olympia titles
without them, and my legs
became two of my better
body parts.
I also stopped doing flat
barbell bench presses very
early on in my bodybuilding
career. They werent doing
much for my pecs, so I saw
no point in keeping them in
my workouts. Incline and
decline barbell presses
worked much better for me.
As for deadlifts, I did them,
but at the end of my back
workouts. That limited the
amount of weight I could use
to no more than 405-495
pounds, but I was never
hung up on how much I
could lift in any movement.
The goal was always to
develop my physique, not
puff up my ego. Also, I only
did the first set from the
floor. After that, all sets were
from the shins up, as I didnt
care to involve the quads
and glutes any more than
was necessary.
To sum up, those three
power lifts are wonderful if
they work well for you and you can do them safely. If not,
youre not hardcore for doing them youre foolish!
Is Hardcore About the Way You Dress

When You Train?
When I trained, I dressed purely for comfort. It was
never about how I looked. After those aforementioned
workout photos of me ran, there were a lot of Dorian
Imitators who would also train in sweatshirts with the neck
hole cut larger and the ends of the sleeves cut off. The
funny thing is, I never did that to make a fashion statement.
I just hated the feeling of the sleeves and the cuffs binding
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DORIAN YATES-BLOOD&GUTS
my neck and forearms.
But I shouldnt say that I never put
any thought whatsoever into what I
wore. Specific items of clothing could
put me in the right frame of mind to
train harder. I would have a certain

pair of baggy pants I wore on leg day,
a certain top that I always wore for
my chest workouts, and so on. And
thats what it all should come down
to what works for you and puts you

in the proper mood. If that means
ripped-up sweats, fine. If you like to
have expensive workout gear and
$200 sneakers to feel like having a
great workout, go for it. You can wear
a fucking pink tutu if that inspires you
to awesome workouts. Not my cup of
tea, but to each his own. Its the training that matters, not what you wear
while youre doing it.
Do You Need to Compete

to be Hardcore?
Competing is an entirely different
aspect to bodybuilding. Its a whole
other level of difficulty that involves
restricting calories, favorite foods,
doing more cardio, and functioning
on lower energy levels for months to
get into proper condition. But you
dont have to compete to be hardcore. There are plenty of bodybuilders
who push themselves hard, day after
day for years, but simply have no
interest in getting up onstage in little
posing briefs. And thats their choice.
It makes them no more or less hardcore than card-carrying members of
the NPC and IFBB.
So What Is Hardcore?
Where You Can Find Me

If youre wondering where else you can spot me, I will be at the New
York Pro on May 16. Then, on July 11, I will be in New Jersey at the NPC
Northeast Grand Prix. Ill be showcasing my new supplement line, DY
Nutrition, at both events. You can also check out the company and our products at www.dorianyatesnutrition.com
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To me, hardcore always meant

mastery over oneself. We all have
instincts, and the main human
instinct is to avoid pain. When the
reps start getting really tough, the
muscles burn and you struggle to
breathe, your instincts tell you to
stop. The average person in the gym
does the hardcore bodybuilder
keeps pushing. When youre dieting
and wake up in the middle of the
night starving, your instincts demand
that you rush to the kitchen and
gorge yourself on sugars and fats.
The hardcore bodybuilder wants to
win, so he or she fights that instinct.
When youre exhausted, the last
things you feel like doing are an hour
of cardio or a heavy leg workout. The
true hardcore bodybuilder has mastered his or her urges and instincts
and does what must be done to
improve the physique. It may be
painful, it may be the very last thing
you want to do at that moment, but
you do it. Thats hardcore, my friends.
June 2009
4 Hardcore Trainers Who Inspired Me

In My Younger Years
Tom Platz
Casey Viator
Mike Mentzer
Rich Gaspari
I heard Dorian is down to

200 pounds!
been down to 220 since I was 22 years old. Currently I am

a fairly lean 262 pounds at 511, which is down from the
295-305 I routinely carried when I was Mr. Olympia. I actually like being lighter. I can fit into nicer clothes and Im
more mobile. Why the hell would I still be walking around
carrying all that weight when Ive been retired for over a
decade? Some fans seem to expect champions to look the
same forever, but its a pretty unreasonable expectation.
Ever since I retired from competition following the 1997

Mr. Olympia, I have heard all kinds of ridiculous rumors
that I stopped training and my weight has plunged down
to 200 pounds. First of all, I have never stopped training
hard. Why would I? I enjoy it far too much to quit. And the
lightest I have weighed since I retired was 245. I havent
My Best Dorian, the King of Hardcore Story

By Ron Harris
Dorian makes reference this month to how he was the first to
buck the trend of posing for staged workout photos. I can personally
attest to this. Dorian was out in the L.A. area in April 1992 to guestpose at the NPC Orange County, a big regional event. That fall he
would go on to win his first Mr. Olympia title in Helsinki, Finland. At
the time I was the Associate Producer of the popular ESPN show,
American Muscle Magazine, and we had a monthly feature called
The Valeo Workout. We had a standard format when we shot these,
which involved getting footage of each exercise from multiple angles to be
edited together later. Between these, lights usually had to be moved, and so
on. The bodybuilder wasnt really going through an actual workout.
Apparently nobody told Dorian this.
He arrived at the gym ready to train back, and it wasnt long before we had
a conflict on our hands. Dorians intense training style involved one or two
heavy working sets to absolute failure, sometimes with forced reps. He was not
pleased when, after giving it his all on a set of underhand lat pulldowns using the
entire stack of 300 pounds plus another 45 pinned on, I asked him if he could
please do it again so we could get it from another angle.
No. Thats not how I train, he firmly replied. Next came barbell rows,
where he warmed-up and worked up to an all-out set with 405, using his
famous underhand grip (two years later, he tore his biceps doing it). Again I
meekly asked if he could do just a few more reps so our cameraman could
try a different type of shot. Youre not going to ruin my fucking workout,
he informed me, and that was that.
Usually our subjects were tanned, wore carefully selected, color-coordinated Hot Skins outfits, and had no objections to us spritzing them with a
spray bottle to simulate sweat. Dorian was pasty white, wore baggy sweatpants, and I didnt even dare to go near the stone-faced giant with the
spray bottle. He grimaced like a gargoyle with his maximum-effort sets,
and grunted like he was in childbirth. When we wrapped up, I really
thought the shoot had gone terribly. But what do you know the fan mail
that rolled in after that episode, showed that people loved the segment. It
was real, intense, brutal hardcore training the type of workouts Dorian
Yates would soon become legendary for.
And since MD is No Bull, I have to confess to something pretty nerdy.
Dorian didnt take the black Valeo II belt with him at the end of that
shoot, since he already had one just like it back home in England.
So I snagged that bad boy and wore it with pride until the Velcro
peeled off about 10 years later.
Thats right! I would tell anyone who would listen.
Dorian wore this training back five months before he won
his first Mr. Olympia! Im such a dork.
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June 2009
2009 Ms. International Figure 1st Place at the Arnold Classic
NO DOUBT,
A KNOCKOUT
The New Standard in Figures
A Profile of Ziville Raudoniene
By Cheri Owen, Photography by Per Bernal

Possessing the chic calm of a James Bond leading lady, Ziville Raudoniene can trademark the
title Licensed to Kill with knockout looks and a personality to go with it. Just like the procession of fierce, accented beauties that accompany Bond on his adventures, Ziville proclaims that
she too likes being independent, and enjoys reading, movies, and traveling in her spare time.
As James Bond once said, I thought this was a suitable starting point: Born in the small town
of Alytus, Lithuania on April 29, 1982, Ziville stands at a stunning 55 and weighs between 123
and 127 pounds. She began competing in 1998, with only a year-and-a-half of training prior to her
first show. Her first trainer thought ahead with Bond-like foresight, when he asked Ziville to compete in the 1998 Lithuanian Fitness Championships, where she took 7th place. Like the stubborn
Taurus she is, she came back with a vengeance the following year, taking first place in 1999.
Just be disarming, darling: After competing in Europe in the early 2000s, Ziville came to the
United States six years ago to further pursue her career, and has been based in New York since
2005. She achieved back-to-back titles at the New York Pro, winning the Overall figure title in
both 2007 and 2008. Ever since that first long-ago contest, this Baltic beauty has very quickly
ascended the ranks, last year taking 3rd at the Olympia and then this year earning the Ms.
International Figure title at the Arnold Classic.
Thats a nice little nothing youre almost wearing! Ziville maintains her lithe body by training at
the East Coast Mecca, Powerhouse Gym in Syosset, NY the home for champions on the East
Coast. The gym was started by Bev Francis, the world-renowned powerlifting and bodybuilding
champion and her husband Steve Weinberger, both of whom continue to make an impressive and
important impact on the sport of bodybuilding, fitness and figure. Like James Bond himself, and
his cache of weapons, Steve and Bevs gym holds enough firepower to withstand any siege!
Their gym is home to countless champions, including Ziville Raudoniene!
So, without further ado lets hear a little about Ziville in her own words.
Lights camera action!
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CO: What was it like to win the 2009

title of Ms. International Figure at the
Arnold Classic?
ZR: It was a dream come true I still
cant believe it.
CO: What upcoming contest are you
planning to compete in?
ZR: The 2009 Olympia.
CO: What is a typical day like for
you?
ZR: At 7 a.m., I do cardio, 9 a.m. I eat
breakfast, 11 a.m. I train, 12:30 p.m. I
have lunch and then train clients. At 3
p.m. I have a snack and train clients until
dinner at 6 p.m. I do cardio then at 8
p.m., have a snack at 9 p.m. and go to
bed at 10:30.
CO: What is your training schedule
on and off-season?
ZR: My off-season routine is not too
much different than my competition
mode with the exception of more cardio. In my off-season I do the following:
One hour of cardio each day
shoulders and triceps
back and abs
off
chest and biceps
legs
off
off
My competition mode is slightly different and consists of:
Two to three hours of cardio each day
shoulders and triceps
: back and abs
off
chest and biceps
legs
off
: shoulders and triceps
CO: What is your weight during offseason and contest?
ZR: I weight 127 pounds off-season
and 123 pounds while in competition
status.
CO: What do you consider your best
feature?
ZR: My arms.
CO: What are you likes and dislikes?
ZR: I like being independent and I dislike mean people!
CO: What is your favorite food?
ZR: Sushi, chocolate, nuts and ice
cream.
CO: What are your hobbies and
interests outside of the figure/fitness
world?
ZR: Reading, movies and traveling.
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CO: What kind of music do

you prefer to listen too?
ZR: Hip hop and house music.
CO: What are some of your
favorite movies and your
favorite actor and/or actress?
ZR Ghost Demi Moore,
Changeling Angelina Jolie,
Patriot Mel Gibson, The
Godfather Marlon Brando and
Al Pacino, American
Gangster Denzel Washington.
CO: What is your favorite
color?
ZR: Black.
CO: The question all of our
men want to know is there a
particular type of guy that you
like?
ZR: No. I dont have a type. For
me, its whats inside the person
that matters.
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MD 287
CO: Do you have a boyfriend?

ZR: Yes I have a boyfriend.
CO: What advice do you have
for women who would like to
get involved in the figure world?
ZR: Never give up, do the best
you can, be honest with yourself
and believe.
Its clear that Ziville isnt giving
up and she is believing. September
cant get here soon enough for us
to see this beauty back on the
Olympian stage fighting for the
title. As James Bond has said several times, I like a girl in a bikini. No
concealed weapons!
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MD 289
FEMALE MUSCLE COMMUNITY
WOMENS
BODYBUILDING
BODYBUILDING
By Cheri Owen
HUNGRY IN 2009
PHOTO: BY DAN RAY
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: GENE X HWANG
In
2009, the world of womens bodybuilding has come

to a roaring start with the Arnold Classic Amateur
representing amateur womens bodybuilding from
the United States and other nations. Its a great teaser to
what will be a very competitive season what the French
call amuse bouche literally, amuse the mouth, a onebite appetizer that whets the appetite. And what appetite
there is, for fans and competitors alike! Whether
heavyweight, middle or
lightweight class, it is
women who bring class to
the competition bringing a ton of sexy, rockhard female muscle to the
stage. And there are many
of them who come hungry hungry for their pro
card in 2009.
So who are the hungry? And when do they
come to the table? The
Masters Nationals, the
Michelle Brent
USAs, the North
American, the Team Universe, and the Nationals offer

women bodybuilders the opportunity to earn their pro
card. And there is no lack of talent, because we have the
competitors. A few standout women to watch for:
Michelle Brent has been competing for over 24 years and
placed second in her class six times at the North
American in 1991, 1992, 1994, 2006-08. She has been
competing since 1985 and has stood alongside the likes
of Kim Chivesky, Sharon Bruneau and Laura Creavelle.
Not to mention she competed in the Russ Warner Classic
in San Jos, California in 1988 where MDs very own Flex
Wheeler competed and MDs Shawn Ray was the guest
poser! She will be up against several top amateur
women, for instance, Britt Miller, who was the talk of last
year the bodybuilding community awaited her performance at the 2008 Nationals, but to no avail.
Will we see Britt again this year, and if so, when?
Clearly there is no argument that she is a formidable
competitor. Some others to watch: Monique Jones who
brought her statuesque frame to the stage last year with
a very impressive third-place finish at the Nationals; the
always-beautiful Christine Sabo, who fell short of her pro
card in 2008 but has proven, year after year, that she can
withstand the pain and come back with a vengeance.
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Leann Scelfo
Other long-term competitors include Karen Choat and

Diane Solomon. And lets not forget about Jody Wald,
Kris Murrell and Leann Scelfo. Such devoted and longtime aficionados make
for a very impressive
lineup this season!
But we cannot disregard the middleweights
or lightweights, as their
physiques are also
extremely impressive.
Last year at the
Nationals the lightweight competition was
fierce, with Rita Rae
coming out ahead but
it remains to be seen if
2009 will be the year for
Tammy Pampadue,
Barbara Fletcher, Ana
Sanchez or Lori Steele.
Standout middleweights
include Tracy Mason,
Claire RohrbackerOConnell, and Cheryl
Maria Segura
Faust.
is geographically sparse, the

On another note, each month
online community is stronger
my column will recognize an outthan ever. I look to the pros like
standing online contributor who
Valentina Chepiga, Betty
helps build and cohere the
Pariso, and Kristy Hawkins for
female muscle community. This
my inspiration, but still want to
month it is Jill Theobold, also
see what my own physique
known as Sassy69, where she
offers. I definitely enjoy
has been making her mark on
the physical results of
the Muscular
it all, but it is the
Development
structure, consistency
forums. Sassy69
and balance I find,
is the chemical
Betty Pariso
Jill Theobold
while never accepting
enhancement
limits, that keeps me
leader for our forums and,
coming back.
among other things, specializes in drug use
Jill started competing at the age of 35 in
and safety. Its about reaching out and
2000 and is currently preparing for the 2009
making a difference about having a pasUSA. We at Muscular Development wish her
sion for what you do. As Jill states:
the best of luck during the upcoming season.
Womens bodybuilding is where I feel
like I fit. Even though the FBB community

Kristy Hawkins
RAY
PHOTO: BY DAN
PHOTO BY: PER

BERNAL
Kris Murrell
L ROBINSON
PHOTO BY: PAU
PHOTO BY: MICHAEL PINTO
PHOTOGRAPHY: BY DAN RAY
!
W N
E M
N U
L
O
C
Jody Wald
But just when you think you know

whats for dinner, the unexpected guest
arrives at the table. Every so often after a
competitor trains like hell and improves her
physique through blood, sweat, tears, egg
whites and chicken she does her best-ever lat
spread, only to turn and see the unexpected guest
waiting in the wings. The unexpected guest: the competitor who seemingly swoops in from nowhere and
takes center stage, dominating the show and winning the
Overall title, leaving every other competitor flabbergasted
and asking each other: where the hell did she come
from? You know, the Amazon, the kind of competitor
who does a side chest that makes you feel like you
should run to the gym and start all over again. For example, the Mexican competitor Maria Segura, who took the
North American stage by storm with her super-muscular
heavyweight physique ripped to shreds, taking the
Overall title and turning pro in 2007. Nobody saw her
coming.
Or, that least-expected blast from the past the
woman who trades the table for the buffet and the TV for
the gym before she makes a comeback, and like a female
Arnold in The Terminator says: Im back! And instead of
just saying it over and over, she puts her muscle where
her mouth is, and bares all onstage: she shows it. These
competitors may not be posting on the forums or making
a public stance for themselves, but rather, training in the
shadows, waiting to strike at the perfect moment. And
when they do, it can be deadly for anyone within their
striking zone. Take for example, Teresa Paschal, a welldeserving amateur who turned pro at the North American
in 2008. It just goes to show that you never know.
The hunger to compete is the kind of hunger that
builds, and this season offers us amazing momentum,
because there is nothing like the sheer desire of wanting
something so badly that you can taste it and nothing is
so sweet as the victory of personal achievement after so
many years of just being damn hungry!
June 2009
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testosterone
Nasal
By Dan Gwartney, MD
Spray
T
hrough human histoMost drugs delivered via nasal spray are field that has been neglected
ry, there has been an
designed to act locally, meaning they for more than 50 years. The
awareness of a male
are designed to reduce the congestion hormonal changes of aging
factor that accounts for the
or swelling of the nasal mucosa when are complex, but following
masculine features and charsuffering allergy symptoms or a cold. the example of menopausal
HRT for women, the foundaacter of adult men. During the
For a drug to act systemically (in the
tion of male HRT is restora1800s, it was demonstrated
body) or centrally (in the brain), it has tion of the sex hormone,
that the testes (balls) were the
to be potent and fast-acting.
testosterone, to levels associsource of the male factor, as
ated with health in an individual.
castrated animals would lose male fea(anabolic) while having less of an
Certainly, competent physicians in the
tures that would be restored if another
effect on sexual organs (androgenic).
1
field of anti-aging/aging management
set of testes were re-implanted. These
The early direction in androgenwill also measure other hormones
based drug development was to create
early studies merely confirmed what
and markers based on a screening
drugs that were as purely anabolic as
had been known and practiced for cenhistory and physical exam.
possible. Initially, most androgenic
turies, as many cultures castrated
anabolic steroids (AAS) were oral. The
the weak males of their livestock
advent of liver disorders, including
herds to allow only the fit to breed,
Limp Treatments
malignant cancers in patients receiving
in order to promote the health and
For Low
AAS treatment for chronic illness,
production of their meat and milk
Testosterone
along with the development of more
source. Male slaves were also casAvailable options for treating testosspecific drugs (e.g., erythropoietin),
trated in some societies in order to
terone deficiency are surprisingly limitresulted in the drugs falling from favor.
do away with any assertiveness, as
ed. Generally speaking, clinicians are
Injectable AAS have been readily availwell as reducing their libido and abilallowed to choose from injectable
able, but the inconvenience of frequent
ity to achieve an erection.
testosterone ester (commonly enanintramuscular injections and poor
The male factor was tentatively
thate), topical gels, and topical patches.
patient compliance prohibited their
identified in the 1930s by screening
Injectable testosterone esters suffer
use. Long-acting esters of common
thousands of gallons of mens urine,
from the extreme variations in testos2
AAS (testosterone and nandrolone)
isolating the androgen androsterone.
terone concentration produced, espeare available, but there are few
cially in the manner administered. In
Androsterone is a metabolite (breakapproved indications for the use of
order to make testosterone (or other
down product) of testosterone
nandrolone decanoate. Testosterone
AAS) suitable for injection, the steroid
formed in the liver. A few years later,
undecanoate has not received FDA
molecule is connected to a fatty acid by
testosterone was isolated and
approval, despite an impressive safean ester bond (hence the term testoschemists developed ways of synthe2
3
ty record in other countries.
terone ester). This makes the drug solusizing the hormone in their labs.
ble in oil, which is a liquid form of fat
Shortly thereafter, it was reported that
The recent history of AAS in the
that can be injected directly into a mussimple modifications to androgens
clinical setting is focused on male horcle (gluteus, deltoid, quad, etc.).
affected the physical and physiologimone replacement therapy (HRT). HRT
Depending on the fatty acid connected
cal properties of the hormone, allowhas been a matter of controversy, due
to the steroid, the hormone is released
ing a drug to be administered orally
to conflicting findings of health benequickly or slowly into the circulation
or as a long-acting injection; drugs
fits and risks in women using HRT fol4
(bloodstream). Unfortunately, this
were also designed to be more seleclowing menopause. Restricting further
release is not consistent. The peak contive in terms of promoting muscle
comments to male HRT, one sees a
294 MD
www.storemags.com
June 2009
testosterone
centration occurs within hours to
days, depending on the ester; concentrations then fall steadily until the next
injection is given.
Dosing schedules for testosterone
esters often result in brief periods of
high-normal to supraphysiologic
(exceeding the normal range), followed by several days of normal circulating concentration, then potentially days of sub-normal concentration
5
(below normal range). The fluctuations are intolerable for some and the
outcome is certainly not optimal. The
long-acting testosterone undecanoate
(Nebido) is not yet approved for use in
the United States and it appears as
though the FDA is erring on the side of
caution in its review.
Some professionals are very surprised and disappointed at the ponderous and convoluted demands of the
3,6
FDA. This is disappointing for clinicians, as Nebido provides a steady and
consistent testosterone concentration
for six to 14 weeks per injection.
Injectable forms of testosterone carry
additional risks unrelated to drug phar7
macology. The act of injecting any substance into the body introduces the
risk of infection/abscess, oil embolism,
nerve damage, etc.
Topical products avoid many of the
risks associated with injectable forms
of testosterone, but are less convenient, and certain products have unintended consequences. Unlike injectables that fluctuate up and down
dramatically within, sometimes
exceeding, the physiologic range, topical formulations provide minor fluctuations due to the lower testosterone
5
content of each dose. However, the
duration of effect of the topical formulations is much shorter, resulting in
once-a-day peaks and a need to reapply daily. As these fluctuations are
not as dramatic, symptoms of the
highs and lows are not commonly
evident when used as directed.
Some patients develop irritating
skin reactions to the patches; some do
not feel the subjective benefits of
testosterone replacement therapy
when using patches, and a few do not
like the fact that they are wearing a
8
patch that may be noticed by others.
The gels require time to apply and
296 MD
allow the area to dry prior to dressing;

some have a more greasy feel and
there is a risk of transferring clinically
relevant amounts of testosterone to a
spouse, child or other intimate contact.
Case reports have been published documenting children or spouses demonstrating signs of masculinization due to
9
testosterone gel exposure.
One benefit of the daily patches and
gels over long-acting injectable esters
is that those forms of testosterone
administration more closely mimic the
natural pattern of testosterone production. Testosterone concentration fluctuates throughout the day in every man,
with small pulses of luteinizing hormone (LH is the regulating hormone
produced in the pituitary) boosting the
concentration of testosterone up
toward the higher end of the normal
10
range. The LH signal is created whenever the regulatory center in the brain
detects that testosterone concentrations are lingering near the lower end
of the normal range. This is done to
prevent a state of excess or deficiency
by increasing production when available testosterone is low and shutting
down the production signal when
testosterone is high. This regulation,
called negative feedback, places the
testes on shutdown when AAS are
used in supraphysiologic amounts.
Yet, even the gels and patches are
not optimal for reproducing the natural pattern of testosterone production, as they peak once and fall
throughout the day. Of course, applying topical testosterone more than
once daily is a possible solution, but
that would be very inconvenient
requiring men to apply patches three
times daily would increase production costs for the manufacturer. If one
is interested in providing a physiological pattern of frequent pulses of
testosterone, an inexpensive and convenient method of administering
testosterone remains to be marketed.
Follow Your Nose,

To Ease
Testosterone Woes
For decades, many different medications have been dosed using a method
that would meet the criteria of being
cheap, convenient, portable, and simple
to use frequently nasal sprays.

Primarily used to deliver symptomatic
relief for nasal congestion, nasal sprays
have found a place, two places if you
count each nostril separately, in overthe-counter pharmaceutical sales.
However, in terms of prescription drug
sales, there is a glaring near-absence of
drugs delivered using nasal sprays.
There are several reasons pharmaceutical companies do not develop drugs to
be delivered via nasal spray, including
but not limited to: absorption limitations, shelf life, patient compliance,
social acceptance, and other matters. It
is important to understand that the
drug in a nasal spray is absorbed
across the mucosa (surface) of the
nasal cavity and not inhaled into the
lungs or trachea (windpipe).
The nasal mucosa is a small area,
relatively speaking, and allows for very
little drug to be absorbed across its surface. It is also a turbulent area, requiring a drug to either be absorbed rapidly
before it is inhaled or expelled (sneezing, exhaling, etc.), or delivered in a viscous vehicle (sticky solution) that
adheres to the mucosal surface long
enough to allow drug delivery. Most
drugs delivered via nasal spray are
designed to act locally, meaning they
are designed to reduce the congestion
or swelling of the nasal mucosa when
suffering allergy symptoms or a cold.
For a drug to act systemically (in the
body) or centrally (in the brain), it has
to be potent and fast-acting.
Steroid-based drugs are suitable
for delivery across the nasal membrane, due to their physical characteristics. One pharmaceutical company,
M et P Pharma AG in Switzerland, is
developing such a delivery system for
male HRT. The research and development team has published the findings
of an early clinical trial in the journal
11
The Aging Male. In this study, the
testosterone-containing product,
Nasobol, was administered first in
three different doses to determine the
pharmacokinetics of the product.
Pharmacokinetics refers to how quickly a drug enters the bloodstream, its
peak concentration, how long it provides an elevated blood concentration, the total amount of drug delivered over time, and other measures.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
testosterone
In the first part of the study, eight
men with proven hypogonadism (low
testosterone) received three different
doses of Nasobol. The two lower
doses (7.6 and 15.2 mg, respectively)
demonstrated good absorption, with
approximately 30 percent of the dose
present in the blood over a 24-hour
11
period. A separate animal study
reported 75 percent absorption, with
approximately one-third (25 percent)
appearing in the blood, with the
remainder (50 percent) transferring
directly into the central nervous sys12
tem (brain). This suggests that the
immediate effect of intra-nasal testosterone on mood and behavior may be
more dramatic than anticipated. The
maximum blood concentration was
reached between 60 and 120 minutes,
elevating the testosterone concentration in these hypogonadal men from
an average of 130 ng/dL (very low) to
578 and 804 ng/dL, respectively (midto high-normal). The highest dose,
22.8 mg, did not increase delivery significantly over the 15.2 mg dose, suggesting that the doses greater than
15.2 mg offer no advantage due to
limitations in absorption on a limited
surface area. Nasobol maintained an
increase in circulating testosterone
above baseline (the starting concentration before receiving the drug) for
approximately 4 to 6 hours.
The second part of the study followed 21 hypogonadal subjects in two
groups for 14 days, given a 7.6 mg
Nasobol dose either twice or three
times daily. Both groups tolerated the
treatment protocol well, with no treatment-related adverse (negative)
events reported. While both groups
demonstrated dose-related spikes in
circulating (blood) testosterone, only
the three-times daily group maintained testosterone concentration
above the lower limit of the normal
11
range at all recorded times. Neither
treatment resulted in supraphysiologic
concentrations of testosterone or DHT
for the groups, but one subject in each
group did have peak concentrations in
the supraphysiologic range.
An additional set of data was collected in this study, evaluating
changes in symptom-related qualityof-life changes in these hypogonadal
298 MD
men. There were no clinically significant findings in this area, possibly

due to the questionnaires being
designed to diagnose symptoms
related to androgen deficiency
rather than tracking changes with
short-term treatment.
Nasobol will be an interesting addition to the HRT pharmacopeia when it
is approved. At this time, recruiting is
underway for a Phase II clinical trial,
so it is likely that this product will not
be available in the United States for
13
three more years at the earliest.
In my opinion, it is unlikely that
Nasobol will make a significant commercial impact in the HRT market for
several reasons. First, the twice- to
three-times daily regimen is certain to
be difficult for many people to comply
14
with over the long term. The typical
outcome of outpatient (at home)
antibiotic therapy lends credence to
this hypothesis. Nearly everyone prescribed a once-daily antibiotic will
take all the pills as directed. However,
when prescribed an antibiotic that
needs to be taken three times a day,
many people miss one or more doses;
remember, most antibiotics are only
prescribed for seven to 10 days.
If the goal of Nasobol therapy is to
restore long-term testosterone concentration, then compliance is essential. Second, intranasal dosing is
socially awkward and may be uncomfortable/annoying for some. These factors will further hinder compliance.
Third, it remains to be seen if absorption is consistent when the patient has
a runny nose or is congested. The
prevalence of allergies, colds and
other respiratory symptoms makes
this a relevant concern. Fourth, if multiple doses are required daily, the
patient would need to carry the applicator with him if he works outside the
home. This relates to privacy issues.
Hypogonadal men would no more
wish to be seen with a Nasobol applicator than young women would wish
to have strangers or co-workers see
their birth control pills. Sadly, society
views male HRT in the same light as
AAS abuse by athletes. There are
other minor issues that the American
marketing partner to M et P Pharma
AG would need to address.
Building Muscle,
Boosting Sex Drive
Of course, relatively few readers
of this magazine are men seeking
HRT. Most of the interest in Nasobol
relates to its application for improving
muscle mass, strength, and affecting
mood or sex drive/function. There is
actually some promise here, though it
is highly unlikely that Nasobol would
ever be marketed or approved for
such use in eugonadal men (men
with normal testosterone concentra15
tion). It is actually more likely that
the delivery technique would be pirated by elite trainers or coaches to
improve an athletes performance in a
manner that would not affect his/her
ability to pass a drug test.
Recall that Nasobol provided a reliable peak in testosterone within 60-90
11
minutes. That peak could be timed to
coincide with training, competition, or
sexual activity to optimize perfor16
mance. If used in a drug-tested
event, it is unlikely that a single spike
would result in an elevated urinebased drug test. If use is restricted to
pre-event only (once-per-week or
less), it is unlikely that natural production would be affected or the testosterone:epitestosterone ratio would be
elevated. If illicit formulators followed
the example of Patrick Arnolds
cream product, pirated nasallyadministered testosterone formulations could be formulated as a blend
of testosterone and epitestosterone,
allowing for more frequent use without exceeding the WADA testosterone:epitestosterone cutoff.
However, it is unclear what effect
chronic (long-term) use would have
on a eugonadal adult. In all likelihood,
maintaining a supraphysiologic concentration of testosterone via nasal
administration would be expensive
and inconvenient. This fact may actually play in favor of the product, as it
lessens the likelihood of abuse for
muscle-building purposes.
One area where both pirated and
prescribed products may be used is
in sexual enhancement, for both
men and women. Testosterone concentrations are believed to be critical in promoting sexual arousal and
17,18
libido in both men and women.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
testosterone
Currently, there is no FDA-approved
product for increasing testosterone
for the purpose of restoring sexual
desire or arousal in women; testosterone patches designed for this
purpose have not been approved by
the FDA.
Viagra, and similar drugs, are effective for the majority of men with erectile dysfunction. However, the combination of a testosterone spike, timed
appropriately with one of the approved
erectile dysfunction drugs (e.g.,
Viagra), would be very effective in
both enhancing the ability to develop
and maintain an erection, as well as
supporting sexual desire.
Unfortunately, there is no data from
the M et P Pharma AG studies to confirm or reject this hypothesis.
For the athlete or bodybuilder
seeking to enhance his physique,
Nasobol does not appear to offer
any advantage over the time-proven
orals and injectables other than
possibly allowing one to pass a
drug test (assuming use is not
chronic, or the product is blended
with epitestosterone; also, isotope
testing would reveal doping if such

test is applied). The primary advantage to a eugonadal male seeking a
training or performance advantage
would be a brief surge in aggression, drive and competitiveness; as
well as possibly improving recovery.
Many more men and women would
be interested in the potential this
product would have in promoting
sexual desire and/or arousal.
M et P Pharma AG is not developing Nasobol for the purpose of
performance enhancement, sports
or sexual. It is seeking to develop
another option for male HRT that
offers a unique advantage, that
being testosterone delivery in a
physiologic pattern. Whether this
product is accepted by consumers
and professionals once it passes
FDA approval remains to be seen. It
would be interesting to see if
Nasobol is useful as a sexual aid,
either alone or as an adjunct to current erectile dysfunction drugs.
Perhaps that is an area where
researchers might also direct their
efforts.
References:
1. Dotson J, Brown R. The History of the Development of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids.
Pediatric Clinics of North America, 2007;54(4):761-9.
2. Medvei VC. The History of Clinical Endocrinology: A Comprehensive Account of
Endocrinology from Earliest Times to the Present Day. Informa HealthCare, New York;1993:223.
ISBN-13: 978-1850704270.
3. Turner S. Indevus Pharmaceuticals: Nebido Has Lost Its Libido. SeekingAlpha.com 2008
June 5. Available at http://seekingalpha.com/article/80164-indevus-pharmaceuticals-nebido-haslost-its-libido, accessed March 11, 2009.
4. Calleja-Agius J, Brincat MP. Hormone replacement therapy post Womens Health Initiative
study: where do we stand? Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol, 2008 Dec;20(6):513-8.
5. Gooren LJ. Advances in testosterone replacement therapy. Front Horm Res, 2009;37:32-51.
6. Pharmpro.com. Indevus Pharmaceuticals Provides Update on NEBIDO(R) NDA Status,
Company Expects FDA to Request Additional Safety Study Prior to Approval. Available at
http://www.pharmpro.com, accessed March 11, 2009.
7. Zhang GY, Gu YQ, et al. A pharmacokinetic study of injectable testosterone undecanoate in
hypogonadal men. J Androl, 1998 Nov-Dec;19(6):761-8.
8. Jockenhvel F. Testosterone therapy what, when and to whom? Aging Male, 2004
Dec;7(4):319-24.
9. de Ronde W. Hyperandrogenism after transfer of topical testosterone gel: case report and
review of published and unpublished studies. Hum Reprod, 2009 Feb;24(2):425-8.
10. Wilson JD. The evolution of endocrinology. Clin Endocrinol, (Oxf). 2005 Apr;62(4):389-96.
11. Mattern C, Hoffmann C, et al. Testosterone supplementation for hypogonadal men by the
nasal route. Aging Male, 2008 Dec;11(4):171-8.
12. Banks WA, Morley JE, et al. Delivery of testosterone to the brain by intranasal administration: comparison to intravenous testosterone. J Drug Target, 2009 Feb;17(2):91-7.
13. ClinicalTrials.gov. NASOBOL in Hypogonadal Men in Comparison to Testosterone Levels
in Normal Healthy Male Volunteers. Available at
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT00647868, accessed March 11, 2009.
14. Jin J, Sklar GE, et al. Factors affecting therapeutic compliance: A review from the
patients perspective. Ther Clin Risk Manag, 2008 Feb;4(1):269-86.
15. van Wingen GA, Zylicz SA, et al. Testosterone increases amygdala reactivity in middleaged women to a young adulthood level. Neuropsychopharmacology, 2009 Feb;34(3):539-47.
16. Zitzmann M. Testosterone and the brain. Aging Male, 2006 Dec;9(4):195-9.
17. Bancroft J. The endocrinology of sexual arousal. J Endocrinol, 2005 Sep;186(3):411-27.
18. Bolour S, Braunstein G. Testosterone therapy in women: a review. Int J Impot Res, 2005
Sep-Oct;17(5):399-408.
300 MD
www.storemags.com
June 2009
bodybuilding
science
Catecholamines Reduce
Muscle Tissue Breakdown
he sympathetic nervous system utilizes two major
chemical-signaling molecules: epinephrine (adrenaline) that is secreted directly into the blood from the
adrenal gland, and norepinephrine (noradrenaline) that
is the major neurotransmitter produced and released
from peripheral sympathetic neurons, which are distributed widely to different tissues and are associated with
blood vessels. It is well-known that most of the metabolic actions of the sympathetic nervous system in several
tissues are exerted through a beta-receptor-mediated
increase in intracellular cyclic AMP. There are three types
of beta-receptors in most human cells beta-1 (B1),
beta-2 (B2), and beta-3 (B3) receptors.
Beta-receptors are found on just about every cell in
the body except for red blood cells. B1 receptors are the
dominant receptor type in the heart and other locations
(i.e., salivary glands). However, the heart also contains a
significant portion of B2 receptors. B2 receptors are
found in the bronchioles of the lung (they cause vasodilatation), the wall muscles of the bladder, the heart, and
last but not least, skeletal muscle.
When you write for MD, you

