Professional Documents
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MD 3 2009 Usa
MD 3 2009 Usa
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BUILD MUSCLE • BURN FAT • NO BULLSHIT!
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FEATURES
82 FLEX CRITIQUE VICTOR vs. KAI vs. TONEY By Flex Wheeler
274 DISTRACTION
MAVI! 298
THE
ARNOLD
SPECIAL!
V
ictor Martinez, the 2007 surgery to reconnect his patellar tendon,
Arnold Classic winner, graces Victor seems unstoppable. It should be
this month’s cover of the 21st very exciting to see him comeback and
annual Muscular Development, devot- retake his Arnold Classic crown.
ed totally to the Arnold On page 238, ‘The Predator’ Kai
Schwarzenegger classic. This year, the Greene is also hunting for an Arnold
whole MD team will descend upon crown and he’s out for blood. Kai is
Columbus, Ohio to bring you the best also coming back from an abdominal
coverage we have ever given to a hernia operation. Can this amazing
bodybuilding contest— as we do every monster catch the champ? Has he
year to honor the very best bodybuild- ironed out the mass he added to his
ing has to offer. Our subsequent issue frame? These questions are sure to be
featuring the coverage is just as antici- answered sooner rather than later. One
pated as this preview issue. So, let’s thing for sure is that Kai will bring
get right down to brass tacks. down the house with a posing routine
First, on page 215, four-time Arnold I’m sure you will be talking about for
Classic champion Flex Wheeler runs the rest of the year.
down the preview of the guys in the Page 250 brings you the contest
show and how he thinks they will fare, prep of Mr. Blue-Collar Muscle, Branch
pitted one against the other. Weak Warren. ‘Mass With Cass,’ ‘The People’s
points, strong points, and his predic- Champ’— Branch embodies them all.
tions on where they will place. Then He is a true champion and staunch
we move on to feature the top five devotee of everything hardcore. His
guys who we feel have the best shot appearance in Columbus is sure to
at victory. shock and amaze us. Branch is also
On page 228, Victor Martinez is coming back after a debilitating triceps
poised to make the comeback of the injury and all of our best wishes are
decade. The 2007 winner should have traveling to Ohio with him.
two Mr. Olympia titles under his belt by On page 262, the biggest and bad-
now, but as you know, fate saw it anoth- dest dude in the show, Toney
er way. This year, fighting back from the Freeman— also known to bring down
Major Distraction
The women of MD’s Major Distraction are the hottest women on the plan-
et! Each month is a smorgasbord of boobs, booty and personality. My all-time
favorite is Alicia Marie. Sizzling hot, oh so fine and with a wicked sense of
humor. I’ve seen tons of pictures of her, and the lady is beauty and strength
personified. Alicia couldn’t take a bad picture if she tried. That girl would look
gorgeous after she walked through a wind tunnel!
Marvin Patterson, e-mail
March 2009
www.musculardevelopment.com
Huong Vo: NPC Figure
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Athlete, Arizona, USA
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Arina Manta: IFBB Figure
MD 39
Pro, Australia
By TEAM MD
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TheRomano
Factor By John Romano
THE WAY I SEE IT, Adina’s submission is one of those works that transcends the bounds of ‘writing.’ Her essay is one that
you read oblivious to sentence structure, syntax and punctuation— you simply ‘hear’ what it says. Loud and clear. For me, this
is another of our members’ submissions to which I can easily relate.
As some of you may know, I started bodybuilding because I was a fat kid. Cruelty from the other kids prevented me from
becoming morbidly obese, but it was the gym that got me out of the fat body and into the fit one. So, I can really relate to
Adina’s story. What’s most remarkable about her transformation is that she knew absolutely nothing about this sport. I mean,
she started out on NutriSystem! It was a picture of Markus Ruhl in MD that motivated Adina to get to the gym!
Now Adina is a permanent fixture in her gym, as well as in our online community; she’s a true inspiration. She’s always
offering encouragement to people who face difficult issues— and not just about weight loss. I can’t tell you how many times
I’ve read her words of encouragement to others and marveled at the depth of her sensitivity. I’m really glad she decided to
enter this contest and I’m grateful that her story is being published. Adina proves what Mr. G always says: Never give up,
Never give up, Never give up!
NO MD BOOTH AT THE
ARNOLD CLASSIC
Y ou read that right. Intense meetings with the Boss
of all Bosses have put to rest the issue once and for
all for 2009. As you cruise the expo floor this year, don’t
Saturday, between covering prejudging, interviews, the
videos we shot, then getting back over for the evening
finals and covering the after-parties, Palumbo and I sub-
bother asking directions to the MD booth. There won’t be sisted on protein bars and goat whey. We scavenged from
one. If someone does give you directions, be wary. booths we knew— can you imagine the gas? We spent all
Now, I wouldn’t take this as a bad thing. The costs of 12 minutes at the MD booth and didn’t get to bed until
involved in acquiring, staffing and running a MD-worthy 5 in the morning, because we were putting up videos,
booth at the Arnold are pretty big— and it runs us pictures and articles on the website. MD will be at the
ragged. We’re not selling anything but good will. We feel Arnold this year in force, covering the show the right way.
we can do better by you if we concentrate on doing what We just won’t be stuck in one spot on the expo floor.
we do best— covering the show. MD is a news organiza- Remember, the Arnold is much more than a booth at
tion and contest coverage is what we do best. Our the expo— especially to us!
resources and energies are put to better use covering the Speaking of Arnold, an idea came to me the other day.
show rather than putting one on. So our absence at the I’ve been watching the news, trying to digest Obama’s
expo is no shade. We are there to cover the show and you gazillion-dollar stimulus package and wondering about
will be getting the best coverage from MD that you can the other economic problems America faces and just
get anywhere. what the incoming administration plans on doing about
THE WAY I SEE IT, this is the best use of our valuable them. Well, I’m sorry to tell you, folks— I don’t see it get-
resources. Last year, I had people stopping by the booth ting better. If anything, it’s going to get worse, much
to see me and I was never there. Why? Because I was run- worse— at least as far as our own pockets are concerned.
ning around with Palumbo, covering shit. We ran our- Unfortunately, we have no choice now but to let this dis-
selves into the ground doing too many things at once. On aster run its course. Then we are going to need…
push aside the accepted data on steroids and jump to genuous, it is also quite telling of the author’s and the
his own erroneous conclusions! What’s worse is that publication’s moral, ethical and intellectual bankruptcy.
nothing stops him from writing them, nor his publish- Alcohol has been clearly linked to episodic rage. The
ers from printing them! Here you have a deep personal Benoit household contained alcohol and so did the
tragedy— a brother, a son, a husband and a good bloodstream of at least one member of the family. Why
friend to many, who passes away from unexplained no mention of any kind of alcohol-induced rage?
causes, but because he had spent a tiny part of his life Despite its presence in both the house and in Benoit’s
as a wrestler and had admitted to using steroids, his system and in light of the prevailing and overwhelming
existence is maligned by a single stroke on an idiot’s data for its propensity to induce rage, alcohol was not
keyboard. once in two years ever mentioned as a possible motive
What’s really pathetic about Johnson’s lack of jour- in the tragedy. Just steroids— and Johnson had no data
nalistic integrity is that he hadn’t bothered to check a to support the claim.
single fact. This wasn’t a story of a minor political issue Mike Bell’s and Chris Benoit’s deaths couldn’t be
or some kind of meaningless celebrity gossip— more different nor more separate from each other.
although it was written in the same regard— this was a There is absolutely not one single scientific fact that
story about someone dying! I could only imagine the could possibly link the two, yet some insignificant hack
uproar that would come from this Johnson moron if it reporter took it upon himself to jump on the media
was a member of his family who was being reported on bandwagon and lump the two together. Both the
erroneously after they died! Blanchard Report and its ‘senior writer’ have not only
Let’s talk about data, folks. What does the accepted gypped the public out of the implied journalistic
research say? First, steroids by themselves are not responsibility inherent in their position, but they have
lethal drugs. Second, ‘roid rage’ is a term invented by leveled a misinformed and slanderous attack on a griev-
the mainstream sensationalist media; it does not exist ing family, in their misguided attempt to sound
in academia. Steroids do not cause murderous rage. To informed and important. Shame on them.
say that they do, or to insinuate that someone died My thoughts and prayers go out to Chris Bell and his
because of steroids— especially in absence of any kind family. Rest in peace, Mad Dog. You deserve much bet-
of medical report— is not only irresponsible and disin- ter than you got. !
muscular
development.com By Gregg Valentino
Hi…it’s me, Gregg…Roses are red, violets are THEY ARE HIS FRIENDS….HERE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE
blue, I’m whacked in the head…And so am QUESTIONS ASKED OF SHAWN AND I LOVE HIS ANSWER
I…WHAT??..OOPS, SORRY MY BAD…THEY SAY EVEN MORE… QUESTION: Shawn, what was your
“Reality is just a crutch for people who favorite Olympia that you were in if you have
can’t cope with drugs.”…WELL, one…SHAWN’S ANSWER: Of course my
THAT’S WHY I CHOOSE TO GO TO 1st one, I was a rookie pro, one day
www.MuscularDevelopment.com after my birthday in my backyard
TO GET MY DAILY HIGH, MY here in LA! I was suddenly
DAILY DOSE OF REALI- struck by the company I was
TY...YEAH RIGHT…BY THE keeping (Haney, Labrada,
WAY, I’M DRINKING A PRO- Gaspari, DeMayo, Paris,
TEIN SHAKE RIGHT NOW Love, Robinson, Samir,
AND HALF OF IT SPILLED ON Strydom, etc.) I was way off
MY KEY BOARD WHILE I WAS my peak but I was like a kid
READING QUOTES ON THE “NO with so much admiration and
BULL” FORUM...IRONICALLY I JUST respect for these guys. I still had
WAS READING WHERE BRANCH pictures of on my walls at home but
WARREN WAS TELLLING FORUM MEM- standing there in the dressing room
BERS ABOUT DRINKING PROTEIN and onstage competing with them it was
SHAKES…HERE, READ IT FOR surreal and special!...AWSOME…I LOVE THAT
YOURSELVES…“I usually drink a protein REPLY, IT’S SO SHAWN…IF YOU KNEW HIM YOU WOULD
shake on the way home after I train. As UNDERSTAND.
soon as I get home I eat a meal, which OK, NOW WITH ALL THAT SAID IT’S TIME GIVE OUT
is steak and potatoe.”…BRANCH WAR- SOME MORE JUICY (NO PUN INTENDED)
REN…OH YEAH, BABE… BRANCH WAR- INFORMATION/ TEASERS FROM THE
REN IS ON THE FORUM JUST ABOUT KING OF CONTEST PREP HIMSELF,
EVERY DAY!!!!… BRANCH IS VERY EASY TO DAVE PALUMBO…HERE ARE A FEW
TALK TO AND THE OTHER FORUM MEM- Q&AsTAKEN FROM THE MOST POPU-
BERS LOVE TALKING TO BRANCH…AND LAR BODUYBUILDING INFORMATION
SPEAKING OF BRANCH WARREN, HERE IS THREAD ON THE PLANET AND ONLY ON
ANOTHER GOLD NUGGET FROM MY BOY www.MuscularDevelopment.com
BRANCH WARREN...POSTED October 14th,
2008, 09:20 PM >>> I am training hard Q&A WITH DAVE PALUMBO
again but still not 100% heavy yet. It has been 8 aka HUGE285.
weeks since the surgery and there was very little Q. Dave, I wanna add insulin to
atrophy. I think that is because of my very aggressive maximize growth and need help on
approach to rehab. By the end of the the protocol and which insulin I
month I should be balls to the wall should use. I am sure there is
again. My weight dipped to about 250 only one available over the counter and probably the
but I’m back up to 260 and climbing. one I will use.