cant just say something without
describing the scientific mechanisms that support your claims.
There is a nasty enzyme called
calpain that initiates myofibrillar
protein breakdown.
B3 receptors are expressed primarily in adipose tissue, where they regulate energy metabolism and thermogenesis (turning fat into heat and energy), especially
1
in response to norepinephrine. Catecholamines have
been discussed mostly for their potent effect on fat loss.
Bodybuilders often use clenbuterol a few weeks before
competition because it stimulates lipolysis and thermogenesis, but it is also highly anabolic at high dosages.
302 MD
New research reports that catecholamines also have a

potent effect on reducing muscle tissue breakdown.
Physiological Role of
Catecholamines
Historically, the physiological role of the sympathetic
nervous system is related to a fight or flight response
that prepares a persons ability to cope with a stressful
response. Catecholamines have a diverse number of
actions in the human body, including:
Decrease the uptake of glucose in muscle tissue,
partly through an inhibition of insulin secretion, thereby
stimulating glycogenolysis.
Increase the diet-induced thermogenesis in brown
adipose tissue.
Increase substrate oxidation (fatty acid) in skeletal
muscle, and having a well-known stimulatory effect on
white adipose tissue lipolysis (fat burning).
Having a marked effect on protein metabolism in
skeletal muscle. Numerous studies have shown that
B2-adrenergic agonists, such as clenbuterol and
cimaterol, induce hypertrophy of skeletal muscle in livestock and humans.
Catecholamines Reduce
Muscle Tissue Breakdown
B2-adrenergic agonists, such as clenbuterol and
cimaterol, have a well-known effect on increasing muscle mass, but new research has shown that increasing
catecholamines can also provide potent anti-catabolic
actions. Take a look at a couple of neat studies that
examine the anti-catabolic actions of catecholamines:
In order to investigate the physiological role of catecholamines in the control of protein breakdown in skeletal muscles, researchers treated animals with guanethidine for a few days. Guanethidine has been shown to
produce a selective blockade of norepinephrine release
from peripheral nerves. Guanethidine treatment induces
a drastic 90 percent reduction in norepinephrine content
of soleus (type I fibers) muscles and a 40-80 percent
www.storemags.com
June 2009
bodybuildingscience
reduction in plasma levels of norepinephrine and epinephrine.
After two days of guanethidine treatment, there was a
20 percent increase in the rate of protein breakdown in
type I fibers. Because this early rise in the protein breakdown occurred without a concomitant change in the
plasma levels of other hormones, it was interpreted to be
a direct consequence of the depletion of muscle norepinephrine and/or of the reduction in plasma catecholamine concentration induced by guanethidine treatment. Also, the acute increase in muscle tissue
breakdown after catecholamine blockade suggested an
inhibitory effect on muscle tissue breakdown by cate2
cholamines.
Other studies found that epinephrine and norepinephrine, when added to skeletal muscle cell cultures,
reduce the rate of protein degradation in normal, fast,
3
and slow-twitch fibers by approximately 15-20 percent.
This view is consistent with the finding that infusion of
epinephrine in humans induces a rapid and similar 20
4
percent decrease in protein degradation.
It has also been shown that the infusion of epinephrine in humans and animals induces a rapid decrease in
the activity and gene expression of enzymes involved in
5
muscle protein breakdown. Catecholamines exert an
acute effect on skeletal muscle protein metabolism,
reducing proteolysis. This anabolic effect of the sympathetic nervous system can be interpreted as a mechanism to spare muscle protein during catabolism.
One study documented that the inhibitory effect of
skeletal muscle tissue breakdown is mediated by B2adrenoceptors. For example, the oral administration of
ICI 118,551, a selective B2-adrenoceptor antagonist
(blocks the actions of catecholamines), was found
6
to increase muscle tissue breakdown. Recent
experiments strongly support this hypothesis by demonstrating that the anti-catabolic effect of epinephrine in
muscle was completely suppressed by propranolol and
by ICI 118,551, blocking the actions of catecholamines on
References:
1. Mersmann HJ. Overview of the
effects of beta-adrenergic receptor agonists on animal growth including mechanisms of action. J Anim Sci, 1998
Jan;76(1):160-72.
2. Navegantes LC, Resano NM,
Migliorini RH, Kettelhut IC. Effect of
guanethidine-induced adrenergic blockade on the different proteolytic systems
in rat skeletal muscle. Am J Physiol,
1999; 277: E883-E889.
Migliorini RH, Kettelhut IC. Role of
adrenoceptors and cAMP on the catecholamine induced inhibition of proteolysis in rat skeletal muscle. Am J Physiol
Endocrinol Metab, 2000; 279: E663-E668.
4. Shamoon H, Jacob R, Sherwin RS.
304 MD
the beta-receptor. Clenbuterol on the hand induced a

dose-dependent inhibition of protein breakdown that was
also prevented by ICI 118,551 (a beta-receptor antagonist)
8
in muscles.
How Do Catecholamines
Reduce Muscle Tissue
Breakdown?
When you write for MD, you cant just say something
without describing the scientific mechanisms that support your claims. There is a nasty enzyme called calpain
that initiates myofibrillar protein breakdown. It appears
that calpains are responsible for increasing myofibrillar
8
protein breakdown. Studies indicate that epinephrine
secreted by the adrenal medulla and norepinephrine
released from adrenergic terminals have inhibitory
effects on Ca2+ dependent protein breakdown by
increasing calpastatin levels. Calpastatin is an
endogenous inhibitor of calpain. Recent findings
showing that calpastatin overexpression results in skele9
tal muscle hypertrophy and protects mice against atro10
phy provide evidence that calpastatin is also involved in
the control of normal skeletal muscle protein turnover.
There have been many other mechanisms proposed as
to why catecholamines can reduce muscle tissue breakdown, but I didnt want to turn this article into a biology
textbook.
Key Points:
Catecholamines can preserve muscle tissue breakdown.
Drugs that block the actions of catecholamines can
increase muscle tissue breakdown.
Catecholamines reduce the activity of calpain, an initiator of muscle tissue breakdown.
Catecholamines increase calpastatin, which is an
endogenous inhibitor of calpain. Recent findings
showing that calpastatin overexpression results in skeletal muscle hypertrophy and protects against atrophy.
Epinephrine-induced
hypoaminoacidemia in normal and diabetic human subjects: effect of beta
blockade. Diabetes, 1980; 29: 875-881.
5. Viguerie N, Clement K, Barbe P,
Courtine M, Benis A, Larrouy D, et al. In
vivo epinephrine-mediated regulation of
gene expression in human skeletal muscle. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2004; 89:
2000-2014.
6. Choo JJ, Horan MA, Little RA,
Rothwell NJ. Anabolic effects of clenbuterol on skeletal muscle are mediated
by beta 2- adrenoceptor activation. Am J
Physiol, 1992; 263: E50-E56.
Migliorini RH, Kettelhut IC. Effect of
guanethidine-induced adrenergic blockade on the different proteolytic systems
in rat skeletal muscle. Am J Physiol,

1999; 277: E883-E889.
Migliorini RH, Kettelhut IC.
Catecholamines inhibit Ca2+-dependent
proteolysis in rat skeletal muscle through
beta(2)-adrenoceptors and cAMP. Am J
Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2001; 281:
E449-E454.
9. Otani K, Han DH, Ford EL, GarciaRoves PM, Ye H, Horikawa Y, et al.
Calpain system regulates muscle mass
and glucose transporter GLUT4 turnover.
J Biol Chem, 2004; 279: 20915-20920.
10. Tidball JG, Spencer MJ.
Expression of a calpastatin transgene
slows muscle wasting and obviates
changes in myosin isoform expression
during murine muscle disuse. J Physiol,
2002; 545: 819-828.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
!
W N
E M
N U
L
O
C
By Anthony L. Almada, MSc, FISSN
Shred of Evidence
Show Me The Proof!
ON TIMEOFF
TARGET:
Nutrient Timing
for the MD Reader
utrient timing has been embraced like text messaging. If youre not a texter, you are an ignorant
fool or have been mentally hibernating for years
(its irrelevant to mention that text messaging may be
slower than Morse code: http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=AhsSgcsTMd4). Nutrient timing is based upon
the premise that providing nutrients primarily protein
and carbohydrate at a certain time in relation to an exercise bout will lead to greater adaptations to training, compared to getting your nutrition haphazardly. Most believers
have been convinced that the ideal time is AFTER a bout
of intense training. No doubt, if you follow the timing rules
it will, in addition to increasing muscle mass and performance, cure baldness, rip 10 percent of your body fat off like
Velcro , and take unemployment down to 1 percent. Really.

If youre reading this column 1) you likely engage in resistance training, and have been doing so for many months to
a few decades, and 2) you are curious enough to see if
theres anything in this column that could enable you to
become bigger (muscle-wise), leaner, faster, or stronger,
without using surgery or pharmacy. Given that point 1 is a
safe bet, would you assume that your veteran resistancetrained body would respond the same to training as that of a
person who has never resistance-trained, or who has
allowed her/himself to be detrained for months to years,
only to start training again? If you were to buy a product that
was positioned as Mass & Strength In a Bottle, would you
be more inclined to buy it if it was shown in university studies to 1) boost muscle protein synthesis and clamp down on
306 MD
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June 2009
Shred of Evidence Show Me The Proof!

age of almost six years of resistance training, and three
catabolism after a single intense training session, or 2) propowerlifters were assigned to either 1) take a liquid protein
duce greater gains in muscle cross-sectional areas and 1supplement pre-post, 2) take it in the a.m.-p.m., or 3) take a
rep max for bench press and squats?
placebo supplement. All three groups followed a 10-week
A recent review and position paper by the International
supervised training regimen (four sessions/week). The liquid
Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) looked at nutrient timing
protein supplement delivered 42 grams of protein (enzyin relation to exercise performance, glycogen repletion, and
matically predigested beef collagen, whey protein isolate,
training adaptations (body composition, muscle mass, and
1
3
casein) and 2 grams of carbs. Unlike the prior study, the
muscle fiber size). One conclusion was that ingesting a
carb + protein supplement after training promotes greater
subjects took the supplement every day during the 10
increases in strength and more favorable changes in lean
weeks.
mass and fat mass. Pretty compelling statement, eh?
After 10 weeks no significant difference in body comp or
If youre like some of my friends, youre as anxious as a
any measure of squat or bench press performance was
penned rodeo bull, bursting out of the gym to your gym
seen between any of the groups, including the placebo
bag, locker, or car, to take your post-workout supplement
group. Modest improvements in strength and power were
the second you finish your last rep. If I was to walk up to
seen in the two supplemented groups, but they were not
that bullpen, watching your nostrils flare and nasal secresignificantly greater than the placebo group.
tions shooting outward, Id wipe your nose, cover it with my
Why the different results between the only two studies
hand, and then ask, How many studies
done in resistance-trained subjects
Nutrient timing is
have been done in resistance-trained
putting chronic nutrient timing in the hot
based upon the
subjects AND where the long-term
seat? The first study used bodybuilders
impact of nutrient timing (immediately premise that providing who took in about 30 percent more calopre- or post-training OR hours apart
nutrients primarily ries (mostly from carbs, not including
from pre- or post training) was
protein and carbohy- the supplement), weighed less, and
assessed? If you use the ISSN paper to
drate at a certain were much leaner. The bodybuilders also
2
answer the question, only ONE study. A
taking in about 10-25 percent more
time in relation to an were
protein at the beginning of the study
sorely-overlooked fact is that most studexercise bout will lead than the football players. The bodyies involving resistance-training use
to
greater adaptations builders also supplemented with carbs
untrained subjects. Thats the way it is.
to
training, compared and creatine monohydrate in addition to
All of the other studies reviewed either
to getting your nutri- protein.
1) used subjects who were resistance
Despite the football playuntrained, 2) there was no comparison
tion haphazardly.
ers/powerlifters getting the protein
of timing of nutrients, or 3) it was a
supplement every day for 10 weeks, there was no differshort-term study (like one training session) where
ence. This is not a revelation more protein does not
physique/body comp measures would be pointless.
automatically beget more muscle mass. What may be the
That lone study took 23 non-competitive, young (early
revelation is that supplemental calories/carbs may make
20s) Australian bodybuilders with an average of three years
a difference when protein is at the ceiling of intakes. As it
of experience and matched them for max strength (1 rep
stands, nutrient timing-mediated muscle and strength
max; 1RM). Half of the group then took a carb + protein +
gains in resistance-trained men is superior for whey procreatine monohydrate supplement (40 percent protein from
tein isolate + dextrose + creatine monohydrate. Any other
whey protein isolate, 43 percent dextrose, and 7 percent
claim in resistance-trained men has as much proof as
creatine monohydrate;) just before and just after training
non-alcoholic beer.
(four personal training supervised sessions in the mid-late
afternoon/week for 10 weeks). The other half took the same
Anthony Almada (B.Sc., M.Sc.) has worked within the
supplement twice daily on training days (same training regdietary supplement industry since 1975. He has a B.Sc. in physimen as pre-post group), yet before breakfast and before
iology and nutritional biochemistry minor from California State
sleep (a.m.-p.m.) on the same training days.
University, Long Beach, and an M.Sc. from Berkeley. He has
If you accept that the subjects in the a.m.-p.m. group
been a co-investigator on over 60 university clinical trials, rangdidnt eat or drink anything for 1-2 hours after they
ing from arthritis to muscle building and fat loss. Anthony
trained for 10 weeks then the results for the pre-post
Almada is a member of the executive board of ISSN, and is a
group are distinctive: greater lean mass gains and fat mass
fellow of the ISSN.
drops; greater 1RM in squats and bench press; bigger muscle fibers and more contractile protein (not just muscle proReferences:
1. Kerksick C, et al. International society of sports nutrition position
tein); higher muscle creatine and glycogen content. Again,
stand: nutrient timing. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2008;5:17.
this is the only study using resistance-trained subjects AND
2. Cribb PJ, Hayes A: Effects of supplement timing and resistance
where timing is compared. Admirably, the lead author of
exercise on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Med Sci Sports Exerc,
2006;38:1918-25.
the study disclosed that he is a consultant to AST (disclo3. Hoffman JR, et al. Effect of protein supplement timing on strength,
sure is not common trust me).
power and body compositional changes in resistance-trained men. Int J
Then another study comes out 30 northeast American
Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, (published online advance of print; accessed 13
March 2009).
college football players (late teens/early 20s), with an aver-
308 MD
www.storemags.com
June 2009
By Justin Harris, B.A.
POWER
BODYBUILDINGRx
MD proudly introduces Justin Harris new column, Power Bodybuilding. We thought the title Power
Bodybuilding was appropriate because Justin has excelled at both. Justin is a Jr. USA super-heavyweight bodybuilding champion. He recently achieved an elite total classification in the 275-pound weight class in his first powerlifting
contest. He squatted 876 pounds, bench pressed 573 pounds and deadlifted 700 pounds for a combined total of 2,149
pounds. Justin is 29-years old and a two-time All-American defensive-end and fullback in college. He has a bachelor
of science degree in kinesiology and is now working towards his Ph.D. in theoretical physics. Justin is the owner of
Troponin Nutrition and has helped hundreds of athletes with individualized, sport-specific diet and nutrition planning.
Justins theories about nutrition and performance have been widely published. Now hes joined the number one
bodybuilding magazine on the planet. Justin, welcome to Team MD!
Can you build muscle size with

doing sets of single reps, or do
you need more reps for hypertrophy?
Training with singles will primarily result in increased neural efficiency, but not much hypertrophy (sarcomeric or sarcoplasmic). As such, I
would only do singles sparingly in a
hypertrophy-oriented training plan.
Some lower-rep sets (2-3 reps) every
now and then would be a good idea,
because the increased neural efficiency and strength will carry over to
your higher-rep sets.
310 MD
www.storemags.com
HMW carbs have a low osmolality;

they should reach your small intestine
and your bloodstream faster and that
should mean faster glycogen storage.
Ive seen a few people mention that
they arent supporters of Waxy Maize,
by claiming there are no scientific
studies on the product named Waxy
Maize.
There are numerous studies on the
efficacy of high-molecular weight carbohydrates and their resultant low
osmolality. Waxy Maize IS a high-molecular weight carbohydrate. If you
want to claim that it isnt a high-molecular weight carbohydrate, then ask
for lab assays, because there are studies showing the efficacy of high-molecular weight carbs. Claiming there are
no scientific studies is similar to saying that kosher salt doesnt cause
osmosis, or that non-iodine-containing salt doesnt cause osmosis,
because studies are done with a sodium ion, or a sodium chloride molecule.The osmosis is caused by the
sodium not what the sodium is
named.
Its like saying my MacBook isnt a
computer, because there have been
no studies showing it uses binary
code.
At the end of the day, there are
June 2009
KEVIN HORTON PHOTO
What is your stance on the

recent articles posted about Waxy
Maize not being a fast carb and
not being more beneficial than
other carb sources like dextrose?
Waxy Maize is a high-molecular
weight carbohydrate, which isnt the
case for dextrose and many other
carbohydrate sources available as
supplements. The benefit is that highmolecular weight carbohydrates
have a low osmolality; they will not
pool in the stomach like isotonic
solutions. Therefore, they get to the
small intestine quicker and into the
bloodstream quicker.
There are studies showing higher
glycogen storage with HMW carbs

over glucose solutions both 2-hours
and 4-hours post-ingestion. With anything, you can find just about any
tweak to justify your argument. There
are plenty of past research studies
showing that steroids dont work.
There are studies claiming results of
some level for both sides of any issue.
There was even a study claiming Mike
was good-looking.
If you ever read a research article, youll see (aside from selfindulgent 19-letter words) +/- next
to any number given. Theyll give
you their error range right from
the start.
There are also various levels of
uncertainty that cant be accounted
for. Human error is a subjective uncertainty. Digestion is a complicated
process that cant be considered
absolute for anyone in any situation.
If exact timing happens to be
involved, the uncertainty can go
through hundreds of layers of variations... all the way down to human
timing, when a set of normally myelinated nerves transfers electrical signals up to 270 m/s but age and disease can vary that number drastically.
Im going way overboard on all of
this because that is what people do.
BILL COMSTOCK
I was reading an article that

said the more fat you carry on
your legs, the more testosterone
is converted to estrogen. Will
yohimbine help? Are there side
effects?
Yohimbine can help. A lot of people dont really feel good on yohimbine, though. So, check your tolerance
as you build up your dosage. A couple of cool things about yohimbine
are that it was kind of the original
Viagra its an alpha-antagonist,
which causes vasodilation of the
peripheries i.e., your ding-dong is a
periphery and the yohimbine makes
your main vein bigger.
Two ying-yang receptors in the
312 MD
!
W N
E M
N U
L
O
C
things like training hard, eating good,

and resting that play much bigger
roles in a persons progress. Of
course, people rarely fret about missing a meal and often skip training sessions when they dont feel like training and often have shitty training
sessions where they jack-jaw with
their buddy more than they train. You
dont see many people freaking out
over those things, though.
Insulin is even more misunderstood than the other aspects. Insulin
is produced in response to blood
sugar levels. If the 100 grams of carbs
enters the bloodstream all at once,
there will be a larger spike of insulin
than if the carbs enter over a period of
time. The total insulin secretion will be
roughly the same.
Waxy Maize enters the bloodstream sooner than other sources.
By the time another source will have
reached the small intestine and be
entering the bloodstream, Waxy Maize
will have been absorbed and taken up
to the muscles for a period of time.
People seem to think insulin was
invented in the 1990s as something
for bodybuilders to get bigger. Its as
if people think the human body developed insulin production for no other
reason than to help bodybuilders
grow muscles bigger sometime in the
very distant future.
Insulin is a central nervous system
depressant; it increases GFR and is
therefore a mild diuretic. It increases
sodium reabsorption at the distal
tubule (sodium is necessary for glycogen storage, so this could actually be
a benefit to its actions).
However...
yohimbine has no psychoactive properties. If
you look at the chemical
structure, you can see that it
should but there isnt.Too
bad that would be one hell of a
Viagra!
body are beta and alpha. Beta-agonists are things like ephedrine. They
stimulate the beta-receptors. Alphaantagonists (yohimbine) slow down
the alpha-receptors.
Alpha are the sleepy-sleepy
component to the wakey-wakey
beta-receptors. So, yohimbine is a
back-end stimulant... although it
doesnt really provide any major
stimulant effect.
Another cool thing about yohimbine is that it has a tryptamine backbone... For those who dont know
what that means... most psychoactive drugs have either a tryptamine
structure or a phenylethylamine
structure. The phenylethylamines are
the stimulant hallucination drugs
(think ecstasy).
The tryptamines are the WTF?
The-walls-are-melting hallucinogenics (think LSD).
Im having a hard time getting

the inside of my calves to grow;
the outside grows fine. Any suggestions?
Im not aware of any way to bring
up a specific part of the calf, other
than the gastrocnemius vs. the
soleus. The gastroc is the show part
of the calf muscle the meat that
you see when you think of calves.
The soleus lies under the gastroc, and
is visible more from the side think
of a side chest pose, and how the
flexed calf looks in that pose. All calf
raises (seated, standing, etc.) work
both the gastroc and the soleus, but
seated versions (with the knees bent)
minimize the involvement of the gastroc and make the soleus bear the
brunt of the load.
As for inner vs. outer foot positioning, some think that a toes out
stance (think of making a V with your
feet) will hit the inner head more than
the outer. In my experience, the general shape of your calves has much
more to do with genetics than how
you train them or what stance you
use. I always use a shoulder-width,
feet-forward stance, and focus on progressive resistance to bring up the
entire calf, rather than focusing on
any sort of specialization to bring up a
certain part of the calf.
Project Superheavyweight. This training DVD features over 2 hours of real-time training
and it comes with a free nutritional DVD with over an hour of Justin's nutrition advice and
food prep. Watch him go through intense workouts. Get nutrition advice from Justin himself. See his life outside the gym as he balances family, work and training.
The most critical time for nutrition
is the period around your
weight training workout. With
all the confusion as to what
nutrients are needed to create
an anabolic environment and
shut off catabolism after a
workout, Anatrop has all the
amino acids essential to creating an anti-catabolic environment, as well as an extra dose
of L-leucine, the specific amino
acid shown in studies to promote protein synthesis. Turn
your post-workout drink into
post-workout fuel.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
muscleform
&function
By Stephen E. Alway, Ph.D. FACSM, Illustrations by William P. Hamilton, CMI
Flying Crunches
for a Small and

Razor-Sharp Waist
the rectus abdominus. If both right and left halves of this

ven if abdominal work is not your favorite thing in the
muscle contract, the trunk is flexed forward so that the head
world to do, you know you still have to do it. If youre
and chest move closer to the hips and legs.
like the average bodybuilder, you would rather work
The external oblique muscle runs from the lower ribs
chest or arms than your abs. Most guys will tack a set or
by small bundles of muscle fibers from lateral to medial, in
two of sit-ups or maybe a set of crunches at the end of the
occasional workout, just to ease their conscience.
However, that is not the complete answer for producing razor-sharp abs which is really essential if
(Psoas minor is
you want people to notice your arms or chest,
omitted as it is
rather than a soft or bulging waistline.
not a strong
flexor of the hip)
The solution is perhaps obvious and relatively
simple: base your bodybuilding on the quest for
obtaining maximal muscle mass and training, by
using outrageous intensity. Then even sitting at
your computer, larger muscles will burn more
calories chronically and continuously than small
muscles. You also need to control your calorie
input and choose abdominal exercises that shorten and therefore tighten the fibers in this area,
rather than exercises that excessively stretch the
abdominal fibers. Flying crunches provide a full
range of abdomen action, but do not overstretch
the fibers in the anterior abdominal wall; therefore this exercise delivers intense and focused
abdominal activation for quick results.
Muscles Used
in Flying Crunches
The rectus abdominis is a long strap-like muscle, which covers that anterior surface of the
abdomen. It consists of a series of short fibers
stacked vertically on each other; when the fibers
contract, they bulge between their tendinous insertions or little blocks. The linea alba is a thin tendonlike line that creates a groove in the middle of the
abdominal wall. Typically there are three additional
rows of horizontally-placed tendons running across
314 MD
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June 2009
muscleform&function
the same direction that your fingers would point if you

were to put your hands in your pockets. When both left and
right sides of the external oblique muscles work together,
they can act to flex the trunk and move the head toward the
feet. The right side more strongly contracts when you twist
your body to the left.
The internal oblique muscle sits just deep to the
external oblique muscle. Even though it is not visible, its
shape and function makes important contributions to the
overall abdominal network. Its fibers run around the side of
the trunk at right angles to the external oblique muscle, fanning out from their origins and running toward the head
(superiorly). It attaches on the lowest three or four ribs,
where they become continuous with the internal intercostal
muscles (respiratory muscles of the rib cage). Similar to the
external oblique muscle, the internal oblique flexes the
trunk at the waist and moves the head toward the feet, if
both left and right portions contract together. However,
unlike the external oblique, if you twist to the right, the right
side is most active.
The transversus abdominis muscle is the major player when you pull your stomach inward, as in an abdominal
316 MD
vacuum. The fibers of the transversus abdominis run parallel to the floor when standing (hence the name). It is the
deepest abdominal muscle, beginning on the inner surfaces
of the inferior five to six costal cartilages of the ribs, the
posterior side of the vertebral column, and also from the
iliac crest region of the hip. Some of the most inferior fibers
in this muscle deviate to run parallel to the fibers of the
internal oblique muscle.
The iliopsoas muscle is a posterior abdominal muscle
that consists of two muscles. The psoas major is a long
and thick muscle that lies beside the thoracic and lumbar
vertebral column. The iliacus muscle is a large triangular
muscle overlaying the iliac bones of the hip and it lies along
the lateral side of the psoas major. The fibers of the iliacus
and psoas major combine into a single tendon that attaches
near the head of the femur (thigh) bone. The psoas major
and iliacus function as a single muscle (hence the name
iliopsoas muscle) and is the most powerful flexor of the
thigh at the hip joint.
Flying Crunches
This exercise will most effectively contract the upper two
www.storemags.com
June 2009
muscleform&function
rows of the rectus abdominus and the iliopsoas, but the

internal and external oblique muscles will also strongly
assist in the flexion and rotation of the trunk.
1. Lie on your back on the floor with your legs straight.
Place your hands loosely behind your head at about ear
level. Do not clasp your fingers, because this would make it
easy to try to pull on your head and neck when you get
fatigued, and this could strain your neck.
2. Lift your legs so that they are about six inches off the
floor. Exhale and then pull in your stomach as far as possible. This will be done with the transversus muscle and will
create a bit of an abdominal vacuum effect.
3. Bend both of your knees so that they move toward
your chest. Simultaneously, crunch your upper body by
lifting your shoulders and upper back off of the floor.
Twist your torso as you move your right elbow toward
your left knee.
4. Return to the starting position so that both legs are
straight, but do not let your feet touch the floor. Inhale as
you straighten your legs.
5. Repeat the crunch but this time twist your torso while
pulling the left knee toward the right elbow.
6. Work up to 20 reps on each side before letting your
feet touch the floor. Three sets should be enough to make it
feel like a blow-torch has been running over and through
your abdominals.
To get the smallest waist possible, you should make an
effort to pull the transversus in as much as possible at the
start of the movement. This will help to establish amazing
muscle abdominal control so that you will have the smallest
waist when you get to the competition stage or perhaps if
you just want to impress your peers at the beach or pool. A
strong transversus abdominis also acts much like a
weightlifting belt, which stabilizes your spine and pelvis
318 MD
when you are lifting heavy weights in squats or rows. The

iliopsoas muscle is also strongly activated as major hip flexors, but because you will be curling your upper body and
knees close together, the stress on the lumbar spine is
reduced to levels similar to or lower than traditional sit-ups.
The starting position can be a bit tough on the lumbar disks
if you have had a previous back injury. If this is the case,
you should start with your feet off the floor and your knees
bent and curl from this position.
If your body fat is under control, you should quickly
feel the deep burn in your abdomen from the superficial
muscles to the deep iliopsoas after only a few repetitions.
In six weeks or less, your abs should be tighter, smaller
and scary sharp.
References:
Endleman, I, Critchley, DJ (2008). Transversus abdominis and
obliquus internus activity during pilates exercises: measurement
with ultrasound scanning. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 89, 2205-2212.
Gidaris, D, Hatzitaki, V, & Mandroukas, K (2009). Spinal flexibility
affects range of trunk flexion during performance of a maximum
voluntary trunk curl-up. J Strength Cond Res, 23, 170-176.
McGill, SM, Karpowicz, A (2009). Exercises for spine stabilization: motion/motor patterns, stability progressions, and clinical technique. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 90, 118-126.
Parfrey, KC, Docherty, D, Workman, RC, & Behm, DG (2008). The
effects of different sit- and curl-up positions on activation of abdominal and hip flexor musculature. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 33, 888895.
Teyhen, DS, Rieger, JL, Westrick, RB, Miller, AC, Molloy, JM, &
Childs, JD (2008). Changes in deep abdominal muscle thickness
during common trunk-strengthening exercises using ultrasound
imaging. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther, 38, 596-605.
Workman, JC, Docherty, D, Parfrey, KC, & Behm, DG (2008).
Influence of pelvis position on the activation of abdominal and hip
flexor muscles. J Strength Cond Res, 22, 1563-1569.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
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By Gregg Valentino
DISCLAIMER:
The following is uncensored/

unedited and in no way reflects the
opinions of the staff of Muscular
Development. Who the hell knows
what this guy might say... hes a
mental freak. This article is for entertainment purposes only.
IM STEPPING OUT OF MY RAMBLIN FREAK PERSONA THIS MONTH AND IM
COMING TO YOU AS GREGG VALENTINO, THE HUMAN BEING. I TAKE A BIG RISK
EXPOSING MYSELF TO YOU, BUT I HOPE BY THE END OF THIS COLUMN YOU WILL
ALL UNDERSTAND TRUST ME, THIS IS BY FAR THE HARDEST COLUMN I HAVE
EVER HAD TO WRITE SO IF YOURE LOOKING FOR LAUGHS AND CRAZY SHIT,
THEN MAYBE THIS MONTHS COLUMN IS NOT FOR YOU JUST TO REMIND YOU, I
TH
AM GOING INTO MY 7 YEAR WITH MD AND ITS BEEN A GREAT RIDE FOR ME
AND IT HAS ACTUALLY SAVED MY LIFE YA SEE, WORKING FOR MD HAS
ALLOWED ME TO BE AN ACTIVE FATHER FOR MY CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY MY
DAUGHTER GINA, WHO IS MY LIFE NOT WORKING A NORMAL 9 to 5 JOB HAS
GIVEN ME THE FLEXIBLE HOURS TO BE THE FATHER I NEED TO BE FOR THIS I
THANK STEVE BLECHMAN WITH ALL MY HEART I LOVE STEVE FOR WHAT HE
HAS DONE FOR ME SINCE DAY ONE HERE AT MD, IVE BEEN IN THE LIMELIGHT
AND I HAVE HAD MANY GREAT EXPERIENCES, MEETING LOTS OF MAINSTREAM
CELEBRITIES, BEING ON A TON OF TV SHOWS, A FEW MOVIES, TONS OF MAGAZINES etc. I AM HONORED AND BLESSED I HAVE HAD TO OVERCOME A LOT OF
BAD THINGS IN MY LIFE AND I HAVE ALWAYS CARRIED MYSELF IN A WAY THAT
I FELT WAS CORRECT NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT.
FIRST, A LITTLE HISTORY

ABOUT ME MOST OF YOU LONGTIME READERS HAVE READ
ABOUT ME & MY DAUGHTER
GINA IN PAST COLUMNS, BUT I
HAVE A SON PAUL TOO, BY THE
SAME MOTHER (MY EX-WIFE)
HE IS NOW 18 GOING ON 19 AND
HE WANTS NOTHING TO DO WITH
ME HE IS PART OF MY BROKEN
HEART, BECAUSE WE WERE INSEPARABLE MY SON AND I DID
EVERYTHING TOGETHER AND
FOR THE LONGEST TIME I WAS
HIS HERO THAT ALL CHANGED
NOT LONG AFTER MY ARREST. HE
IS AN ADULT NOW, BUT IN MY
HEART HE IS STILL MY BABY AND
MY PAST LIFESTYLE RUINED
ALL THAT I EMBARRASSED
HIM & LET HIM DOWN> NO WONDER MY SON HATES BODYBUILDING... NOW I ONLY SEE HIM IN MY
320 MD
HEART!! TO THIS DAY, I

LOVE HIM TO DEATH, BUT I LOST
HIM LONG AGO MY ONLY HOPE
NOW IS THAT ONE DAY WE WILL BE
A FATHER & SON AGAIN I MISS
MY LITTLE BOY, ITS LIKE A
DEATH IN MY FAMILY HE HAS
NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYONE IN
MY FAMILY, YET WE (MY FAMILY
& I) ALL LOVE & MISS MY BOY
VERY MUCH. I WOULD DIE FOR
HIM I DONT EVEN GET ANY
RECENT PICTURES OF HIM I
LOVE HIM & I SEE HIM NOW,
ONLY IN MY HEART GOD I MISS
HIM!!! BUT IT WASNT ALWAYS
LIKE THIS.
Any man can father a child, but
only a real man can be a dad. IN
THE SUMMER OF 1999, I PROVED
TO BE MY SONS HERO THERE IS
A LOCAL KID JOEY AND HIS
FATHER, JOE Sr. WHO USED TO
PRACTICE BASEBALL EVERY

DAY. EVEN IN WINTER TIME. THE
FATHER (JOE Sr.) IS A
WHACKO. HES HOPING TO TURN
HIS SON JOEY INTO A PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER
SOMEDAY AND HE IS SO OBSESSED
TO THE POINT THAT HE CLEARED
OUT HIS LIVING ROOM & TURNED
IT INTO A PLACE WHERE HE COULD
HAVE HIS SON JOEY DO BASEBALL
DRILLS THIS NUT-JOB (JOE Sr.)
MADE A KILLING IN THE 80s FROM
INTEL STOCKS, SO HE HAD A LOT
OF MONEY AND HE DIDNT NEED
TO WORK ANYWAY, MY SON
PAUL AND HIS SCHOOL FRIEND
CHRIS WERE HITTING BASEBALLS
ON A LOCAL BASEBALL FIELD I
PITCHED TO EACH KID AS THEY HIT
AND THEN THEY PLAYED THE
FIELD FOR THE OTHER KID TO HIT
JOE Sr. AND HIS KID JOEY CAME
TO THE FIELD AND ASKED IF
THEY (JOEY & JOE Sr.) COULD
PLAY AGAINST MY SON AND HIS
FRIEND I DIDNT FEEL LIKE
PLAYING SO I JUST WATCHED AT
FIRST, MY SON & HIS FRIEND
HELD THEIR OWN, BUT THE
FATHER JOE Sr. STARTED THROWING FAST BALLS LIKE NOLAN
RYAN AND TAKING THINGS WAY
TOO SERIOUS YES, JOEY & JOE
Sr. WERE NOW BEATING MY SON &
HIS PAL REALLY BAD JOE Sr.
WAS PITCHING AND ACTING LIKE A
JERK, MOCKING MY SON & HIS
FRIEND IF THEY STRUCK OUT I
DIDNT WANT TO START A FIGHT,
BUT I DIDNT LIKE HIM MOCKING
MY KIDS. I JUST KEPT MY MOUTH
CLOSED BUT I WAS FUMING
www.storemags.com
INSIDE FINALLY
MY SON BEGGED
ME TO GET UP TO
BAT HE KNEW
HOW GOOD A
BASEBALL PLAYER I WAS AND HE
WANTED ME TO
SHOW UP JOEY
& HIS PINHEAD
FATHER JOE Sr.
FINALLY I GAVE
IN AND I USED A
KIDS T-BALL
BAT IT WAS A
SMALL BAT, THESE KIDS WERE 9
YEARS OLD FOR GODS SAKE ANYWAY, JOE Sr. THOUGHT HE WAS
GOING TO STRIKE ME OUT AND HE
THREW A FASTBALL RIGHT DOWN
THE PIPE YO, I DRILLED IT OVER
THE FENCE INTO THE TENNIS
COURTS NEXT DOOR MY SON &
HIS FRIEND WHERE ECSTATIC,
THEY WERE CHEERING AND HOOTING AS I RAN THE BASES LIKE
REGGIE JACKSON MY SON
LOOKED AT ME WITH PRIDE &
TEARS IN HIS EYES, AND HE GAVE
ME A HUGE HUG HE THEN
TURNED TO HIS FRIEND CHRIS AND
SAID, YA SEE, I TOLD YA, MY DAD
IS AWESOME!!!!! THAT WAS
ONE OF THE GREATEST FATHER &
SON MOMENTS I EVER HAD JOE
Sr. WAS STUTTERING TO HIMSELF,
IT KILLED HIM THAT I MADE A
FOOL OF HIM AFTER HE HAD BEEN
BULLYING MY 9-YEAR-OLD SON &
HIS FRIEND..BUT DONT BE
FOOLED, THESE WERE JUST HAPPY
MOMENTS FROM THAT TIME
WHEN NIGHTTIME CAME, MY
OTHER LIFE TOOK OVER!!!!
It takes a long time and many
steps to climb to the top of a mountain, but in only an instant, it takes
just one wrong step to fall all the
way down and crash at the bottom.
BACK IN 2001 AFTER I WAS
ARRESTED, WHEN I GOT INTO THE
COURTROOM, I REMEMBER AS I
WAS STANDING BEFORE THE
JUDGE & I QUICKLY LOOKED
OVER MY SHOULDER I COULD
SEE MY FATHER SITTING THERE
WITH A PAIR OF SUNGLASSES ON,
HE HAD TEARS DRIPPING DOWN
HIS CHEEKS HE WAS CRYING

SILENTLY TO HIMSELF, HE DIDNT
WANT TO LOOK WEAK FOR ME MY
ARREST BROKE HIS HEART I
ALWAYS PRIDED MYSELF BY
NEVER DRINKING ALCOHOL OR
DOING DRUGS NEVER SMOKING
POT OR CIGARETTES ALL THIS
WAS BECAUSE OF THAT MAN SITTING THERE >> MY DAD!!!!I
IDOLIZED MY FATHER GROWING
UP HE WAS BIG & STRONG AND HE
NEVER DRANK OR SMOKED OR
DONE ANY DRUGS NOW HE IS SITTING IN A COURTROOM WATCHING
HIS LOSER SON BEING CHARGED
WITH DRUG DEALING I REALLY
HURT MY FATHER BUT HE STOOD
BY ME REGARDLESS OF HIS
HUMILIATION.
We never know
the love our parents have for us
till we have
become parents
ourselves.
WHY ALL THE
DRAMA NOW
IVE BEEN VERY SICK AS OF
LATE IT ALL STARTED WHEN I
FILMED MY FIRST SEGMENT FOR
AN ESPN PIECE ON STEROIDS IN
SPORTS OF COURSE WHO ELSE
BETTER TO USE THAN BIG MOUTH
GREGG VALENTINO WE (ESPN &
I) SPENT ABOUT
10 HOURS
FILMING AT
BOB BONHAMs
STRONG &
SHAPELY GYM
AS I TOLD THE
STORY OF MY
DRUG DEALING
DAYS BACK IN
THE MID-90s
BEFORE I WAS
ARRESTED I
TALKED ABOUT
MY ARREST, MY PAST STEROID
USAGE AND MY FAMILY DRAMA
AFTER MY ARREST etc. AT THE
END OF THAT NIGHT OF FILMING
WITH ESPN, I HAD LITTLE PANGS
OF PANIC ANXIETY, NOTHING TOO
MAJOR YET, BUT ENOUGH THAT MY
GIRLFRIEND NOTICED IT RIGHT
322 MD
AWAY A FEW DAYS LATER THE

WHOLE A-ROD SCANDAL BROKE
AND I WAS GETTING A BUNCH OF
PHONE CALLS FROM A FEW TV
NEWS STATIONS WANTING MY
OPINION ON A-ROD I WENT ON
NEWS 12 WESTCHESTER WHO
ONLY SHOWED FILM CLIPS FROM
MY ARREST 8 YEARS AGO; MEANWHILE THE PIECE WAS SUPPOSED
TO BE ON MY OPINION OF A-ROD
TAKING STEROIDS THAT NIGHT
WHEN I WATCHED NEWS 12 I
GAGGED > I WAS VERY UPSET AND
FELT TOTALLY BETRAYED THAT
THEY USED OLD NEWS FOOTAGE
ABOUT ME AND MY ARREST 8
YEARS AGO, INSTEAD OF WHAT I
HAD TO SAY
ABOUT A-ROD
THIS REALLY
BOTHERED ME
A LOT AND
THAT PANIC
ANXIETY
PANG CAME
BACK A LOT
STRONGER
VERY
STRONG!!!... AS A MATTER OF FACT,
IVE BEEN WEARING A BASEBALL
HAT EVERY DAY SINCE THAT
SHOW AIRED, TO HIDE MY BALD
HEAD AND CHANGE MY LOOK I
JUST WANNA BE INVISIBLE/
UNRECOGNIZABLE I KEPT SAYING TO MY FAMILY &
FRIENDS >> THAT SHIT
IS 8 YEARS OLD WHY
CANT THEY JUST LET
IT BE AND PUT ON
WHAT I SAID ABOUT AROD WHY CALL ME
AND ASK MY OPINION
IF YOU DONT WANT TO
USE WHAT I SAID? I
www.storemags.com
WAS REALLY FEELING THE OLD

WOUNDS OF MY ARREST AND MY
PAST MISTAKES THEN A FEW
DAYS LATER, I LOGGED ONTO
MD.COM, WHERE I SAW A VIDEO
ABOUT SOME BODYBUILDER
BEING ARRESTED AND ALTHOUGH
HE IS A TOTAL STRANGER TO ME,
I DONT EVEN KNOW HIM, JUST
SEEING THE PAIN ON HIS FACE IN
THE ARREST VIDEO PUSHED ME
EVEN DEEPER INTO MY OWN PERSONAL ANXIETY BY NOW
EVERYTHING WAS SETTING ME
OFF FINALLY, THE STRAW THAT
BROKE THE CAMELS BACK CAME
JUST ONE DAY LATER WHEN I
PICKED UP MY DAUGHTER FROM
SCHOOL AND SHE TOLD ME THAT
TH
HER 7 GRADE FRIENDS
WATCHED A FILM ON TEENAGE
DRUG ADDICTION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES... SHE TOLD ME THAT ALL
HER FRIENDS WHERE CHEERING
BECAUSE IN THIS FILM THEY HAD
A FEW CLIPS OF ME TO SHOW
STEROID ABUSE!!! NOT BARRY
BONDS NOT A-ROD >> ME!!!...
SHE SAID ALL HER GIRLFRIENDS
RAN UP TO HER AND TOLD HER
THEY SAW HER DAD (ME) IN THIS
SCHOOL DRUG VIDEO BUT ITS
OK BECAUSE A-ROD TOOK
STEROIDS AND LOOK HOW COOL &
FAMOUS HE IS, YOUR DAD IS SO
COOL & FAMOUS TOO!!!! OH YES
THEY SAID THAT!!!! ONE GIRL
(MY DAUGHTERS FRIEND) ACTUALLY BRAGGED TO THE OTHER KIDS
THAT GINA IS HER COUSIN AND I
AM HER FAMOUS UNCLE (TOTALLY NOT TRUE!!!!) YO, WHEN THIS
CAME OUT OF MY DAUGHTERS
MOUTH AND I SAW THE PROUD
LOOK ON HER (GINAS) FACE AN
ALARM WENT OFF IN MY EARS I
ALMOST DROVE OFF THE
ROAD!!! I COULDNT BREATHE, I
WAS TOTALLY GASPING FOR AIR, I
FELT LIKE I WAS GOING TO PASS
OUT MY HEAD GOT REAL HOT
AND I STARTED TO SWEAT I HAD
TO TRY REAL HARD TO HIDE MY
TREMBLING AND MY SHEER
FEAR/ANXIETY ATTACK FROM
MY DAUGHTER WHO WAS SITTING
IN THE BACKSEAT OF MY
CAR!!!! ALL THESE EVENTS HAP-
324 MD
PENED WITHIN JUST A FEW DAYS

OF EACH OTHER AND NOW A HUGE
DAM OF EMOTION EXPLODED
DEEP INSIDE ME, I WAS A TOTAL
MESS!!!! I HAD EXTREME FEAR
AND ANXIETY LIKE NOTHING I
HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED IN MY
LIFE AT THIS POINT, EVERYTHING
SET ME OFF AT A RED LIGHT I
SAW A BUMPER STICKER THAT
SAID SAY NO TO DRUGS, WHICH
HAD ME TREMBLING IN MY SEAT
(NOT AN EXAGGERATION, IT REALLY HAPPENED) & BROUGHT BOILING HOT TEARS BURNING DOWN
MY CHEEKS I QUICKLY DROVE
OVER TO MY SISTERS HOUSE,
DROPPED OFF MY DAUGHTER,
THEN RAN TO MY HOUSE, PUKED
A FEW TIMES, THEN SHIVERED IN
A COLD SWEAT AND IN UTTER
FEAR/ANXIETY/ DEPRESSION ON
MY BED I WAS HAVING POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS FROM MY
OWN LONG-TIME, BOTTLED-UP
FEELINGS FROM 8 YEARS AGO
LISTEN, I HAVE DONE NOTHING
WRONG AND I LIVE A VERY
CLEAN LIFE (NO STEROIDS) SINCE
MY ARREST 8 YEARS AGO AND
EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THESE
EVENTS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH
ME PERSONALLY, I COULDNT
BREATHE, EAT OR FUNCTION
NORMALLY HELL, I LOST ABOUT
15 to 20 POUNDS IN JUST A FEW
DAYS JUST FROM FASTING MY
MUSCLES DISAPPEARED & MY
BODY TURNED TO A PILE OF MUSH
I WENT DAYS WITHOUT ANY FOOD
AND WENT 2 WEEKS WITHOUT
EVEN SHOWERING, NOT TO MENTION NO MORE THAN AN HOURS
SLEEP EACH NIGHT ITS LIKE
THIS OPENED UP A CLOSED DOOR
DEEP INSIDE ME ITS A NIGHTMARE THE CRAZY THING IS, I
ALWAYS FELT THAT PEOPLE WHO
EXPERIENCE FEAR/ANXIETY/
DEPRESSION WERE WEAK-MINDED & PATHETIC I WAS
WRONG!!!!!!! AT THIS POINT, I WAS
GOOD FOR NOTHING, I COULD ONLY
LAY ON MY BED CURLED UP IN A
BALL, SOMETIMES CRYING,
SOMETIMES IN FULL-FLEDGED
FEAR LIKE I WAS BACK IN A JAIL
CELL OR A WAR ZONE WITH GUNS
TO MY HEAD AGAIN I WAS GETTING PARANOID DELUSIONS

TOOI FELT EVERYONE WAS
WATCHING ME AND OUT TO GET
ME!!! MY GIRLFRIEND CALLED
ME MEL, SHE SAID I REMINDED
HER OF MEL GIBSON IN THE
MOVIE CONSPIRACY THEORY
MY PARANOIA WAS GETTING OUT
OF CONTROL & PUSHING ME DEEPER INTO FEAR & DEPRESSION
ASIDE FROM NON-STOP DIZZY
NOSEBLEEDS, I WAS FREEZING,
YET IT WAS 75 DEGREES IN MY
HOUSE I HAD MASSIVE DIARRHEA & OCCASIONAL VOMITING,
YET I HAD NOT EATEN FOOD IN
DAYS I WAS AFRAID TO LEAVE
MY BED, I WAS HAVING A TOTAL
PARANOID NERVOUS BREAKDOWN MY PARANOID MIND SAW
EX-DRUG DEALERS IN MY ROOM
WAITING FOR ME AGAIN KEEP IN
MIND, I HAVE NO MEDICAL BENEFITS SO I CANT SEE A DOCTOR AT
ONE POINT, I ACTUALLY WANTED
TO DIE, TO JUST GO TO SLEEP AND
NOT WAKE UP MY PAST
DEMONS WERE RIPPING ME
APART FROM THE INSIDE-OUT
IM NOT ON MEDICATION, IM
RUFFING IT OUT MYSELF, I DID
THIS TO ME, NOW I GOTTA FIX
IT IT WAS ALL SOMETHING
LOCKED DEEP INSIDE ME AND
THE ESPN TAPING WHERE I WAS
RE-LIVING MY PAST STARTED
CRACKING MY INNER DAM OF
EMOTIONS (BAD STUFF MY MIND
BURIED) TILL FINALLY MY DAUGHTERS SCHOOL FILM BROUGHT IT
OUT INTO A TOTAL BREAKDOWN
IN CASE YOURE WONDERING, NO > I
DO NOT TAKE ANY HEAD MEDICATIONS OR PARTY DRUGS, THIS IS
NOT BROUGHT ON BY A BAD NIGHT
OF PARTYING, I DO NOT DRINK, I
DO NOT SMOKE & IM CERTAINLY
NOT ON STEROIDS THIS WAS SIMPLY BROUGHT ON BY A VERY BAD
PAST... THIS IS NOW A NEW CHAPTER IN MY LIFE
MY NEW MISSION STATEMENT.I AM NO LONGER GOING
TO VERBALLY GIVE STEROIDS
THEIR GLORY , I JUST WANT NO
PART OF DISCUSSING THE WHOLE
STEROID SUBJECTNO, I HAVENT
www.storemags.com
SOLD OUT AND I AM NOT A

HYPOCRYTEIM ONLY SPEAKING
MY MIND AS I ALWAYS DO , THE
WHOLE JUICE HEAD
LIFESTYLE I LIVED A LONG TIME
AGO I WHAT I AM EMOTIONALLY
PAYING FOR NOW .FIRST OFF
STEROIDS ARE ILLEGAL SO
FUCKING AROUND WITH
STEROIDS IS BREAKING THE
LAW IT DOESNT MATTER
WHETHER I THINK THEY SHOULD
OR SHOULDNT BE ILLEGAL, WHAT
MATTERS IS THEY ARE ILLEGAL
< BOTTOM LINE!!!... ME OPENING
MY BIG MOUTH IN THE MEDIA
HAS DISGRACED MYSELF AND MY
FAMILY ENOUGH!!! NO
MORE!!!!... TO HAVE MY DAUGHTERS SCHOOL WATCH ME AS A
FEATURED DRUG ABUSER ON
THEIR SCHOOL FILM, NOT BECAUSE
OF MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BUT
INSTEAD BECAUSE IM AN EXSTEROID USER, IS THE STRAW
THAT BROKE THE CAMELS BACK.
IN THE 90s, WHAT I WENT
THROUGH ON THE STREETS OF
NEW YORK CITY WAS HORRIBLE >
I WAS ALMOST KILLED WITH
GUNS TO MY HEAD A BUNCH OF
TIMES, MY MOM DIED, MY WIFE
LEFT ME, MY GIRLFRIEND
KILLED HERSELF WITH A DRUG
OVERDOSE AND THEN GETTING
ARRESTED & LOSING EVERYTHING FROM MY MONEY, MY CAR,
MY GYM, MY DIGNITY, I WAS
LEFT WITH NOTHING!!!! AND TO
TOP IT ALL OFF, MY SON TURNED
AWAY FROM ME TOO YES THIS
WAS ALL LONG AGO BUT I BURIED
ALL THOSE FEELINGS... NOW I AM
LIKE A VIETNAM VET WHO
ALMOST 10 YEARS LATER HAS A
SERIOUS CASE OF BOMBS BURSTING IN HIS EARS. I ACTUALLY
CONSIDERED LEAVING THIS
SPORT, BUT NOW IM THINKING >
MAYBE I CAN HELP OTHERS FROM
FALLING INTO THE BLACK HOLE
THAT I FELL INTO YEARS AGO... IN
BODYBUILDING THE DRUG USE IS
OUT OF CONTROL AND ITS NOT
WORTH IT, WITHOUT A SUPPLEMENT CONTRACT THERES NO
MONEY IN PRO-BODYBUILDING!!!... IT COSTS A LOT OF MONEY
TO PREPARE FOR A SHOW, THATS
326 MD
WHY THE DRUG DEALING IS SO

WIDESPREAD AMONG PRO & AMATEUR COMPETITORS I MAKE
MORE MONEY WITH MY MD CONTRACT THAN MOST PROS MAKE
FROM BODYBUILDING ALONE
YES, STEROIDS HAVE A PLACE IN
MEDICINE FOR MEN WHO NEED
THEM WITH A DOCTORS CARE, BUT
SELLING THAT SHIT OR BUYING IT
ON THE STREET/IN THE GYM OR
OFF THE INTERNET >IS AGAINST
THE LAW AND WILL PUT YOU IN
JAIL WARNING > DONT CRY OR
RAT OUT YOUR FRIEND WHEN
YOURE SITTING IN JAIL IF YOU
CANT DO THE TIME, THEN DONT
DO THE CRIME!!! BE A MAN!!! I
TOOK MY LUMPS MYSELF!!! THE
REALLY SAD THING IS > MOST
JUICEHEADS DONT EVEN COMPETE THEY JUST TAKE STEROIDS
TO LOOK BIG AND IMPRESS ALL
THE LITTLE GIRLIES AT THE
MALL, TO BE MR. MALL, MR.
BEACH OR MR. NIGHTCLUB IF I
SIT HERE AND GLORIFY STEROIDS
AND THEN SOME KID HEARS MY
BULLSHIT AND HE BREAKS THE
LAW, GETS ARRESTED DESTROYING HIMSELF AND HIS FAMILY
LIKE I DID, THEN I FAILED HIM!!!
> AND AS A PARENT WITH A VOICE
IN THE MEDIA, I AM OBLIGATED
TO HELP HIM IT AINT WORTH
THE CONSEQUENCES (JAIL)
NOW I KNOW WHAT YOURE
THINKING > VALENTINO ARENT
YOU THE GUY WHO SAID STEROIDS
ARE AS AMERICAN AS APPLE
PIE IN THE MOVIE BIGGER,
STRONGER, FASTER YES I AM ,
BUT I AM ALSO THE FATHER WHO
HAS TO HAVE HIS 11-YEAR-OLD
DAUGHTER & HER FRIENDS
WATCH A SCHOOL VIDEO WITH HER
DAD (ME) STARRING AS A FEATURED DRUG ADDICT NOT
GOOD!!!!... I NOW SAY IM SORRY
TO ALL THE PARENTS WHO HAVE
YOUNG KIDS WHO LOOK UP TO ME
AS A BODYBUILDING MEDIA
VOICE THEY SEE ME ON A
MOVIE SCREEN GLORIFYING
STEROID USE IN SPORTS, I AM
NOW ASHAMED & A DISGRACE TO
PARENTHOOD, I BEG YOUR
PARENTAL FORGIVENESS!!!...
YES, NOW IT IS MY CHILD WHO
WILL SUFFER HUMILIATION FOR

MY PAST STUPIDITY THE SAD
THING IS, I WAS ONCE AN AWESOME
NATURAL BODYBUILDER, FOR 23
YEARS I WAS 100 PERCENT
DRUG-FREE, I HAD PRIDE I
NEVER EVEN TOOK A TYLENOL
BACK IN MY DAYS AND NO ONE IN
MY CLASS COULD BEAT ME!!!! I
RUINED A GREAT PHYSIQUE TO
LOOK LIKE A SIDE SHOW FREAK
ITS MY FAULT FOR MAKING POOR
CHOICES & FOR OPENING MY BIG
MOUTH ON TV SHOWS, MOVIES
AND SHOOTING A SHIT-LOAD OF
OIL-BASED STEROIDS INTO MY
ARMS (NOT SYNTHOL DONT
START WITH THAT BULLSHIT
FUCK YOU!!!) I GAINED FAME,
BUT NOT IN A GOOD WAY, AFTER
ALL CHARLES MANSON IS
FAMOUS TOO IT TAKES A LOT OF
GUTS TO SIT HERE AND OPEN UP TO
YOU ALL LIKE THIS I KNOW, I WILL
EAT MY OWN SHIT FOR THIS BUT
CAN TELL YA THIS MUCH > I WANT
MY LIFE BACK, I WANNA FEEL
NORMAL AGAIN AND I WANT MY
SON TO BE WITH ME AGAIN YOU
CAN ALL KEEP YOUR NEED TO BE
HUGE BULLSHIT > I DONT WANT
IT ANYMORE!!!... YO, I DIDNT
NEED STEROIDS, I WAS SUPERBUILT WITHOUT THEM AT 36
WHEN I STARTED AND THE SAD
THING IS A-ROD DIDNT NEED
STEROIDS EITHER, HE WAS ONLY
20-SOMETHING (TOO YOUNG) AND
THE BEST HITTER IN BASEBALL
WITHOUT THEM!! NOW A-ROD
LOST EVERYONES RESPECT AND
WILL BE LABLED FOR LIFE WHEN
THERE WAS NO NEED FOR THAT
SHIT... SO NOW WHEN I SEE MY
DAUGHTER LATER TODAY I GOTTA
TELL HER TO TELL HER FRIENDS
THAT DADDY & A-ROD WERE
WRONG AND WHAT WE DID WAS
ILLEGAL AND COULD DESTROY
LIVES & PUT YOU IN JAIL!!!! I
KNOW MY DAUGHTER LOVES HER
DAD AND HER DAD LOVES HER
WITH ALL MY HEART I KNOW I
MAY LOSE A FEW FANS AFTER
READING THIS, BUT I DONT CARE,
I LOST MYSELF A LONG TIME
AGO & NOW I WANT ME BACK!!!!
NEXT MONTH > BACK TO NORMAL GV
www.storemags.com
TRAINING, NUTRITION, DIET, & SUPPLEMENTATION

With Eric Broser &
Layne Norton
NOJUICE
Bodybuilding
Drug-Like Gains
For Drug-Free
Bodybuilders,
Part
2
By Eric Broser
In last months No Juice I began discussing the
processes behind muscle hypertrophy and what type of
physiological trigger is necessary to set them in motion. I
also introduced you to a training protocol I developed in
the last couple of years meant to precisely address these
issues: Fiber Damage/Fiber Saturation, or simply FD/FS.
Part one of this piece focused on the Fiber
Damage portion of the program, which is
meant to maximally traumatize the
muscle fibers in order to set the
anabolic machinery in motion.
Now I would like to talk about
Fiber Saturation and the
role it plays in encouraging
rapid gains in lean tissue
once you have sufficiently torched your muscles
with the specific FD
training techniques.
And Speaking
of
Nourishment!
The
Hurricane
Is Over
Its Time to
Clean Up!
While it is absolutely
essential to train in a manner
intense enough to stimulate the
anabolic process, it is equally as vital
that one does everything possible to facilitate the bodys recuperative mechanisms as well,
for if you fail to do so, your progress will stagnate no matter how hard you go at it in the gym. Once you have
caused sufficient micro-tears in the muscle fibers, the goal
is to bathe them with as much nutrient/hormone-rich blood
as you possibly can. In other words, its time to chase the
pump, and chase it furiously! The idea here is to begin generating immediate repairs to the damaged muscle tissue,
so that you will already be ahead of the game once you
return home from the gym.
328 MD
After quite a bit of experimentation with various Fiber

Saturation protocols, I have found that what works best
for our purposes are: 1) Very High Repetitions, 2)
Continuous Tension, and 3) Post-Activation Supersets
(i.e., a compound movement followed by isolation movement). I recommend a 1/0/1/0, or piston-like tempo,
where the weight is in almost-constant motion
when performing your FS sets. This is not
the time to stretch and squeeze, as all
we wish to do in this phase is force
so much blood into the target muscle that it feels as if it may burst!
The muscle has already undergone the trauma necessary
during the Fiber Damage
portion of the workout, and
now it is time to nourish,
repair and recuperate!
In order for FD/FS training

to work to its greatest potential,
I developed a specific nutritional
protocol to be used in conjunction
with the program. The types of training techniques utilized during the FD
phase are very brutal to both the muscles
and CNS, which is why the FS stage of the
workout is a necessary component. Since there will be
a tremendous amount of blood circulating to the muscles
during FS (almost five times as much as when at rest), we
can take further advantage by overloading the system with
certain nutrients before, during, and right after training. The
period immediately preceding the workout to shortly after
is your greatest opportunity nutritionally to hasten the muscle-building process! In fact, I would postulate that FD/FS
training is about 30-40 percent more effective for muscle
hypertrophy when the following protocol is utilized:
www.storemags.com
June 2009
30-45 Minutes Before Training:

Whey Protein Isolate50 grams
Waxy Maize Starch or
Maltodextrin50 grams
Vitamin C1000 mg
Phosphatidylserine 800 mg
(efficient cortisol blocker)
Sip Throughout Workout:
Gatorade or similar product
containing electrolytes and
glucose 50 grams
Essential Amino Acids 5-10 grams
BCAAs10-15 grams
Glutamine10-15 grams
Creatine Monohydrate5 grams
Beta Alanine3 grams
15-30 Minutes Post-workout:
Whey Protein Isolate 50 grams
Vitargo 50 grams
Leucine 5-10 grams
Antioxidant Blend (there are
several excellent products
available)1 serving
*Other ingredients can also be utilized as

well, such as ATP, citrulline, arginine, ALA,
energy boosters, etc., but the above is more
than adequate to maximize the benefits of
If on a budget, the most important
items would be the whey isolate, a liquid/powdered fast-acting carbohydrate
source, creatine and leucine.
*The example above is based on a
bodybuilder in the range of 200-250 pounds,
although the exact amounts of each nutrient will vary somewhat, due to several
important factors.
FD/FS in Action
Now that I have bombarded you
with the whats and whys of FD/FS,
let me show you what a typical day of
training might look like, using a couple of examples drawn directly from
my own training journal:
Chest:
Hammer Incline Press
3 x 3-4 (2/0/X tempo)
Smith Incline Press
2 x 4-6 (6/1/X tempo)
Flat DB Flye 2 x 6-8 (2/4/X
tempo)
Machine Bench Press
2 x 25-30 (1/0/1 tempo;
non-lockout reps)
Superset: Bodyweight Dips
(1/0/1 tempo; non-lockout reps)/
Cable Crossover
(1/0/1 tempo)1 x 20-25 each
Quads:
Hack Squats3 x 3-4 (2/0/X tempo)
Angled Leg Press2 x 4-6
(6/1/X tempo)
Sissy Squats2 x 6-8
(2/4/X tempo)
Squats1 x 25-30 (1/0/1 tempo)
Superset: Vertical Leg Press
(1/0/1 tempo; non-lockout reps)/
Leg Extension (1/0/1 tempo)
2 x 20-25 each
*Rest between sets on the first three

movements should be about 2-3 minutes.
Rest between sets on the remaining move-
ments should be 60-90 seconds and no more,

as we are looking to literally swell the target
muscle with blood as quickly and forcefully
as possible.
Final Words
Because of the extremely demanding nature of FD/FS training, I highly
recommend that it only be utilized
during periods of the year when gaining muscle mass is the primary goal.
You need to be well-fed and completely rested to truly reap the
rewards of this program. With the
exception of the most advanced bodybuilders, and/or those who do not
train drug-free, I do not feel that
FD/FS should be used during a cutting phase, except for perhaps the
very early stages.
Further, FD/FS was not created for
continual use, and should be cycled in
and out of your regular training regimen, whether it be Power/Rep
Range/Shock, DC, HIT, or any other
method. It should only be used for
two- to three-week periods, or both
physical and/or mental burnout can
occur. Consider FD/FS as a short
burst mega-mass gaining strategy!
Many students of mine have added
between 8-10 solid pounds in a single
three-week FD/FS cycle!
Just do me one favor if you guys
try FD/FS and achieve similar results,
dont get pissed at me if some of your
supplement cash needs to be put
toward a new wardrobe!
The Skinny on Dietary

Fat and Testosterone
By Layne Norton
I think that testosterone is a rare poison.
Germaine Greer
While some may consider testosterone a poison,
to those in the bodybuilding industry testosterone is
King. Few molecules are held in such high regard
within the bodybuilding community as testosterone. It
is a word that evokes strong visions of anabolism,
muscle, and quite frankly, getting straight-up JACKED.
It is no surprise that people have spent many years
trying to optimize testosterone levels. For some, that means
the use of exogenous hormones. For the majority of us however, maximizing testosterone though diet, training and supplementation is our main focus.
For years, many top trainers and gurus have told us that in
June 2009
order to maximize testosterone, we need enough fat

in our diet. In recent years however, there are those
who have taken this idea to the extreme and claimed
that very high-fat diets will help increase testosterone
above normal levels. Others have also claimed that
high-fat diets will also help prevent testosterone
decreases while dieting. Is this truly the case? Is a
high-fat diet the way to testosterone Heaven? Keep
reading, because its time to break it down.
The reasoning behind the theory by which dietary
fat increases testosterone is quite simple. Eating high-fat meals
will increase cholesterol and since testosterone is synthesized
from cholesterol, a high-fat meal will increase testosterone pro1
duction, due to increased VLDL cholesterol. Metabolism, however, is not this simple.There are several regulatory steps
www.storemags.com
MD 329
NO JUICE BODYBUILDING
involved in turning cholesterol into testosterone and unfortunately for us, it is not as easy as merely increasing
fat/cholesterol input to get more testosterone output. If this
were the case, we would expect to see testosterone
increase in response to a high-fat meal.
The reality is that research has actually demonstrated
the opposite!Thats right, several studies have shown that
high-fat meals actually decrease post-meal testosterone
2,3
concentrations! Unfortunately, researchers have provided
few possible mechanisms to explain this surprising outcome. Some have suggested that chylomicrons formed
during absorption of fats may impair luteinizing hormone
release and impair testosterone production, as was previ4
ously demonstrated in vitro. This theory does not appear to
3
hold up in vivo, however. Another theory suggests specific
fatty acids somehow inhibit testosterone production in the
4
testis, but little research has been done in this area.
Demonstrating that high-fat meals may decrease testosterone output acutely is interesting, but the most important
overall factor is long-term effects of various fat intakes on
testosterone levels.There is strong evidence to suggest
dietary fat intakes below 15-20 percent of total calories
5,6
reduce testosterone levels. It has also been demonstrated
that high-fat diets (>40 percent calories from fat) will
5,7
increase testosterone, relative to low-fat diets. It is important to note, however, that while prolonged feeding of a
high-fat diet initially increases testosterone, over time
testosterone levels may eventually decline to below the ini6,8
tial testosterone levels!
What is less clear is whether high-fat intakes can
increase testosterone relative to moderate levels of dietary
fat. Perhaps the best study examining this subject was per9
formed by Volek et al. The researchers compared six weeks
of feeding subjects an isocaloric high-carb low-fat diet
(about 56 grams/day, approximately 26 percent of calories)
vs. those fed a high-fat low-carb diet (about 157 grams/day,
approximately 61 percent of calories) and measured differences in various hormones (including testosterone), fat
mass, and body composition.The researchers found that
there were no differences between the groups in total
testosterone or free testosterone after six weeks of feeding
the respective diets.
The low-carb, high-fat group did, however, retain more
lean body mass and lose more body fat during the six-week
diet, but this was likely due to the doubled protein content
of the high-fat, low-carb diet vs. the low-fat, high-carb diet
(176 grams/day vs. 88 grams/day).The differences in lean
body mass could not be explained by any effects of dietary
fat on testosterone, since there were no differences in
testosterone levels between groups. It is also important to
note that this was a weight-loss trial and so these results
also demonstrate that super high-fat diets are not better for
maintaining testosterone levels during caloric restriction vs.
a moderate-fat diet.
Within this discussion, it is important to keep a few
things in mind. Many of these studies refer to fat intake in
percentages of total calorie intake.The problem with this is
that 30 percent fat from calories, if you are consuming
3,000 total calories, is much different from 30 percent of
330 MD
calories from fat at 2,000 calories (i.e., 100 grams of fat vs.
about 67 grams of fat).Therefore, referring to a fat intake as
high or low based purely on percentages is misguided,
as it is quite likely that it is a specific amount of fat intake
that is required to get the aforementioned benefits from
dietary fat, not a percentage of calories. Based upon the
currently available research, it is impossible to currently
determine how exactly these benefits are reached.
Furthermore, while testosterone is a very important musclebuilding hormone, it is crucial to acknowledge that it is not
the only factor involved in building muscle. If your dietary
fat intake is too great a proportion of your caloric intake,
you may miss out on some of the benefits of consuming
enough protein and carbohydrates.Therefore, it is important to maintain a healthy balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats in order to try to maximize the benefits of
each.
At this point, many questions still remain unanswered
regarding dietary fat intake and testosterone production.
What can be concluded with current information is that
very low-fat diets (<15-20 percent kcals from fat) can reduce
testosterone, and consuming a moderatefat diet will normalize testosterone.
Furthermore, consuming a very high-fat
diet (>40 percent calories from fat) compared to a moderate fat (25-30 percent
calories from fat) diet will not further
increase testosterone.
References:
1. Thelle DS, Cramp DG, Patel I, Walker M,
Marr JW, Shaper AG. Total cholesterol, high
density lipoprotein-cholesterol and triglycerides after a standardized high-fat meal.
Hum Nutr Clin Nutr, 1982;36(6):469-74.
2. Meikle AW, Stringham JD, Woodward
MG, McMurry MP. Effects of a fat-containing meal on sex hormones in men. Metabolism, 1990 Sep;39(9):943-6.
3. Volek JS, Gomez AL, Love DM, Avery NG, Sharman MJ,
Kraemer WJ. Meikle AW, Stringham JD, Woodward MG, McMurry MP.
Effects of a high-fat diet on postabsorptive and postprandial testosterone responses to a fat-rich meal. Metabolism, 2001
Nov;50(11):1351-5.
4. Meikle AW, Benson SJ, Liu XH, et al: Nonesterified fatty acids
modulate steroidogenesis in mouse Leydig cells. Am J Physiol,
257:E937-E942,1989.
5. Clinton SK, Mulloy AL, Li SP, Mangian HJ, Visek WJ. Dietary fat
and protein intake differ in modulation of prostate tumor growth, prolactin secretion and metabolism, and prostate gland prolactin binding
capacity in rats. J Nutr, 1997 Feb;127(2):225-37.
6. Gromadzka-Ostrowska J. Effects of dietary fat on androgen
secretion and metabolism. Reprod Biol, 2006;6 Suppl 2:13-20.
7. Dorgan JF, Judd JT, Longcope C, Brown C, Schatzkin A,
Clevidence BA, Campbell WS, Nair PP, Franz C, Kahle L, Taylor PR.
Effects of dietary fat and fiber on plasma and urine androgens and
estrogens in men: a controlled feeding study. Am J Clin Nutr, 1996
Dec;64(6):850-5.
8. Cano P, Jimnez-Ortega V, Larrad A, Reyes Toso CF, Cardinali DP,
Esquifino AI. Effect of a high-fat diet on 24-h pattern of circulating levels of prolactin, luteinizing hormone, testosterone, corticosterone, thyroid-stimulating hormone and glucose, and pineal melatonin content,
in rats. Endocrine, 2008 Apr;33(2):118-25.
9. Volek JS, Sharman MJ, Love DM, Avery NG, Gmez AL, Scheett
TP, Kraemer WJ. Body composition and hormonal responses to a carbohydrate-restricted diet. Metabolism, 2002 Jul;51(7):864-70.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
PATRICK ARNOLD
By Patrick Arnold
Healthy Joints,
Lean Bodies
L
ast month, I promised you I would continue my