All is well…I’M GLAD TO HEAR THAT A. HUMULIN-R is available over the counter. Try
FROM BRANCH’S OWN LIPS…I HOPE HIS starting with 6IU in the morning with breakfast
INJURY RECOVERS REAL QUICK AND HE (and your GH) and then another 4IU about 4-6
TAKES THAT SANDOW HOME HERE TO hours later. If you tend to put on fat easily, I would
HIS MD FAMILY. avoid the insulin altogether!
NOW TO ANOTHER ONE OF MY PALS, Q. Dave, today though I introduced Clen and
A GUY WHO I LIKE A LOT AND GET Cytomel, and following the same no-carb diet, my blood
ALONG WITH WELL, SHAWN RAY…I sugar levels went way up.
RESPECT SHAWN VERY MUCH AND A. How much CLEN? I’ve seen this phenome-
LOVE HIS WITTY SENSE OF HUMOR non before...Clenbuterol (if you take too much
AND SHAWN IS ON THE FORUM EVER per dose) can screw with blood sugar levels of
DAY TALKING WITH THE MEMBERS LIKE type 1 diabetics.
WOW BRIANNE, THEY SAY “Your body is a tem- Favorite Quote: “You can judge a
ple”…So now I just wanna know >> “Do you want man’s true character by what he
ME to come over for midnight mass?”…yum...DAMN does when no one is looking.”
GIRL, YOU’RE HOT!!!...Stick with me, baby, and I’ll Favorite Makeup: MAC, the only
buy you rocks as big as diamonds. (LET’S SEE HOW high-maintenance thing I own
MANY BOZOS READING THIS DON’T GET THAT LAST Favorite Body Part to train: BACK
LINE...wink)…I’M SORRY BRIANNE, MUST TRY TO COM- Your Best Asset (Body Part): Back
POSE MYSELF & KEEP IN MIND THAT A hard-on doesn’t and glutes. I get a lot of compli-
count as personal growth…YES, YES, YES I KNOW, ments on my glutes but I used to
I’m a naughty boy...I need to go to your room!...GOD get made fun of all the time for it
DAMN IT, THERE I GO GETTING CARRIED AWAY when I was growing up.
AGAIN...LET ME INTRODUCE THE FORUM BABE OF THE Future Plans/Goals: Right now I’m
MONTH… just focusing on work and
Name: Brianne Shaw putting more size on my frame.
Forum name: maxinemuscle Trying to find the right balance
Age: 22 (my birthday’s for me body, fat-wise, and stay
December 9th!) around that weight. Thankfully,
Zodiac sign: Sagittarius this sport favors a little age. I’ll
Hometown: Urbandale, IA get back up there, I’ve got some
Height: 5’3 1/2” time. For now it’s just time to
Measurements: 34-24-36 build and define.
Eyes: Blue Wow! The past year has been
Off-season weight: 145 crazy. I remember the days I used to
Competition weight: 120 check the grocery store magazine
Favorite Food: Oatmeal protein rack with hopes of seeing the
pancakes with spray butter!! newest edition of MD. NOW I’m in
Favorite Junk Food: Frosted IT!!! Going from Nebraska out to
sugar cookies & chips and California has been quite an excit-
salsa ing adventure. Having the honor of
FLEX Critique
Victor, Kai And Toney:
3 Who Would Be King
he 2009 Arnold Classic is shaping two pro titles and was third at the their physiques one aspect at a time
Training
Cardiovascular
Effects Of Super-
Slow Training
Similar To
Traditional
Weight Training
Low-velocity resistance training
(SST) is popular with many recreational
bodybuilders, but is the method safe
and effective? Jason Wickwire and fel-
low researchers from Kennesaw State
University in Georgia found similar car-
diovascular effects for SST and tradi- ents (i.e., amino acids, carbohydrates, calories) and resistive exercise. Amino acids,
tional training methods. However, most the building blocks of proteins, activate signaling chemicals in muscles that turn on
studies show that SST is less effective protein synthesis and increase muscle fiber size. Chemicals called ribosomal protein
for building muscle size and strength. S6 kinase and the target of rapamycin (mTOR) are important cell-signaling chemi-
SST works mainly slow-twitch fibers cals that regulate protein synthesis. They are sensitive to small changes in cell
because the training load is less than energy levels. They work like biological computer programs to line up amino acids
50 percent of maximum effort. Low-load needed to produce new muscle tissue. After weight training, supplementing carbo-
training is effective for building slow- hydrates and proteins activates protein-signaling chemicals that promote protein
twitch fibers, but most increases in synthesis and muscle growth. Muscle tension, blood levels of amino acids (particu-
muscle size come from overloading fast- larly leucine) and insulin are key factors triggering muscle growth. They stimulate
twitch fibers. Consequently, SST is of signaling pathways inside the muscle cells that promote protein synthesis and
little use to bodybuilders or power ath- modify muscle protein breakdown, remodeling and repair. (Journal of Applied
letes, except perhaps as an alternate Physiology, in press; published online December 2008)
training method. Muscle hypertrophy
(growth) depends on peak muscle ten- Poor Spinal Flexibility Limits
sion and time under tension. Constant
muscle tension— used in SST— Performance On Bench Curl-Ups
decreases muscle blood flow, which Bent-knee sit-ups and curl-ups are popular abdominal exercises and are
reduces peak muscle tension. Varying extremely effective for activating the four major abdominal muscles (i.e., rectus
the training load is important for abdominis, internal and external obliques, transversus abdominis). Greek
advanced bodybuilders, so the ultra- researchers showed that spinal flexibility is extremely important for performance
slow method might be an effective during a bent-knee curl-up test with the feet placed on a bench. The rationale
occasional alternative to traditional behind this exercise is that bending the knees flattens the low-back curve, which
methods. (Journal Strength protects the back. This study sends a dangerous message to athletes. Extensive
Conditioning Research, in press; research by Canadian spinal biomechanists Stuart McGill (www.backfitpro.com)
published online December 2008) demonstrated that maintaining a neutral spine and avoiding excessive trunk flexion
(trunk bent forward) during exercise protects the back and neck from injury. The
How Muscles abdominal muscles often act to prevent motion. Bent-knee sit-ups and bench curl-
ups overload the abdominal muscles but place excessive stress on the spine. High-
Get Big stress movements with the spine in flexion overload the spine and can cause injury.
Successful bodybuilders must maxi- Intense abdominal exercises that alter the spinal curves throw the baby out with
mize protein synthesis and minimize the bathwater. They build strong abs but set the stage for serious and chronic back
protein breakdown. A review of litera- injuries. (Journal Strength Conditioning Research, in press; published online
ture from the University of Kentucky December 2008)
College of Medicine described the
processes involved in muscle hypertro- Ice Decreases Muscle Performance
phy. Muscles increase in size in
response to growth factors (e.g., testos- Ice is a valuable therapy for decreasing inflammation, pain and swelling.
terone, growth hormone, IGF-1), However, using it during exercise or competition (e.g., while sitting on the sideline
cytokines (signaling chemicals), nutri- or between lifts during a weightlifting contest) could decrease performance and
Training
increase the risk of injury. Ice decreases exercise program. Short rest intervals were also good for activating the TrA.
muscle and nerve metabolism, slows between sets prevent recovery but Researchers estimated muscle activa-
nerve conduction speed, and impairs increase the stress of exercise. Long tion levels by measuring changes in
the rate of muscle activation. rest intervals reduce metabolic stress deep muscle thickness with ultra-
Researchers from Old Dominion but allow greater recovery and sound. Prevent back pain by doing at
University, led by Jennifer Fischer, increased force output during subse- least 10-20 repetitions of curl-ups,
found that applying an ice bag on the quent sets. Researchers from side-bridges, bird-dogs and abdominal
hamstrings for 10 minutes decreased Kennesaw State University in Georgia braces every day. (Journal
performance in the shuttle run, single- compared the effects of 1-minute and Orthopaedic Sports Physical Therapy,
leg vertical jump, and co-contraction 2.5-minute rest intervals between sets 38:596-605, 2008)
test. The effects lasted for at least 20 on hormone levels, strength and mus-
minutes after exercise. Applying ice for
3 minutes had no effect on perform-
cle size during a 10-week study. One-
minute rest intervals triggered greater
Front Squats
ance. Ice is a valuable modality for increases in testosterone and cortisol Build Muscle
treating injuries and trauma during
recovery from physical activity, but
levels only during the first week of
the study. Rest intervals had no effect
With Less Knee
should not be used before or during on growth hormone, strength or mus- And Back Stress
exercise. (Journal Strength Conditioning cle size with the exception of arm Most people do back squats incor-
Research, in press; published online size, which was 50 percent greater in rectly. They lean forward on their toes,
December 2008) the 2.5-minute rest group. Rest inter- hinge at the back instead of the hips,
vals have variable effects on hormone and fail to abduct (spread) their thighs
Eccentric Exercise levels that are not necessarily related during the descent portion of the lift.
to changes in strength and muscle Also, they cave in at the chest and drop
Increases Heat size. (Journal Strength Conditioning their heads during the exercise. It’s eas-
Shock Proteins Research, in press; published online ier to maintain a neutral spine during a
December 2008) front squat than during a back squat.
Eccentric exercise (lengthening Jonathan Gullett and colleagues from
contractions) is linked to delayed
onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Best Exercises the University of Florida found that
front squats activated the major mus-
Eccentric contractions generate high For Preventing cles in the thigh and back as well as
muscle tension that damage muscle
cells. Further injury occurs because of
Low Back Pain back squats, but placed much less
stress on the knee joints. Subjects per-
inflammation triggered by chemicals Decreased spinal stability, poor formed front and back squats, lifting 70
such as calcium, prostaglandins or muscle strength and endurance, and percent of their one-repetition maxi-
histamine released or produced as a poor neural control of the core mus- mum lift. The researchers performed
result of the muscle damage. cles are important causes of back mechanical analyses of the lifts and
Consequently, pain and swelling pain. Deep core muscles, such as the measured muscle activation levels with
often increase a day or so after exer- internal oblique (IO) and transversus electromyography, which measures the
cise. Danish researchers found that abdominis (TrA), help stabilize the electrical activity levels in muscles dur-
chemicals called heat shock proteins spine and act as foundations for pow- ing contractions. The study showed
(HSP) were linked to DOMS. However, erful movements in the upper and that muscle activation was similar dur-
HSP levels decreased with repeated lower body. Recommended exercises ing front and back squats, even though
bouts of eccentric exercise. This for these deep muscles include the the athletes used much more weight
study helped explain why physically abdominal crunch, abdominal draw- during back squats. Also, front squats
fit people are less prone to post- ing-in maneuver (bracing), abdominal placed less stress on the knees. The
exercise muscle soreness. (Acta sit-back, horizontal side support (side- front squat is not a popular exercise
Physiologica Scandinavica, in press; bridge), supine lower extremity-exten- because people have difficulty support-
published online December 2008) der, and quadruped opposite upper ing the weight high on the chest. With
and lower-extremity lift (bird-dog). time and patience, athletes can develop
Short Or Long Researchers from the U.S. Army- the necessary flexibility to enjoy and
Baylor University Doctoral Program in benefit from this excellent exercise.