discussion of joint care products and tell you
about a few more really cool compounds.
However, I changed my mind; I figure that I have to keep
some secrets to myself. You see, I have a tendency to be
too forthcoming with information, quite often to my
detriment. Sorry, sorry. I know you might be disappointed right now, but I cant give away everything I have
to keep some of my aces in the hole.
I will discuss one product or
group of products which I believe
can have remarkable benefit for
degenerative joint disorders as well
as many other things. I am not talking
about something completely novel
here, and many of you may be familiar with this stuff. However, no one
that I know has ever contemplated
these compounds having utility in the
treatment and/or prevention of connective tissue problems.
What Are
7-oxygenated
DHEA Metabolites?
What is so great
about these compounds is that they
can do wonderful
things for your
physique and your
performance, while
at the same time
providing a myriad
of additional health
benefits.
The compounds I am talking about are the 7-oxygenated DHEA metabolites. You may have heard of 7keto DHEA. That, along with androst-5-ene-3b,7b,17btriol (beta-androstenetriol, or beta-AET), constitutes the
two major compounds of interest. Also included are
androst-5-ene-3b,7a,17b-triol, androst-5-ene-3b,7b-diol17-one and androst-5-ene-3b,7a-diol-17-one.
The granddaddy of all the aforementioned steroid
hormones is DHEA. As you probably know, DHEA is produced in the adrenal gland and secreted into the blood-
332 MD
stream. It is the largest circulating steroid hormone in

the body and it serves several known (and perhaps
some as yet unknown) functions. It acts as a precursor
to androgens and estrogens and also imparts nongenomic influences upon certain neurological systems
in the brain (such as antagonizing GABA-a receptors).
But perhaps its most important and most interesting
function is as the parent prohormone to the amazing
class of steroids known as the 7-oxygenated DHEA
metabolites.
7-oxygenated DHEA metabolites are
renowned for their unique immunostimulatory, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic,
anti-inflammatory, and anti-catabolic
properties. Many of these benefits are
related to the fact that these metabolites antagonize the actions of glucocorticoids (aka cortisol) on many systems in the body. However, there are
also modes of action beyond that, such
as the stimulation of thermogenic
enzymes in the liver.
These properties have only recently been observed and described by
scientists, and for decades these compounds were
thought merely to be inactive androgenic metabolites.
Recently, however, the potential for these metabolites in
the treatment of conditions such as radiation sickness,
Metabolic Syndrome (also known as syndrome X),
autoimmune disorders (such as lupus and rheumatoid
arthritis), and cancer have resulted in many of these
compounds as well as some synthetic analogs
being developed as actual pharmaceuticals.
Of course, this magazine is about bodybuilding and
not general medicine per se, so we should examine
www.storemags.com
June 2009
PATRICK ARNOLD
more closely how the special powers of 7-oxygenated
DHEA metabolites can be harnessed and exploited for
our own selfish, narcissistic benefit. Seriously though,
what is so great about these compounds is that they
can do wonderful things for your physique and your
performance, while at the same time providing a myriad
of additional health benefits.
Benefits of 7-oxygenated
DHEA Metabolites
7-oxygenated DHEA metabolites, on the other hand,

suppress inflammation in a much more finely-tuned and
desirable way. While overactive immune system activity
at the site of injury is often a culprit behind chronic
injury that wont go away, you dont have to nor do
you want to shut down this activity completely to
achieve relief and recovery. The way 7-oxygenated DHEA
metabolites achieve their goal is thought to be by
increasing the activity of a certain group of leukocytes
called T-regulatory cells. T-regulatory cells act to keep
other immune system cells in check, so that they behave
normally and dont become overactive and destructive.
By doing so, the proper balance between destructive
immune overactivity and undesirable immune underactivity is struck, and inflammation is controlled while
keeping recovery at a healthy pace.
The number one most valuable property of this stuff is

its ability to help you get lean. How that works, no one is
exactly 100 percent sure. At least two things contribute to
this the ability to stimulate thermogenesis in the liver,
and the ability to suppress the activity of cortisol.
The hepatic (liver) thermogenesis activity is due to
stimulation in the activity of the liver malic enzyme
and glycerol-3-phosphatase. Stimulation of these
Practical Application
enzymes leads to a disruption in the cycling of energy
There are many other benefits of 7-oxygenated DHEA
in liver cell mitochondria. This metametabolites. The increase in immune
bolic inefficiency results in excess
The number one most system competence, for example, can
energy being thrown off as heat, and
help prevent you from catching a cold
valuable property of
the resulting increased energy
this stuff is its ability to or flu. I am not going to delve into
demand is fueled by fatty acids. This
help you get lean. How these other areas, because they are
is pretty much the way thyroid horthat works, no one is not directly related to the realm of
mone works in the liver. But unlike
this magazine, which is bodybuilding.
exactly 100 percent
thyroid hormone, these metabolites
As far as practical usage of 7-oxysure. At least two
do not have the potential for cardiac
genated DHEA metabolites go, the
things contribute to
toxicity, skeletal muscle catabolism,
two compounds currently available on
this the ability to
or thyroid gland suppression.
the supplement market are 7-keto
The anti-glucocorticoid role of 7-oxy- stimulate thermogene- DHEA and beta-AET. The former consis in the liver, and the verts into the latter, and vice versa.
genated DHEA metabolites as it perability to suppress the Both are potent compounds, but betatains to fat loss is much more difficult
activity of cortisol.
to pinpoint. One aspect involves supAET seems to be the more active of
pression of the 11beta-hydroxysteroid
the two. 7-keto DHEA is sold as the 3dehydrogenase type I enzyme responsible for the converacetate, and this form is much more soluble than the
sion of circulating cortisone into active cortisol at target
free alcohol and therefore, probably more absorbable.
tissues. Another aspect probably involves a modulation of
Beta-AET, on the other hand, is sold as the free alcohol.
the immune response to cortisol in various sites in the
My experience has shown that the 3-acetate is vastly
body especially the visceral area and the liver. The etiolsuperior in solubility.
ogy of the Metabolic Syndrome is now known to be intiBoth of these can be taken orally, but their bioavailmately related to immunoregulatory dysfunction.
abilities are very low that way. Of course, injection of
Elevated cortisol likely plays a key role in this dysfunction
these compounds would provide 100 percent bioavailand 7-oxygenated DHEA metabolites may prevent and/or
ability, but obviously that method is impractical. One
reverse this phenomenon.
method that I have found works to provide good
Corticosteroid shots are often used when connective
bioavailability is the transdermal route. I formulated a
tissue injuries produce chronic and debilitating inflamtopical liquid that contains 50 percent 7-keto DHEA 3mation and discomfort. While often quite effective, they
acetate and 50 percent beta-AET 3-acetate, and the
do nothing to help healing and in fact can lead to furresults have been very impressive. The effects I have
ther degeneration. Corticosteroids work in large part by
observed are greater fat loss, improved energy, resissuppressing the production of pro-inflammatory
tance to illness, and reduction of inflammation. I believe
eicosanoids and cytokines. These substances are secretthere are a few transdermal 7-keto DHEA formulas cured by injured cells as well as immune system cells
rently on the market, but none that I know of also concalled leukocytes, which are often present at the site of
tain beta-AET or beta-AET 3-acetate. I wouldnt be surinjury. The problem with corticosteroids is that they pret- prised that after this issue of MD comes out, someone
ty much shut down all the eicosanoids and cytokines
starts to sell one.
produced by these immune system cells, including the
ones necessary for growth and recovery.
Thats it for this month. See you next month.
334 MD
www.storemags.com
June 2009
!
W N
E M
N U
L
O
C
ASK THE EXPERT
ANABOLICSQ&A
ANABOLUICSA
By William Llewellyn
ANABOLICS Q&A is a monthly session with William Llewellyn, author of the best-selling
th
anabolic steroid reference guide, William Llewellyns ANABOLICS 9 edition. William is
widely regarded as one of the worlds foremost authorities on the use of performanceenhancing substances by athletes and bodybuilders. If you have a drug or supplementrelated question that you would like to direct to William, dont hold back. Please e-mail it to
[email protected]. William will answer the most interesting and pertinent questions right here each month.
336 MD
expected to increase.
Additionally, dimethazine
is going to be significantly
toxic to the liver, just as
methasteron is, so I would
not use high doses or
long periods of intake.
Dimethazine is not a modern
steroid, as it has been out of commerce for decades now.
We also havent seen any significant research on the
agent since the late 1960s. Clearly the medical community abandoned it long ago, likely because it was
never a commercial success. As such, it is not possible to get a modern grasp on its medical
toxicity and effectiveness. But we do
know enough about its general and
structural properties to make the
judgments above.
I would not recommend dimethazine if you are trying to find a
very mild and safe steroid. I can
say, however, that it is the only
OTC designer steroid currently
available that was ever once
sold as a human pharmaceutical. This gives some
sense of comfort, albeit
small. In short, the drug
still must be respected
as you would any other very
powerful oral steroid.
Conte and Designer Steroids
Q: I think Victor Conte took a shot at you on MD
radio. He was commenting that designer steroids
cant be used anymore, and that the supposed
expert on the radio show before him didnt know
what he was talking about. On the previous weeks
radio show, you were talking about how designer
steroids could still be used. So that must have been
you. Who is right, you or Conte? Are designer
steroids all detectable now?
A: No, designer steroids are not all detectable because
of the BALCO scandal. I think Conte is mistakenly under the
impression that because the testing bodies have uncovered
THG, Madol, and Norbolethone, that the secret may be out
www.storemags.com
June 2009
ILLUSTRATION BY JERRY BECK
Dymethazine
Q: What do you think of the designer steroid
Dymethazine? Is it any good? Is it really less toxic on
your liver and heart than other oral steroids like
Dianabol or methasteron? I am looking for a safe,
legal steroid.
A: I think I can tell you a few things about dimethazine
(the correct spelling of the generic drug). Lets start with the
background. First, dimethazine (also referred to as mebolazine in some papers) is an old Italian steroid.
It was sold beginning in the 1960s by
Ormonoterapia Richter in Italy, and also
under license by Lepetit in France. It was
used medically for a variety of purposes
including the treatment of wasting, the
promotion of fracture healing, and
increasing height in underdeveloped children.
The drug is specifically a
methylated form of
drostanolone (methasteron,
commonly known as
Superdrol) bound to another
of the same molecules with
the use of a hydrazine bridge.
In the body, dimethazine
will be broken down
into two molecules of
methasteron. For all intents and
purposes, dimethazine is a Superdrol product.
On a milligram-for-milligram basis, dimethazine it is about twice as
potent an anabolic as methyltestosterone. It possesses about the
same level of androgenicity, so
that its overall balance is much
more anabolic than androgenic.
Dimethazine also does not aromatize, so it is not prone to
causing water retention. Overall, you can expect significant
gains in muscle strength and size, hopefully without significant fat or water gain.
With regard to your other questions, I dont see any
advantage in dimethazine. It is going to be considerably
toxic to your cardiovascular system, just like other potent
orals. This means it will suppress HDL (good) cholesterol
levels very strongly. Bad cholesterol levels (LDL) are also
ASK THE EXPERT-ANABOLICSQ&A

about designer steroids in general, so
to speak. The uncovering of these
designer steroids makes these specific
drugs unusable in sports, as the World
Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) testing
labs are now looking for them. But the
same imperfect testing methodologies
remain in place with WADA, with the
drugs tested for in a compound-specific manner. This means that if they are
not familiar with the compound in
question, and it doesnt share metabolites in common with the drugs they
are looking for, they will not find it.
You need to remember that the
urine is filled with a myriad of different
byproducts of metabolism. Your kidneys ultimately excrete a good percentage of everything you ingest. You
cant just point at a urinalysis report
and say, Wait a minute, this doesnt
look right. This compound shouldnt be
here. There is simply way too much
noise for that. This has always been the
principal limitation to a compoundbased testing approach.
If we look more basically, we find
that the concept of a designer steroid
is not new to WADA at all. In fact, Oral
Turinabol (chlorodehydromethyltestosterone) was arguably the first designer
steroid widely-used in competitive
sports. You may recall this was one of
the secret doping steroids of Eastern
Bloc countries during the Cold War.
Oral Turinabol use went on undetected
for years before the testing bodies
were aware of it and began looking for
it in urine samples. So the sports agencies actually had their first exposure to
the designer steroid phenomenon
decades ago, and were well aware of
the potential for cheating in this manner all along. During this time they
made many changes to their testing
protocols, but none were able to prevent THG, DMT, and norbolethone from
creeping into sports in the modern era.
If you closely followed how
WADA and its affiliated labs
responded to these latest scandals,
you found many reports specific to
these drugs but again, no changes
to the testing protocols that would
prevent another designer steroid
from being used in the future. Until
such time as there is a major breakthrough with testing, designer
steroids will remain the theoretical
thorn in the side of WADA and other
sports organizations.
Fortaplus Stanozolol
Q: Ive enclosed an empty box
of stanozolol called Fortaplus. It
is made in Paraguay by IMEG. Is
this real?
A: The best I can tell from the

empty box is that your product is
real. Fortaplus a fairly new stanozolol
product, at least as far as its regular
availability on the black market is
concerned. With authorities in developed nations being more and more
active in reducing steroid diversions
and smuggling, dealers have been
increasingly forced to look toward
new markets where bulk orders can
be obtained with less red tape. A
number of countries in South
America are turning out to be growing markets for anabolic steroid
exports, Paraguay included.
The company IMEG is actually
one of the human product divisions
of a larger pharmaceuticals conglomerate called Guayaki, known in South
America for its line of common
generic (though privately-branded)
drug products. IMEG makes a few
dozen different drug products in
total, all of them used in other areas
of medicine.
Fortaplus appears to be their only
anabolic steroid offering at the present time, although one wonders if
this will change as the company sees
success with the product. As with virtually every steroid product, counterfeits are likely to follow as Fortaplus
becomes more popular among bodybuilders. For now, it appears to be
(at least for the time being) low on
the counterfeiting radar.
Know your gear! William
th
Llewellyns ANABOLICS 9 Edition
is available now. Order your copy of
this monster steroid reference guide
today for 25 percent off by calling 888918-7888 or visiting
www.AnabolicsBook.com.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Anabolic
ResearchUpdate
By William LIewellyn
Warning: Opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of this
magazines publisher or its editorial staff. MD does not condone any form of illegal drug use for bodybuilding or
for any recreational purpose. MD also does not condone abuse of legal drugs for any purpose.
Designer Steroid
Injury Report
paper appearing in the Journal of

Clinical Gastroenterology
(Prolonged Intrahepatic Cholestasis
and Renal Failure Secondary to Anabolic
Androgenic Steroid-Enriched Dietary
Supplements) is sure to bring some
unwanted government attention to the
U.S. designer steroid market. It concerns
a collection of potentially very serious
injury reports following the use of overthe-counter (OTC) designer steroids,
specifically with patients hospitalized for
significant liver and kidney toxicity.
First, a little background for those
unfamiliar. Steroids are indeed back in
U.S. supplement stores, and in a big
way. And your fathers (OK, big brothers)
prohormones they are not. I am sure it is
to the dismay of many people morally or
ethically opposed to the use of steroids,
but these drugs did not go away when
the prohormone ban of 2005 went into
effect. In fact, the ban succeeded only in
shifting the supply from the milder, naturally-occurring prohormones like andro
and norandro, to a class of designer
steroids that is far more potent.
Basically, when the prohormone market was eliminated back in 2005, supplement companies were left with a high
demand market and no inventory to sell.
The prohormone ban was compoundspecific, so the trick was finding new hormones to sell. Four years and one dusty
340 MD
old steroid book from a guy named Vida

later, we have a full collection
of highly potent synthetic
designer steroids the
companies just looked
up some of the
stronger old steroids
and had them
newly synthesized.
You wont find
them in GNC, but
these drugs are
widely sold on the
Internet and in
some of the
more aggressive bodybuilding-focused supplement stores
and gyms. No,
they might not be
quite legal, but the
FDA is very busy and
lacks a large police
force. This has actually
gone on for so long that
it has become an almostaccepted part of the industry at
this point. It frustrates me when
people insist these supplements
cannot possibly be the same thing as
real steroids. Indeed they are the
same thing.
But lets get back to the new paper. It
www.storemags.com
AnabolicResearchUpdate
concerns a collection of six injury reports, three from the
past 12 months and three that are newly published. The
common factor in all cases was significant liver toxicity,
including severe itching, yellowing of the eyes, and jaundice. This was accompanied by a variety of other symptoms
including an enlarged liver, enlarged spleen, malaise, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, abdominal discomfort, and/or
discolored stool. Two of the cases also involved severe kidney toxicity or kidney failure.
The supplement involved in three of these cases was
Superdrol (methasteron), the very first of the post-prohormone era designer steroids. In another case, DMT (desoxymethyltestosterone) was blamed, which is one of the
infamous BALCO designer steroids, also very popular on
the supplement market. One remaining report involves
dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which has no known liver
toxicity. This may be the result of a complete error on the
part of the physicians involved, or it may be mislabeling.
The last case lists the steroidal substance as unknown.
I will be honest in saying that these injury reports are
not necessarily a surprise. These designer steroids are nearly all 17-alkylated, which gives them inherent liver toxicity
like other oral steroids. In most cases, these drugs are
extremely potent, often many times that of some of the prescription steroids like methandrostenolone and stanozolol.
So you have some of the most potent and liver-toxic
steroids ever used, available over-the-counter. Most consumers are educated about what they are taking, and use
reasonable dosages and short intake periods, avoiding
injury. Others may be lulled into a false sense of security,
however, and use much more than they should. And even if
you are careful, we must always remember that these are
still potent, liver-toxic steroids. Injury is bound to happen in
some people just by sheer numbers and how widely the
steroids are used.
Overall, the incidences of injury with these designer
steroids are not very great when you consider the popularity of these supplements. In four years, it is very likely than
many hundreds of thousands of bottles of the various
designer steroids have been sold and used. Most people,
therefore, never develop such problems otherwise we
would hear much more about them. And thankfully, of the
five patients in this report that were followed after their initial hospitalization, all recovered. So I dont want this to
completely stress out anyone who has been taking DMT,
methasteron, or any of the other designer drugs. Still, be
careful, and most of all, respect the risks involved in what
you are doing. These drugs are liver- and cardiovascular
system-toxic. For all intents and purposes, you should
assume that the OTC designers are no different than
Anadrol or a high dose of D-Bol.
Spiked Supplements and

Nandrolone Failures
Weve all read or seen the news reports. They are usually
the same thing. Such and such athlete tested positive for
anabolic steroids. Such and such athlete denies using
steroids, and believes this is the result of a contaminated
nutritional supplement. This almost seems to be the stan-
342 MD
dard response to a drug-testing failure these days.

If you are like many people, you have probably been
wondering how feasible this explanation is. Is it really possible that some of these athletes have failed completely by
mistake, or is the tainted supplement excuse really the
doping equivalent of the dog ate my homework possible, but very far from likely? Researchers at the School of
Sports and Exercise Sciences in Loughborough University
in the UK, working in cooperation with the Drug
Surveillance Group in Cambridgeshire, UK, have just completed a paper that may help answer this question once
and for all (Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2009 Mar 7).
The study involved giving 20 volunteers creatine supplements that were contaminated with varying levels of the
nandrolone-precursor norandrostenedione (norandro). The
norandro was added in extremely small (trace) amounts.
Each drink specifically contained 5 grams of creatine, 500
mL of water, and either 1 mcg, 2.5 mcg, or 5 mcg of norandrostenedione. The studies found that the 1 mcg dose was
not sufficient to cause a positive test result under current
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) guidelines in any of the
subjects. The 2.5 mcg dose, however, resulted in a positive
result in 20 percent of the subjects. The 5 mcg dose was
more troubling, shown to be sufficient for a positive result
in 75 percent of the subjects. For the sake of perspective, a
microgram is the smallest weight measurement commonly
used in medicine. It is only 1/1000 of a milligram. The doses
used in this study were far too small to be visible by the
naked eye.
The studies make very clear that adding only trace
amounts of norandrostenedione to a supplement is capable
of resulting in a positive nandrolone doping violation,
under current WADA guidelines. As little as 2.5 mcg mixed
in with a creatine drink was sufficient to cause a failure in
one out of five people, which represents a contamination
level of only .00005 percent. Even the 5 mcg dose is so
slight as to arguably be very easy to achieve by cross-contamination.
While it is important to point out that norandrostenedione is no longer sold as a legal dietary supplement, and
therefore is unlikely to be readily involved with a cross-contamination issue today, this paper does make very clear
just how sensitive a doping test can be. In the case of
norandrostenedione, we can see this excuse as credible,
especially a few years ago when norandrostenedione was
widely-used in sports supplements. The fact that many
other prohormones are still currently sold underlines the
fact that drug-tested athletes need to be very careful before
taking any supplement. Perhaps the public should be a little
less quick to judge when we hear the tainted supplement
excuse as well. In some cases, the dog may very well have
eaten the homework.
The Medical Community May

Consider PCT, Finally!
The medical community is responsible for nearly all of
the advances in the therapeutic use of drugs. This is undeniable. But every once in a while, the bodybuilding/athletic
community tends to be a bit ahead of the medical curve on
www.storemags.com
AnabolicResearchUpdate
a particular application. For example, in 1977 the American
College of Sports Medicine concluded that steroids were
ineffective at promoting increases in strength, muscle size,
or athletic performance. It did reverse this position in 1984,
when it stated that gains might be better with steroids, only
in some individuals! Remember, this was a swift 25 years
after athletes were first introduced to Dianabol, and a solid
20 years into a thriving black market for steroids. Clearly,
the athletes were far ahead of the doctors in this particular
aspect of steroid use.
It seems that now, in 2009, the medical community may
again be on the verge of recognizing another aspect of
steroid use that bodybuilders and athletes have known for
decades. The issue is the need for PCT, or Post Cycle
Therapy. For those not immediately familiar, this refers to
the need for testosterone-stimulating drugs such as HCG
and antiestrogens at the conclusion of a steroid cycle.
Physicians have traditionally prescribed steroids alone,
even when they are used for brief cycles in an attempt to
increase the lean bodyweight of a patient. The patient
would simply stop taking the drug at the appropriate time
and hope for the best. Bodybuilders and athletes have long
understood that when you take steroids, the anabolic oncycle period is followed by a catabolic post-cycle crash,
where hormonal imbalance (low androgen and
high/normal corticosteroid) can rapidly reduce the gains
made during drug therapy. To keep your gains, you need to
get through this PCT crash.
In a paper published online in the February issue of
Medical Hypotheses, Texas physicians Michael Scally and

Robert Tan propose that the post-steroid-administration
crash be given its own medical diagnosis (Anabolic
steroid-induced hypogonadism:Towards a unified hypothesis of anabolic steroid action, Feb 19, 2009). Moving forward, the doctors suggest that this issue be identified as
ASIH (Anabolic Steroid Induced Hypogonadism), and
addressed appropriately.
If youve read my ANABOLICS 9th Edition, you probably recognize the name Dr. Michael Scally. Scally was
instrumental in developing the HPGA Normalization
Protocol, which involves the combined use of HCG,
Clomid, and Nolvadex to help stabilize the post-cycle hormone levels more quickly. This HPGA Normalization
Protocol is (to date) the only medically-proven PCT program, and therefore was highlighted in my book. With the
continued work of Scally et al., the
medical community may finally
get the message on this, catching
up to the bodybuilders whove
known for decades about PCT.
Know your gear! William Llewellyns
ANABOLICS 9th Edition (2009) is available now. Order your copy of this monster steroid reference guide today by
calling 888-828-8008 or by visiting
www.AnabolicsBook.com.
www.storemags.com
AnabolicEdge
By Jose Antonio, Ph.D.
The Joy Of
Androgens
H
aving just attended the Arnold,

one can only marvel at the
physiques. Forget about the guys
and girls onstage the guys and girls
just walking around the expo hall
showcasing how big you can get
makes for the best people-watching on
the globe! Some of the women have
voices deeper than Barry White and
biceps larger than Mr. T!
We know that androgen use is part
and parcel of the elite in the physique
world; contrast that with the hoopla
surrounding baseball. Jos Canseco
was called a liar and God knows what
else for claiming in his books that he
injected teammates with steroids and
human growth hormone. And like any
good witness on the proverbial stand,
he named names like Alex Rodriguez
and Rafael Palmeiro.Yet baseball beat
the proverbial crap out of Jos for
basically telling the truth.
In his 2008 book, Vindicated: Big
Names, Big Liars, and The Battle to
Save Baseball, Jos Canseco apparently introduced Alex Rodriguez to
someone who could provide him with
anabolic steroids. Alex denied the
accusation more vehemently than a
little kid denies taking cookies from
the cookie jar as he wipes the crumbs
from his mouth. The attitude by society and sports about androgens or
anabolic steroids is nothing less than
puzzling. Here you have a drug that,
when used in the proper doses and
durations, can make you more muscular, more powerful and frankly, healthier. But inasmuch as most of society
are just sheeple, it is thus OK and
acceptable to smoke cigarettes, be a
fat slob and suffer from the maladies
346 MD
of Metabolic Syndrome, but God forbid you work out, eat well and take the
dreaded and evil juice. When did getting muscular become a bad thing?
The data supporting the smart use of
androgens is growing faster than
Kentucky bluegrass after a rainy
spring here are some updates for
inquiring minds.
The attitude by society and sports about

androgens or anabolic
steroids is nothing
less than puzzling.
Here you have a drug
that, when used in
the proper doses and
durations, can make
you more muscular,
more powerful and
frankly, healthier.
Testosterone Tales
Recently, I did an interview with a
local radio outlet in south Florida, and
the topic of androgens was front and
center.The interviewer was surprised
when I told him that scientific data
supports androgen use in the elderly,
in HIV patients, and in pediatric burn
victims as safe and effective. I mean if
four subgroups (kids, burn victims,
HIV patients, and the elderly) that are
particularly at risk can take a supposedly lethal drug, then why do people
get into such a fuss about adult men
taking it?There is no logical reason.
Many journalists are either stupid
or too lazy to read the literature. For
example, we know that severe burns
are associated with hypermetabolism
and hypercatabolism, leading to skeletal muscle breakdown, lean body

mass loss, weight loss and negative
nitrogen balance. These are all BAD
things. Oxandrolone, a synthetic derivative of testosterone, has been used in
adult patients with severe thermal
injury to enhance lean body mass
accretion, restore bodyweight, and
accelerate wound healing. In fact, if
journalists would bother to actually
read the literature, clinical studies
have proven time and time again that
oxandrolone works. For instance,
oxandrolone 10 mg orally twice daily
has been shown to improve wound
healing, restore lean body mass, and
accelerate bodyweight gain. During
the rehabilitation period, oxandrolone
therapy with adequate nutrition and
exercise improved lean body mass,
increased muscle strength and
1
restored bodyweight. Scientists have
found that kids who are burn victims
can also be helped by androgen
administration. Accordingly, the benefits of adjunct oxandrolone therapy in
severely burned pediatric patients
have been demonstrated in the acute
post-burn injury and long-term post2
burn rehabilitation periods.
Love Them SARMs

Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are a class of molecules that maintain the beneficial
effects of androgens e.g., increased
muscle mass and bone density
while having reduced activity on
unwanted side effects. Why do I have
a feeling that in preparation for the
2012 Olympics, there are athletes in
China who have given up on andro-
www.storemags.com
June 2009
AnabolicEdge
gens and graduated to SARMs?
Mmmm anyhow, the mechanisms
responsible for the tissue-selective
activity of SARMs arent fully understood.Tissue-specific compound distribution could potentially be responsible for apparent tissue selectivity.
Scientists studied a novel SARM
called LGD-3303 [9-chloro-2-ethyl-1methyl-3-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-3Hpyrrolo[3,2-f]quino lin-7(6H)-one], in a
castrated rat model of androgen deficiency. LGD-3303 has potent activity
on levator ani muscle, but is a partial
agonist on the preputial gland and
ventral prostate.
If youre wondering where the levator ani muscle is, just head down
under and youll find it. Or better yet,
just pull out your anatomy textbook.
Yes indeed, you have muscles down
there. Anyhow, this new SARM, LGD3303, never stimulated ventral
prostate above intact levels, despite
increasing plasma concentrations of
compound; thats a good thing.Tissueselective activity was maintained
when LGD-3303 was dosed orally or
by continuous infusion, two routes of
administration with markedly different
time versus exposure profiles. Despite
the greater muscle activity relative to
prostate activity, local tissue concentrations of LGD-3303 were higher in
the prostate than in the levator ani
muscle. LGD-3303 has SARM properties that are certainly worth looking at
3
more closely. The question at hand is
whether it can similarly impact other
skeletal muscles like the biceps, pecs
and delts.
PSA or prostate-specific antigen were

treated with intermittent ADT consisting of nine months of complete androgen blockade (CAB) achieved with
combined leuprolide and flutamide,
followed by an off treatment period.
They measure cognition and mood at
baseline, after three and nine months
of ADT and after three months of no
treatment.
What happened? ADT patients evidenced a significant decline in spatial
reasoning, spatial abilities and working memory during treatment, compared with baseline. That sucks! So
these guys didnt know up from down,
right from left. OK, maybe not that
crazy, but you get the picture.
Significant changes in self-rated mood
such as increased depression, tension,
anxiety, fatigue and irritability were
evident during treatment, compared
with baseline for ADT patients. No significant changes in either cognitive
tests or mood measures were noted
for the healthy control group. Many
but not all of these changes can return
4
to baseline after cessation of ADT.
Sounds to me that androgens are
pretty damn important for normal
healthy male function. Heck, who
needs two people in a household
undergoing mood swings?
Jose Antonio, Ph.D., is vice president of the National Strength and
Conditioning Association. He has a
Ph.D. in muscle physiology and is
chief executive of the International
Society of Sports Nutrition.
References:
Androgen
Deprivation and
Bad Moods
Lets face it. Guys, we make fun of
women and their mood swings. We
wonder why and how their hormones
can alter their moods faster than the
heartbeat of a hummingbird. But get
this if you take away androgens
from men, they get pretty darn
cranky!To wit: this study examined
mood and cognitive changes in otherwise healthy men with prostate cancer
prior to, during and after androgen
deprivation therapy or ADT.Twenty
prostate cancer patients without evidence of metastases and with a rising
1. Miller JT, Btaiche IF. Oxandrolone treatment in adults with severe thermal injury.
Pharmacotherapy, Feb 2009;29(2):213-226.
2. Miller JT, Btaiche IF. Oxandrolone in
pediatric patients with severe thermal burn
injury. Ann Pharmacother, Sep
2008;42(9):1310-1315.
3. Vajda EG, Lopez FJ, Rix P, et al.
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of
LGD-3303 [9-chloro-2-ethyl-1-methyl-3-(2,2,2trifluoroethyl)-3H-pyrrolo-[3,2-f]quin olin-7(6H)one], an orally available nonsteroidal-selective
androgen receptor modulator. J Pharmacol
Exp Ther, Feb 2009;328(2):663-670.
4. Cherrier MM, Aubin S, Higano CS.
Cognitive and mood changes in men undergoing intermittent combined androgen blockade
for non-metastatic prostate cancer.
Psychooncology, Mar 2009;18(3):237-247.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
By Doctor X
MDWalk-InClinic
Walk-in clinics offer convenience and occasionally good
medical advice, assuming you survive the aerosolized spray
of contagions saturating the waiting room. What walk-in
clinics do not offer is a substitute for preventative health or
primary care.
This Walk-In Clinic column is a collection of questions
and experiences encountered by a number of physicians who have treated bodybuilders, athletes
and gym rats, using performance-enhancing
drugs (PED). Any identifying information has been deleted and details
generalized to maintain the confidential nature of the
relationship.
The Walk-In
Clinic is not
designed to provide medical
advice or guidance to its readers. It is a representation of problems and
questions that PED users
ask doctors, physician assistants, clinic nurses, athletic trainers, coaches and pharmacists. The
responses do not come from the perspective of hardcore drug users, but
health professionals who attempt to
understand the drive to excel that
causes people to take risks.
This column is not designed to and
does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment
or services to any individual. It pro-
vides general information for educational purposes only. The

information provided in this column is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and readers should not use the information in place of a visit, call consultation or the advice of ones
personal physician or other health care provider. Contributors
are not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment,
diagnosis or any other information, services or product obtained
through this column.
If you
believe you have any other health problem,
or if you have any questions regarding your
health or a medical condition, you should
promptly consult your physician or other
health care provider. Never disregard medical or professional advice, or delay seeking
it, because of something you read on this
site or a linked website. Never rely on
information in this column in place of seeking professional medical advice. You should
also ask your physician or other health care
provider to assist you in interpreting any
information in this site or in the linked websites, or in applying the information to your
individual case.
Medical information changes constantly.
Therefore, the information in this column or
on the linked websites should not be considered current, complete or exhaustive, nor
should you rely on such information to recommend a course of treatment for you or
any other individual. Reliance on any information provided in this column or any
linked websites is solely at your own risk.
Can steroids cause a heart attack immediately? I got real short of breath and kept coughing just after
injecting Equipoise into my right glute. It went away, but since everyone says steroids cause heart attacks, I
am worried. I am only 23. I am stacking Equipoise with Winstrol tabs. The Equipoise is only 50 mg/ml, so I
have to inject 3 cc twice a week and take six tabs a day. The Winstrol is 2 mg tabs.
Sometimes a patient comes in and behind the professional faade, the physician wants to slap him or her in the
face with a strong dose of reality. This is one of those times.
If you ever think you are having a heart attack, you get to the
emergency room immediately. Dont drive yourself; call an
ambulance if you have to. Dont go to a convenience clinic,
get to an emergency room. The convenience clinic will just
call an ambulance in most cases. The biggest determinant of
survival and recovery is time-to-treatment for both heart
attacks and strokes. The American Heart Association provides a brief presentation on the signs of heart attack and
stroke on their website at http://www.americanheart.org/
presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053. Everyone should take a
moment to read this and consider the advice it could
save a life.
You might have noticed that shortness of breath was one
of the symptoms of a possible heart attack. It is impossible
to tell over an e-mail if you suffered a heart attack, particular-
352 MD
ly with the limited information given. To exclude the presence of a myocardial infarction (heart attack), physicians will
monitor the heart rhythm using an EKG and may draw
blood for lab tests. There are other equally serious events
that may lead to shortness of breath, including but not limited to: pulmonary emboli (blood clots in the lungs arteries),
asthma, collapsed lung, abnormal heart rhythm, etc.
Clotting events in anabolic steroid users may be underreported. The circulation (blood flow) may be disturbed by
narrowing of the arteries, local clot production, or a clot
from another area that breaks off and lodges in a smaller
artery. Certain anabolic steroids may increase the risks of
these events. Stanozolol (Winstrol) is believed by users to
be a very mild anabolic steroid, due to its relatively mild
properties in bulking, strength gain or aggression. However,
stanozolol has a fairly toxic effect on the liver and cardiovascular health. It affects the blood vessels by lowering HDL
(good) cholesterol, which may accelerate plaque formation
www.storemags.com
June 2009
!
W N
E M
N U
L
O
C
along the artery walls. If these plaques grow large enough,

they can plug up the artery and shut off circulation.
However, this rarely occurs at your age (23). More relevant
is the possibility of one of these plaques bursting and causing a clot as the artery responds to the damage. Many heart
attacks are due to plaque rupture. Again, this is very uncommon at your age.
It is important to ask your parents and grandparents
about any family history of clotting problems, as some clotting disorders are genetic. Cases of thrombosis (clotting)
related to anabolic steroid use are also in the literature.
You did not mention how long you have been using anabolic steroids, or if you have any problems with needles.
Some people get nervous about injections and can have a
vagal response that leads to light-headedness or fainting.
There are reports of reactions similar to yours following
large volume, oil-based, intramuscular injections, mostly
involving drugs other than anabolic steroids. Realize that
most injectable anabolic steroids are dissolved in an oil
base. Take an equivalent amount of vegetable oil and drop it
into a glass of water; notice how the oil and water do not
mix. Now, stick a straw into a glass and use the straw to
drink the water. What happens when the oil reaches the
straw? It does not flow up the straw as well; it might either
plug up the straw or if it reaches your mouth, it makes you
gag. Blood, more specifically the serum, is mostly water (not
counting the red blood cells).
Knowing this, think about what might happen if the needle is not embedded into your gluteus muscle, but instead
reaches a vein; the glute, like most

muscles, is very vascular, to meet the
metabolic demands of exercising muscle.
The 3 cc of anabolic steroid-containing oil is
injected directly into the bloodstream, instead of
forming a slow-release depot in the muscle.
This bubble of oil, if injected into a major vein, can
travel right up to the heart, passing through and entering the circulation of the lungs. The oil bubble doesnt
cause any problems until it hits the smaller arterioles and
capillaries of the lungs. Just like the oil in the straw, the oil
in the capillaries interferes with the local blood flow, causing
shortness of breath and coughing until the oil clears and is
diluted in the heart and peripheral circulation.
Your symptoms are suggestive of this event, but it is a
matter of professional responsibility to tell you that you
need to discuss this with your personal doctor. There is no
way to rule out other more serious possibilities without a
more thorough history, physical exam and diagnostic tests.
This question offers a good opportunity to discuss
proper injection technique, to avoid this mishap in the
future. When injecting into the muscle, it is important to
draw back slightly on the syringe plunger. If bright red
blood is pulled back into the syringe, the needle is in a
blood vessel. It is necessary to pull the needle back slightly, and re-test (pull back on the plunger again). It is likely
that many anabolic steroid users have injected into a
blood vessel, but smaller volume injections are much less
likely to cause noticeable symptoms.
I can get Clen [clenbuterol] pretty cheap. Why do I have to cycle Clen if I can just keep using more? Cant I
just use blood pressure meds if I get jittery?
This question tells me you follow the more is better
philosophy and will push the envelope until something
goes wrong. Individuals, coaches or parents are happy to
ignore signs of drug use, as long as it brings fame or financial reward but when something goes wrong, they blame
the system or the drugs. Lyle Alzado wrongly blamed his
brain tumor on his use of anabolic steroids, confusing the
issue publicly and hampering efforts toward policy changes
regarding clinical use.
A recent interview with former Michigan State standout and NFL lineman Tony Mandarich focused on his anabolic steroid use in college and the fact that he failed to
disclose the fact to reporters [gasp], essentially trivializing
his confession of years-long abuse of painkillers and
alcohol during his relatively unimpressive NFL career.
Oddly, there isnt as much of an uproar of the admitted
past drug and/or alcohol use of Presidents George W.
Bush, Bill Clinton or Barack Obama. One can only imagine that theres something in the application for the highest elected office in the most powerful nation that asks
about past use of illegal drugs.
Getting back to your question, I will not condone or suggest that the use of clenbuterol in escalated (increasing)
amounts is safe or can be managed by abusing another
drug to block some of the negative side effects; especially
not in the setting of unsupervised self-administration of the
drugs. Your e-mail address suggests you are male, so I am
assuming you plan to use the clenbuterol for fat loss purposes. Clenbuterol is a potent lipolytic (fat-reducing) agent,
but it has the drawback of quick habituation, presumably
June 2009
due to downregulation of the receptors at the level of the

muscle cell and fat cell. The anabolic (muscle-building)
effects of clenbuterol require much higher concentrations
than humans can tolerate.
However, there has been research performed on people
undergoing therapy to treat severe congestive heart failure
that used very high doses of clenbuterol for several
months. In these studies, people who had such poor heart
function that they required the placement of mechanical
pumping devices were given clenbuterol in escalating
doses until they were taking 720 mu grams (micrograms)
daily; to prevent dangerous elevations in heart rate, a selective beta-1 antagonist was provided. These patients demonstrated significantly greater lean mass and strength. Not
surprisingly, endurance was not improved. Therapeutically,
clenbuterol is used at a dose of 40-80 mu grams/day; bodybuilders generally do not exceed 120-160 mu grams/day
because they cannot tolerate the side effects.
Though the bodybuilding dose of clenbuterol, or even
the therapeutic dose may increase fat loss, it does little for
muscle gains (lean mass or strength). A follow-up study of
similar patients with heart failure showed that an 80 mu
grams/day dose did not improve strength, though the leanto-fat ratio improved in the clenbuterol group.
If the day comes when people can be monitored by a
health professional, then there might be a role for using a
beta-1 antagonist in combination with clenbuterol in muscle-wasting disorders. It is highly unlikely you will live to
see the day the FDA allows clenbuterol and beta-1 blockers
to promote muscle hypertrophy.
www.storemags.com
MD 353
INJURY & REHABILITATION
AskTheDoc
By Victor Prisk, MD
I was training for a show and was using many different supplements to prepare for the contest. I was
on a ketogenic diet and eating a lot of fish. I was
diagnosed with pancreatitis and had to pull out of
the show. Can you explain why this happened?
This is a situation that I have seen and heard of on two
different occasions. First, lets go over what pancreatitis is.
The pancreas is an organ that lives deep in the abdomen. It
has many crucial physiologic purposes. First and foremost,
it produces enzymes responsible for digestion of proteins
and carbohydrates.
This, in combination
with its production
of insulin, makes it
unequivocally the
most important
organ for a bodybuilder.
Pancreatitis is
simply inflammation
of the pancreas.
However, this is not
a simple process or
simple problem to
deal with.
Pancreatitis can be
acute or chronic. The episode that you had was likely an
acute episode, unless it has been ongoing. It is possible that
if the inciting agent that resulted in your pancreatitis is not
removed or discontinued, the situation could develop into
chronic pancreatitis.
Pancreatitis can develop because of many different reasons and we will discuss the most common ones that may
affect a bodybuilder on supplements or anabolic or ancillary drugs. In the United States, the most common cause is
gallstones obstructing the outflow of enzymes from the pancreas. Gallstones may precipitate in cases of hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) especially after fatty meals or at
times of extremely rapid weight loss. These most often
occur in fat, 40, females who are fertile (the four Fs). High
levels of estrogen, as can occur with testosterone supplementation, may increase cholesterol levels in bile and also
decrease gallbladder motility, resulting in gallstone formation. The treatment is to remove the stones via endoscopy
or even removal of the gallbladder. Other hereditary predispositions toward very high triglyceride levels can lead to
pancreatitis as well.
The second most common cause of pancreatitis is excessive alcohol consumption. I would hope that you werent
binge drinking when preparing for your show. There are
more rare causes of pancreatitis that could be a part of your
training and supplement regimen. Hypercalcemia and elec-
354 MD
trolyte imbalances and the use of diuretics such as

furosemide (Lasix) or hydrochlorothiazide (as in Dyazide)
may cause pancreatitis. Also, the buildup of estrogen during
testosterone supplementation may also directly cause pancreatitis. Even more notably, D-Bol has been implicated in
cases of pancreatitis.
For those who havent experienced this problem, the
signs and symptoms include severe upper abdominal pain
with radiation to the back, nausea and vomiting, while blood
pressure may be high or low (if internal bleeding or severe
dehydration), and abdominal tenderness that is not in proportion to the pain (because the pancreas is deep within the
abdomen). The diagnostic criteria for pancreatitis are two of
the following three features: 1) abdominal pain characteristic of acute pancreatitis, 2) serum amylase and/or lipase
three times the upper limit of normal, and 3) characteristic
findings of acute pancreatitis on a CT scan. Complications
may include high blood glucose and thus diabetes, dehydration with acute renal failure, hemorrhage into the abdomen
causing shock, lung irritation from pancreatic enzymes damaging the lung and thus respiratory distress, and wholebody inflammation and resulting multi-organ failure.
Phew thats nasty!
Unfortunately, once you have pancreatitis the only treatment is to remove the inciting agent and wait it out with
supportive measures. The biggest component of the therapy
is pain control. Usually, opioids like morphine, Demerol or
Dilaudid may be used. Fluid and electrolyte replacement
and a limitation of oral intake are important. By limiting oral
intake, one limits the demand on the pancreas to produce
digestive enzymes and insulin. Close monitoring for the
development of any of the above complications and diabetes is important.
All that being said, this is not a diagnosis to take lightly.
If you ever have pancreatitis, re-evaluate your lifestyle and
habits. Ask yourself, Is it worth it?, whatever it is.
I sprained my ankle playing basketball. How safe
is it to return to the gym?
www.storemags.com
AskTheDoc
Injury & Rehabilitation
Just rub some Vagisil on that and

get back to the gym! Gulp did I really just say that? OK, Im just kidding,
Ive been dying to use that line. A
grade I ankle sprain is a relatively
atraumatic injury that involves the
stretching of a ligament at the ankle
called the anterior talofibular ligament
(up to 90 percent of cases). These are
mostly tolerable in pain, have little or
no instability, and an immediate return
to sport and gym is possible with a
support device, ice, compression, and
occasional elevation for swelling.
A grade II injury often involves
partial tearing of one or more ligaments and involves more pain, bruising, and mild instability. These should
be given a couple of weeks of rehab

in addition to the treatments for grade
I. The problem is that the proprioceptive function of the ankle (being able
to sense the foots position in space)
is disrupted in these injuries and thus
chronic instability or reinjury could
occur with return to cutting sports.
Weight training may be possible early
on with bracing and care to avoid
overtraining based on the pain and
swelling. A good physical therapy
program can help limit chronic problems due to these injuries.
A grade III injury is where one or
more ligaments are completely torn
and there is gross instability of the
ankle. These can be so painful that
one needs a week or two on crutches.
If you are unable to weight-bear you
should definitely have this ankle
X-rayed to rule out any fractures.
Again, bracing and therapy are crucial
to limiting long-term instability.
Proprioceptive exercises and peroneal strengthening should be initiated after normal gait is obtained.
Weight bearing will actually improve
the outcome of any grade of ankle
sprain. However, these injuries are
more likely to lead to chronic instability and a need for reconstructive ligament surgery which I specialize in
performing!
Whats Up With
Dr. Prisk?
The Arnold classic was a great
show! It was quite enjoyable to see
two of my patients place so well. I
www.storemags.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DR. VICTOR PRISK
am especially proud of Victor Martinez

in making such a phenomenal comeback and for all the hard work he put
into rehabilitating his injury. It will be
quite a showdown at the Olympia this
year! Here are a couple pics of my
bros at the Arnold Marcus Haley,
Mike Katz, and Bill Grant. Nice car, Big
Mike great times!
BODYBUILDINGS MOST POWERFUL TECHNIQUES
Extreme Muscle
Enhancement
By Carlon M. Colker, MD, FACN
A-Rod, A-Roid, And Other

Ways of Looking At It
A
lex A-Rod Rodriguez is all over

the news for being the latest in
a laundry list of professional
baseball players to be caught abusing anabolic steroids. The New York
tabloids came up with a new
moniker for him A-Roid. Heap him
on top of homerun king Barry Bonds
ongoing trial for perjuring himself
about his abuse and Miguel Tejadas
charges of lying to Congress about
steroid popping. All this was in the
wake of Jose Cansecos controversial
expos entitled Juiced, coupled with
the fall from grace of supposed
growth hormone all-stars like Roger
Clemens and Mark McGwire. It
leaves a lot of people wondering why
these guys did it, if it really benefited
their performance, and if we as a
country are really being fair to them.
Historically, the abuse of anabolic
steroids really didnt take off until the
late 60s and early 70s. The craze
began with good old synthetic testosterone, which later spawned the production of literally hundreds of derivatives. These derivatives were
designed to enhance a particular
characteristic of testosterone, while
hopefully minimizing harmful side
effects. But at the end of the day, athletes discovered that this stuff works.
At first it was the European Eastern
Bloc countries that ushered in the
age; this is why Americans did poorly
in the Olympics. Abuse was rampant
throughout almost every sport, but
was of particular focus in power
events like Olympic weightlifting.
America would not be left behind
for long. Soon the athletes from near-
358 MD
ly every event discovered the performance benefits of anabolic steroids

and it wasnt long before athletes
from other sports like wrestling,
swimming, gymnastics and numerous others were deeply involved in a
cycle of abuse that continues to this
day. Simply stated, they would not
have done it and would not continue
to do it if it didnt work an obvious
fact that many experts and textbooks
still dont support.
Steroid abuse works to enhance
athletic performance. Pros are under
pressure, but its not just the athletes
the organizations are also pressured.
Money seems to rule everything at the
highest level. Profit-seeking makes
sports organizations turn a blind eye
to abuse. This is exactly what happened in the wake of the 1994 Major
League Baseball players strike. In an
attempt to satiate their greed, gouging
club owners created obscene ticket
prices, which turned off fans. Even
cash-strapped bleacher bums, whose
admission was at one point a virtual
giveaway, were not spared the shakedown. As a result of consumer backlash, baseball suffered plummeting
ticket sales and low attendance.
Beyond the greed, there were a
number of reasons theorized. Some
felt that the humdrum construct of a
nine-inning game that requires an
entire day of fan commitment had
grown pass in todays world of
instant gratification. Many pointed to
the painful and excruciating lulls in
baseball, compared to the excitement
and frenetic pace of watching NBA or
NFL games which were loaded with
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excitement, had no dull moments, and

were over and done with in only a
couple of hours. By comparison, baseball seemed boring and lackluster.
Times and temperaments were evolving, and a fast-paced world was pushing baseball into extinction. With new
rules, the organizers shot back by
putting pressure on the officials to pick
up the pace of the game but it wasnt enough. Finally, and perhaps of
greatest etiologic merit, was baseballs
lack of record crushing. This last point
was the most profound and influential.
Hey, Were
Only Human
The great Harvard anthropologist
and avid baseball fan, Dr. Stephen Jay
Gould, wrote extensively about the
disappearance of the .400 hitter. The
.400 hitter refers to the exceedingly
rare occurrence when the batter gets
on base by way of hit or base-on-balls
40 percent of the times at bat over the
course of an entire regular season.
Only a handful of batters in the history
of the game have achieved this, the
last being Ted Williams .406 way back
in 1941. Goulds theory was that baseball was the one sport that had been
around long enough with carefully
recorded statistics that evolution
and natural selection actually exerted
a subtle influence. Gould believed that
this accounted for the fact that mans
physical performance had reached a
pinnacle and was now irreversibly fading as a result of natural selection. It is
supposedly for this reason that nearly
60 years later, we still dont have
another .400 hitter.
ExtremeMuscle Enhancement
Though I always liked Stephen and
made it a point to attend his alwaysentertaining lectures, I cant say I
agree with this notion. Its still simply
too short a time for natural selection
and baseball has not been around
nearly long enough for Darwins magic
to trump Americas favorite pastime.
Nonetheless, I feel baseball is the one
sport that has been around long
enough such that with careful retrospective knowledge and documentation, the limit of natural physical performance can be demonstrated with
considerable accuracy.
Of course as awe-inspiring as it
may be to have a .400 hitter, there is
no greater fan excitement than the
long ball. No expert would argue that
the biggest bang for the buck always
was and is the home run. Yet clearly,
this too has fallen victim to the natural
plateau of physical performance. Just
take a walk through history and note
the undeniable facts. Roger Maris single-season home run record had not
even been remotely assaulted since he
set it at 61 back in 1961. Incidentally,
he broke an existing record of 60, set
by none other than Babe Ruth, a
record that remained since 1927! All
that said and all that history behind
us, it doesnt take a world-class statistician to realize that the natural human
limit for home runs in a single season
is most likely somewhere around 60,
give or take a couple.
So what changed? After almost a
40-year drought, something happened. The strike would have killed
baseball had it not been for the threeyear steroid stint from 1999-2001. In
1998, the strike was over and conveniently not one but two players
warred to eclipse Maris mark. The
breathtaking season ended with
Sammy Sosa hitting 66 and Mark
McGwire shattering Maris mark by
belting 70. In 1999 the carnage continued, and the duo hit 63 and 65,
respectively. By 2001 the latest addition to the home run heroids, Barry
Bonds, made his entrance and set the
bar at a new level of 73 as well as having eclipsed the seemingly untouchable all-time career home run king
Hank Aarons mark of 755. To date,
Barry Bonds has 762 and although he
has not officially retired, I somewhat
June 2009
doubt that with all his legal troubles

that well see him play again.
Of course in fairness, it wasnt as if
it was just these superstars having an
unfair advantage over all their colleagues. The Mitchell Report alone
found 89 sauced players. One can only
imagine that if those were just the
guys identified by evidence, the actual
number is likely many, many times
more. So is it really unfair to use
something everyone else is using?
The Chemical Edge

The true unfairness of the advantage would be a comparison to players of yesteryear who did not have the
chemical edge. But however you
choose to look at it, the bottom line is
that the players knew damn well that
anabolic steroids were enhancing their
performance, and so did the owners.
But for the most part I think they
just turned a blind eye to it because it
was good for their profits. They saw
the indisputable fact that anabolic
steroids were helping players shatter
records, creating newfound excitement, and thus drawing fans back to
the game.
Despite the role of the owners and
club personnel, I still believe most of
the blame has to fall squarely on the
shoulders of the players. They knew
that anabolic steroids worked for them
and they chose to take the risk.
These obvious facts fly in the face
of the false information cluttering the
books and airways that somehow anabolic steroids do not enhance athletic
performance. For decades, the
research and textbooks repeatedly
regurgitated the faulty dogma that
anabolic steroids do not enhance athletic performance. It cracks me up that
even todays Physicians Desk
Reference (PDR) continues to perpetuate this false information.
The twisted conventional wisdom
among nerd scientists calling themselves steroid experts that somehow
anabolic steroids dont really enhance
athletic performance comes from early
citations in the published science.
These studies were only short-term
and measured parameters like actual
sport execution, reflexes and similar
snapshots of athletic performance.
This myopia led to an incorrect conclu-
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sion on anabolic steroids and their

effect on the athlete. The truth is that
anabolic steroids have a profound
benefit in most forms of athleticism. To
understand how, one must put the
mechanism of action into focus.
Anabolic steroids exert their
greatest benefit to the athlete by
making repetitive training sessions
more consistent, efficient and
intense. Recovery between sessions
is quicker while at the same time,
the athlete can look forward to working harder during each session without getting wiped out. Anabolic
steroids also give the athlete the
psychological grit to tough through
difficult training sessions. Without
the benefits of anabolic steroids, athletes are subject to the predictable
physical and psychological human
breakdown of the natural athletes
typical cyclical training experience.
An elite athlete must be pushed
hard to excel. Top athletic trainers have
developed ways to deal with the ebb
and flow by cycling training intensity
and periodizing workouts for the athlete to minimize downtime. Yet the
challenge persists. Hard pushing tends
to leave the athlete overtrained and
possibly injured, thus invariably leading to downtime or at the very least
low intensity and less productive periods of training. By relieving the body
of much of this process, anabolic
steroids turn months of training into
weeks. In fact, when taken long
enough, years of training can be
reduced to a matter of months.
Furthermore, over enough of a time
span, the natural athlete will find it
impossible to match the progress of
the anabolic steroid-taking athlete no
matter how many years or however
hard he or she works at it.
Of course thats not to say that
there are not rare exceptions of natural athletes ruling a particular sport or
position. But these are usually outside
of power or high-intensity sports, and
tend to rely heavily on natural talent,
instinctive finesse, and a sort of preprogrammed genetic skill set. For
example, a quarterback in football will
not find nearly as much benefit to taking anabolic steroids as a defensive
lineman. The quarterback has a skill
game that necessitates accurate
MD 359
ExtremeMuscle Enhancement
throws, split-second decision-making
and physical multitasking. This is in
sharp contrast to the defensive lineman who, while needing some degree
of finesse and skill at the higher levels,
basically just needs to be a big bull
who charges hard through the line
and at the quarterback and running
backs. Its a pure power game, so anabolic steroids work wonders in such a
setting. They make these types of guys
much bigger, much more powerful
and much more durable.
So the temptation for the strength
and power athlete is very real
because these athletes arent stupid.
They know all this and most would
do just about anything to ensure victory that includes taking pills and
shoving needles in their bodies. There
is so much at stake for so many. Its
not a matter of if they take the
drugs. They do. Thats just the reality
so many dont want to face.
As for baseball, while steroids
may not help you hit a 100-mile-perhour fastball with any better consistency (thats just a God-given talent),
it will certainly put more beef behind
a swing and convert what would
have normally been a long double or
triple out on the warning track to a
home run. It will also do an amazing
job of keeping a player off the disabled list and extending a career.
Just look at A-Rod now. Hes out
having surgery on his hip and may
miss the rest of the season, and that
certainly didnt happen during his
years of taking steroids.
Finally, theres the question of
whether the country has been fair to
these athletes. Its a tough question.
First of all in my eyes in order to
publicly bash someone to
smithereens for breaking the rules,
you have to first show that they
broke the rules. The fact is that anabolic steroids were originally banned
in Major League Baseball in 1971, and
though not tested for until much later,
the rules are still the rules. It wasnt
until 2002 that the rules tightened
and players were tested more regularly. Even so, a first-time offense
would only result in treatment for the
player with the player remaining
unnamed. In 2005, in the wake of the
Mitchell Report, testing became
aggressive and the rules changed so

that first-time testing became much
more aggressive and offenders were
named and suspended. So any way
you look at it, these guys knew they
were breaking the rules.
Not Breaking
the Rules
Sharply contrasted, in professional
bodybuilding, drugs are the unspoken mainstay and not banned. Now,
whether what these guys do is legal
is another thing. It suffices to say
that, unlike baseball players, professional bodybuilders are not breaking
any organizational rules. Its understood that any serious competitive
athlete will tend to exploit any advantage and that includes everything
from the best training techniques,
equipment, diet, supplements and
yes, even anabolic steroids. Yet they
are expected to not break the organizational rules that govern their performance. Whats fair is fair, and whats
not is not, plain and simple.
So legally, the answer is pretty
clear. It only becomes fuzzy when you
consider things from the players perspective of seeing everyone else do it
and for the most part, get away with
it. Is it cheating if everyone else is
doing it and youre a grown man who
decides to take the inherent health
and logistical risks, simply to remain
competitive? Why take them anyway,
since performance-enhancing drugs
give you no advantage whatsoever
over other current competitors if
everyone else is doing them!
Of course, what they are nailing
most of these guys on is perjury
(lying under sworn testimony). Id
have to admit that this particular part
of it all bothers me and in this way I
cant help but feel that these guys are
being unjustifiably demonized and
persecuted. Congress has fiddled
while Rome burns and turned a blind
eye to the greed on Wall Street that
has brought our economy to near
ruins and caused far more devastation than anything the sports world
could ever do in its darkest moment.
Congress has way bigger fish to fry in
our best interest than to be going
after a bunch of dumb jocks who lied
to Congress. They lied because they
360 MD
were stupid and so were their attorneys. They didnt know better and
were nervous, out of their element
and scared in front of Congress. That
doesnt make it OK, but when designing punishment, I feel it must be a
consideration. That leads to their
attorneys, who foolishly did not anticipate the obvious question and thus
failed to carefully prepare their witnesses to tell the precise truth.
But really, what do we gain as a
society by putting Barry Bonds
behind bars? Its like when they
locked up Martha Stewart for perjury.
Did any of us honestly feel safer and
sleep better at night knowing she was
locked up in the clink? I mean here
she is now, back doing what she was
doing before, and richer than ever. It
would have made more sense to hit
her with a huge fine. I think an extra
$50 million from Martha to keep her
out of jail would have been great to
put into some kind of social program.
It certainly beats the heck out of having the state footing the foolish bill to
put her behind bars for a few months
on our tax dollars.
For me it always comes back to
the greater good of society. These
baseball players have had their
names smeared. That, combined with
the punishment of having to pay out
millions of dollars, would make a
great deal more sense to me. In the
end, the greater good of society is
met by making them pony up some
big bucks. I think we could probably
hit each of the guys who lied before
Congress with a fine they can easily
afford, say about $10 million. Then we
tag Major League Baseball owners
with a matching fine of another $10
million per player for their role in all
the bullshit. That money can be used
to fund a program that educates
young athletes through grade school
and high school, plus urine tests of
competitive high school athletes,
because that is where the real harm
happens and where we could do the
most good.
Dr. Colkers book, Extreme Muscle
Enhancement: Bodybuildings Most
Powerful Techniques is available by
calling 1-800-310-1555 or ordering the
book online at www.prosource.net.
www.storemags.com
MuscleTech
RESEARCH REPORT
By Team MuscleTech Research and Development
BODYBUILDING Q&A
Ive been looking into the details about
Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) and their benefits for bodybuilders, but Im still not completely
sure what Ill gain from them. Can you clarify what
the benefits of Heat Shock Proteins are?
Q:
Thats a great question and its something all

bodybuilders need to understand if they want to
make noticeable gains in rapid time.
HSPs are a revolutionary discovery in the world of
bodybuilding. Clinical scientific research has shown that
HSPs are biological regulators that are activated within the
body during periods of extreme stress, such as during
intense training sessions, as a protective mechanism for
muscle cells. Additional research has shown that HSPs
play an extremely significant role in accelerated protein
synthesis, activating intracellular growth signals and
assisting in protein stabilization.
In a breakthrough laboratory study (in vitro), HSPs were
shown to be a powerful tool for building muscle. Scientists
are also exploring the feasibility of using HSPs to help
astronauts preserve muscle and avoid muscle atrophy
A:
362 MD
(muscle loss) during spaceflight. Think of it this way: HSPs

are like a foreman on a construction site and your muscles
are that 80-story skyscraper waiting to be built. When you
activate HSPs, the foreman cracks the whip and gets
everything moving to construct a bigger, stronger building.
And with this kick-ass foreman in charge, the work gets
done right.
Now, HSPs exist in your body but theres a product
available thats actually been engineered to activate HSPs
even more and harness their extreme power
HSP
MyoShock . Its the worlds first pre-workout supplement to harness the power of HSPs and its been created
by the most research-driven company in bodybuilding
Team MuscleTech!
Designed with one purpose in mind to help bodybuilders gain massive muscle as fast as possible
HSP
MyoShock has been scientifically engineered to shock
muscles into hyper-growth mode, jack up strength capacity
and provide skin-splitting muscle fullness and pumps.
Bodybuilders across America are rushing to get their
hands on what may be the most powerful product you
HSP
ever try MyoShock !
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Busted!
LegalQ&A
By Rick Collins, JD
Steroid Suspects
Worst Mistakes
Q:
A:
What are the dumbest moves youve seen

suspects make in steroid cases?
364 MD
The hard-working lawyers at Collins, McDonald &

Gann are handling more steroid criminal cases than ever
before, and we fight aggressively and effectively to
defend every clients rights. But I must caution anyone
currently on the dark side of the law that trafficking
steroids is a lot more serious today than it was five years
ago and the consequences can often far exceed the
reward.
Rick Collins, JD, CSCS [www.rickcollins.com] is the lawyer that members of the bodybuilding community and nutritional supplement industry
turn to when they need legal help or representation. [Rick Collins, 2009.
All rights reserved. For informational purposes only, not to be construed
as legal or medical advice.]
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June 2009
ILLUSTRATION BY LYMAN DALLY
The war on steroid trafficking crimes has

become a much higher federal law enforcement
priority, with longer prison exposure under the U.S. sentencing guidelines and more aggressive asset forfeiture.
As of mid-April 2009, the maximum sentence for trafficking steroids increases from five years to 10 years (up to
15 years if use of the drug causes death or serious bodily
injury). What better time to offer a cautionary greatest
hits of steroid-related legal mistakes?
Dont answer questions without a lawyer. You
cant be forced to incriminate yourself. You have the right
to refuse to answer questions, and you can ask to talk to
a lawyer before deciding whether to answer. Ive seen
countless steroid cases in which the suspects own
admissions provided the crucial piece of evidence
against him, and some guys never would have been
arrested if theyd kept their mouths shut. Even if you
intend to confess your crimes or to cooperate against
others, as was common among some of the Operation
Raw Deal defendants, doing it without the advice of an
experienced criminal lawyer looking out for your best
interests can backfire.
Dont lie to the police. It may be a natural reaction
for some people to deny their own wrongdoing or, as
Martha Stewart did, cover up for others. But lying to a
federal agent is a crime, and so is lying to a grand jury or
to Congress look at the troubles surrounding Barry
Bonds and Roger Clemens. As with other pro baseball
players currently indicted or under investigation, it isnt
for the alleged use of performance-enhancing substances, but simply because they may have lied about it.
Dont destroy evidence. It may be tempting to wipe
that computer hard drive clean or to throw those bottles
of testosterone out your hotel room window when the
cops or Feds are banging on the door. But tampering
with evidence can sometimes get you charged with
obstructing justice and add significant prison time on top
of a steroid trafficking charge. Or, at a minimum, if youre
an American movie star, it wont get you off the legal
hook in Australia and can only make the evening news

story about you even juicier.
Dont try to escape. Running away is a surefire
way to ensure that the prosecutor will request a high
bail at arraignment if youre caught and arrested. Also,
resisting a lawful arrest is itself a crime. In a recent
high-publicity case, the accused steroid dealer who,
coincidentally, had opted to play a steroid dealer in a
movie prior to his arrest reportedly smashed his car
into three police vehicles and crashed a gate in a panicked effort to get away. He was held without bail when
they got him to court.
Dont consent to a search of your home or car.
Your privacy rights are protected by the Fourth
Amendment. Generally, the police need probable cause
or a warrant to search your car or home. If you consent
to a search, you waive these protections and may lose
your rights to challenge any damaging evidence they
find. If you consent to a search, evidence that might have
been suppressed, even on a technicality, may instead be
used to convict you. Ive seen many cases in which
important privacy rights were lost. Many people submit
to the color of authority and consent, despite their right
to do otherwise. Some may be hoping for a reverse psychology effect; Ive seen cases in which the suspect
declares he has nothing to hide as he consents to a
search leading to the discovery of enough steroids to
juice the entire NFL. Bad bluff.
MIKE LIBERATORETHE LIBERATOR

By Mike Liberatore
IRON Mike
Mike, what is your plan for
back training this year? I know
you said it was an area you were
going to work hard on.
I plan on doing a lot more deadlifts, bent-over rows, reverse-grip
Hammer Strength machine, and onearm rows. Thats a very good mix for
building thickness. I think controlling
the weight and squeezing helps a lot
instead of just slinging the weight up.
I go heavy, but only if I am still able
to get that critical squeeze. I will do
everything I can to make improvements to my back, because I know it
needs to be a lot better before I get
up there as a pro.
Hey man, I got pretty good leg
development, but my right leg
has a much better mind-to-muscle connection. When I pose my
right leg, it looks really good
but my left leg doesnt look quite
as striated. I learned how to really separate my quads while posing them, but I still cant flex my
inner teardrop as well on my left
leg while doing it. Any suggestions on that, or should I just use
my left leg as a plant leg for

poses and put the right out in
front every time?
I also have a better connection
with my right leg, but I continue to
practice more with my left. It has gotten better but it will never be as good
as my right. I think its just a neural
issue, maybe related to being righthanded. Keep trying and youll notice
the other leg gets better. But you definitely want to put the leg with better
striations in front when doing shots
like the crab most-muscular.
What are the supplements that
you use daily? What are your
thoughts on creatine and nitric
oxide? I know you are not currently with any company, so you will
give me an unbiased answer!
I like nitric oxide (NO), creatine,
glutamine, and fiber. I think creatine
and NO are both good products to
use off and on. They should help give
you better workouts. Creatine will
help with muscle fullness and boosts
the amount of weight you use and
the number of reps you get. Nitric
oxide does give you a better pump,
which many people believe contributes to better muscle gains over

time as the muscle fascia gets
stretched (the core principle behind
Hany Rambods FST-7 program). A lot
of NO products also contain caffeine
and other stimulants to provide extra
energy during your workouts.
Glutamine is valuable for enhancing your recovery, which is especially
useful when you are in a pre-contest
phase and walking that fine line near
overtraining because of all the cardio.
And fiber do I really need to say it?
The way we bodybuilders eat, you
have to keep your digestive tract moving along so your body eliminates
waste regularly. Being backed up
really, really sucks. You probably
wouldnt need extra fiber if you ate a
lot of raw vegetables like broccoli
every day, but not many guys do that.
Im a 17-year-old natural bodybuilder. I feel like ever since I
started bodybuilding, my social
life has gone to shit. I find
myself avoiding going out so
that I dont have to go longer
than 3 hours without eating. The
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PER BERNAL
366 MD
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June 2009
Mike LiberatoreThe Liberator

concern over missing a meal almost makes me sick
to think about it. How do you balance bodybuilding with your social life?
I dont go out all that much anymore, but Im almost
twice your age. I got all my partying out of my system long
ago. I realized if I want to be better than everyone else, I
had to give up some things.
Now dont get me wrong. I still head out once in a while,
and when I do I eat right before and have an RTD shake
with me. Then when the night is over Ill hit up IHOP and
have an omelet. But when my pre-contest phase starts up,
forget about going out. You need to keep your head in the
game until the show is over. Remember, in any sport, to be
the best you can be you have to put some things on hold.
All that being said, this is my profession and as I said, I had
plenty of fun in my younger years.
You should not be living the Spartan life of a professional athlete in season. Eat well all week, and go out on the
weekends. As long as you eat a big meal with some fat in it
before you head out, like steak or whole eggs, you should
be fine. You can take a protein bar with you, too.
At 17 you should not be sacrificing your social life just
because you want to win the teenage division of some local
show. The contests arent going anywhere and you have
the rest of your life to make progress as a bodybuilder. But
youre only young once. If you let it all pass you by, I am
afraid you are going to wind up bitter and with a lot of
regrets years from now.
I really enjoy your new column in MD. Great job! I
was wondering what exercises work best for your
biceps and triceps development? And what do you
do for the brachialis?
For biceps, I like to do dumbbell curls, preacher curls
with a bar or a dumbbell, hammer dumbbell curls, and
Kai A Favorite for The O?