Rest Intervals Physical Therapy in San Antonio Front squats are viable alternatives to
Between Sets? found that the best exercises for acti- the more popular back squats. (Journal
vating the IO and TrA muscles were Strength Conditioning Research, in
Rest is an important factor deter- side-bridges and abdominal crunches. press; published online December 2008)
mining the volume and intensity of an The bracing and bird-dog exercises
Fat Loss
Snorers Burn body of excess cholesterol and reduces
the risk of heart attack. Just when you
People Don’t
More Calories thought you understood the basics of Think Straight
Heavy snoring burns as many calo- blood fats and cardiovascular health, When They Diet
ries as a typical workout in the gym. scientists complicated things. Swedish
Researchers from the University of researchers from the Karolinska Low-carb diets interfere with brain
California, San Francisco Medical School Institute in Stockholm found that a function. The brain uses mainly glu-
found that people with severe sleep component of LDL, ApoB100-LDL, acts cose (sugar) delivered from the general
apnea (common in snorers) burned an as a metabolic signal from the liver to circulation for fuel. The brain doesn’t
extra 300 calories per day. store carbohydrates and is incapable of
Unfortunately, they made up for it by using amino acids for fuel. It can use
eating more and exercising less, blood ketones formed from the
which made them gain weight. incomplete breakdown of fats, but
People with sleep apnea stop these fuels are less efficient than
breathing periodically during the glucose. A study from Tufts
night, which causes restless sleep University showed that memory
and daytime drowsiness. This is an decreased in women consuming a low-
extremely dangerous condition that carb diet, compared to women follow-
can result in automobile accidents and ing a balanced, low-calorie diet.
fatal disturbances in heart rhythms. Memory skills returned after they ate
Many bodybuilders snore or wake fre- more carbohydrates. However, the low-
quently during the night because their carb dieters reported less mental con-
large neck muscles obstruct airflow in fusion and performed better on atten-
the mouth and throat. If you have these tion tests than women in the balanced
symptoms, you might have sleep diet group. Low-calorie diets interfere
apnea. Inadequate sleep caused by with brain function, regardless of car-
sleep apnea contributes to obesity. bohydrate content. The effects of
Obesity also contributes to sleep chronic dieting on the brain are
apnea because extra tissue and unknown. (Appetite, 52: 96-103, 2009)
poor muscle tone in the throat block
the airway during sleep. Excess
body fat alters metabolism, Obesity Linked
which also interferes with To Sleep Loss
normal sleep patterns. Sleep
apnea is treatable through Obesity is epidemic in the United
weight loss, surgery or continuous States. Large population studies
positive airway pressure devices showed that lack of sleep might
(CPAP). See your doctor if you have make people fat. Sleep loss influences
trouble sleeping or suffer from daytime hormones that regulate appetite.
drowsiness, because sleep apnea can the fat cells that prevent fat break- Inadequate sleep increases ghrelin
kill you. (BBC News, December 16, down. During exercise, the body and decreases leptin, which causes
2008) secretes epinephrine (adrenaline), people to eat more. A review of the
which stimulates the fat cells to release literature from the Nutrition and Food
fat for energy. People with high blood Sciences Department at the University
Cholesterol levels of ApoB100-LDL have a dimin- of Vermont concluded that excessive
Carrier Linked
Illustrated by Jerry Beck/www.ironasylum.com
Fat Loss
British Medical availability of desirable foods, and water Rather, they should exercise more,
Journal Blasts losses. While low-carb diets produce the decrease computer and television use,
Weight-Loss greatest weight loss in six-month stud-
ies, the differences disappear beyond
and consume less fast food and high-
sugar drinks. (Molecular Nutrition Food
Supplements that. A German study using rats that Research, 52: 1365-1371, 2008)
An editorial in the prestigious British consumed a low calorie, low-carbohy-
Medical Journal claimed that only drate, high-fat diet showed rapid
approved drugs are effective for weight weight gain when the rats resumed a Ketogenic Diets
loss and that weight-loss supplements normal diet containing more carbohy- Linked To
are ineffective and misleading to con- drates. Animals continuing the low-carb
sumers. Dr. M E J Lean, from the diet, but eating as much as they want-
Sudden Death
University of Glasgow, stated, “Of hun- ed, did not gain weight. The low-carb One person in 1,000 people experi-
dreds of products on sale, only appropri- diet had negative long-term health ence sudden cardiac death every year,
ately delivered diets and exercise, orlis- effects. It depressed growth hormone and the risk increases during or shortly
tat, sibutramine, and bariatric surgery and IGF-1 levels (important for sugar after exercise. Congenital defects (pre-
are safe, efficacious, and cost-effective. and fat metabolism), accelerated fat sent at birth), such as hypertrophic car-
The remainder should not be marketed gain at the end of the diet, and stunted diomyopathy (enlarged heart) and
until we have evidence of their effec- growth in young animals. In humans, abnormal arteries, account for most sud-
tiveness and safety.” A supplement low-carb diets are very effective for den deaths occurring in people under 35
industry spokesperson acknowledged short-term weight loss. We need more years of age. Coronary artery disease is
that some products are marketed irre- research to determine their long-term the most common cause in older people.
sponsibly. However, the editorial over- safety and effectiveness. (Obesity, in Factors altering the normal chemical
looked supplements proven to promote press; published online at November 27, environment of the heart, such as
weight loss, such as conjugated-linoleic 2008) severe dehydration and cocaine abuse,
acid, whey proteins that suppress can trigger fatal heart rhythms. In a
appetite, and a variety of herbal prod- new report, researchers from the presti-
ucts with proven safety and effective- Low-Carb gious McGill University Health Center
ness. In the United States, the Dietary Diets Dangerous reported two cases of sudden death
Supplements Health and Education Act associated with low-carbohydrate keto-
of 1994 (DSHEA) made it possible for
For Kids genic diets. Both died from abnormal
companies to sell food supplements Obesity rates in children nearly heart rhythms. The body produces
without conducting pre-market safety tripled since 1980 (6.5 percent in 1980 ketones from fats during periods of low
evaluations. The products must be gen- versus 17 percent in 2009). carbohydrate availability. While these
erally considered safe (based on wide- Approximately 35 percent of U.S. kids diets promote weight loss, they are also
spread use) and properly labeled and are overweight or obese, largely associated with selenium depletion and
make no health claims unless approved because they exercise less, eat more an abnormal heart rhythm (prolonged
by the Food and Drug Administration. fast food and consume more high-sugar QTc interval) that increase the risk of
The research summaries in Muscular soft drinks. Kids are getting fatter, but sudden death. Anyone on a ketogenic
Development present the latest studies their role models are getting thinner. diet should take a 200mcg selenium
on supplements and drugs, which will This has led to eating disorders and supplement daily. Do not take more
help you separate the street noise from crash dieting. Many overweight adults than this amount because selenium can
the street news. (British Medical follow calorie-restricted, low-carbohy- lower IGF-1 and may also cause glucose
Journal, 337: a2408, 2008) drate diets to promote rapid weight intolerance. I would also recommend
loss. A Brazilian study using young, magnesium and the amino acid taurine
growing rats showed that these diets which have been shown to prevent
Rapid Weight Gain have negative health effects. While the abnormal heart rhythms. I am also con-
Following Low diets caused rapid weight loss, they
slowed growth rates and increased
cerned with competitive bodybuilders
on ketogenic diets who are taking
Carbohydrate, abdominal fat mass. Increased abdomi- diuretics and cutting drugs, such as thy-
High-Fat Diet nal fat promotes poor blood sugar regu- roid (T3) and clenbuterol which can also
lation and eventually increases the risk cause abnormal heart rhythm. We need
Calorie restricted, low-carbohydrate of cardiovascular disease. Overweight more research on the long-term benefits
diets trigger more rapid weight loss children should not follow calorie- and risks of low-carbohydrate ketogenic
than low-calorie mixed or high-carbohy- restricted, low-carbohydrate diets diets in the average population as well
drate diets. Possible reasons include because they can interfere with growth as in bodybuilders. (Pediatric Neurology,
better suppression of appetite, reduced and trigger poor metabolic health. 39: 429-431, 2008)
Health
Gene will measure ACTN3 to determine the lab tests within 24 hours of strenuous
genetic potential for elite level sprint- athletic events. Intense exercise can
Manipulation ing speed. The company claims the cause false positive results, which
Boosts test is an early indicator of athletic means the tests suggest disease
potential. This is only the beginning of when none exist. False positive tests
Muscle Mass what will prove to be a lucrative mar- cause needless medical expense and
Cells make new proteins by acti- ket for sports geneticists. For exam- worry. (The New York Times,
vating genes that combine amino ple, Dr. Miguel Rivera, a genetics spe- November 27, 2008)
acids in precise sequences. Increasing cialist from the University of Puerto
the rate of protein synthesis in muscle Rico Medical School, has identified High Thyroid
involves turning on key activating several key gene variants in
chemicals and genes. Australian sci- elite distance runners. Function Linked
entists found that increasing Identifying children To Atrial
the activity of the FHL1 gene with these genes
in mice turned on the NFATc1 might help develop
Fibrillation
gene, which increased mus- future Olympic champi- The atria are the chambers on the
cle mass, strength and ons. (Scientific top part of the heart that deliver
muscle endurance. American, December 1, blood to the ventricles, which then
Defects in the FHL1 2008) pump blood to the lungs or the gener-
gene are linked to al circulation. Normally, a well-defined
muscular dystrophy. electrical signal generated from the
In the future, gene heart’s pacemaker causes the atria to
therapies that contract. Sometimes the signals are
increase the FHL1 disorganized, which interrupts the
gene might help normal heart rhythm and causes slug-
cure people with gish blood flow in the atria. Heart doc-
muscle wasting dis- tors call this rhythm disturbance atrial
eases. They might also fibrillation, which is the most common
serve as the basis for abnormal heart rhythm. Many people
gene doping techniques with atrial fibrillation have no symp-
that might be used to toms, but it can cause fainting,
enhance athletic performance. chest pain, heart failure and
(Journal Cell Biology, 183: 1033-1048, stroke. Risk factors include aging,
2008) high blood pressure, and binge eat-
ing and drinking. In a study of near-
Company Markets ly 1500 people, Dutch researchers
found that those with the highest lev-
Gene Test to els of free thyroxine (T4) increased the
Predict Athletic Inaccurate risk of atrial fibrillation by 94 percent.
Potential Post-Exercise However, they could not be sure
whether high T4 levels caused a chill
If you want to be an Olympic ath- Blood Tests fibrillation. (Archive Internal Medicine,
lete, choose your parents very careful- Intense athletic competitions such 168:2219-2224, 2008)
Illustrated by Jerry Beck/www.ironasylum.com
ly. Specific genes determine the as marathon runs can cause extensive
capacity to develop strength, power, tissue damage. Blood tests taken Low Testosterone
endurance, agility and speed. shortly after extreme athletic events
Identification of specific gene variants often show abnormalities, such as ele- Levels
in elite athletes may one day allow vated troponin and creatine kinase Linked To Poor
scientists to predict athletic potential levels. These abnormalities are similar
in young people. A variant of the to those seen in heart attack victims.