Once a guy wins the Arnold Classic, it automatically sets him up as one of the favorites for the Mr.
Olympia. I think Kai has a legitimate shot now.
Pound for pound, he carries more muscle than anyone else. And with the exception of
Dexter last year, the biggest man
has been Mr. O for the past
20 some-odd years. I also
feel that Kais mental
toughness and hunger
to succeed give him an
edge that guys like
Dorian and Ronnie had
over their competitors. The
MD TV videos gave us all insight
into just how strong his will is and how
much he has done over the years with very little support. Being currently without a supplement contract myself, I can appreciate how
difficult it is to fund a bodybuilding career
on your own.
368 MD
standing barbell curls. For triceps, I do single-arm skullcrushers with a dumbbell, cable pushdowns, seated dip
machine, parallel bar dips, and one-arm cable extensions.
For the brachialis I only do hammers, because reverse-curls
activate my forearms too much. My forearms are already
pretty well developed.
Kai Greene A Unique Freaky

Physique
I have to say I was extremely impressed by
Kai at the Arnold Classic. In a day and age when
you hear so many complaints that
the guys now all look the same,
he stands out as unique. Kai
now carries so much thick,
deeply separated muscle that the overall
effect is simply overwhelming. I know
Branch got the Most
Muscular Award, but it could
just as easily have gone to Kai.
Victor had the most aesthetically pleasing
physique up there, but he didnt nail his condition like Kai did. Considering that Kai was
well over 300 pounds at 58 just a couple
months before, you really have to hand it to
the guy for getting in shape on time. It had
to have been a miserable ordeal!
www.storemags.com
June 2009
Mike Liberatore
The Liberator
Skipping the Arnold
Bad Idea
A lot of the buzz at the show was
speculation as to how it would have
gone down if Dexter and Heath had
been in the lineup. Obviously theres
no way of knowing, since they are
waiting until the Mr. Olympia. All I
know is that if I was a top guy, meaning one of the best six to 10 pros in
the world, I would do both the Arnold
and the Olympia. Compare Shawn Ray
and Kevin Levrones careers and the

legacy each man left behind. Shawn
only did the Olympia throughout most
of his career, while Kevin did the
Arnold, the Olympia, and a lot of other
shows. Shawn only won two shows,
while Kevin retired with 20, yes 20 pro
wins. In a sport where you are doing
great if your pro career lasts just 10
years, you really should maximize
what time you have. At least thats
how I look at it.
The Arnold Expo Does UFC Really Belong?

Ive been going to the Arnold Classic for years now, and one thing that
really struck me this year was how much UFC and MMA stuff they have
now at the expo. Dont get me wrong. I watch the UFC and I have nothing
but respect for the fighters, but I just dont think its a good fit to have all
that mixed up with what has traditionally been our thing as bodybuilders.
The UFC fans can also be a difficult bunch to be around. You have a lot of
them who have maybe taken a few classes walking around like tough guys
with shirts talking about how they hurt people or will kick your ass or
whatever. Some of them look like the only thing they can knock down is a
glass of beer.
More Motivation
What I really took away from the
Arnold Classic was a whole lot of
motivation. Looking up at the guys
had me visualizing myself on that
stage with all the improvements I want to make. Being in
the top five at the Arnold is
one of my immediate goals,
and I will be training my
butt off this year with
that in mind. Now I cant
wait until the Mr.
Olympia, which will definitely be another megadose of motivation!
Got a question for Mike? E-mail it

to [email protected]
and you could see it answered right
here in MD!
K OUT
CHEC
ment.com
lardevelMop
muscuFO
ETE
R CO PL
!
COVERAGE
CONTEST
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June 2009
KAI GREENE
The Predator
Theres No Place Like Home!
My Biggest Payday Ever
Yes, I was a bit disillusioned that Venice

Beach wasnt some magical kingdom where
bodybuilders could attain true mastery. You
know how there are so many movies with a
very similar theme of a person searching far
and wide for something that was really
inside them all along, or right in front of
them? You see that story so many times
because it rings true. The last unexplored
frontiers arent the ocean floor or even outer
space; they are between our ears in the
depths of our minds our thoughts, our
fears, our dreams, our passions.
I went to the Mecca partly because I
thought perhaps I was missing or lacking a
critical piece of the puzzle necessary to
complete my masterpiece. And I learned
that all the pieces and all the ingredients
were right there with me in New York all
along.
Its no secret that I have struggled financially all my life. The $130,000 I won for the
Arnold Classic is by far the biggest payday
I have ever had. While its not like winning
some obscene amount of money in
Powerball lottery, it is still enough to take
away some stress.
I was also given a beautiful $20,000
Audemars Piquet watch. A few people suggested that I sell it, like several former
Arnold winners had been known to sell the
Hummers that used to be awarded. There
is no way I could part with the watch. I
look at it as a trophy and a symbol of this
win. And believe it or not, I still have all my
trophies going way back to my early contests as a teen. Some of them probably didnt cost the promoter more than five or 10
bucks, but each one represents a steppingstone to where I am today.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
000 MD
MD
374
By Kai Greene
Same Bodyweight, But I Looked Bigger

At this years Arnold Classic, my weight was right around 255-257. That was
almost exactly what it was last year. Yet everyone agreed I looked more massive
this time. How is that possible?
For one thing, I was a lot sharper this year. But even then, I have finally
come to appreciate what my mentor Oscar Ardon has said for years about more
muscle not always translating to a bigger number on the scale. On the surface
there seems to be a flawed logic to that statement, but I assure you its true. A
lot of it has to do with improving certain body parts and the overall distribution
of your weight. Weight itself is something I really dont think about, as I feel far
too many people in this game are obsessed with what is essentially a meaningless number in a visual sport.
Please, No Pictures!
The flight over to Australia from L.A. took 16 hours. By the time we finally
landed, I was bloated with water from being on the plane so long, and probably
smelled pretty ripe from not having showered in a while. The first thing we
were asked to do once we got off
the plane was take some photos
and talk to a reporter from the
main newspaper in
Melbourne. This was definitely not something I
was enthusiastic about.
For me to take off my
shirt at that point
was akin to a shy
guy not wanting his lover
June 2009
www.storemags.com
KAI GREENEThe Predator

to see him until hes fully ready, if you know what I mean.
But Tony convinced us all how critical it was to help promote the show. When I saw the paper the next day, I was
so happy that I had done it. This paper probably goes out
to nearly a million people every day. The pictures and the
write-up came out great and were nothing but positive.
Again, another lesson learned. Oscar told me to try and

see the opportunities in anything, even something we
dread or dont want to do. And this article, which I had
wanted no part of in my mental state after the long trip,
exposed me to a whole new audience.
That Kai Sure Can Eat!

One of the things people seem astounded by is the quantity of food I am able to consume at one sitting. I have
always had a healthy appetite, and many years ago I began training myself to be able to eat more.
It all began when I was a teenager and competing in natural shows. I tried eating like everybody else, having 8 or
10 ounces of chicken breast and some rice, but I had no energy and wasnt growing. I got it in my head that the key
to my gaining more muscle was consuming more protein. So I gradually started to increase the amount, while keeping complex carbs very low because I felt they would make me fat. Eventually I was eating 10, 12, 15, or 20 chicken
breasts in a single meal. Just about everybody who saw me do this would tell me that it was way too much.
Meanwhile, I was getting bigger, stronger, and harder all the time.
You dont hear me advocating such an extreme protein intake for everybody because I honestly dont know how
effective it would be for other people. I only know what has worked for me. I also know that if I had listened to all
those people who insisted anything more than 30 grams of protein at any given meal was an unnecessary waste,
none of you reading this would have any idea who Kai Greene was right now.
Meal Observed by Robbie

Durand, Day After the
Arnold
Props to Tony Doherty the Type of Promoter

We All Dream About as Pros
After the royal treatment I enjoyed in Australia, I may just have to
make the land down under a regular yearly stop. Tony Doherty spared no
expense and had a staff catering to the needs of the athletes, 24/7. A cool
dude named John (who with his ponytail and piercings, would be perfect
if they were casting another Highlander movie) and his girlfriend Sharon
took care of us whether we were at the hotel, the venue, or anywhere
else. A guy named Lucky was our driver and made sure we got wherever
we wanted or needed to go.
I was also quite impressed with the contest that Tony put on in
Melbourne. To start the show, the stage was dark and we were all lined
up toward the rear of the stage. After a few remarks from Tony, the entire
front of the stage exploded with sparks, flames, and confetti it was like
a KISS concert! I felt a blast of scorching-hot air and for a minute I feared
for my safety. Thats when Tony looked back, winked at me, and said,
Now thats showmanship!
Between the show and the seminar we did the next day, I cant
express how welcome and appreciated the Australian fans made me feel. I
had heard Ronnie Coleman say in a recent MD interview he did with Flex
Wheeler that this was his favorite place to visit, and now I see why.
I also have to mention that seeing Lee Priest train with one arm in a
sling was inspirational. The guy was doing 120-pound dumbbell presses
for chest with one arm!
1. Started off with 3 dozen oysters

2. Next had a large chicken Caesar
salad
3. Then 2 Jumbo shrimp cocktails
4. 12 oz. sirloin steak
5. Large baked potato
6. Dessert afterward
7. The waitress asked if he wanted
anything else. Kai politely asked if he
could have another steak, but the
kitchen had already closed down.
Meal Observed by Shawn

Ray at The Firehouse in
Venice, Three Days After
Winning Australian Pro
30 eggs
6 steaks
24 sausages
2 bowls oatmeal
2 grapefruit
Time For A Break From

the Gym?
I am writing this the day after
returning from my many travels. And
yes, I did go to the gym that same
day. Oscar advised me to chill out
and that my body needs a rest. So I
didnt train today. I may not train
tomorrow. After that, I cant make
any promises. I love to train and
cant stay out of the gym for more
376 MD
than a couple days. Plus, can I really

afford to take a big layoff now? No way.
I missed plenty of training time thanks
to my hernia, and my first Mr. Olympia
contest will be here before I know it. No
time to slack got to keep my eyes on
the prize!
Got a question for Kai? E-mail it to him at
[email protected] and you
could see it answered right here in MD!
www.storemags.com
June 2009
VICTOR MARTINEZ
THE TRUE VICTOR

By Victor Martinez
In the Papers Again

And Again Its A Bunch of Bullshit!
The New York Daily News has a history of giving me a
lot of publicity all bad. A few years back when I had my
legal problems and had to do a little bit of time, they had a
field day. Lately they must have felt the need to trash me
again so badly that they really stepped over the line. Here
is the retraction they issued after my attorney gave them a
call:
A February 22 Daily News article about purchasing the
steroid Primobolan in the Dominican Republic (Dominican
Drug Dilemma) reported that Dominican-born bodybuilder
Victor Martinez is the owner of the Santo Domingo supplement store Gurabo.
The store sells protein powders, supplements and
steroids. Many steroids are legally sold in the Dominican
Republic without a prescription.
Martinez is not the owner of Gurabo, does not live in
the Dominican Republic and has not lived there for at least
18 years, according to his attorney, Mike Wilens.
They had been trying to get something going because
the A-Rod story was hot news, and he had admitted to
using Primo. And since I was also getting ready for the
Arnold Classic, they also may have seen a chance to link
The Governator with a steroid scandal involving a past
winner of his show.
I really have no idea what motivates these
weasels in the press who run around irresponsibly writing

lies based on the flimsiest of evidence. Do you know how
the whole story about me owning this store in the
Dominican Republic got started? An autographed picture of
mine was up on the wall! Imagine that a store that sells
supplements has a picture up of the best bodybuilder to
ever come out of the island. My picture is also up on the
walls of a lot of
GNC stores and
gyms in the
USA, but I
sure dont
own them.
Dont I wish!
Did being out in 08 help you find

out who your real friends were?
Did certain people stop calling?
I can count the number of real friends I have
on both hands and still have a finger or two left
over. A lot of people in this business smile to your
face and act like everything is cool, but behind
your back they talk mad shit about you. Sometimes
you find out in the weirdest ways. At the Arnold a couple weeks ago, one
of my real friends happened to be sitting behind a guy from New York
who has always acted like hes my buddy. But the whole time, he was
making snide remarks about me and even booed when I was
onstage!
There are a lot of haters in bodybuilding, so I dont even let it
phase me anymore. I use it as fuel to do better, because success
is always the best revenge!
Australia? Didnt See the Point

People ask me why I didnt compete in the Australia show.
They thought I must have been burned out. Not at all. I could
have gone over there, but it just didnt make any sense to me. I
knew I wasnt my best at the Arnold, and I wasnt going to get my
leg size back in six days. Besides which, Kai was going to win. I saw
some shots, and he was in even better shape over there than he
was in Columbus. The best I could have hoped for would have been
second again, and the prize money was a whole lot less in Australia.
378 MD
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How old were you when you did your first NPC show? How did you know you
were ready to compete?
I was 20, and I wasnt ready. I was scared to compete and really just forced myself to do the show to get over my fear.
Once I saw what the other guys in my class looked like, all I wanted to do was leave and go stuff myself at Taco Bell.
I got my ass kicked. If I wasnt last place in the class, I was close. But the experience was good, because it showed me
what I was up against and how much I needed to improve before I competed again. The next time wasnt for another
three years, but by then I was really ready. I won my class and the Overall in two national qualifiers.
I suggest you check out a show or two around your area if you want to see how you stack up. But dont let anybody
stop you from competing if you just want to do it for the experience. It can motivate the shit out of you to train harder and
eat better from that day on. I know it did for me.
3 Things That Didnt Do My

Knees Any Favors in the Early
Years at Elmos Gym
First Cheat Meal After the Arnold...
1. Using the leg press there, which had no

ball bearings. The friction on that piece of crap
was ridiculous. You could hear the metal grinding when you pressed, and I think I could hear
my knee tendons grinding, too.
2. Squatting on an uneven floor. Never do
this! If you put a ball down on the ground and
it starts rolling, dont do your squats there.
3. Bouncing at the bottom during squats.
This puts ungodly amounts of pressure on the
knee tendons. Do it with heavy weight on the
bar and youre begging for any injury.
You may be disappointed to hear what I ate, if youre expecting

some disgusting orgy of food that could feed a village in Africa for a
week. I really dont like to eat a lot right after a contest because I know
from past experience how sick I get if I do that.
Right after the show, I drank about a half-gallon of Gatorade to
replace all the water and electrolytes I had lost posing all day under
those hot-ass lights. Then I went with a few friends and family members to a nice Italian place where I picked at a lot of things. I had a little
lasagna, a little ziti, a slice of pizza, some water, and a Corona.
For any of you who are getting ready for your first contest, I warn
you not to go out after and eat until youre ready to pop. Take it from
me, if you do that you will have the worst stomachache of your life. Its
so bad you will wish you were dead! So drink as much as you want, but
go easy on the food. Thank me later.
Victor: Ill Be Back!

Victor was the favorite to win this years Arnold
Classic, after he was forced to sit out last years Mr.
Olympia because of knee surgery in 2008. Here,
Victor talks with MDs Flex Wheeler about his showing in Columbus that earned him second place, his
rehab leading up to the show and his game plan for
this years Mr. O.
FW: Was it pretty cool that the top three in this
show were all MD guys?
VM: Yeah, and Steve predicted that a couple months
before the show, too. Hes pretty good at that stuff.
FW: Victor, there was enormous pressure and
expectations that were heaped on you to repeat your
2007 win this year. What was it like, dealing with the
rigors of contest prep and all that, too?
VM: It was tough because I had a couple things in my
mind. I wanted to win, so there was always the temptation
to rush into heavier training on my legs to get all the size
back. That was bad because I could have re-injured it if I
wasnt careful. The other thing was the voice in my head
trying to defeat me. It would say, Hey, youre injured, forget
about this, you cant win. Every day it was a struggle to
shut both those voices up.
FW: I hear various percentages being tossed around
as far as how close you were to your best. If you had to
put a number to it, how close to 100 percent were you?
VM: They make it sound like Im a math problem! I
guess I would say 85 percent, but I have yet to be 100 percent. Not even at the 2007 Olympia, the show everybody
says is my best so far; I still didnt have that super-dry look,
June 2009
even there. There are still certain things I need to figure

out its not like I dont put 100 percent into my prep. I
think I put 150 percent into getting ready. I was also happy
with how I presented myself in the judging. My poses, the
quarter turns, all that was right on.
FW: Just to address the condition issue directly so
we can move on, why do you feel you werent 100 percent onstage in Columbus? Some people said it looked
like the body fat was gone, but you had spilled over.
VM: No, I didnt spill over. It was more like I didnt pull
enough water out. I did the last week pretty much the way
Dorian used to. I went high on carbs on Wednesday and
Thursday and then backed off on them. I didnt fill out
enough, so my muscles werent pushing up against the skin
and making it tight. I could have dropped more water, but
Chad and I were worried that if I was too flat, the difference
in size between my legs would have looked even more obvious.
www.storemags.com
MD 379
VICTOR MARTINEZ The TRUE VICTOR

I have heard that you will not
wear gold, and you had your
Night of Champions ring remade
in silver. Why? Is it some
Santeria thing? Also, is it true
you one used a gold necklace to
pay for a gym membership?
Santeria? Come on dude, thats
Cubans, not Dominicans. And Im
not into voodoo or any of that shit.
Its true that I did trade a gold
bracelet for membership at Elmos
Gym because I didnt have any

money.
The NOC ring that I won was
stolen from the gym that I owned a
few years ago, so I had a jeweler
friend of mine make a replica in silver for me. Im not a bling-bling,
pimp type of guy. I dont wear gold,
diamonds or velvet, for that matter!
Ironically, I know a couple guys in
the gold and diamond business and
they are always trying to hook me
up but Im just not into it. I guess

Im not the stereotypical Latin guy
from the city with 10 gold chains and
a bunch of diamond rings. But I
dont have some superstition against
gold. Its not like some fortune-teller
told me I would live forever as long
as I never wore gold again.
Got a question for Victor? E-mail it to
him at [email protected]
and you could see it answered right here
in MD!
Victor: Ill Be Back!-
continued
FW: You injured your

knee in January of 2008.
After surgery and rehab,
how much actual time was
left for true off-season leg
workouts before you had to
start dieting for the Arnold?
VM: Thats the thing. I didnt talk about that much
because I dont like to complain or make it look like Im
making excuses for not looking
as good as I should have. But
really, the rehab never
stopped. I said before that I
was squatting by May, but
that was just the bar. I was gradually adding a little weight,
and I do mean a little, every week after that. I could feel the
fibers working, but it wasnt until September that I even had
enough weight on the bar to get a good pump finally.
It wasnt until December that I was able to use decent
weight, pyramiding up from 315 to 405. By then I was already
dieting for the Arnold, so my body didnt have enough calories
to really grow. People said, why didnt you just stick with 225
and do high reps if you couldnt squat heavy? They dont
understand. My legs were built with heavy squats. Without
them, I wasnt going to get my legs back to normal.
FW: How about your upper-body training? That must
have been a lot less challenging.
VM: It was. I was still doing incline barbell presses with
405, close-grip benches with 315, all that. But I had to restrain
myself from working my upper body too hard or else it would
have made my legs look even worse. I didnt want to get up
there at the Arnold looking like Mighty Mouse.
FW: Were you limited at all in doing cardio because of
the situation with your knee?
VM: No, in fact I used the Stepmill as part of my extra
rehab for it. I took very slow steps and put all my weight on
each leg so that the knee could get stronger and more stable.
But you know, once you injure something, even with surgery,
its never exactly the same again. I did a lot of visualizing on
how the leg would look, and I would say stuff in my head to
the leg like Grow, Grow! Get Stronger! It only sounds stupid
until youre in that situation.

FW: I remember you telling me a while back that this
was actually the first contest you have ever trained for
without knee pain, since the source of your injury happened many years ago when you were still a teenager.
What was it like not having that pain anymore? Did you
notice a difference?
VM: Yeah, the knee would get sore toward the end of a leg
workout, but its nothing like before when the tendons were
constantly inflamed. The pain from that used to start during
the workout and continue for a couple days. I used to wrap it,
ice it, and that didnt even help too much. I couldnt sit for too
long or else it locked up and hurt a lot. It would even get
swollen. Driving for too long, sitting in a movie theater, or on a
plane all those were tough for years and years.
FW: So do you use knee wraps when you train legs, or
would that be a bad idea?
VM: No, I use them all the time. They give the knee good
support. You just cant wrap them too tight or else they can
be dangerous to the kneecap. Plus you cut off blood flow like
a tourniquet.
FW: OK tough question time. Do you feel that Kais
win was justified, or does some part of you think you
should have won?
VM: Kai looked really good. I take nothing away from him
at all. He was 100 percent and I wasnt. His posing routine
was just incredible never seen nothing like it! I know I
have better overall shape and lines, but Kai was in great
shape and I wasnt. Case closed. Plus he has awesome legs,
and mine were nothing like that. For the time I really had to
train and get ready for the show, Im not disappointed in
what I looked like. But I recognize Kai beat me fair and
square.
FW: You are still an odds-on favorite to win this years
Mr. Olympia. What is your game plan between now and
then to have your best chance at becoming Mr. O?
VM: I have some time now, and thats the main thing I
lacked before. Im going to have a productive off-season over
the next few months, eat a lot of good calories, and grow.
The legs will come up to where they need to be, and I aim to
be 100 percent in Vegas. I still feel that when I show up at
my very best, which nobody has yet to see, I can win that
show.
380 MD
www.storemags.com
BRANCH WARRENTHE TEXAS TITAN
MASSwithCLASS
By Branch Warren
a lot more exercises and sets for, and its made a big difference in being able to achieve the detail in my back
that I need. I used to do a lot more for arms, but eventually I figured out that they actually responded when I cut
back on the volume. So as you can see, its not so simple. For any of us, we need to experiment and figure out
how each muscle group
reacts to doing more
or less. Otherwise
you could very well
be doing too
much, or not
enough.
Seeing your training blog on the MD site really

inspired me. Your training intensity is incredible!
How do you know when youre ready to enter
your first show? I train alone, without help from
a trainer or training partners.
Unless you were around a trainer or training partners
who had some experience with competing or at least
watching contests,
they wouldnt
have any better
idea than you as
far as whether
youre ready to
compete. My best
advice is to go
check out a local
contest or two,
and pay special
attention to whatever division you will be competing in. That could be
teenage (you didnt note your age), novice, which I
highly recommend for your first time, or one of the
weight divisions in the open mens. Be brutally
honest with yourself and ask if your physique
would belong up there with them, or if instead
you would be way out of your league. You may in
fact be ready to compete now, or it may be another year or two before youve built enough mass to
have the look of a competitive bodybuilder.
The guys who win are generally pretty well-proportioned, meaning even development in all the major
muscle groups. Many times I have seen guys in their
first show with a good chest and arms, but no legs and
no back. You really need to have a fairly complete
physique with no glaring weak points if you hope to do
well.
You should also take note of how lean the top competitors are. One thing thats embarrassing for everybody is when someone shows up to compete carrying
so much body fat that you cant even see their abs. I
always wonder if they even own a mirror, or if they only
look at themselves in the best possible lighting.
Theres a lot more to competing than I have the
space to get into here, but you should definitely go to a
couple contests before you compete, so youll know
exactly what youre getting into and what youll be up
against. Good luck to you, dude!
You looked sick at the Arnold your best package yet! Has your training volume increased,
decreased or pretty much stayed the same
through the years?
For some body parts, the volume has increased.
Really, I guess my back would be the one area that I do
382 MD
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June 2009

As my favorite bodybuilder and the main reason I do this, I was wondering if you could help
me out with a few ongoing nutritional concerns
that I have.
1) After a workout, I
take two scoops of protein and one scoop of
waxy maize, then 1 hour
later I eat 8 ounces of
both chicken and pasta.
Does the pasta need to be
regular or should it be
whole wheat? Regular is
higher glycemic, so I
would think that would be
the way to go.
2) How important is preworkout protein? A lot of
the articles I read say to
have a scoop of whey protein before working out.
But when I look at the
diets of the top pros, none
of them seems to do this.
OK, here goes:
1) I dont pay a whole lot
of attention to the glycemic
index. I usually have steak
and a potato as my postworkout meal. When I do
have pasta, I couldnt even
tell you whether its regular or
whole wheat. I guess if its offseason and youre just trying

to gain mass, white pasta
would be fine. Whole wheat
would probably digest a bit
slower, so that would be better
for dieting. But I would discourage you from getting too
technical and overthinking
every little thing. This shit aint
rocket science.
2) I dont do this, and heres
why: I generally train around
noon. I wake up pretty early,
say around six, so by the time
I train Ive already put away
three solid meals. All those
meals contain protein, like
steak or chicken. So my feeling
is that there are more than
enough amino acids circulating in my bloodstream so that
I dont need to worry about
going catabolic during my
workout. I have shakes (CellTech and Nitro-Tech) after my
workouts. I think your body is
more receptive to absorbing
protein in liquid form at this
time. My best advice would be
to eat a good meal with a quality protein source around 6090 minutes before your workout, and save the whey protein
for afterwards.
Im getting ready for a couple of shows next month, then the Teen
Nationals in July. After you won the Teen Nationals in 1993, how long did
you take off until you competed again? Also, how heavy did you get? Im
going to compete around 165 in July, and was wondering how long I
should take off until I compete again. Should I worry about getting too fat
during that time?
Man, youre making me go way down memory lane now. You may not know that
the year before I won the NPC Teen Nationals, I won the AAU Teenage Mr. America. I
actually competed once more as a teenager and won the open NPC Texas at age 19.
Back then my off-season weight was about 210-215. I took off five years after that to
go to college and get my career as a trainer started, and in that time I brought my
off-season weight up to 235.
When I was 24, I won a show called the Southwest USA at 212 pounds, then kept
dieting for the USAs. I got down to 202, which was too small for me, but still took
third place behind Tevita Aholelei and Troy Alves. The year after that I entered my second pro qualifier, the 2001 NPC Nationals, and got my pro card by winning the
heavyweights. My buddy Johnnie Jackson won the light-heavies and the Overall.
I dont suggest ever letting yourself get fat. You can make very decent gains while
maintaining a reasonable condition where your abs are still visible, if not crystalclear. I cant tell you how long to wait until you compete again. That depends both on
the progress you make with your physique, as well as what other things in your life
need to be taken care of.
384 MD
www.storemags.com
June 2009

Post-Arnold Celebration
I hit up two parties after the Arnold. The first
Special
one was the Party With the Pros over at the LC
Congratulations
Pavilion. Jim Lorimer invited all the athletes to go
My wife Trish competed
plus I was on the flyer for it. It was a big nightclub
in her first Fitness
with two levels. I was met with a new group of fans
International at the Arnold
every five feet who wanted to take pictures with
weekend, and walked away
me, offer their congratulations or comments about
with a very respectable sevthe show, or just chat for a minute. Trying to hold a
enth place. I wasnt able to
conversation in a club is tough with the music
see the prejudging because I
thumping so loud.
had to be at the MuscleTech
After that, Trish and I went to the private party
booth, but I did go to the
hosted by MuscleTech, and this one was catered
finals and I was so proud of
with all kinds of good stuff. I cant even remember
her. She looked fantastic and
everything I ate, but I know I put away a few
performed like a true champounds of lasagna, spaghetti, chicken fingers and
pion. Great job, honey!
bread. Props to MuscleTech for putting on a firstclass affair. I also had a good time working their
booth at the expo, which always had a long line waiting to
a lot of how I used to get ready for contests back in the old
meet the athletes. The fans are everything in this sport, so I
days. There was no keto crap, I assure you. My low-carb
love being able to meet and interact with them.
days were around 200 grams, and my higher carb days
would be about 500-600 grams. In the past I have done as
much as 2 hours of cardio a day. This time, I did no more
An Easy Prep Really!
than 20-30 minutes.
A lot of people were asking me about my prep for this
I now understand that for years, I overdid shit because I
show. Because I was so ripped and hard, most assumed it
thought the way to win was to work that much harder than
had been a miserable time and that I had suffered terribly to
everybody else was willing to work. Its really about working
achieve that condition. Ironically, that was not the case.
smarter, not harder. I can say with total confidence that you
After last years Mr. Olympia, I started talking to IFBB pro
will never see me compete off again. I wrote down everyGeorge Farah about doing my prep for the Arnold. Its hard
thing I did on this diet. Even though your body changes and
for me to really work with anyone because I feel I know my
you dont respond exactly the same every time, I still believe
own body better than any coach could, but the more we
I have found my winning prep formula at last.
talked the more I liked his approach. It actually reminded me
Getting My Most
Muscular Award Home
A Brief Break,
Then I Hit the Road
I had to stay in Columbus a

couple more days to do photo
shoots for MuscleTech and MD, so
I had Trish take home the beautiful crystal award I got for winning
the Most Muscular Award (for the
third time). This thing must
weigh at least 30 pounds, and I
am told its valued at around six
grand. My buddy Matt who plays
for the Saints helped Trish pack it
up in a box and carry it onto the
plane. Security made her open it
up, of course, and apparently tons
of people behind her in line made
a big commotion when they saw
it. The majority of people leaving
Columbus that day had been
there for the Arnold Classic.
Anyway, this award has now
joined the two others I have won
in the big trophy display case in
my home office.
After the contest and photo shoots for

MuscleTech, MD, and GASP clothing, I
have a breather here at home for a week.
I definitely wont be lifting anything heavier than my dinner fork and my TV
remote. After that, I am traveling every
weekend for seven weeks in a row, making appearances all the way from North
Dakota to Peru. But I dont want to think
about that now!
386 MD
Reminder
The Branch Warren Classic happens in Houston on July 11. Visit
www.metroflexgymproductions.com
for more. I hope to see a lot of you
guys there, competing and in the
audience!
CHEC
T
musculardevelKopOU
ment.com
FOR COM
PLET
CONTEST
E
COVERAGE
!
Got a question for Branch? E-mail him

at [email protected] and
you could see it answered right here in
MD!
www.storemags.com
June 2009
Branch:
I will win it one day.
Branch took an impressive third place

at this years Arnold, rounding out the top
three winners who were all part of Team
MD. Here, Branch talks to MDs Flex
Wheeler about his condition at the
Arnold, the tremendous crowd reaction
and winning his third Most Muscular
Award.
FW: Was it pretty cool that the top
three in this show were all MD guys?
BW: Hell yeah, its always good when
Team MD takes the top spots. I think its
gonna be the same way at the Olympia,
too hopefully the top four, not in order
of course, will be Victor, Kai, Dennis
Wolf, and me.
FW: That would be pretty frickin
sweet, for sure. Branch, you looked
fantastic. How would you compare
your package at this years Arnold to
last years rendition?
BW: I was bigger, harder, and a lot
fuller. Last year I was right at 240 or 241
onstage; this time I was

249 or 250. And my waist is
the same size.
FW: Props to you on
that. A lot of people
thought you could have
justifiably beaten Victor.
Would it have felt much
better to place second
than it did to place third?
BW: Well, second place
pays a lot better, thats one
thing. I go into every contest to win. I really thought
the show was between me
and Kai, just because
Victors condition was off. I
could even see it backstage
in the pump-up area. A lot
of people had me in second, but thats not how
the judges saw it. It is a
subjective sport, and Ive
learned to accept that
even though it can really
suck sometimes.
FW: I think you must
have set some kind of
record for winning the
Most Muscular Award
three times now. Do you
have any idea what that award officially means or represents?
BW: To me, its what bodybuilding is
supposed to be all about. Isnt bodybuilding about becoming as muscular as
you can? Im not sure if I have the
record for winning that award. I think a
while back, it used to go to the winner.
You may have won it more than me, or
Kevin Levrone. For a while it seemed
like it was a consolation type of prize
that usually went to the runner-up. But
that only happened to me once. The
other two times I got fourth, and now
third place. I guess it represents an
achievement of the most freaky, ripped
muscle mass? I really dont know. I am
grateful to have three of them, though.
FW: What does it mean to you to
have the tremendous crowd reaction
that you get every year at the
Arnold?
BW: Its such a cool feeling to hear
the people go crazy when I come out. I
wouldnt trade that for anything. The

fans are the backbone of the whole sport
and the only reason we have a sport.
FW: I am going to finish with a
question you have probably asked
yourself more than once by now.
What more do you need to do in order
to win the Arnold Classic?
BW: I think the key still lies in improving my back detail. Its come up a lot
since last year, and I just have to keep at
it. I think I had the widest rear lat spread
out of the top three this year. My rear
double biceps shot is better than before.
Ive said it before, but I believe that once
my back is as detailed as my legs and
chest, I will win the Arnold Classic. And I
will win it one day.
MD 387
www.storemags.com
TELLING IT LIKE IT IS
ShawnRay
By Shawn Ray
THE BRIDESMAIDS
In the history of professional bodybuilding, we have seen 12 men hold fast to the title of Mr. Olympia in 43 years.
However, along the way, we have been blessed with the works of bodybuilders who at any given time could have joined the
Elite 12, but failed to receive the recognition worthy of their careers onstage. Here they are and here is my take on them.
In
the infancy of the Mr. Olympia

contest way back in 1965, we
welcomed Mr. Larry Scott as the
original Mr. Olympia champion and he
was so good that the judges picked
him again the following year! That said,
the winners became bodybuildings
immortals in the sport, while the guys
who landed in second place would suffer the fate of coming up short and
without much fanfare. Some worthy
future Mr. Olympia competitors would
fulfill their ultimate goal of winning this
contest after placing second names
such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chris
Dickerson and Jay Cutler stand out
but others who sold their souls to the
Iron Game would never experience the
joy of a Sandow trophy to reflect on for
their efforts. I have compiled a list of
Hall of Fame Bodybuilders whose
careers are decorated with Grand Prix
victories worthy of recognition, sans
the ever-elusive Sandow trophy and
392 MD
claim to Best in the World title of Mr.