Metabolic Health
ACTN3 gene has been found in Intense exercise can trigger inflamma- Testosterone and the biologically
Olympic sprinters and may be an tion and an elevated immune system available free testosterone decrease
important predictor of future success. response that might appear abnormal gradually after age 30. Low levels of
For $149, Atlas Sports Genetics, a on a blood test and suggest a heart these hormones are linked to muscle
company based in Boulder Colorado, attack or liver failure. Avoid routine and bone loss, erectile dysfunction,
Health
decreased sex drive, psychological Testosterone
depression and reduced self-esteem. Supplements
A review of literature by researchers
from Boston University School of Decrease
Medicine concluded that low testos- Inflammation
terone contributed to the metabolic
syndrome— a group of symptoms C-reactive protein is a marker of
that include high blood pressure, whole-body inflammation, which
abdominal fat deposition, insulin increases the risk of coronary artery
resistance, type 2 diabetes, blood disease, heart attack and stroke. Low
clotting abnormalities and inflamma- testosterone levels are also linked to
tion. The metabolic syndrome vascular disease and inflammation.
increases the risk of heart attack, Dutch researchers showed that 91
stroke, obesity, erectile dysfunction, men who took supplemental testos-
poor energy levels and some types of terone for six months showed
cancer. The measurement of blood decreases in C-reactive protein and
testosterone levels should be a rou- improvements in symptoms associat-
tine part of medical examinations in ed with aging in males, such as
aging men. (Journal Andrology, decreased libido, erection problems,
30:10-22; 23-32, 2009) loss of muscle mass and depression.
Inflammation might be a cause of
Prostaglandins some of the negative effects associat-
ed with low testosterone levels in
Promote Post- men. (Andrologia, 40: 398-400, 2009)
Exercise Muscle
Regeneration Big Calves
Intense weight training causes Linked To Lower
muscle damage. Regeneration of
injured muscle tissue involves the for-
Stroke Risk
mation of satellite cells that combine Body composition and body type
with injured tissue, increasing its size are important factors predicting the
and strength. This process is accom- risk of various diseases. French
panied by inflammation and increased researchers found that increased calf
white blood cell levels that help pro- circumference was linked to a
mote healing. The inflammatory reduced risk of stroke. They studied
process includes the release of chemi- the relationship between body com-
cals called prostaglandins that con- position and carotid artery disease in
tribute to pain and swelling. Athletes more than 6000 people over 65 years
often use nonsteroidal anti-inflamma- of age. People with the largest calf
tory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibupro- circumferences (top 25 percent) were
fen (Advil), to prevent prostaglandin nearly 30 percent less likely to have
formation, and to decrease post-exer- significant carotid artery disease.
cise pain and soreness. A review of Larger waist circumference and
literature by researchers from the waist-to-hip ratio were also linked to
University of Birmingham in the UK increased risk of stroke. While the
concluded that blocking study demonstrated a relationship
prostaglandins with these drugs between calf size and stroke risk, the
interferes with the muscle remodeling results do not mean that increasing
process after exercise and could the size of the calf muscles will
decrease training-related strength reduce the risk of disease. (Stroke,
gains. NSAIDs decrease pain but slow 39: 2958-2965, 2008)
progress. (Journal Muscle Research
Cell Motility, in press; published
online December 4, 2008)
Supplements
Drug Police Nab study showed that consuming glucose
(sugar) and leucine increased insulin
able, we need more research before
we can recommend it as a safe and
NFL Players for release and decreased blood sugar. effective anti-aging supplement.
Bumetanide Consuming leucine alone had little (Molecular and Cellular Endocrin-
effect on insulin or blood sugar. We ology, in press; published online
NFL players learned the hard way can infer from this study that taking a November 2008)
that they must be careful about leucine/carbohydrate supplement
what they put in their bodies.
Several players tested positive for
after exercise replenishes carbohy-
drate stores (i.e., glycogen), increases
Pre-Exercise
bumetanide, a diuretic found in the muscle protein synthesis and decreas- Carbohydrates
popular weight-loss supplement Star
Caps. Bumetanide is on the banned
es protein breakdown. (Metabolism
Clinical and Experimental, 57:1747-
and Protein
substance list because it can mask 1752, 2008) Hydrolysates
drugs such as anabolic steroids, Boost Muscle
amphetamines and cocaine. Players
are under increasing pressure to
Protein Synthesis
lose fat and gain muscle. A Carbohydrates stimulate
University of North Carolina study insulin release, which is criti-
found that 56 percent of NFL cal for moving amino acids
linemen were obese, so into the cells and promot-
coaches put pressure on ing protein synthesis.
overweight players to trim Carbohydrate and amino
down. Many turn to acid availability are essential
weight-loss supplements for staying anabolic. The body
that sometimes contain uses its protein stores for energy dur-
banned drugs. A study ing periods of low caloric intake. A
conducted by the Dutch study showed that pre-exer-
International Olympic cise supplements contain-
Committee found that one- ing carbohydrates and pro-
third of over 100 supple- tein hydrolysates (‘pre-
ments tested contained digested’ proteins) promot-
banned substances. ed protein synthesis during
Athletes who are drug and immediately after exer-
tested should only use sup- cise, but had no further effect
plements that are guaranteed free of overnight. While the study is inter-
prohibited substances. (The New esting, we don’t know whether this
York Times, October 18, 2008) Is DHEA Bad For supplement strategy increases mus-
The Prostate? cle size and strength more than train-
Leucine-Carb ing alone. (Journal of Nutrition, 138:
DHEA is the most plentiful 2198-2204, 2008)
Supplement steroid hormone in the body. It is
Might Boost sometimes called a prohormone Branched-Chain
Illustrated by Jerry Beck/www.ironasylum.com
Supplements
33 percent of skeletal muscle and mone delivery to muscles, tissue Fish Oil Does Not
turn over rapidly during exercise. oxygenation and general energy lev-
They are also essential for muscle els. The body makes nitric oxide
Increase Ketones
protein synthesis. Many body- from oxygen and arginine and from The brain and nervous system
builders and other athletes take citrulline, a non-essential amino use mainly glucose (blood sugar) as
BCAA supplements to promote pro- acid. Chinese researchers found that fuel but can also use ketones when
tein synthesis and recovery from short-term arginine supplementation carbs are unavailable. The capacity
exercise. BCAAs serve as the build- (6 grams per day for 3 days) for glucose uptake in the brain
ing blocks of proteins and activate increased blood arginine and cit- decreases with age, which might
signaling proteins in muscles that rulline levels but had no effect on cause diminished mental capacity.
turn on protein synthesis and nitric oxide levels or power output Ketones have therapeutic effects in
increase muscle fiber size. during repeated short sprints on a patients suffering from a variety of
Chemicals called ribosomal protein stationary bike. They concluded that mental disorders. The body pro-
S6 kinase and the target of arginine was ineffective for increas- duces ketones, such as acetone, ace-
rapamycin (mTOR) are important ing performance or boosting toacetate, and beta-hydroxybu-
cell- signaling molecules for protein nitric oxide levels in well-trained tyrate, during low calorie intake and
synthesis. They are sensitive to male athletes. (Journal Nutritional carbohydrate restriction. Canadian
BCAAs (particularly leucine) and Biochemistry, in press; published researchers speculated that fish oil
work like biological computer pro- online September 2008) supplements high in eicosapen-
grams to line up amino acids needed taenoic acid (EPA) would increase
to produce new muscle tissue.
Bodybuilders should consume
Whey Protein blood ketone levels and might be
good for brain function in older
carb/amino acid supplements high in Hydrolysates adults. They found the opposite: a
BCAAs, before and after training to
maximize protein synthesis. They
Speed Tissue single dose of fish oil containing
1480 mg of EPA decreased ketones
activate signaling pathways inside Healing After in young people but had no effect in
the cells that promote protein syn- Exercise older adults. The significance of this
thesis in the muscles and modify finding is not known. (Nutrition, in
muscle protein breakdown, remodel- Muscles get bigger in response to press; published online November
ing and repair. While they promote small muscle injuries created during 2008)
recovery and immune function, high-tension exercise. Muscle injury is
BCAA supplements do not seem to greatest during exercise involving
increase athletic performance or eccentric (lengthening) contractions.
serve as a significant fuel source After exercise, the muscle repair MD HAS THE
during exercise. (J Sports Med Phys
Fitness, 48: 347-351, 2008; Am J
process involves protein breakdown
and synthesis and works best with
WINNING FORMULA!
Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 294: E392- high blood levels of amino acids. The most cutting-edge,
E400, 2008; Am J Physiol Endocrinol Protein hydrolysate supplements scientifically-based, no-
Metab, 281: E365-E374, 2001; J. (‘predigested protein’) promote healing
Nutr, 136: 533S–S537, 2006) and enhance training effects. An
bullshit information on
Australian study showed that whey building muscle and burn-
Arginine Has protein hydrolysates promoted recovery ing fat—from drugs and
as measured by post-exercise muscle
No Effect on performance. Patients with pressure supplements to training,
Nitric Oxide ulcers showed that collagen protein nutrition and diet—from
hydrolysates increased the healing rate the top medical experts
Production by 100 percent. Protein hydrolysate
The amino acid arginine is vital supplements promote tissue healing and bodybuilding champi-
for maintaining metabolic health following trauma induced by exercise ons and insiders!
because it helps regulate nitric (i.e., eccentric exercise) or disease and
oxide (NO) production, which con- might promote recovery in body-
trols blood flow throughout the builders. (Journal Science Medicine
body. NO is vital for muscle blood Sport, in press, 2008; Advances Skin
flow, sexual function, fuel and hor- Wound Care, 19:94-96, 2006)
Nutrition
Does Protein Finland, the risk of prostate can-
Quality Affect cer increased by 63 percent in
men with the highest intakes
Muscle Growth? of dairy foods. High milk
The three key ingredients for consumption reduced the
increasing muscle size are risk of obesity and high
weight training, positive blood pressure. Milk and
energy balance and ade- other dairy products decrease
quate protein intake. angiotensin-converting enzyme
Jason Tang and Stuart (which increases blood pres-
Phillips from McMaster sure), inhibit blood clots
University in Canada, in that trigger heart attacks
a review of literature, and promote brain endor-
concluded that resist- phin activity (natural
ance exercise and nutri- pain reliever). The bene-
tion independently stimu- fits of drinking milk
late muscle growth. exceed the small increased
Consuming protein after risk of prostate cancer. Nonfat
weight training helps maxi- milk is an excellent post-workout
mize training gains in body- drink because it supplies water and
builders. The protein quality has a young men with high-quality proteins and carbohy-
small effect on muscle growth. While their arms immobilized with plaster drates, which promote recovery and
milk, whey, casein and soy proteins casts for two seven-day periods. muscle growth. (British Nutrition
can promote muscle protein synthe- Casting without creatine caused a Foundation Nutrition Bulletin, 33:
sis, milk proteins and their isolated 3.7 percent decrease in muscle mass, 279-286, 2008)
forms (i.e., casein and whey) promote a 21.5 percent decrease in strength
muscle growth better than soy. and a 43 percent decrease in muscle
Protein mixtures containing large endurance. During creatine supple-
Phytoestrogens
amounts of leucine work best for mentation, muscle mass actually In Animal Food
boosting muscle hypertrophy, partic-
ularly in older adults. Bodybuilders
increases slightly, while strength and
muscle endurance decrease by only
Products
should train hard, eat plenty of calo- 4.1 percent and 9.6 percent, respec- Phytoestrogens are chemicals
ries and consume protein after they tively. Creatine monohydrate supple- found in plants that act like estrogens
lift. (Current Opinion in Clinical ments prevent large losses in muscle in the body. They may play a role in
Nutrition and Metabolic Care, mass, strength and endurance in hormone-related cancers, cardiovascu-
12: 6671, 2009) cast-immobilized limbs in young men. lar disease, bone loss, obesity and
(Journal Strength Conditioning type 2 diabetes. They can also create
Research, in press; published online sexual side effects in men, including
Creatine Prevents in January 2009) decreased sperm counts, reduced fer-
Muscle Loss tility, and breast tissue growth. A
During Arm High Milk Intake study from Cambridge University in
the UK measured the phytoestrogen
Casting Linked To content of 115 foods of animal origin,
Immobilizing an arm or leg with a
plaster cast causes rapid losses in
Prostate Cancer including dairy products, eggs, meat,
fish and seafood. Researchers found
muscle mass, strength and Large population studies found a phytoestrogens in all the foods they
endurance. Creatine monohydrate link between high milk intake and an measured but levels were dramatical-
boosts muscle size and strength in increased risk of prostate cancer. ly higher in soy products such as soy
athletes, older adults and people suf- British researchers, in a review of lit- milk, soy infant formula, soy ice cream
fering from degenerative diseases. erature, concluded that the benefits and soy-based meat substitutes. The
Canadian researchers, led by Adam of drinking milk, such as a reduced long-term health effect of phytoestro-
Johnson, found that creatine supple- risk of heart attack, stroke and col- gens in the diet is unknown. (Journal
ments (5 grams, four times per day) orectal cancer, compensate for the of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,
prevented muscle deterioration in increased risk of prostate cancer. In 56: 10099-10104, 2008)
Nutrition
Low-Fat Dairy (Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition
Foods Speed Fat and Metabolic Care, 12:86-90, 2008)
Drugs
Growth Hormone- deaths in cyclists who had taken cle destruction due to extreme exer-
Stimulators Could amphetamines. In 2006, the Food and
Drug Administration banned the sale
tion). (Current Sports Medicine
Reports, 7: 244-245, 2008)
Be The Next Big of ephedra, a popular weight-loss
Anabolic Drug and energy supplement. A wide vari- Who Uses
ety of stimulants are on the banned
Many bodybuilders and older substance list for Olympic, profes- Anabolic
adults take injectable growth hor- sional and college athletics. Steroids?
mone (GH) to boost muscle mass, cut Stimulants are as popular as ever in
fat, improve skin texture and many sports. In professional baseball, Testosterone was synthesized in
strengthen connective tissue. In sev- 1934, so it is likely that athletes have
eral studies, GH increased muscle used it for many years. Bodybuilders
and bone density and enhanced the and power athletes used testos-
quality of life in growth hormone- terone and synthetic anabolic
deficient adults. In people with nor- steroids during the 1960s and ‘70s.
mal hormone levels, GH increased Gradually, the principal users were
lean mass but did not enhance nonathletes trying to improve
strength or functional capacity. GH appearance. A Swedish study
sometimes causes unpleasant side examined anabolic steroid use pat-
effects such as joint pain, terns and their relationship to the
swelling, insulin resistance, and use of other drugs. Researchers con-
numbness. Growth hormone-stim- ducted interviews with patients who
ulators (secretagogues) are prom- used steroids and attended an addic-
ising new drugs that increase nat- tion clinic. They noted extensive dif-
ural growth hormone production. ferences between reasons for taking
These drugs include growth hor- the drugs, side effects, perception of
mone-releasing hormone (GHRH), benefits, and the onset of use. The
which binds to GHRH receptors in only common thread between the
the pituitary gland; and MK-677, patients was a desire to train
which bind to ghrelin receptors in intensely. They concluded that physi-
the brain. Nass and colleagues, cians should have a thorough knowl-
in a two-year study involving edge about anabolic steroids and
65 healthy older adults, found their interaction with other drugs in
that MK-677 increased lean order to gain the confidence of their
body mass and restored patients. Also, physicians should
growth hormone to youthful levels discard preconceived notions about
but had no effect on strength, func- for example, 8 percent anabolic steroid users because they
tional capacity or quality of life. An of players had been ‘diagnosed’ with are extremely diverse and have many
editorial by Mark Blackman from the attention-deficit hyperactivity disor- reasons for taking the drugs.
Veterans Affairs Medical Center in der (ADHD) and received exemption (Substance Abuse Treatment,
Washington, DC concluded that to use Ritalin— a stimulant that Prevention, and Policy 3:24 (pub-
growth hormone-stimulators show improves performance. More than 50 lished online), 2008)
great promise for preventing many of percent of college hockey players
the negative effects of aging, but take stimulants— mainly pseu- Take Steroids And
Illustrated by Jerry Beck/www.ironasylum.com
they are not ready for general clini- doephedrine, Ritalin and Provigil.
cal use. (Annals of Internal Medicine, Modafinil— sold as Provigil in the You Will Be Dead
149: 677-678, 2008) United Sates and Alertec in Canada— In 5 Minutes!
is rapidly becoming the stimulant of
Stimulants Are choice. It provides the energy and Most side effects from anabolic
focus needed to work out regularly steroids are relatively minor and
Alive And Well and intensely and reduces the per- include acne, swelling, increased
In The World ception of effort during exercise. The hematocrit, decreased sperm count
main problem with stimulants is they and increased aggressiveness. High
Of Sport allow athletes to push harder than doses are associated with serious
Drug testing began in the 1968 normal, which can result in deadly side effects that impair liver and car-
Olympics in response to several heatstroke or rhabdomyolysis (mus- diovascular function and trigger
Drugs
severe psychiatric problems.
Researchers from Lebanon published
study from the Department of Animal
Science at the University of
Clenbuterol-
a case report on a single steroid user Minnesota found that an implant con- Heroin Appearing
that was reminiscent of “Reefer
Madness,” the marijuana scare film
taining trenbolone acetate (an ana-
bolic steroid) and estrogen increased
On East Coast
from the 1930s. The patient was a IGF-1 mRNA levels in steers. IGF-1 Drug dealers often cut their prod-
24-year old man who used anabolic mRNA is an important growth factor ucts with a variety of substances,
steroids and amino acid supplements. that turns on protein synthesis. The some of which can be deadly. The
He was treated at the hospital for rates of weight gain, feeding efficien- U.S. Poison Control Center reported
abdominal pain and nausea. His lab cy (weight gain per pound of food) 34 cases of clenbuterol-heroin poison-
test showed elevated levels of liver and muscle mass increased more in ing treated in emergency rooms in
enzymes and creatine kinase, both of animals implanted with estrogen- five states on the East Coast.
which often increase with intense trenbolone than estrogen or tren- Symptoms included chest pain, nau-
weight training, and likely had noth- bolone alone. Estrogen plays a role in sea, elevated heart rate, low blood
ing to do with his symptoms. preventing muscle cell destruction. pressure, difficulty breathing and
Researchers concluded that anabolic We need more research before we muscle tremors. Lab results showed
steroids and amino acid supplements can recommend estrogen injections increased blood sugar, potassium and
could cause widespread organ dam- to bodybuilders. In other words, lactate, and six of the patients had
age that could be fatal. On the basis don’t to this at home. (Journal heart damage. The Centers for
of this single observation, the Animal Science, 86: 3418-3423, 2008) Disease Control and Prevention’s
researchers concluded, “This man- Epi-X system allowed rapid identifi-
dates worldwide and concerted Do ACE Inhibitors cation of the drug combination and
efforts to educate the public, espe- distribution of the information to
cially the youth, about the dangers of Improve Athletic poison-control centers across the
these increasingly abused drugs.” Performance? country. (Annals Emergency
While it’s true that anabolic steroids Medicine, 52: 548-553, 2008)
are potentially dangerous, blanket Angiotensin-converting enzyme
statements and unsubstantiated (ACE) is an important determinant Physiological
claims about the side effects of of endurance capacity. Olympic level
steroids and amino acids are over- endurance athletes have a variant of
Levels of
the-top. The take-home message is the ACE gene that reduces the Testosterone
don’t get sick in Lebanon! (Journal of
Medical Case Reports, 2: 340, 2008;
activity of the enzyme. The renin-
angiotensin-aldosterone system reg-
Increase Muscle
published online) ulates blood pressure and body Function
water. With the help of ACE, the Aging is linked to decreased mus-
Trenbolone system produces a chemical called cle mass, loss of strength, abdominal
angiotensin II that constricts blood fat deposition and a general decrease
And Estrogen vessels and increases blood pres- in muscle fitness. Testosterone
Implants sure. Drugs called ACE inhibitors replacement therapy helps restore
(e.g., Vasotec, Accupril, lisinopril, muscle and bone, which could pre-
Increase Muscle Lotensin) block the action of ACE vent life-threatening falls and frac-
Mass In Cattle and reduce blood pressure. A review tures. French researchers, in a study
of literature from the University of on castrated rats, found that replac-
Bodybuilders are muscle farmers. British Columbia speculated that ing testosterone to normal physiolog-
They cultivate their biceps, quads ACE inhibitors mimic the action of ical levels improved muscle function
and pecs through weight training; the ACE gene in world-class without causing muscle growth or
feed them with calories, amino acids endurance athletes and increase influencing pathways involved in pro-
and carbohydrates; and fertilize them performance. Currently, there is lit- tein synthesis. Muscle mass is an
with growth factors such as testos- tle evidence that ACE inhibitors important determinant of strength,
terone, growth hormone and IGF-1. boost endurance or provide the but the quality of muscle tissue helps
What better place to learn about same benefits as good genes. The establish its functional capacity.
muscle growth than meat science review brings up an interesting Maintaining normal testosterone lev-
laboratories? Meat scientists typical- question: Can we make up for less- els appears critical for slowing deteri-
ly work in agriculture departments than-optimal genes with drugs, oration in muscle and bone with age.
and do research on increasing meat training or diet? (Sports Medicine, (Acta Physiologica, in press; pub-
yields in cattle, sheep and pigs. A 38: 1065-1079, 2008) lished online October 2008)
Sex
Porno In The craigslist. This free Internet site has and are often helpful in treating pre-
become a happy hunting ground for mature ejaculation. (Journal Sexual
Workplace horn dogs and people on the make. Medicine, 5: 1546-1551, 2008)
He’s alone in his own little world But the Wild-West days of craigslist
with his office door shut and locked. could be coming to an end; pressure
Chances are he’s watching porno from law enforcement and concerned Is She Faking
videos on his computer. The adult film
industry is recession-proof. People
citizens has made the online commu-
nity put a lid on its ‘erotic services’
An Orgasm?
watch porno videos to help them classified ads. People posting ads in She moans, groans, shakes and
relieve stress created by financial this category must now provide a screams in delight. You feel like King
hard times, and many are doing it at working phone number and pay a Kong because you made her come.
the office. Generation Y adults have small fee with a credit card. This will How do you know she’s not faking
grown up on computer porn and many allow police to track the activities of it? Sex scientists have identified two
are addicted. Nielsen Online reported prostitutes and sex traffickers. Police sure physical signs of orgasm. Roy
that 25 percent of the hits on video in many communities have set up Levine, from the Sexual Physiology
porno sites originate in the workplace. sting operations using craigslist to Laboratory in Yorkshire, England
This has created some serious prob- nab prostitutes and their customers. said that heart rate and rectal pres-
lems for companies, ranging from Be careful when using craigslist to sure increase in direct proportion to
decreased productivity to sexual- hook up; it could land you in the slam- the strength of the orgasm. What are
harassment suits. Porno sites are also mer. (NBC News, November 10, 2008) the practical applications of these
sources for computer viruses which observations? To measure elevated
can infect entire company networks. Gene Linked To heart rate, have your girl wear a
Beware, because big brother is watch-
ing! Companies can track computer Premature
use, and you can lose your job for Ejaculation
watching porno films at work.