Olympia.
Mohamed
Makkawy: Mr.
Olympia Runner-Up
(83, 84)
The year was 1983. I was beginning
my senior term in high school when I
first saw the Egyptian Giant Killer,
Mohamed Makkawy standing a mere
54 and placing second in the world to
the Lion of Lebanon, Samir Bannout in
the Mr. Olympia contest! Adjectives like
grace, style and beauty were all I could
come up with in describing what I had
seen in the magazines! Mohamed was
poetry in motion while posing onstage.
His skin color, control over his poses
and facial expressions were but a few
things that were captivating to say the
least, with a polished physique from
head to toe. While Mohamed was not
the biggest guy onstage, the illusion he
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created by his poses lured you into

believing he was 7 feet tall! Mohamed
is a former Mr. Universe and Pro World
st
Champion, who was awarded the 1
Class Decoration for sports achievement by the late and former President
of Egypt, Anwar Sadat.
By the following year, I had decided
with 100 percent certainty that I, too,
would become a giant killer one day
and pursue my dream to be like
Mohamed. While trying to find my way
in this business, I paid attention to guys
who were comparable to my height
and weight, guys like 1982 Mr. Olympia
Chris Dickerson, 1983 Mr. Olympia
Samir Bannout and of course
Mohamed. Upon graduating from high
school, I really thought 1984 would be
the year of the Egyptian! Mohamed
Makkawy was the real deal before that
phrase was coined and made popular
by heavyweight boxing champion,
Evander Holyfield. Sadly for this ever-
June 2009
Shawn RayTelling It Like It Is

popular giant killer, 1984 would turn
out to be the year of the inauguration
of totally awesome Lee Haney.
This NPC National Champion would
reign supreme over the Olympia competition for a record eight consecutive
years (84-91), effectively vanquishing
the dreams of many great bodybuilders, including Mohamed. While
Mohamed could not stack up against
this man-child in the form of a 23-yearold named Lee Haney, who stood 511
and weighed in at 240+ pounds, he
looked greatness in the eye and is forever remembered for his consistency.
Mohamed would go on to becoming
one of Canadas most popular personal
trainers and international speakers. He
was honored by the Israeli Olympic
Committee for his efforts in sports and
peace in Israel and worldwide.
Albert Beckles:
Mr. Olympia
Runner-Up (85)
The year was 1985. I had just won
the NPC Teenage National
Championships in June and would finish the year off by winning the Junior
Mr. World Contest in Sydney, Australia,
where Albert the Great was the guest
poser, for a great start to my run in
with the Mens Open Division now that
I was 20 years old. Lee Haney was Mr.
Olympia and made short work of the
1984 Olympia lineup but a veteran of
the stage, who would compete for
three decades and in over 100 contests
in the sport was nipping at his heals.
The Ageless Wonder, Albert Beckles
from Barbados was quickly becoming
a force in the industry at the ripe old
age of 55! Albert was already a former
Mr. Britain, Mr. Universe and threetime Night of Champions winner when
he ran headstrong into an ever-growing Lee Haney on the Olympia stage.
Albert stood barely 58 and weighed
just under 200 pounds. He had the
most majestic biceps peaks to his arms
and competed with a resume that was
decorated with first-place finishes.
However, this was the Mr. Olympia
contest and youth combined with too
much mass and size would win out on
this day. Clearly the muscular maturity
of Albert was supreme and more separated but it would have taken a
knockout punch to unseat the worthy
394 MD
defender of the throne, Lee Haney.

Albert would wind up one last
time in the winners circle, with a
victory not in the Mr. Olympia, but
rather in Niagara Falls, taking out a
much younger lineup at the Pro
Invitational at the age of 61! Albert
would later become an IFBB pro
judge while continuing his successful personal training business in
Reseda, California, where he can still
be found at the ripe age of 78.
Richie Gaspari:
Three-Time Mr.
Olympia Runner-Up
(86, 87, 88)
While I was busy graduating high
school in 1984, there was a 20-year-old
New Jersey native by the name of Rich
Gaspari winning the light-heavyweight
class at the NPC Nationals. He got his
feet wet on the pro scene a year later,
by debuting at the Night of Champions
in New York, where he qualified for and
competed in the Mr. Olympia contest
finishing in third, just behind Albert
Beckles and Lee Haney.
This Dragonslayer served notice
quickly and swiftly that he was here
to do some serious business with the
best of them! While Richie was not
the shapeliest of bodybuilders, he
was the blue-collar working man of
the sport. His trademark vascularity
and rock-hard conditioning had rarely
been seen to this degree prior to his
arrival in the sport. While Richie was
but a kid, he had gotten the privilege
of moving in with and training with
Lee Haney for the his run to the pros.
Armed with this previous experience,
he was now set up in what seemed to
be a battle of teacher vs. student in
1986 and this battle would continue
being waged in the ensuing couple of
years. While no one not even the
Dragonslayer could disarm the
champ of his title, Richie arguably
brought the most unique physique to
the stage to rival that of Lees. The
two could not be more different in
terms of development and presentation. Lee was tall and shapely, while
Richie was short and a bit boxy. Lee
was top-heavy, while Richie had
some wheels on him that made Tom
Platz take a second look!
From 1986 to 1988, Richie fought
www.storemags.com
tooth and nail for the elusive Sandow

trophy, but to no avail. However, he
would rack up some impressive victories on the pro circuit, to the envy
of his colleagues. This former 1984
Amateur World Champion would go
on to become a Pro World Champion
two years later and ultimately the
original winner of the Arnold Classic
in 1989. Rich, at 45, is highly decorated and accomplished, and has since
gone on to become a father, an IFBB
pro judge, a supplement company
owner and title-holder of Grand Prix
Championships including the
German, French, English, Italian and
Spanish Championships. Rich is now
relaxing comfortably in the IFBB Hall
of Fame for his efforts and contributions to the sport.
Lee Labrada: TwoTime Mr. Olympia

Runner-Up (89, 90)
By 1987, like Richie before me, I, too,
would go on to win the NPC National
Championships as a light-heavyweight the difference being that I
continued on to win the Overall title,
securing my place in the sport alongside Lee Haney, Bob Paris, Mike
Christian, Phil Williams and Gary
Strydom as previous Overall
Champions! I stood in awe of these
champions prior to joining them, but
here I was now competing in the 1988
Mr. Olympia against them and more
importantly, against a guy with both
mass and class Lee Labrada!
Lee came into the pro ranks by way
of winning the middleweights at the
NPC Nationals in 1985. I figured I was
bigger, with equal balance if I beat
him, I got next! WRONG!! I got served
by Labrada and 12 other guys in the
88 Mr. Olympia, proving to me that I
had a long way to go before being
mentioned in the same breath as Lee.
One year later, Lee did not disappoint
in Rimini, Italy, where he would have
the first of two sniffs at the Sandow
trophy that Lee Haney was holding
near and dear to his heart.
Lee was an artist who posed effortlessly and was the consummate professional throughout any contest he
entered. I took notes on how to handle
myself onstage by watching this man.
Lee barely stood 56 and weighed a
June 2009

paltry 185 pounds but looked to be
the most complete and well-balanced of all the men on the Olympia
stage sans totally awesome Lee
Haney! Unfortunately for Lee
Labrada, the other Lee was just too
big and too much not only for him
but for everybody during his reign of
terror. Lee would settle quietly into
the first runner-up position for two
consecutive years, where only one
man would cast a shadow over an
otherwise brilliant career!
Lee, who was born in Havana,
Cuba, is now 48 and a married father
of three boys, heading up his own
supplement company in Houston,
Texas. Lee would go on to become an
author of a couple of books and promote bodybuilding contests. In 2004,
the IFBB inducted Lee into the bodybuilding hall of fame.
Kevin Levrone:
Four-Time Mr.
Olympia Runner-Up
(92, 95, 00, 02)
By 1992, I had already had three
Mr. Olympia contests behind me with
one third-place finish and bronze
medal for the trophy case in the tank. I
was now a professional bodybuilder
with sponsorship contracts, working in
the business of bodybuilding for a living. I was among the best in the world
and in the prime of my life. At 26, I felt
the world was my oyster and I had
racked up a few celebrity names in the
industry on my list of people to beat
but I heard the rumblings of another
as a beast approaches.
In 1991, NPC National Champion
Kevin Maryland Muscle Machine
Levrone had just burst onto the bodybuilding scene like no one before him.
He appeared to have been carved out
of granite he was BIG and shapely.
Kevin had arms, chest and shoulders
that the best of us would stand in awe
of. He had just wiped out the competition in New York, winning the Night Of
Champions in convincing fashion,
then set his sites on Helsinki, Finland
with a date with the Olympians and
yours truly!
While Kevin was the darling of New
York, I knew he would have to be better than that to beat the best in the
396 MD
world I was now a part of. I gave little

thought to him as I focused on the
reigning champion, King Dorian. At
59 and 250 pounds, Kevin became
more real than I ever could have imagined. Standing onstage next him, his
presence exuded confidence that
matched the size of his quads. His
rookie year on the pro scene would
see him finish second only to King
Dorian Yates, who was beginning his
own run of six consecutive Mr.
Olympia victories. Kevin would have to
settle for the first of two first runner-up
finishes, to Dorian repeating this feat
again three years later in 1995. Dorian
would go on to retire in 1997, undefeated in the Mr. Olympia competition, laying waste to all challengers big and
small. It would be five long years
before Kevin would climb his way back
to the first runner-up position behind a
familiar foe who had grown into his
nickname as The Big Nasty, Ronnie
Coleman!
By the year 2000, Ronnie had
already secured two Sandow trophies
for his mantle and would lay claim to
six more before he was finished. Kevin
streamlined his physique and had the
necessary goods to defeat Big Ronnie,
but the favor had shifted to mass in
large amounts, as Ronnie had raised
the bar considerably. In 2002, Kevin
fought off an ailing back injury to once
again come up short to Mr. Coleman,
as Ronnie was in hot pursuit of eventually tying Lee Haneys record of eight
consecutive Mr. Olympia victories.
Kevin, at 44, is now a married father
of 2-year-old boy named Gabriel. He
would retire from the stage in 2004
and is presently pursuing other ventures, namely acting, while remaining
active in the sport representing EST
Nutrition. To his credit, Kevin won 22
pro bodybuilding contests in his
career, an accomplishment in which he
stands alone.These achievements didnt go unnoticed by the IFBB, who
cemented his work in the IFBB Hall of
Fame earlier this year.
Flex Wheeler:
Three-Time Mr.
Olympia Runner-Up
(93, 98, 99)
After Kevin Levrone served notice
www.storemags.com
of his arrival on the pro scene in 92, I

felt as though I was back at square
one, having to deal with a force I previously never considered. By 1993, I
witnessed one of the most perfectlysculpted bodies our sport had ever
seen, in the form of Fabulous Flex
Wheeler! Flex hammered the competition at the Pro Iron Man, after winning the 1992 USA Championships,
which earned him his pro card. It was
a few weeks after his rookie pro win
that the world would be rocked with
perfection at the Arnold Classic in
Columbus, Ohio by Flex. He stood
59 and weighed a light 216 pounds
with not a trace of water or fat on
him, setting the stage for the 1993 Mr.
Olympia showdown in Atlanta,
Georgia.
King Dorian had just won his first
Mr. Olympia in 1992, Kevin Levrone
was hot on his heels and now Flex
threw his hat into the arena. While I
personally believe we saw the BEST
FLEX WHEELER EVER at the Arnold
Classic in 93, the Mr. Olympia contest
would be a bit more elusive for him to
waltz in and take home victory.
A mere seven months later, after
the Arnold Classic, time proved to be
too long and too much for Flex, as he
slightly missed his peak but would settle comfortably into the first runner-up
position just ahead of me and right
behind King Dorian. Like Kevin
Levrone before him, it would be a long
five years before Flex would find himself in the runner-up position again,
only this time a new Mr. Olympia was
being crowned and it wasnt him.
This was the only year I can remember
as a competitor that the Mr. Olympia
title was up for grabs. With King
Dorian retired and no returning champion competing in 1998, Flex, like
Kevin and myself, was poised for victory! Flex had changed dramatically and
was considerably bigger. Ronnie
Colemans Mr. Olympia reign of eight
years was only in its infancy, as Flex
was regulated for the next two consecutive years to the runner-up position.
While never actually winning the
Mr. Olympia title, Flex holds fast to his
record victories at the Arnold Classic,
with four to his credit. At 43 and living
in San Jose with his wife Madeline,
June 2009

Flex is a grandfather and a father to
five children. Flex continues to give
back to the sport as a writer for
Muscular Development and serves as
Director of Media and Public Relations
for the sports nutrition brand All
American EFX. Last year, he promoted
the Flex Wheeler Classic in Minnesota
and is now co-host of the Team MD
Radio Show on musculardeveloment.com, working with yours truly!
Shawn Ray: TwoTime Mr. Olympia

Runner-Up (94, 96)
Looking back, I feel like I was born
in the wrong era, but, ironically, at the
right time for bodybuilding! Prior to
becoming addicted to being the best
bodybuilder in the world, my idols
were 54 Mohamed Makkawy, 56
Chris Dickerson and 57 Samir
Bannout. These guys were dominating
forces in the industry, but by the time I
arrived in 88, they were a dying breed
and the mass monsters were in full
effect. In 1993, I finally hit a milestone
of sorts and put Lee Labrada in my
rearview by placing third (and ahead of
him) in fourth place. It was huge for
me, as I had been hot on his heels
since 1990, but still had unfinished
business with Dorian and Flex.
By 1994, opportunity would come
knocking, as I was at my all-time best
and previously had been working my
way up from fifth in 91, fourth in 92,
third in 93 and now my time was
here! Unfortunately, Flex would wind
up in a hospital bed after crashing his
car on the freeway, but things were not
made any better knowing that Kevin
Levrone and Dorian were still going to
be in my way. Dorian had suffered a
biceps tear weeks before the show and
rumors spread that he was heavy and
off not that it would affect my pursuit
of the title! It did add fuel to an empty
tank, while training hard.
When the dust settled, I found
myself in the familiar company of
Makkawy, Beckles, Gaspari,
Labrada, Levrone and Flex. As the
saying goes, second place is the first
loser and thats exactly how I felt.
Painful, to say the least, after such rave
reviews of my preparation but reassuring at the same time knowing Id be
back with a vengeance.
398 MD
The following year would have me

settling for fourth place, which only
added fuel to my tank as I battled back
to the first runner-up spot again in 1996
and it, too, was bittersweet. Between
Haney and Dorian, many dreams were
squashed by their massive physiques.
Hopes and dreams were crushed by
the sheer mass of these two giants, as
I stood in the shadow created by
Dorian, at a mere 57 inches and a
whopping 208 pounds.
The road was long and winding, as
I spent 13 years in the Mr. Olympia
lineup shifting up and down, back and
forth between fifth place and second
place for 12 straight years. I would go
on to retire from the sport after competing during three decades, spanning
a 14-year pro career against the best in
the world, failing to beat only two men
who collectively held 14 consecutive
Mr. Olympia titles between them. At
36, I walked away from competition
and never looked back, leaving all that
I had on the stage with no regrets.
Now at the ripe old age of 43 and
married with two daughters, Ive been
blessed by the IFBB and my induction
into the Hall of Fame. My plate is now
full and my cup runneth over with
gratitude. I am presently the
spokesman for VYO Tech Nutritionals
and a writer for Muscular
Development, as well as working on
Team MD Radio Show with my old
nemesis, Flex Wheeler.
Victor Martinez:
Mr. Olympia
Runner-Up (07)
Ive long since been retired from
the sport six years to be exact
but remember with clarity how The
Dominican Destroyer, Victor
Martinez felt when he landed in the
first runner-up position to Jay Cutler
in Las Vegas. This former NPC
National Champion came into the
pros with the pedigree of a winner!
True to form, Victor would quietly
rack up victories at the New York Pro,
GNC Pro and the Arnold Classic,
before settling comfortably into the
role of a Bridesmaid at the 2007 Mr.
Olympia. Arguably the best Victor
has ever been onstage in any contest, many felt he suffered defeat by
a marginal defending champion who
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had missed his peak on the day, but

held on to the title nonetheless.
Born 1973 in the Dominican
Republic, Victor would wind up in
New York City, training among some
of the worlds best, to become the
best in the world! Along the way,
Victor got a good whiff of what could
be in 2006 when he placed third in
the Mr. Olympia Contest but it
wouldnt be enough to satisfy his
hunger. In 2007, Victor stormed into
Columbus, Ohio and beat back a
resilient defending two-time Arnold
Classic Champion in the form of
Dexter Jackson, to embrace victory.
As luck would have it, Victor would
suffer an old knee injury and be
forced to watch Dexter Jackson
whom hed just beaten several
months earlier stand alone in the
winners circle of the Mr. Olympia
stage, defeating none other than Jay
Cutler. At 59 and 250 pounds, Victor
is once again poised to take his rightful place with previous winners of
the Mr. Olympia title, but time will
tell if the knee is fully healed and he
is able to do combat against some
new jacks in the form of Phil Heath,
Dennis Wolf and Kai Greene.
At 36 and sponsored by MHP
Nutrition, Victor has a firm grasp on
where he stands in this business to
know that opportunities like the one
he faces coming this September are
fleeting and are not promised to
just anybody. As I look back over
the list of athletes who stepped up,
only to get stepped on, its humbling to say the least. These highlydecorated and celebrated athletes
helped shape the sport we have
today, waging some epic battles of
their own, yet in a way that exuded
style and grace.
To the Men who would be
Kings I salute you!
For many have fought on the
battlefield, but few waged wars
such as these.
From the annals of bodybuilding
history, your names will be read to
give credibility to all the Mr.
Olympia winners! So say we all to
the Bridesmaids the best of
whats left!
Stay hungry,
Shawn
June 2009
BRANDEN RAY
By Branden Ray
Road tothe USAs

Kai: Beginnings
of A Champion
I want to thank all the VPX staff from

Jack and Paul to Slim, Mike, JP, Jaimie,
Reuben and Jason Arntz. Yes, Jason
Arntz the pro bodybuilder who
is as cool as they come! Jason
was getting ready for the New York
Pro and had skin that was paperthin. Im sure that hell do very
well!
Kai was the first competitive bodybuilder I ever met. I

was 17 and met him through my uncle. He was cool with
my family and I studied how he ate. My mom would
order a pizza and I would say, I want to eat what
Kais eating, so I started scarfing down chicken breast
after chicken breast LOL! I learned then that bodybuilding is a lifestyle. Its not just how you train, but
how you eat, sleep, etc. I thank Kai for teaching me that
at a young age. I saw and admired his discipline and passion for bodybuilding. I saw the beginnings of a champion.
My whole family says congratulations to Kai youre holding it down for BK!
Mayor of Bodybuilding
One of the highlights of the weekend was training chest
with The Mayor of Bodybuilding. He is as important
to this sport as any competitor. Its fans like him who
keep this sport alive. I was happy that he was
there to lend me a spot and we ended up having
a really good workout. The Mayor pushed me and
I look forward to training with him at the Olympia.
One thing, Mayor whats up with the New
York Jets sneakers? Yes, Im a Jets fan too, but we
gotta get you some Jordans or some Nike Shox, at
least. Ive never seen Jets sneakers before and
they were like bugger green biscuit boots ha, ha!
Let me stop, Mayor. You know youre my man,
but I gotta sing the song from back in the day:
Rejects/They make your feet feel fine/Rejects/They
cost a dollar ninety-nine. LMAO!
If you people only knew how wonderful this
guys personality is. Hes an honest New Yorker
who is very insightful about this sport. It was an
honor to train with him and really get to know him.
Hopefully I can fulfill his prediction that I will win
the 2009 USAs! ;-)
VPX: Best Booth

at the Expo
400 MD
PHOTO BY PER BERNAL
I want to thank everyone for stopping by the BEST

BOOTH AT THE EXPO, the VPX booth. We had the
most booth girls and they were not
only beautiful, but so cool. We
all know each other
from working several
events and all of these
ladies are class acts.
Weve become like
brothers and sisters.
They definitely kept
my mind off the fact
that my feet were
starting to hurt!
www.storemags.com
June 2009
BRANDEN RAY
Road tothe USAs
MDs Top Three
Props to Arnold Champs

Iris Kyle
Debi Laszewski
Ziville Raudoniene
Juliana Malacarne
The Arnold Classic weekend was long, tiring, and

a wonderful experience overall. I want to start by
congratulating all the winners in all of the competitions (too many to name). Iris Kyle blew me away. I
was walking past the prejudging, far from the stage
behind the seats, and could still see how incredible
she looked. I was digging the new hairstyle, too!
Debi Laszewski looked very impressive as well,
and I want to congratulate her on placing second.
Her conditioning was spot on.
Figure I still cant figure out. All of the girls
looked great and I highly respect them because I
often train with pro figure competitor Teresa
Anthony and she trains hard! I would like to congratulate Ziville Raudoniene on her win. My
favorite figure competitor, Juliana Malacarne,
only placed 13th. This woman has awesome genetics with an incredible shape. Maybe it was the conditioning or presentation, I dont know. Shes very
impressive, nonetheless.
I was extremely happy for Kai placing first
and just as happy for Vic and Branch for persevering after injuries sidelined them last year.
Branch doesnt get enough credit for his front
double biceps pose. Look at the pics on
MuscularDevelopment.com and see what Im talking about. Sure, his waist may not be as tiny as
Melvin Anthonys, but his incredible quads give
the illusion that it is. After all, bodybuilding is about
illusion. He fills his chest up with air on this pose
and expands his rib cage to look even more massive. Kids, take notes: thats how its supposed to be
done! There is a lot more to a front double bi than
just your biceps!
Kai always blows me away with the striations in
his quads. His lats drop all the way down to a
lower back thats incredibly dense. Kai, bro, this is
your boy from Brooklyn from way back you
dont have to get any bigger. Just keep chiseling
away. The canvas is already made just paint
within those boundaries. There is no need to
stretch it out even more. You are already one of the
biggest mofos on the planet and can possibly be
number one in the planet if you keep digging into
what you already possess.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
DENNIS WOLF THE PEOPLES CHOICE
The Big Bad WOLF

By Dennis Wolf
Kai Greene: Congratulations,

But He Did Have a Bit of Luck...
Kai looked very good this year but I thought he looked better
last year. Thats just from what I remember. I really thought that
Victor would have won with no problem if his condition had been
better. Of course, I couldnt help but put myself up there in my
mind and wonder if I could have beaten Kai. I dont like to ever
make predictions or say I am definitely able to beat this or that
guy, so all I will say is nobody is unbeatable! On any given day,
any top guy can win if he shows up looking his best and
someone else is not 100 percent. All I heard leading up to
this show was that Victor was going to win no
matter how good Kai or Branch looked. Now
we see this wasnt the case.
What About The O?

I think Kai will definitely be in the
top six at this years Mr. Olympia,
but thats about as specific as you
can get right now. I do think this
years O will be the best battle we
have seen in a few years. If
Dexter, Jay, Phil, me, and Kai all
show up in our best shape, only
God knows how it will all turn
out in the end. Thats one contest
I would not want to judge!
Rumors and Gossip
My Top 5 Arnold Picks

1. Victor
2. Kai
3. Branch
4. Toney
5. Dennis James or Silvio
404 MD
www.storemags.com
June 2009
There were a lot of rumors in

the weeks before the Arnold
that Kai was way behind and
would never get ripped in time.
Then on the night before the
show, another magazines website reported that Kai had
dropped out! I didnt listen to any
of it. Having been around long
enough now to have heard a lot of
this junk before, I always wait until
the actual show to see whats really
going on. Besides, it doesnt matter
how bad or great someone looks two
weeks out (trust me on this I
know!) or even two days out.
Once you get out there onstage,
thats all that matters.
Miscellaneous Arnold Notes

I was very impressed with Branch Warren. The physique he brought this
time was one of the best displays of thick, hard muscle mass I have ever seen.
Wow! I also want to give a nod to my fellow Russian (where I grew up before
moving to Germany) Sergey Shelestov, who was at his all-time best. Even
though he still had a tiny amount of water under the skin, he keeps making
improvements and I hope to see him up on the Olympia stage again. Sergey
could make top 15 this year, maybe even higher if he just comes in harder.
Congratulations to him for working hard and making the improvements that he
knew he needed to.
If I Had a Check for $130,000, I Would

Put it in the bank, what else? With the economy the way it is, you
would have to be a fool to go out and blow all that money on a fancy car,
or even a house. Even investing is a big gamble now. So thats what I
would do, as boring as it sounds deposit the whole thing into a savings account.
A Crazy Expo
I always have a good time at the Arnold Classic expo and its always
super-busy. Its not easy to be smiling and energetic for hours and hours
on end, but I do love talking to my fans. Most people wanted to know
about my workouts and how my recovery from the hernia is going. Every
time I walked into the expo or out of it, I got stopped every four feet to
take a picture with someone.
The highlight for me was meeting and talking to Kevin Levrone for
the first time. We actually did a little interview together. Kevin was one
of the guys I looked up to a lot when I was starting out. He may not be
the same size anymore, but that doesnt matter. I doubt I will be as big
as I am now, years after I retire. Why would anybody? Kevin is a living
legend and for him to say encouraging things to me was a nice feeling.
www.storemags.com
Dennis Wolf The Peoples Choice
OUT
CHECK
ment.com
eveloPpLE
TE
muscuFlaOrd
R COM VERAGE!
ST CO
CONTE
I was reading about how Toney

Freeman put over an inch on his arms
by training them three times a week. I
sure would love another inch on my
arms! Do you think this would be a
good idea? Have you ever tried working your arms three times a week?
For anybody to put an inch on his arms
is a real accomplishment, but for a man
already as advanced in his development as
Toney to do that is simply amazing. At the
same time, as much as I would love for my
arms to be a bit bigger too, I have never
tried anything this extreme.
My instincts tell me that it would be too
much for my arms, that they would
become very overtrained. I only work a
muscle hard once a week, because I feel
the real growth happens after the workout,
with rest and good eating. But we are all
different. Obviously this worked for Toney
Freeman. You can try it yourself.
I suppose the worst thing that could
happen is that your arms wont grow, or
maybe they could even shrink. If that happens, you will simply need to stop training
them for a couple weeks and then go back
to working them once a week to get the
normal size back. But who knows? You
might be one of those rare guys who actually thrives on something so demanding. In
that case, youll end up with bigger guns,
and thats never a bad thing.
Untapped Potential In Germany

We have a lot of good bodybuilders in Germany, and many of them are definitely good enough to be a pro. I just dont
think there is enough support and encouragement for the young guys like this. The real problem is that most gyms in
Germany really dont like bodybuilders (yes, even worse than in the USA with your Planet Fitness), and they dont want
guys training heavy. All the bodybuilders have to find smaller gyms that are more accepting to them.
In the end, I think you can be a great bodybuilder if you have the genetics and the drive. With those two things, you
will be the best no matter what the obstacles in your path!
UFC I Love It!

The first time I ever saw the UFC
was a few years ago on TV when I was
in the USA for an appearance. Right
away I loved it and would watch
it any time I was in America.
Soon I had a friend in the USA
sending me DVDs of all the fights
so I could watch at home in
Germany. I still want to go to a
big fight to watch it live, preferably when one of them is in Las
Vegas. I didnt even think about
trying to go to the one Saturday
night at the Arnold weekend.
There was already too much
going on!
406 MD
Favorite UFC Fighters

1. Forrest Griffin
2. Randy Couture
3. Chuck Liddell
Favorite Fight
Couture vs. Liddell (any of their
match-ups all excellent)
I tried a lot of sports, and bodybuilding was the one I seemed to be
meant for. But who knows? If the UFC
had been popular back when I was
younger and there was a really good
trainer in my area, maybe I would have
been a fighter instead of a flexer!
Got a question for Dennis?

E-mail it to him at
[email protected]
and you could see it answered
right here in MD!
www.storemags.com
June 2009
www.storemags.com
ERIK FANKHOUSERNORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION
Erik The House

Fankhouser
By Erik Fankhouser
There are a few different ways you can go about this.

You can do the Jr. NPC Nationals, Jr. USA Nationals, or
jump right in and do the USA, North American, or
Nationals. If I were you, I would do one of the big three
first. See how well you do; if you place in the top five in
your class, then keep doing one of the three that will help
you become a pro. If you dont place in the top five, then
do one of the Jr. level shows until you break the top five,
then hit the bigger shows.
I say have fun with it; dont take longer than a year off
between shows and dont try to do all the National shows in
one year, unless you are placing in the top two or three. You
are still young, bro do the North American and see how
you fare with the best in the NPC, and take it from there. I
will be at the show this year I better see you onstage!
All this talk about carbs and no-carb diets has me
confused. I know you have always done low-carb
diets in the past, but I tried a similar diet and it didnt
work for me. Have you tried a higher-carb diet and
had results? If so, why did you change?
The battle of the carbs! I say, who the hell needs
them? Well, I guess we all do... I have tried about every
408 MD
www.storemags.com
I have been bodybuilding for four years; its taken

me this long to get qualified for all of the NPC
Nationals. What did you do to work your way up the
ladder? What shows should I do? I am 25 and would
like to be a IFBB pro someday like you.
First off, bro, let me congratulate you on your placings.
Qualifying for the NPC National shows is a big step. I
know tons of bodybuilders who have been at it for years
and have not qualified yet. There are many bodybuilders
who never do any national-level shows because they
dont feel ready. The way I see it when you qualify you
are ready and if you want to be a pro someday, then
you better step up and go to that next level. I think if you
are qualified, then you should do the shows. Doing the
shows will make you better and will let you know where
you stand against the best in the NPC.
Here is the path I took to climb the ladder to the pros. I
started out doing local NPC shows until I won them and
qualified for the Nationals. As soon as I qualified, the next
year I did Gary Udits North American national-level show.
I placed fourth my first time around, then made slow
gains and did it again the next year and won the Overall
to get my pro card.
kind of contest diet, bro. I did do

a higher-carb diet when I first
started bodybuilding and it
worked great for me then. I just
feel each time you do a diet, it
might be a little different. I went
to the low-carb diet because I was
having good results with it when I
tried it. I think youve just got to
have a plan and then do it. I think
any good plan is going to work as
long as you do it 100 percent.
There are so many ways to
diet down you just gotta choose
one and stick to it. I think a zerocarb diet is not going to work, if
you are slipping in carbs that you
should not be eating, or if you are
on a higher-carb diet and you are
not eating all your carbs. Pick a
game plan and run with it. If it
doesnt work, then next time do
something different.
I think I am going to try to keep
my carbs in longer this time around. It worked for me in the past, so maybe I will
go back to the basics. When I turned pro, I was doing zero-carbs and then tried it
again for my first pro show, but I think my body was reacting differently than it
did in the past. So carbs or no carbs is still up in the air for me, LOL!!
I was at the Animal Cage at the 2009
Arnold Classic, and saw you. I have to
say youve put on some serious size!
Your calves are crazy in pictures, but to
see them in person blew me away! I also
saw you compete in the curl competition you had some great endurance.
Do you train for high-rep sets or was
that competition just easy for you?
The Arnold weekend was a great time as
usual, and the Animal Cage was jumping all
three days. My weight was around 275 at
the Cage, so I was the biggest I had ever
been. I have been gaining good weight this
off-season. I dont want to get too crazy and
have to kill myself when it comes down to
dieting for my next show. As for the curl
contest, I had to curl half my bodyweight
for as many reps as I could.
I had to go up against a fellow animal,
Hola Bola. He held his own; he did 30 reps at
95 pounds. I curled 135 and did 35 reps with
it. I could have squeezed out 5 more, but I
didnt want to smash him that bad, LOL! I can
say I train with high reps like that all the time
but from time to time I will do a burnout set
and pump out as many reps as I can at a light
weight, just to finish off a muscle. I do train
with high volume, but I dont train with sets
of more than 15 reps; for the most part I am
down around 8-12 reps. Next year, if I do the
curl contest, I will pump out 40+ LOL!
MD 409
www.storemags.com
Eric Fankhouser
North American Champion
House Builders:
Runnin the Rack...
Everyone loves a good-ass arm pump, right? Well, runnin the rack will do
just that. I ran the rack every few arm workouts and I have found that it is a
good burnout exercise and will push that blood back in the muscle after you
lose that pump in your arms. Here is how I run the rack. I start at 100-pound
dbs, curl them 10 times each arm, then sit them down, grab up the 90
pound dbs, curl them 10 times each, then the 80s for 10, 70s for 10, 60s, 50s,
40s 30s, 20s and then the 10s for 10. Just hope no one walks in when you
are struggling with the 10-pounders, LOL! Add that one to your bag of tricks
and pull it out on a rainy day to make your arms cry.
Training
Journal
My off-season
training was the
best it has ever
been; I gained quality mass over the last
few months. I am
getting bigger and
bigger and not gaining fat its all good
muscle. I have been
eating pretty clean
up to this point. I am
eating 49 meals a
week and only two
out of the 49 are
cheat meals. I went to see my bodybuilding eyes this week, Andy
Bartolovich. He looked at me to see how my off-season was going and to see
what progress I have made the last few months.
Andy knows my body pretty well, because he has been working with me
since I started bodybuilding. My weight was higher than it had ever been
and my body fat was only 7 percent for the off-season thats pretty good
for me. I dont like to go over 10 percent. I think if you do, it just makes it
harder to get into contest shape. He was glad I was keeping a lower body fat
percentage and still gaining weight. I want to come in next year onstage
weighing around 230-240. Weight doesnt matter, but it will let me know I
have gotten bigger, because I will come in as ripped each time.
Family
The family is doing great. My wife, Heather, is doing good. We are about
15 weeks along now, and counting down the time till we have the new
baby. Xavier is still pumped about the new baby, but having two kids is
going to be tough. I am glad that my wife is pregnant now, instead of me
dieting and her being pregnant at the same time that would be tough. I
did that my very first show; she was pregnant and I was dieting wow, talk
about not seeing eye-to-eye but we got through it.
This time, we planned it perfectly. She is pregnant and I am off-season.
LOL so we both can eat and gain weight! We have to start to think about
names for the new baby. If it is a girl, my wife gets to pick, but if its a boy,
Xavier and I get to pick. Xavier wants to name him The Hulk LOL!
I want to wish Xavier good luck on his first gymnastics show in a few
weeks. If anyone wants info on the second NPC Erik
CHECK
OUT
Fankhouser Classic, e-mail my wife Heather at
musculardev
elopment.com
FOR CO
[email protected]. Thanks and train hard
MPLETE
CONTES
T COVER
AGE!
in iron! The House
www.storemags.com
EVAN CENTOPANI
By Evan Centopani
NATIONAL HERO
Do you ever perform different types of deadlifts, such as sumo

or snatch-grip deads? Or do you pretty much stick with standard
deads?
For the most part, I stick to the traditional form. However, from time to
time Ill widen my stance out really wide but keep my legs fairly straight. I
dont know what youd call that, or if its just something I do. Ive tried sumo
deadlifts before and I just couldnt seem to get the form right its something I should practice more. The standard form has served me pretty well
over the years, so I dont see a real need to experiment with other variations. If some other type works well for you and thickens up your back, awesome. Keep doing it!
I like the idea you have about starting to diet at 18 weeks, then
adding cardio at 12 weeks. My question is whether you change the diet,
once you start adding cardio? I would assume that your caloric intake
goes way down once you start the diet, but do you change anything
once your body is burning more in those last 12 weeks? I ask because
412 MD
I noticed from your In the