(Newsweek, December 8, 2008) Women expect staying power and
a little sexual savoir-faire.
Sex Or The Unfortunately, many men are two-
minute wonders who leave women
Internet? flat and unsatisfied. Premature ejac-
Sex is man’s favorite sport, but is it ulation (PE) is the most significant
more important than the Internet? A sexual problem in men— more preva-
survey of more than 2000 U.S. adults lent than erectile dysfunction, low
showed that nearly 50 percent of men sex drive, delayed or inhibited
and women would stop having sex or orgasm, or physical abnormalities of
watching TV rather than give up the the penis. It affects more than 30
Internet. More women than men percent of men and is most common
chose the Internet over sex, but near- during the late teens and 20s. PE is
ly 50 percent of men said they would psychologically traumatic for men
give up sex for a month in exchange and women. Men feel sexually inade-
for a 50-inch plasma flat screen TV. quate and less masculine. PE
America is becoming a nation of spec- destroys self-confidence and can ruin
tators. Instead of watching porno current and future relationships.
movies on the Internet, go get the real Women feel let down and often use
thing! (CNET, December 15, 2008) it as an excuse to end relationships.
While therapists typically attribute
Craigslist PE to psychological factors, Dutch
researchers found that a cause might
Tightens Up be a gene controlling serotonin
On Erotic metabolism in the brain.
Serotonin helps control
Service Ads ejaculation. Men with PE
If you want a three-way with two had a gene variant that
buxom blondes dressed in nurse cos- reduced serotonin activity.
tumes, look in the erotic services cate- Antidepressant drugs influ-
gory on the online community ence serotonin secretion
Sex
heart rate monitor during sex. She is because they might improve per-
faking an orgasm if her heart rate formance. Viagra will only boost per-
stays below 100 beats per minute. formance in the sexual Olympics or
Measuring rectal pressure is more at altitude. Studies from Stanford
troublesome, and we will leave that University showed that Viagra
to your imagination. (Archives Sexual increased power output on a station-
Behavior, 37:855, 2008) ary bike at a simulated altitude of
9000 feet but had no effect on sea
level performance. Other studies
Cheating Is found similar results. At altitude,
On The Rise Viagra improves exercise capacity by
reducing blood pressure in lung cir-
More people are having extramari- culation, which improves oxygen
tal affairs. However, sex researchers transport capacity. High lung blood
have a difficult time determining the pressure is usually not a problem at
prevalence of marital infidelity. sea level, so the drug has no effect
Surveys conducted by women’s mag- on exercise capacity. Many athletes
azines show infidelity rates of around will do whatever it takes to win, but
50 percent, but cheating women are Viagra won’t help. It will not
more likely to buy these magazines, improve performance at sea level—
which biases the results. In face-to- except in the bedroom. (The New
face interviews with women, only York Times, November 23, 2008)
about 1 percent admitted to having
an extramarital affair within the last No Over-The-
year. Well-controlled anonymous
computer surveys showed that the Counter Viagra
actual rate of infidelity in men and More than 35 million men world-
women is increasing, particularly in wide have used Viagra since its
people over age 60 and newly mar- release in 1998. The drug has provid-
ried couples. Viagra and testosterone ed a sexual second wind to legions
have given new life to aging Romeos of aging Romeos. Pfizer, the maker of
with roving eyes. Older women have the drug, has used high visibility
more financial independence than in spokesmen, such as Bob Dole and
the past, which has given them Mike Ditka to overcome the negative
greater opportunities to stray. Young connotations associated with erectile
working couples spend more time at dysfunction (ED). Many men with ED
the office, which increases the risk of are embarrassed and unwilling to
hanky-panky. But the institute of discuss this problem with their doc-
marriage is not doomed; most cou- tor. Pfizer attempted to release a
ples are spending more time together low-dose version (50mg) of the drug
than in the past and have sex at over-the-counter, but withdrew their
least once a week. (The New York application after European regulators
Times, October 28, 2008) objected to their plan. ED is an
important early marker of cardiovas-
Does Viagra cular disease. Medical experts worry
that the widespread availability of
Improve Sports Viagra would disguise symptoms of
Performance? heart disease and delay treatment.
Viagra is available without a pre-
The International Olympic scription on the Internet, but these
Committee considered putting drugs are often counterfeit or poor
Viagra (sildenafil) and similar drugs quality. (BBC News, November 20,
on the banned substance list 2008)
Wheaties On Juice?
E
very month when you realize original Astro Nut, Peanut Better, hyperplasic gains. Now, Vanda
that you have been hitting the Pumpkin Chocolate and X-15 vari- Pharmaceuticals in Rockville,
gym consistently, getting in eties. Packaged in compact pouches Maryland has developed
quality meals, even finding the time for on-the-go consumers, the cereal Tasimelteon. Tasimelteon is a med-
to read, do you reevaluate your can be eaten on its own, or by ication that works similarly to the
programs to see if you are truly adding warm or cold water. dietary supplement melatonin in the
making gains? So many people go For now, if this cereal interests treatment of insomnia and sleep
to the gym as part of their daily you (it is an easy way to get fiber disorders. Melatonin is secreted
routine— but is that more about and grain-based protein) you can from the pineal gland and is the
being in a rut than about doing a find it online or in Good Earth master hormone for regulating the
productive workout? If you plan stores, six Whole Foods stores in sleep/wake cycle; supplementation
your workouts and plan your Utah and Colorado, as well as spe- is usually given in doses of up to
meals, eating 90 percent ‘clean’ cialty sports shops. 3mg. A study was conducted which
calories, it is OK to have other also examined how Tasimelteon
types of foods for the remaining 10 If you want to be affects melatonin levels.
1
people with healthy, active deprivation increases circulating cent sleep efficiency the first night
lifestyles. catabolic steroid hormones and of use. This is a potential category
This all-natural, vegan cereal stress, adrenal glands that are changer for sleep aids. And as you
contains 12-15 whole foods affected by jet lag will produce simi- know, it is during sleep that the
(depending on flavor variety), 10 lar, if somewhat less magnified majority of repair and growth
grams of protein, 55-59 grams of effects. Any time you increase circu- occurs; thus Tasimelteon may be a
carbohydrates and 8-9 grams of lating catabolic hormones, you are tool for promoting anabolism in the
dietary fiber. It is available in the causing your body to fight against future.
ARNOLD ERA
Then Versus Now: Fat Loss
was noted in the companion and assumption of better health, ordinary day jobs. Rumors abounded
performance
Leucine Update!
L
eucine has the unique ability to stimulate muscle protein ized resistance training protocol to stimulate muscle hyper-
synthesis independent of insulin. The anabolic actions of trophy.The ingestion of 4 grams of leucine is similar to eat-
leucine are through signaling pathways via mammalian ing 230 grams of beef. Here are the results:
target of rapamycin (mTOR). The mTOR pathway facilitates
cell growth. Scientists have discovered that this is the single Peak Concentrations
most important amino acid for stimulating protein synthesis. in Blood
Leucine rest: 67 minutes
Strength Training Slows the Leucine before resistance exercise: 90 minutes
Absorption of Leucine and (23-minute delay)
BCAAs
Many bodybuilders know that consumption of a pre- BCAA rest: 72 minutes
exercise mixture of BCAAs or leucine before resistance exer- BCAA before resistance exercise: 78 minutes
cise enhances anabolic effects, but new research suggests (6-minute delay)
that strength training can slow the absorption of both BCAA
and leucine. Researchers measured peak concentration of Glutamine rest: 60 minutes
three amino acids (BCAA, leucine, and glutamine) during Glutamine before resistance exercise: 57 minutes
rest and before intense resistance exercise.The subjects took
50 mg/kg of bodyweight of leucine (4 grams), BCAA (4 The researchers speculated that the delay in peak con-
grams of leucine, 1 gram isoleucine, 1 gram valine), or gluta- centrations of leucine and BCAA was due to delayed gas-
mine (4 grams) immediately before performing a standard- tric emptying, which means that blood flow is diverted to
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increases oxygen
transport and the
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along with delivery of vital metabolic co-factors to produce Vinpocetine, Theobromine and Yohimbe.
extreme muscle bioenergetics for increased strength and
muscle fiber enlargement. MYOVOL-ATP features proven cell Dark Rage sets a new scientific standard of pre-workout
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your muscles during your totally outrageous ‘overload’
1. Ratajczak J, Majka M, Kijowski J, Baj M, Pan ZK, Marquez LA, Janowska-
training sessions. BETAENDURE features proven fatigue Wieczorek A, Ratajczak MZ. Biological significance of MAPK, AKT and JAK-
fighting and anti-catabolic ingredients such as, Beta Alanine, STAT protein activation by various erythropoietic factors in normal human
Citrate, Phosphate, Taurine and BCAAs. early erythroid cells. Br J Haematol, 115: 195-204, 2001.
2. Deng L, Sowers JR, Cutaia MV, El Sherif N. Erythropoietin protects car-
diac myocytes from hypoxia-induced apoptosis through an Akt-dependent
PSYCHORAGE™: EXTREME pathway. Biochem Biophys Res Comm, 308: 990-994, 2003.
3. Bodine SC, Stitt TN, Gonzalez M, Kline WO, Stover GL, Bauerlein R,
FOCUS AND ENERGY UP Zlotchenko E, Scrimgeour A, Lawrence JC, Glass DJ, Yancopoulos GD.
REGULATORS: Akt/mTOR pathway is a crucial regulator of skeletal muscle hypertrophy and
can prevent muscle atrophy in vivo. Nat Cell Biol, 3: 1014-1019, 2002.
Get ready to experience the most intense, energized 4. Rommel C, Bodine SC, Clarke BA, Rossman R, Nunez L, Stitt TN,
workout of your life as exclusive psychotropic factors, Yancopoulos GD, Glass DJ. Mediation of IGF-1-induced skeletal myotube
hypertrophy by PI(3)K/Akt/mTOR and PI(3)K/Akt/GSK3 pathways. Nat Cell Biol
neuro-active compounds and energizers found only in Dark 3: 1009-1013, 2001.
Rage ignite extremely powerful neural system impulses. 5. Psilander N, Damsgaard R, Pilegaard H. Resistance exercise alters MRF
PSYCHORAGE triggers an extreme state of euphoria and and IGF-I mRNA content in human skeletal muscle. J Appl Physiol 95: 1038-
1044, 2003.
mental focus, while stimulating the release of adrenaline to 6. Erythropoietin improves functional and histological recovery of trauma-
super-charge your workouts. PSYCHORAGE features proven tized skeletal muscle tissue. Rotter R, Menshykova M, Winkler T, Matziolis G,
Stratos I, Schoen M, Bittorf T, Mittlmeier T, Vollmar B. J Orthop Res. 2008 Dec;
neuro-active ingredients, such as Glucuronolactone, 26(12):1618-26.
Potassium Bicarbonate
& Egg Protein
Potassium Bicarbonate women and reduce muscle catabolism. The study provides
Reduces Muscle Tissue evidence that IGF-1 may be the mediator of a beneficial
Breakdown and Increases IGF-1 potassium bicarbonate effect on muscle. If you are following
A few months ago in Muscular Development’s ‘Muscle a high-protein, high-fat diet, consuming alkaline-producing
Growth Update’ column, an article was titled, “Alkaline vegetables is essential.
Diets Increase Muscle Mass.” The article was based on new
research suggesting that acidic diets induced by high pro- Groundbreaking Research!
tein and low consumption of vegetables induced acidic pH 20 Grams of Protein Maximally
in the blood, which caused increased protein breakdown, Stimulates Protein Synthesis
leading to a decrease in muscle mass. However, an alka- Rates
line diet was shown to enhance muscle protein synthesis Researchers from the Exercise Metabolism Research
and muscle mass. Another interesting fact is that alkaline Group, Department of Kinesiology in Canada reported in the
diets enhance bone strength, which may be mediated by American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that 20 grams of
increasing plasma levels of IGF-1. protein after resistance exercise maximally stimulated
In this month’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and protein synthesis, yet higher dosages had no effect.
Metabolism, researchers found more evidence that Young, healthy men with previous resistance training experi-
increasing alkalinity can enhance muscle mass. ence performed intense resistance exercise and consumed
Researchers administered potassium bicarbonate (subjects an egg protein drink that contained either 5, 10, 20 or 40
started on three capsules daily, one after each meal) and grams of egg protein. Interestingly, researchers found that
gradually increased the dosage by three capsules every increasing protein intake (up to 20 grams of dietary protein)
three days to a maximum daily dosage of 12 capsules (90 stimulated protein synthesis in a dose-dependent manner.
mmol/day; four capsules after each meal with 8 ounces of After 20 grams, there was no further increase in protein syn-
water), which they took throughout the study. The subjects thesis; 40 grams did not stimulate protein synthesis greater
were assigned to a low protein (0.5g/kg/day) and high-pro- than 20 grams.
tein diet (1g/kg/day); each subject served as his own con- This data suggest that there is a maximal rate at which
trol and then switched groups (low protein/high protein). dietary amino acids can be incorporated into muscle tissue
Blood samples were taken throughout the study. and that with increasingly higher concentrations of amino
At the end of 41 days, supplementation with 90 acids, there is no further stimulation of muscle protein syn-
mmol/day of potassium bicarbonate resulted in a net alkali- thesis. So how many times in a day could someone con-
producing intake (reduced blood acidity) and reduced the sume such a dose (20 grams) to stimulate muscle anabolism
rise in urinary nitrogen excretion by almost 50 percent. This that would ultimately translate into muscle growth?
reduction in urinary nitrogen excretion can be consid- The researchers speculated that five to six small
ered an indicator of reduced muscle wasting. (20 grams) servings daily would be the optimal mea-
Circulating levels of IGF-1 were higher in the potassi- sure to increase anabolism and increase muscle
um bicarbonate group than the placebo group after mass. !
each metabolic diet period. This suggests that it was
increased by potassium bicarbonate supplementation. References:
Interestingly, the high-protein diet that was acidic caused Ceglia L, Harris SS, Abrams SA, Rasmussen HM, Dallal GE, Dawson-Hughes B.
Potassium bicarbonate attenuates the urinary nitrogen excretion that accompanies an
a decrease in IGF-1, which was likely related to liver IGF-1 increase in dietary protein and may promote calcium absorption. J Clin Endocrinol
response to reduced circulating growth hormone. The study Metab, 2008.
Moore DR, Robinson MJ, Fry JL, Tang JE, Glover EI, Wilkinson SB, Prior T,
provides the first evidence that ingestion of alkali may Tarnopolsky MA, Phillips SM. Ingested protein dose response of muscle and albumin
increase serum IGF-1 levels in healthy, older men and protein synthesis after resistance exercise in young men. Am J Clin Nutr, 2009
Arnold Classic champ competing, and crisp look. I can relate, because out of huge for his frame. With his type of
he’s the only Mr. Olympia runner-up. the 33 pro shows I did, I probably only structure, namely a short torso and
The only man to beat him in the past truly had that look four or five times. long legs, he runs the risk of becoming
two years was Jay, and I think you all The first Arnold I won in 1993 is one blocky. Bigger isn’t always better,
know how I feel about that B.S. by show of mine people still talk about as which was a harsh lesson I learned
now. Of course, the big X factor here, my best-ever condition, along with the toward the end of the ’90s. But from
and the million-dollar-question, is will ’96 Night of Champions. So far, Victor what I’ve heard, he’s put on something
his injured leg look the same as hasn’t shown up with the type of con- like 5 pounds of new muscle since last
before? dition people will refer to as his all- spring, which should be fine— assum-
Victor never had the most over- time best, though he’s come close a ing it’s in the key areas he needed,
whelming quads in the front poses as few times now. If he can accomplish such as the upper chest, shoulders and
it is, so they need to look at least as that for the Arnold, that big paycheck maybe a bit in the triceps. Once those
good as they did at the ’07 Arnold and has his name on it. areas are up to par, he really won’t
Olympia. From the side, his quads need any additional size. Kai should
bulge out and his hamstrings have a 2. Kai L. Greene just focus on refining and adding
nice hang to them, but from the front If there is any one man who poses detail to what he has. But regardless,
they don’t appear quite as enormous a formidable enough threat to be Mr. Greene is most definitely in the
as his upper body does. Part of that Victor’s worst nightmare, it’s “The running and could give Victor the fight
stems from his wide clavicles. A guy Predator.” If for any reason Martinez of his life.
would need to have pretty crazy thigh isn’t firing on all cylinders, Kai will
sweep to match shoulders as wide as steal the show away from him. 3. Toney Freeman
Victor’s. The funny thing is that I bet if Remember that crisp look we just Toney, my man! Talk about an
you took a tape measure to the thighs talked about? Kai brings it! Greene has inspiration. This cat is 42 years old
of Vic, Kai and Toney, they probably all been batting a thousand lately when it and he’s still getting better and mov-
measure about the same. But body- comes to nailing that ultra-dry condi- ing up the ranks. The “X-Man” has a
building is a sport of illusion, not tion. And the crazy thing is, he does it lot going for him. At 6’2” and 280
measurements. A thigh with great while still gaining mass and improv- pounds with a small waist, he simply
outer sweep like Jay’s or Toney’s will ing. Far more often we see guys show overwhelms just about any other
always appear larger. up bigger, but having sacrificed the physique that stands next to him. He’s
Martinez also needs to bring the shredded look. Not The Predator. Every on a roll with two wins and a fifth
condition or else he leaves the door time you think you’ve seen his best, he place at the Mr. Olympia this past fall,
open for someone like Kai Greene to comes back looking even better. and he also seems to have finally
waltz right on in. He’s been very lean He still hasn’t maxed out his full mastered the fine art of combining
the last few times we’ve seen him, but potential. Kai does need to watch out awesome condition, including striated
Victor has yet to bring that super dry, and make sure he doesn’t get too glutes and hams, with nice fullness.
Another area Toney shines in is posing about to a lot of people. And it doesn’t D.J. can afford to trim down and it
and overall presentation. He has a even need to be said that he has the only makes his shape and separation
great stage presence and knows how best wheels in the game today. Those better. I’ve spoken to him off the
to display his physique perfectly. cross-striated fibers in his quads are record and Dennis definitely knows
Great posing has almost become a just not right. If Branch can nail it like that the look he had as a rookie pro is
lost art with just a few guys today he did last year with the fullness, the the one that would do the best with
maintaining that tradition, but I would grainy condition and the perfect color, the current judging criteria.
put Freeman right up there with Kai, he could edge Silvio out.
Melvin and Darrem. Physique-wise, But the Silvio coming to Columbus 7. Moe Moussawi
Toney is almost flawless. is not the same one you saw last year. The new “Lion of Lebanon!” The
Aside from the noticeable pec tear, I was in Gold’s Venice a few days ago razor-sharp cuts this dude displayed
he has no weak body parts and every- and watched him hit a few poses dur- at last year’s Iron Man were off the
thing flows with full muscle bellies ing a workout with Charles. I guessed chain, and he brought them back for
sweeping off of small joints. If Victor that he had put on another 10 pounds the Olympia. That earned him ninth
and Kai slip up at all and don’t show of muscle, and he confirmed that I place in his debut at the big dance.
up looking the way we expect them to, was dead on. His chest, shoulders, Moe doesn’t compare with the top
the X-Man could very well leapfrog back and arms all look bigger. guys on raw mass, so it’s shape and
right over them and win this thing. Conditioning isn’t an issue for Silvio; condition that are his aces in the hole.
Otherwise, I have him as a solid pick we know he’ll handle his business He needs to show up with his A-game
for third, which is right where he was there. With him, the issue is present- again. If he does that and if he’s
in 2007 when Victor won. ing his physique correctly. Silvio brought his back up since last fall,
needs to control his diaphragm and Moe could surprise us all and do
4. Tie: Silvio Samuel hit all his shots in a way that plays up even better than this.
and Branch Warren his strengths. If he does all that, I see
I hate to seem indecisive, but for him no lower than fifth. 8. Gustavo Badell
the life of me I couldn’t pick one of The Freakin’ Rican has taken a lot
these guys over the other. When we 6. Dennis James of heat lately for what people have
see how they each look I am sure it Which D.J. will we see here? Will it said are mysteriously shrunken legs. I
won’t be such a nerve-wracking be the ginormous beast lacking deep want to be the first one to say that I
choice, but as it stands right now muscle separations and with a large don’t believe Gustavo’s legs are any
either one could beat the other. Talk midsection, or the more streamlined smaller than they were when he was
about your apples and oranges. and detailed version unleashed last placing top three at the Olympia and
Branch is a true freak, a monster with year? I think it’s safe to say that Dennis winning shows. Instead, his upper
loads of thick and striated muscle. He stopped playing the mass game. With body has grown. Add to that the fact
personifies what bodybuilding is all the amount of thick muscle he carries, that he has lacked his stellar condition
of past years at most of his recent con- are. When I won my first Arnold does, just like his back), but his quads
tests, and you have the illusion of Classic at 213 pounds, people refused just don’t impress in the front shots.