Trenches videos that you dont
waste your time doing a bunch of
light warm-up sets. You just do 3
reps and wait for heavier weight
to do your working sets. I think I
must do too many warm-ups,
because by the time I get to the
heavier weight I am wearing
down. Is that why you do it your
way, so that doesnt happen?
www.storemags.com
In off-season mode, what is your rep range? And why do you train in
that range?
Now that I am in pre-contest mode for the New York Pro, I use the same rep
ranges I did all last year during off-season. I dont feel that your weight training
should change very much at all its your diet and cardio (not that I have done
any yet) that take the fat off and give your muscles that conditioned look. My reps
can be anywhere from 6-20 or sometimes a bit higher. Why? If you cover such a
large rep range, youre bound to do something right! Seriously though, variety is
important. If you do different exercises, different rep ranges cover all the bases
and hit as many muscle fibers as possible.
for my last show, I used a similar

plan and really flattened out when
I added the cardio. I worried that I
might be burning up muscle, so I
added a touch more food and ultimately sabotaged myself.
As for the diet, I keep it the same
when I start cardio. I do that because
I only begin doing cardio once my
weight loss slows. Oddly enough, I
am nine weeks out from my show
right now and my weight is still dropping, so I havent done any cardio at
all yet. But if I were to add food at
that point, I would think that would
just defeat the purpose. Here you are
trying to get your body to start losing
fat once it gets stuck and youre
going to eat more?
I think a lot of guys are afraid to
diet hard because they feel small or
flat as the prep goes on. But thats
part of getting in shape. Obviously we
all feel bigger in the off-season when
were heavier. No one feels huge
once they drop a lot of fat and with it,
bodyweight.Yet if youre afraid to diet
hard and freak out because you dont
look and feel as big anymore, odds
are you wont achieve the type of
condition you need.
Many times at shows you see guys
who are huge and full, yet nowhere
near the shape they should be in. Nine
times out of 10 I can guarantee you
that they didnt diet as hard as they
should have because they got worried
they were losing too much size. You
have to be in condition when you
compete, or you will place badly. So
you need to either get over that fear
and get in shape, or dont compete
and stay big and not so lean.
mail from someone who blew out his back or tore a pec
because they thought they would be like me and just do
a very brief warm-up.
I watched your leg training video on MD TV,
where you squatted with 585 for reps. Damned
impressive! Just wondering if your lower back
was sore after moving that kind of weight without a belt?
My lower back pretty much never gets sore, it just
gets tight. I believe its mainly due to fluid retention. At
that point in the off-season when we shot that video, my
caloric intake and carb intake was up significantly. As
soon as I drop my carbs, the tightness in my lower back
disappears! I squatted yesterday, just as heavy, with zero
tightness in my lower back.
Its funny you ask that. The other day I was training arms
with my buddy Keith. We got to the gym, walked over to
the dumbbell rack and did like 8 reps of alternate dumbbell
curls with 25-pound dumbbells. Then I grabbed a 70 and
brought it over to the preacher bench. Keith doesnt warmup much either.
I guess I never liked warming up too
much because A) I never felt like I had to and
B) I felt like it was only gonna take away
from my sets. I like to go into my first set as
strong as possible. That being said, I did start
feeling some knee pain a while back and
that got me into the practice of warming up
more extensively for legs. I still dont do a
lot of warming up for upper body, but knock
on wood, its worked out fine for me.
I have heard many stories of guys getting badly hurt because they used heavy
weights too fast without warming up. So
dont use me as an example, necessarily.
Warm up as much as you feel you need to.
A lot of times, you may be better off losing
a bit of strength from the longer warm-up,
but it could also be preventing an injury.
Once youre hurt, you cant train at all, or
at the least your workouts will suck. Then
you will wish you had taken more time to
prepare your muscles, joints and connective tissues for lifting heavy. So please, be
safe! The last thing I want is to get an e-
414 MD
What are the types of meats you consume in

the off-season and do you change it when youre
dieting down? I know most pros eat red meat for
three or four meals a day do you?
Thats weird, I cant think of too many guys who eat
that much red meat. Do they live on a frigging cattle
ranch or something? In the off-season, I have steak once
a day for dinner, 4-5 times a week. Ill have fatty fish like
salmon the other two nights. I like Porterhouse steaks
the most. Actually, that sounds really good right now a
big, thick Porterhouse with grilled leeks, homemade
French fries, and lots of ketchup! Dream on Evan, not
until the show is over!
Anyway, red meat 3-4 times a day! Thats way too
much for me. Id be so constipated it wouldnt be funny
not a good feeling. Just try training hard like that sometime good luck. All that red meat is just too hard for me
to digest. I dont think its necessary. Too much of a good
thing isnt good.
www.storemags.com
Evan CentopaniNational Hero

Good Times in the Animal Cage
Just like last year, I worked at the Universal Nutrition booth all weekend at the
expo. Of course, our booth is more than that we had a good-sized little gym, surrounded by a chain-link fence that we call The Cage. We had lifting demonstrations from top powerlifters, seminars, and fun contests like The Pros vs. The Bros.
Guys from the Animal forum online could compete against me, Erik Fankhouser,
and Frank McGrath. We did stuff like seeing who could curl or bench press for
more reps with half our bodyweight.
One guy I had been talking some good-natured shit to on the forum challenged
me on curls. I got 20 reps and he got well over 30 he kicked my ass! Great times.
Some people complained that our booth didnt have any hot girls and that we were
all covered up instead of wearing tank tops, but I think that set us apart. Our
whole thing is that there are no superstars. We may be pros, but were approachable and just like anybody else. Thats why I think The Cage was probably the
coolest place to be at the expo all weekend. We also had an ABC Animal Barbell
Club seminar at nearby Metro Gym that was a big success. I even trained Friday
night with one of the forum members who had won a contest on the site.
Diet Progress
Thanks and Shout-outs
Im back home in Connecticut now as I write this a

couple days after the Arnold. With a little under nine
weeks to go until my pro debut, my weight has dropped
from about 315 to 278 and still without doing a single
cardio session! At this point I am wondering if I will
even have to. I was guesstimating that my weight
onstage at the New York Pro would be around 260, but
now Im thinking it might dip under that. As long as I
am in the condition I need to be and you can see the
improvements in my legs and chest, the weight really
doesnt concern me.
I want to give a big shout-out to the guys over at

Nebula Fitness for the incredible leg-training pieces I
bought to use at my gym. Nebula is the only line of bodybuilding equipment still made in America, and its very
rugged and durable. Id like to thank Universal Nutrition for
their continued support. And thanks to my chiropractor, Dr.
Mike Troknya, for keeping me healthy. Thanks to Steve
Blechman for his encouragement, and last but not least
thanks to all my fans out there. I am privileged to have so
many awesome fans who constantly help keep me motivated to be my best!
Staying on My Training and Diet

Schedule in Columbus
The idea of trying to maintain your pre-contest
training and diet program while traveling and working at a busy expo like the Arnold for three days in a
row might seem intimidating to some bodybuilders,
but I did a very decent job. It takes some planning,
preparation, and a little sacrifice. I brought all the
food I would need with me in my luggage, cooked
and then frozen in vacuum-sealed containers. I had a
refrigerator brought up to my room at the Hyatt.
Along with protein powder, this allowed me to
have two solid meals and two shakes every day
while I was working at the Universal booth. I would
order breakfast for room service every morning
just eggs. After the expo, I trained every day at
Metro Gym (which for some reason was hot as hell)
and then had dinner. One thing I know I need in the
pre-contest phase is a good nights sleep, so I didnt
go out the whole time I was in Columbus. I ran into
Mel Chancey, who had an interview last year in MD,
and he offered to get me into the big UFC fight on
Saturday night. It was tough to say no thanks, but I
needed to get to bed at a decent hour. I didnt even
go to the mens pro finals. If you dont plan your
meals and you go out at night, you could really
screw up your contest prep. My pro debut is too
important for me to even think about that.
416 MD
Congrats to Kai!
Kai was a very
deserving winner of this
years Arnold Classic!
Victor had the most
pleasing physique of the
top three, but he just
didnt have the condition
he needed. Considering
the amount of time
Victor had after his
injury rehab to put it all
together, I think he has
nothing to be ashamed
of. Still, I am happy for
Kai. The guy has really
worked to get where he
is, and the Arnold
Classic title establishes
him now as being at the
same level of guys like
Victor and Dexter.
Got a question for Evan? E-mail it to him at
[email protected] and you could see it
answered right here in MD!
www.storemags.com
CHAD NICHOLLS
The Contest GURU
Victor Victorious
Now that the 2009 Arnold Classic is behind us, I
feel a lot of questions regarding Victors comeback
were answered. Though it was a close battle and Kai
Greene squeaked out the victory, Im very proud of
Victor. He made a very courageous and determined
journey over the past year to prove that his knee
injury and subsequent surgery would not hinder his
career and path to the Olympia title.
Find out in this months column how we prepped
Vic and what obstacles we had to overcome on our
way back to the top of the sport! As well, stay tuned
for more mens skin care information, and find out
how to determine when to do cardio and what type of
cardio is best for you and your program.
418 MD
www.storemags.com
I just got back from the Arnold and I have to

tell you how impressed I was with Victors
return to the stage. I have to be honest, I was
one of those guys who ripped the hell out of
him on the boards, saying there was NO WAY IN
HELL he could overcome the injury and surgery
to place well again. I thought for sure his days
of greatness were over. I have to say, I was
shocked! Just wondering what you guys did
and how things went the final few days headed
up to the show with his prep, as well as do
you think we will see Victor progress beyond
his 2007 form?
Thank you for your questions/comments! You
know, you shouldnt be too hard on yourself as
MANY, MANY individuals felt the same way, that
there was NO way Vic was going to come back from
that type of injury and surgery and place in the top
spots, let alone win. I have to admit though, going
into the Arnold, although I knew I could get Vic looking great and knew Vic had the determination and
strength to make it happen there were still questions that needed to be answered. I always took his
knee and more importantly, the health of his knee into
complete consideration during his prep. Vic trained
balls-to-the-walls but we definitely were cautious
and didnt get crazy with his prep, as we didnt want
any setbacks and we realized that winning the
Olympia title was still the ultimate goal. This is the primary reason we took things incredibly slow with his
rehab and I implemented a special recovery and
Chad Nicholls
immune system strengthening supplementation program into his training, to assist with the healing process.
We did everything we could to eliminate any chance of
re-injury or anything that would slow down the recovery
process. We knew that, overall, Vic was able to train hard
again and that his overall leg strength and symmetrical
leg balance was good, considering what he had just
been through it was purely a matter of just how far we
could push things during the final days before the show
that would make or break his comeback.
My main concern throughout his entire prep for the
2009 Arnold was knowing that there were certain questions I wanted answers to NOW but I knew they could
not be answered until we actually made it to the show
and were in the very final stages of his prep. The primary
question: how would his leg/knee respond to the final
prep and how far could we push things? Balancing his
carb-loading process, water removal and drying-out
process were vital to his performance and could make or
break how he looked. These were scenarios I played over
and over in my mind but knew that I couldnt know the
final outcome until the actual moment arrived.
With a severe injury, sometimes even though the area
is healed, it may not fill out or hold glycogen in the same
way that a non-injured area would. I also knew that I
couldnt dry Vic out as quickly as before it would have
to be a gradual and meticulous process, to ensure as little asymmetry as possible between the right and left
legs/knees. If we got rid of water too quickly, we could
flatten out the injured area and if I didnt get rid of
enough water, he wouldnt be in the type of shape he
needed to be to make an impact and place well. So
although I was extremely pleased with the final outcome, even though we followed our normal stages of
final prep, I can tell you it was a nerve-wracking
process.
I was very happy with Victors look onstage and if I
had to put a percentage amount on his conditioning, I
would say he was about 90 percent. Our main concern
was to show everyone that he was still on top and that
there was very little if any asymmetry between his right
and left legs so I think we had him balanced out very
well for his first post-surgery competition and have
shown that he is on track and that he will be ready to
rock at the Olympia!
Can he improve upon his 2007 showing? Absolutely!
All we need right now is to ripen and mature the muscle
on the injured side. Since our 09 Arnold test-run, I now
have the answers needed for his 09 Olympia prep and I
am very encouraged and definitely feel we can bring him
in better than ever. As for the Olympia, I know that we
can be more aggressive with his carb-loading and water
depletion process bringing him in even fuller and
dryer making his dominance even more apparent!
Stay tuned to the column, as I will continue to bring you
updates on Victors quest for the 09 Olympia title in
future issues.
420 MD
The Contest Guru

Im a 26-year-old male and Im a competitive
bodybuilder. I do the whole tanning thing but I
also live in California and Im at the beach a lot
the salt in the air from the ocean dries my skin out
and although Im not concerned about it now, a couple of relatives have had skin cancer. Ive read some
of the replies you have given to skin care questions
and know that healthy skin ranks high on your list.
Am I too young to worry about anti-aging and skin
care? What can I do to make certain I dont look old
before my time and still tan for bodybuilding?
Thank you for your very important question. First, you
are never too young to begin worrying about skin care and
the health of your skin. Before worrying about what products are best for you I would definitely suggest going to
a dermatologist and speaking with him or her regarding
your concerns, your lifestyle (e.g., sun) habits and what
you can do to lower or eliminate your skin cancer risks. If
skin cancer runs in your family, beginning annual cancer
screenings now is also a smart thing to do. A good sunscreen is always a smart start to creating an effective skin
care regimen. As well, with the breakthroughs in sunless
tanning you can achieve your deep, dark tan goals without
having to cook yourself in the sun or in a tanning bed.
Sea air is quite drying and when you think about it,
the salt from the ocean rusts cars out long before they are
ready for the junkyard. If the salt does this to a car, just
think of how harsh it is on your skin! As I said, a dermatologist can map out what is the best skin care regimen for
you but I would suggest a good sunblock or a moisturizer that is combined with sunblock, as well as a good all-inone anti-aging product.There are several lines on the market today that cater specifically to men. One in particular
that is relatively new, caters just to men and has highlyeffective products is Dominici Skin for Men. It is a bit hard
to find, but you can ask around to find a retailer that carries it in your area.
As well, when competing, the final weeks prior to a
show can be the most stressful to your skin. If you want to
have the least amount of subcutaneous water in your
body, you know that stopping all moisturizing of your
bodys skin is imperative to make your skin as thin-looking
as possible, as well as to eliminate excess water from the
body. However, I am a huge believer of moisturizing and
skin conditioning during your diet until about three
weeks out and immediately following a diet it is
extremely important to pick your skin care regimen right
back up!
Remember, you cannot stop the aging process, but you
can definitely slow it down and know that wrinkles, loss of
elasticity and plumpness in the skin all come from your
environment, your lifestyle, heredity and everyday stresses. In order to attack aging skin, you need to hit it from all
angles. Diet, exercise, eliminating personal and environmental stresses as well as a solid skin care regimen are
the best ways to maintain a youthful appearance. Good
luck!
www.storemags.com
CHARLES GLASS
Trainer of
Champions
By Charles Glass
THE BODYBUILDING
nd
Victor Martinez
422 MD
range of motion and be sure the

pressure stays on the injured knee
so it is forced to adapt. My right
knee and leg eventually became
stronger than my left as a result of
the extra attention. I started lifting
more and more to rehab other
injured areas like my back, and soon
my body took on a new look. I fell in
love with weight training and you
know the rest of the story!
My gym just got a new type
of Smith machine that lets the
bar move vertically, like a standard Smith, and horizontally.
Ironically, I find that the bar is
more wobbly and harder to control than even a regular barbell!
So my question is, do you think
there are any added benefits to
using something so unstable,
or would I be better off just
using a regular bar inside a
power rack?
Im not a big fan of instability
type training in the first place, especially for bodybuilders. That wobbly
sensation you are experiencing tells
me that you could very easily slip
out of the groove on any number of
exercises and get hurt. You would be
better off simply using a barbell. At
least with a bar, you are forced to
stay tight and control the bar
through a specific plane of motion.
With the machine you describe, you
would have to train in almost slow
motion to do that unless you go
very light.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
Place
ASC
As I was studying the photos

from the Arnold Classic, it
seems to me that Victors legs
still arent as good as they used
to be. This leads me to wonder
have you ever known a bodybuilder to come back after a terrible knee injury and get his or
her legs back to 100 percent?
I happen to know one guy who
came back from a knee injury quite
well me! Back in my college gymnastics days, I injured my right knee
badly at one point. I knew that
unless I could rehabilitate it and
return to normal strength levels, my
gymnastics career was finished.
There is no way you can punch into
a flip, for example, without strong,
healthy knees. I did my own physical
therapy, which consisted of a lot of
isolation work on the bad knee. I
would do things like single-leg
presses a lot.
To anyone attempting to rehab an
injured knee, I recommend doing as
much unilateral work as possible.
On any type of machine like the leg
press where you are normally using
both legs at once, its impossible to
keep the stronger side from taking
over and compensating for the
weaker side. When you do these,
keep your body square and avoid
twisting the torso. Another good
movement is the hack squat, done
facing at a diagonal so that only one
leg is doing the brunt of the work.
The weights should be fairly light at
first, and you have to use a full
Charles GlassTrainer of Champs

I am curious, Charles why didnt you compete
more as a pro? Didnt you want to ever become Mr.
Olympia, or win at least a few pro shows? Looking
back at some of your photos from the 80s, I think
you could have done it. And Ive always wanted to
know how did you get into personal training?
For one thing, I knew my limitations and what it would
take for me to put on the additional size I would have needed to advance to the elite levels of pro bodybuilding. At one
point I took my bodyweight up to 252 pounds, and I was
never so uncomfortable in my life! For another thing, pro
bodybuilding as a career choice was not a very lucrative
option for most of us in the early 80s when I got my pro
card. There were no contracts. I worked 10 to 12 hours a
day as an engineer. My training was done around that job,
which meant I was up at 3 a.m. every day to train a large
body part and then rush off to work. After work, it was back
to the gym for a smaller body part workout.
It was a rough schedule. Then one day at the gym, a lady

who had asked me for workout tips on various occasions
wanted to know if she could pay me to train her four days a
week. This was back in 1982, and the only guy in the gym
who was a trainer was named Terry Williams. The personal
training industry had yet to take off. It sounded like a great
idea to me, so I started working with her and soon loved
the feeling of being able to help someone mold their body
into what they wanted. Then more people began approaching me, and soon my routine became to have one client in
the early morning who would work out with me, go to my
engineering job, then come back to the gym to work with
four more clients. Others wanted me to train them, but I
only had so much time in one day and my real job took up
most of it. In 1989, I finally said goodbye to the corporate
world and made personal training my profession. It was the
best decision I ever made, and all these years later I can still
say I love what I do every day.
MY ARNOLD CLASSIC THOUGHTS

with how Silvio looked, but he looked
even better on Thursday night before
he listened to some people and tried
filling out more. As sharp as he was at
the show, I knew that he had been
sharper in the glutes and hams a few
days before. I still thought he could
have been as high as third place.
I also thought Dennis James
belonged in the top five. It wasnt
quite the best condition he has ever
shown, but he wasnt off by much. I
Going into the show, Victor was
the man to beat. But once he got
onstage, we could all see he was off
his best condition. The injured leg
was still slightly smaller, too. It probably wouldnt have been noticeable,
except that such a big deal had been
made about the injury and the judges
were looking for a discrepancy,
whether it was conscious scrutiny or
not. Victors condition faded as the
judging wore on, but that seemed to
be the case to one degree or another
with everybody. Branch hit his peak
perfectly, but he just doesnt have the
aesthetics and symmetry of someone
like Victor. I thought his arms were
down in size just a bit, which is
understandable considering his triceps tear last summer. I still think his
legs are overpowering, and I have to
wonder if training them just every
other week might help him balance
out his physique better.
424 MD
Kai was just unstoppable in this

lineup. His combination of freaky
muscle size, shape, and condition
was the best one on this day. And I
have to say that his posing performance may have been the best I
have ever seen in all the years I have
been in the sport. Melvin is very
entertaining with his popping and
locking, but when have you ever seen
a man do a headstand and display his
quads and hams? It was powerful
and graceful at the same time, and
Kai did a much better job of holding
poses and displaying his physique
than he has in previous routines.
Toney Freeman was in excellent
condition, but he still needs a lot more
size at his height. I kept hearing that
he was flat, but to my eyes it wasnt a
matter of not being full enough. He
simply needs more mass in the first
place so there is more thickness and
depth to his body. I was impressed
www.storemags.com
June 2009
Charles GlassTrainer of Champs

Whats Going
On With Me
dont see how Moe Moussawi beat

him. Moe has looked better, and considering how much size he gives up to
Dennis, I wouldnt have placed him
higher. Dennis worked with me for
this show, and hell be working more
extensively with me for the Mr.
Olympia, which he still needs to qualify for.
Phil, You Missed Out

I understand that Phil Heath had
his reasons for sitting out the Arnold
Classic, but I have to wonder if he didnt miss out on what may have been a
nice payday as well as a win that
could have set him up as the man to
beat at the Mr. Olympia. I am not saying he definitely would have beaten
Kai, but he would have pushed him
pretty hard for the win.
Kai, No Hard Feelings

Because Kai decided not to continue working with me and went back to
his old trainer in New York, some have
assumed that there is bad blood
between us. Not at all. Kai came to me
at 303 pounds and had gone down to
426 MD
280 by the time he left L.A. He was

suffering through triple cardio sessions every day to get in shape, and a
very hard worker. Personally, Kai was
looking for more than a trainer. His
trainer in New York doesnt work with
anyone else, as far as I know, and is
able to be available for Kai any time
he needs to talk or has a concern. I am
very busy with clients for a huge part
of my day, and simply wasnt able to
make myself available to that extent.
In the end, I think Kai was also very
homesick. Hes a New Yorker, and L.A.
just didnt agree with him. I did enjoy
working with Kai and I was happy to
see him achieve such a major win.
Aside from my training clients, I

am keeping busy with several other
ventures. My Power Nutrition store
at the corner of Lincoln and
Washington Boulevards in Marina
Del Rey is doing well, and we plan
to host some clinics on training and
nutrition soon. I have been invited
to visit Dubai and Argentina for
seminars and to work with athletes
there. And by the time you read
this, you should be able to check
out my Training Tip of the Week
on MD TV, as well as my new radio
show that will follow Flex and
Shawns Team MD program. Make
sure you all watch and listen,
because I will be sharing a whole
lot of knowledge and information
that until now only my clients were
privy to.
Got a question for Charles? E-mail him

at [email protected] and
you could see it answered right here in
MD!
www.storemags.com
June 2009
ThePROCreator
By Hany Rambod
More FST-7
Q&A
I had shoulder pain back in
October and took some time
off. Since it didnt go away, I
got it checked out in January
and had surgery to repair a
loose screw/anchor from a previous surgery. After rehab, I will
begin working out again after a
six-month layoff. Before that, I
had been consistent for three
or four years. How long after a
lengthy layoff should I wait
before trying FST-7? Should I be
doing other things for the time
being, like a full-body circuit
three times per week?
The first issue you need to
address is making sure your injury
is fully healed and you have no
residual pain throughout the range
of motion of various exercises.
Once that is resolved, I would suggest gradually working your way
back to shape by starting with a
very basic routine for a few weeks.
If you want to do full body, thats
fine, or else a traditional type of
split would also work.
Once you do return to your normal split, go ahead and begin following an FST-7 style workout, but
without the 7s. You may even want
to just do one work set of three
base exercises at first, then add a
second and third set each week.
Once you are at the point where
you are feeling 100 percent with the
base sets, its time to add in the
fourth exercise, performed for 7s.
Dont do the sets to failure that first
week. Instead, aim for a mild-to-
moderate pump. After that, you

should have the green light to take
those sets to failure.
In light of your previous injury, I
cant stress enough that you really
need to play it all by ear and pay
close attention to your shoulder and
how it feels.
In the off-season, should I do
more high-intensity to failure,
Dorian style? And up the volume, but not to failure, when I
am in prep?
I feel that the greatest benefits
are derived from alternating
between cycles of HIT (High
Intensity Training) and volume training. The real value in high intensity,
low-volume training is that it allows
you to build strength. That way, you
are able to return to your volume
training and use heavier weights
than before.
A typical cycle might involve
training HIT style for four to six
weeks, then switching back to volume training for four to eight weeks.
If you only did HIT-type workouts,
you would be missing out on the
benefits of volume training, and vice
versa. The two actually seem to
complement each other quite well
when used in alternating cycles,
delivering better results than you
would see by only following one
approach or the other.
Why do many trainers/dietitians suggest that you not take
additional amino acids, since
428 MD
www.storemags.com
many of the protein powders

(particularly whey) are supposed
to have a very high biological
value?
Anyone who has worked with
me knows I am not a big fan of protein powders, because far too many
bodybuilders use them as a meal
replacement. They may have solid
protein sources like eggs, steak,
chicken or fish three times a day,
and for all other meals they will
simply consume a shake. The vast
majority of people tend to take on a
softer, washed-out look if they drink
a lot of protein shakes on a regular
basis. Athletes who make every
effort to eat real food at most if not
all meals generally have a leaner,
harder appearance to the muscles,
with all other dietary and training
factors being equal.
I recommend amino acids
because by nature, they are meant
to be used as a supplement to food
rather than to replace it. There are
key times when branched-chain
amino acids (BCAA) are especially
valuable. Before and after training, I
advise all my clients to take 10
grams each of BCAA and
L-Glutamine, plus another 10 grams
of each before going to bed and
upon waking. They are absorbed
very well on an empty stomach.
All amino acid products are not
created equal, and quality varies
considerably. Keep that in mind
before you go and buy a product
thats far less expensive than the
major brands.
ThePROCreator
Ive heard people say,
Choose your two worst body
parts and use FST-7 only for
them and not for every body
part, because youll burn out. Is
there any validity to this claim?
Absolutely. FST-7 was originally
devised to help some of my clients
increase the size of stubborn body
parts in the shortest possible time, so
the stubborn parts could catch up to
the rest of their physiques.
Eventually, many of the top amateurs
and pros I work with started using it
for all body parts. You could do that
too, assuming your recovery is optimal. That means that youre consistently eating very well, getting plenty
of sleep, staying adequately hydrated
at all times, and following a good
supplement program. The athletes I
work with generally are on top of
their recovery, since they either do
this for a living or aspire to, soon.
If you are not consistently
addressing the areas needed for optimal recovery, I would suggest that
you only use FST-7 for one or two
lagging body parts. Otherwise, you
will indeed be at risk of overtraining.
Which sets in an FST-7 workout should be done to absolute
failure? With the base exercise
sets, should they all be done to
failure, or just the last set? And
should every set of the 7 pump
sets be done to absolute failure?
The answer depends on where
you are in your training program. In
the off-season, I recommend that all
sets of both the base sets and your
7s be taken to failure. The goal here
is to stimulate as many muscle
fibers as possible. During the precontest phase, you are taking in
fewer calories and doing more cardio. To maintain optimal recovery
under these circumstances, you
would not want to perform all sets
in a workout to failure. You might go
to failure only on the final set of
each base exercise, and also on
your fourth exercise for the 7s.
It may seem like I talk about
recovery an awful lot, but thats
because FST-7, or any type of training system for that matter, can only
be maximally effective if you are

able to fully recuperate from your
workouts.
You mentioned that for back
width, the 7s should be performed on a pullover machine or
with a cable pullover. I do not
have access to a pullover
machine. Were you referring to
a lying cable pullover or standing version? Also which attachment handle is best?
I like standing, straight-arm pulldowns with ropes. It gives a sick
pump during your 7s and it also
gives you more range of motion
than the straight bar.
I heard someone mention
FST-7 T-shirts. Are you holding
out on us, Hany? I have been
using FST-7 for over a year, and
I want to represent! And when
you are you ever going to do an
official FST-7 Training DVD?
Due to popular demand, I have
printed up some very nice, highquality FST-7 shirts. You can find
them on the FST-7 site. By the time
you read this, the DVD should also
be available. As of this writing in
late March, all the filming is complete and all that remains is the
editing. Youll see several of my top
competitors in it as for who
exactly, you will have to wait and
see for yourself. All I will say is that
there are definitely a couple of big
names who were involved in the
project.
Visit www.hanyrambod.com or
www.fst-7.com for previous articles,
news, an interactive forum, video
clips, and member profiles and
blogs. Youll also find updates on my
current clients and who is preparing
for upcoming contests. Free registration gives you full access to all of it.
Got a question for Hany that you
would like to see answered here?
E-mail him at [email protected].
Due to the high volume of e-mail he
receives and limited editorial space,
only selected questions will be
answered and used.
www.storemags.com
www.storemags.com
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www.storemags.com
MD 433
By Lee Priest
A GHOST IN
THE MACHINE?
S
hortly after the big change in staff at MD, there was a

lot of crap going around about how I dont write my
own columns and that Ron Harris actually does it all
for me. This is the last time I will be addressing this issue, so
please pay attention! You idiots out there who start the threads
should read the following very carefully and do your best to
retain it before you start whining all over again.
When it comes to writing, I am no Ernest Hemingway and
never will be just as Ron freely admits that he will never have
the physique of a top pro bodybuilder. When I write, its exactly
the way I speak, and my oratory skills are not spectacular either.
Ron cleans up my writing and makes it flow logically for the
magazine. He has never put his own spin on anything I have
said or written.
Ron and I work together to come up with ideas for the articles and columns, based on what he thinks people want to read
about and what I feel like discussing. Ron either calls me or emails me a series of questions, and I give my responses. He in
turn types it up and assembles it into a format and sequence
that makes sense. He also often cleans up my language so you
dont read the word fuck 100 times. Ron also takes the liberty
of fleshing out an idea or statement so its fully explained and
the meaning is clear.
Make no mistake what you get in MD is what I have written. I dont hold back on my true feelings and opinions. Some
people hail me for my honesty; others label me an insensitive,
bitter bastard. Ron puts my words into the proper context, and
occasionally will edit out items that he feels will get me in trouble. The accusations that what you read in MD with my byline
doesnt stem from my original words are false. They call it ghost
writing because some unknown writer is actually typing it all
up. Ive got news for you: there has always been ghost writing,
and there always will be.
Have you ever read an autobiography by an actor, musician,
or star athlete? Sometimes it will say on the cover something
like by Mike Tyson and then in much smaller print, with Joe
Writer. Sometimes the writer gets no credit but he or she gets
paid, which is all many of them really care about anyway. The
books are still entertaining, because you are reading the
thoughts and experiences of the subject, regardless of who actually put the words down.
I have an entire section of my own on the MD No Bull Forum
called The Lee Priest Zone. If you want to get my raw, unedited and unembellished writing, I post there many times every
day. Youll see that I write in all caps, I dont often use complete
sentences, I curse a lot, and I sometimes jump from one subject
to another without warning. Thats fine for an Internet forum
its not what a professionally-produced major monthly publica-
466 MD
tion like MD wants to print. So what you get in my articles in

MD is simply a polished, professional version of my own words.
A Note Directly from Ron,

The Friendliest Ghost You
Know
Please indulge me for a moment as I attempt to convey my
take on the practice of what some disparagingly refer to as
ghost writing, and which I like to think of as collaboration. I
have been a fan of horror and fantasy fiction since I learned how
to read. My favorite author of all time, hands down, is Stephen
King. I have read everything the man from Maine has ever written. One of my favorite novels is The Talisman, published in
1984. Yet its not really a Stephen King book it was coauthored with horror writer Peter Straub.
They again collaborated on a follow-up titled Black House.
Which parts did King write, and which portions was Straub
responsible for? I couldnt tell you. Both men have their own
unique style, and being far more familiar with the work of
Stephen King, I picked up on many references and means of
description that were classic markers of his work. Yet Peter
Straub also did much of the work. And honestly, I enjoyed the
novel just as much as other King books I have read, if not more.
While my attempt at an analogy between this collaboration between two of the greatest modern horror authors and
what I do for MD with the pro columns is far from perfect,
the point I am trying to make is that the finished product of
our collaboration is better than what either one of us could
have produced without the contributions of the other. The
athletes arent as adept as I am at working with words,
because thats not what they do for a living. And I cant come
up with their original thoughts, opinions, and experiences
because Im not a mind reader.
I try to let the voice of each athlete ring true in their
columns, as they are all based on conversations and e-mail
exchanges that we have each month. If it isnt always word
for word, its because there is a specific format and word
length that needs to be adhered to so the magazine is easy to
read. I will change the order or the wording at times to
accommodate those requirements.
One thing I dont ever do is make things up out of thin air
or put words in peoples mouths. If I did, the athlete would not
be happy and I dont enjoy having these guys pissed off at
me! I want them to approve of the column and feel its an
accurate representation of them, and I want the readers to get
a sense of who these guys are and what they are all about.
We have an outstanding team of pros here at MD and thats
a resource no writer, and certainly not me, could ever hope to
be a substitute for.
www.storemags.com
June 2009
We hope youve enjoyed this issue

of Muscular Development magazine!
Like MD?
Youll love our website
For more hardcore, no bullshit, bodybuilding content,
Visit www.MuscularDevelopment.com
www.storemags.com

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What are some of the main topics covered in the magazine?

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BUILD MUSCLE BURN FAT NO BULLSHIT!

Volume 46, Number 6, June 2009

NUTRITION & PERFORMANCE

310 Power BodybuildingRx By Justin Harris, BA NEW!

116 Research: Supplements By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD

Research: Training By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD

176 Supplement Performance Creatine Does Not Cause

By Carlon M. Colker, MD, FACN

Muscle Cramps or Overheating! By Robbie Durand, M.A.

374 The Predator By Kai Greene

180 Sports Supplement Review MuscleMeds eNOXIDE

378 The True Victor By Victor Martinez

382 Mass With Class By Branch Warren

362 MuscleTech Research Report

392 Telling It Like It Is By Shawn Ray

400 Road To The USAs By Branden Ray

408 Erik The House Fankhouser By Erik Fankhouser

412 National Hero By Evan Centopani

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

418 Contest Guru By Chad Nicholls

136 Research: Drugs By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD

428 The Pro Creator By Hany Rambod

158 Future Pharmacy By Douglas S. Kalman, Ph.D., RD, FACN

HEALTH & PERFORMANCE

146 Research: Sex By Steve Blechman & Thomas Fahey, EdD

302 Bodybuilding Science Catecholamines Reduce Muscle Tissue

Breakdown By Robbie Durand, M.A.

328 No Juice Bodybuilding By Eric Broser NEW! With Layne Norton

www.musculardevelopment.com June 2009

MDS INSIDE STACK

Editors Letter By Steve Blechman

Mail Room Where Our Readers Rave & Rant

Whos Hot! By Mike Yurkovic

MD People Team MDs Latest Industry Sightings!

The Gospel According To Lee By Lee Priest NEW!

musculardevelopment.com By Gregg Valentino

282 Major Distraction: Ziville Raudoniene By Cheri Owen

KAI & KEVIN

466 Last Writes By Lee Priest NEW!

200 *EAST COAST MECCA!*

VICTOR AND KAI

218 *EAST COAST MECCA!*

232 *EAST COAST MECCA!*

250 DENNIS WOLF ROAD TO THE 2009 MR. OLYMPIA

266 FLEX CRITIQUE MDS ARNOLD CLASSIC TOP 3:

Champion for the second time, thus becoming an IFBB

www.musculardevelopment.com June 2009

June 2009 www.musculardevelopment.com

Never Too Early To

Erik The House

My husband and I love your magazine

Ramblin Freak Is the Best

I just would like to tell you that I

Amazing Kai Greene

PHOTO BY PER BERNAL

Just a quick note to say that Im glad

200 EAST COAST MECCA!

218 EAST COAST MECCA!

232 EAST COAST MECCA!