smaller legs. I do know that he suf- to believe I was any lighter than 225-
fered some injury last summer that 235. With Darrem, it’s the opposite. He Those are my picks. How accurate
forced him to cancel on guest posing does compete now at 235 pounds, but they will be remains to be seen, but I
at the NPC contest I promoted. I heard doubters like to say he’s really closer did my best without an actual crystal
a rumor that was never substantiated to 210-215. Shape, symmetry and ball in front of me. As for the guys who
that claimed he passed out while train- insane condition are Darrem’s strong will probably get pissed off at me,
ing legs and had to be rushed to the points, along with his entertaining pos- which might just be everyone except
hospital. Again, I have no confirmation ing routines. Lately he’s been giving Victor, as always I ask that you not take
of this, but he was able to rally back up some of his usual freaky condition- my comments personally. Easier said
and compete in the Mr. Olympia. ing in an effort to come in bigger and than done as I know myself, but there it
I know that he has a warrior men- fuller, but so far it hasn’t been a suc- is. The 20th anniversary Arnold Classic
tality and never wants to stop training cessful gambit. Maybe he’ll succeed is gonna be a true battle, and I can’t
and competing, but I think Gustavo this time, in which case Darrem could wait to see how it all goes down! ■
needs to step back and at least take a place several slots higher than ninth.
little break from contests to examine Arnold Classic
himself and figure out what he needs 10. Johnnie Jackson Champions
to do to get back to the Gustavo of old, I like Johnnie a lot and feel he has 1. Rich Gaspari
the phenomenon that came ‘out of one of the best upper bodies in the 2. Mike Ashley
nowhere’ to push all the top men for sport, but his condition is all over the 3. Shawn Ray
supremacy. I personally handed place. At one show he looks incredible, 4. Vince Taylor
5. Flex Wheeler
Gustavo his trophy over a decade ago then he’s off the next time you see
6. Kevin Levrone
when he turned pro, and I would love him. I have to wonder if this inconsis- 7. Mike Francois
to see him get back to kicking ass and tency is directly related to the fact that 8. Kevin Levrone
taking names. he continues to compete at the highest 9. Flex Wheeler
levels of powerlifting. With pro body- 10. Flex Wheeler
9. Darrem Charles building as fiercely competitive as it is 11. Nasser El Sonbaty
I hate to put Darrem so low in my these days, you really need to focus 12. Flex Wheeler
13. Ronnie Coleman
predictions, because he’s a hell of a on it 100 percent if you want to be one
14. Jay Cutler
nice guy and he does have an amazing of the best. Johnnie also needs more 15. Jay Cutler
physique. The only problem is that thigh sweep from the front. He’s 16. Jay Cutler
with his small frame, it’s hard to com- another one who has awesome legs in 17. Dexter Jackson
pare with the other men in terms of the side shots thanks to his Butterball 18. Dexter Jackson
sheer size. There are some guys who hams (which probably come from 19. Victor Martinez
you swear are heavier than they really those sickeningly heavy deadlifts he 20. Dexter Jackson
RH: First off, I was very sad to hear that your when I got top three for the first time. That was a really
father had passed away in early December. If I’m tough one. She had been very sick with cancer and it
not mistaken, didn’t your mom pass away a couple was bad.
years ago while you were getting ready for the RH: I think a lot of us have unfortunately seen
Arnold Classic? that happen. How about your dad— was he sick? I
VM: No, it was three weeks before the ’06 Olympia, know he was fairly old.
Sample
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.
Injuries: Curse
Or Blessing?
Speaking of injuries, for
most bodybuilders any type of
serious injury is bad. At the
very least, you miss training
time and possibly can’t com-
pete in shows you had planned
to. At worst, you can be left
with glaring imbalances or
deformities (think torn pecs that
were never surgically repaired
and leave huge dents in the
chest), and these can impact
placings negatively for the
remainder of a competitive career. Not
many guys can say that injuries seem
to work out well for them in the long
run. But Kevin Levrone and Victor
Martinez both won an Arnold Classic
title within a year of tearing their pecs.
As for Branch, you probably know his
story. After tearing his biceps, he went
on to win the Nationals. A few years
later he tore his triceps, then came
back and won back-to-back titles at the
Charlotte Pro and the Europa. Now that
he’s torn the other triceps, could it be a
good omen for what’s in store at the
Arnold in a few weeks? And does
ING, AND THIS SPORT IS SUCH AN today I did 30 sets for it— a mix of heavy weights and lower reps,
plus moderate weights with higher reps and a lot of squeezing. I’m
IMPORTANT PART OF MY LIFE. TO determined to get my back as good as my legs. When I do that,
SEE IT FLASH BEFORE MY EYES there’s no stopping me.” I would have to agree with that bold state-
ment. Branch isn’t as flashy or vocal as some of the top men in the
AS I HAVE A FEW TIMES NOW sport. He just works his ass off and gets the job done, and you know
MAKES ME APPRECIATE IT THAT that once you see him stride onstage looking like a winner.
MUCH MORE.”—BRANCH WARREN Will his fourth stab at the Arnold Classic title be the one that
nets him that coveted first place? We’ll all find out soon enough.
But don’t count out The People’s Champion. The titan from Texas is
Branch have a logical explanation for this odd all business when it comes to competition, and he aims to take
pattern of injury followed by victory? care of business in Columbus.
“I think getting hurt makes you realize that
all this could end at any time, and you can’t The Greatest Arnold Classic
take it for granted for one minute,” he mused. “I Champ Ever
love training and competing, and this sport is “That’s an easy one,” Branch said.
such an important part of my life. To see it flash “When Ronnie won the Arnold in 2001,
before my eyes as I have a few times now I think he looked better than he did for
makes me appreciate it that much more.” any of his Mr. Olympia wins. I know he
In addition to the psychological boost that went all the way down to 248, which
comes along with being able to come back was light for him, but the level of condi-
tion he achieved created the illusion of
from injury, there is also a very tangible bene-
a lot more size. I saw him pose at the
fit that ironically stems from the downtime
gym right before he left for the show,
that ensues. “Most of us at the pro level love
and he was so shredded and detailed it
training so much that we rarely take any time was insane. The muscles were just pop-
off to allow for the whole system to rest and ping off the bones, and the separations were so deep that there
regenerate,” Branch said. “When you’re hurt, was actual darkness in them. Nobody could even say anything.
you don’t have a choice. You have to rest. And We were literally speechless and shaking our heads at how
as much as you hate not being able to go to crazy ripped he was. Put that Ronnie up against anybody else
the gym and do what you want, it works out who won the Arnold, whether it’s Flex, Kevin, Jay, Dexter, who-
for the best. I always come back fresh and ever— and it’s not even remotely close. Ronnie at the 2001
ready to work even harder.” Arnold blows them all away.”
2007— A F**king
Disaster
“After looking like shit at the
Olympia a few months before, I
was determined to come into this
contest shredded like no one had
ever seen me before, just peeled. I
2007
did manage to get my body fat
down to the lowest level ever, but
at a terrible cost. I was so flat that
my muscles didn’t push against the
skin at all. After the fiasco at the
Olympia and then this, people
started writing me off as a has-
been. But that motivated me to
come back two months later and
win the New York Pro, so it all
panned out in the end.”
2008— A Controversial
Placing
“This last Arnold was where I
think I looked the very best of my
career to date. I actually exceeded
all my own expectations with the
package I brought. Full, dry, ripped.
Everything people had knocked me
for had been corrected. My color
was perfect, my waist was smaller,
and my back had a lot more detail.
Honestly, I don’t complain about
how I place, but I really think I
should have been higher than
2008
fourth. To get the Most Muscular
Award and place anything lower
than second was unprecedented
and pretty confusing.”
Eight Lower Body Training a tall guy. A big part of why he was able to build his legs
into the outstanding specimens you see today was
Secrets of ‘The X-Man’
because Freeman never let the negative stereotypes about
1. Toney never bought into ‘the tall men and leg training get to him. “People were always
tall man’s curse.’ telling me I would never be able to get huge in general at
Aside from Gunter and maybe Paul Dillett, I can’t think my height, and especially when it came to legs,” he said. “I
of any pro bodybuilder over 6’ who has managed to build didn’t listen.”
legs that are just as thick and impressive as his upper
body. It’s generally a lot easier for the guys with less dis- 2. He went deep from day one
tance to travel in exercises like the squat to develop that on squats.
level of thickness that conjures up images of tree trunks. If there’s one thing that quad-monsters like Platz,
Toney is also in rare company in that he has also devel- Branch, and Ronnie have in common, it’s that they did
oped hamstrings that are proportionate to his quads. That’s their squats all the way down to the basement— none of
not too common in general, and it’s almost unheard of for that bitch-ass half-rep crap we all see in the gym whenever
3. Consistency
There are very few men in the sport right now who
you never have to wonder about being in top condition.
In fact, you can count them on one hand and still have
your thumb and pinky left over. Dexter is probably not
competing in the Arnold, and the other dude who nails it
every time— Heath, has already announced he’s not
doing it. That leaves Silvio as the only man entering who
you can bank on being shredded and dry. We’ve seen
Victor, Kai and Branch all compete, looking awesome at
times, and a bit blurry at others. Silvio’s track record is
unblemished in this aspect. In 15 IFBB contests, he has
been in great shape 15 times.
9. Training age
Silvio has only been competing in body-
building now for a little over seven years.
Compared to the rest of the top guys in the
upcoming Arnold, that makes him a fairly
new guy. It also means his body is probably
a little fresher and more receptive to train-
ing, nutrition, and all manner of supple-
ments compared to a guy who’s been at this
game twice as long. In other words, while
others may be in danger of burning out, he’s
still just hitting his stride.
So, will Silvio Samuel be the man to leave
Columbus with the Arnold Classic title? That
may not happen when you have heavy hitters
like Victor, Kai, Toney and Branch all showing
up and hungry to win. But Silvio is a man
who should not be counted out of the mix,
ever. The Matador is turning into a real killer,
and his powers are growing! ■
JR: OK, Mavi, we always start this interview with you would ever want to do?
your stats— height, weight, measurements? MG: I don’t know about acting. But I love to
MG: 127 pounds, 5’3” and 36.6,” 25.5,” 35.4” model and do photo shoots.
JR: You live in Italy! What part? JR: Do men find you more attractive here in the
MG: I live in the Republic of San Marino. U.S. or in Italy?
JR: Would you rather be anywhere else? MG: I really don’t know. I don’t pay attention to
MG: No, not really. I love Italy! It is my home. them!
JR: If you could have a second home any place in JR: What do you like most about living in Italy?
the world, where would it be? MG: I love the food, the beaches are beautiful
MG: Hmmmmm… possibly somewhere in the and there is so much history and art here.
U.S. Maybe California. JR: What did you do before you became a famous
JR: How big is women’s bodybuilding in Italy? bodybuilder?
MG: Not very big. Not like in the U.S. MG: I’M NOT FAMOUS!!!! Ha, ha… I have
JR: How did you decide to be a bodybuilder? always been a personal trainer.
MG: I wanted to change my body. I like the way JR: Tell me something you want people to know
muscle looks on a woman, so I did it! about you.
JR: Is TV, movies, acting, whatever, something MG: That they have to discover me.
ARNOLD ERA
Then versus Now:
Anabolics & Adjuncts
ake out Angeles communi-
T your ipod
ear buds
next time you are at
®
ties. Young men,
whose first taste of
iron usually came
the barbershop and through exposure
you will hear old- to powerlifting,
timers reliving the were immigrating to
past, turning the Venice, California to
most mundane activ- train at Joe Gold’s
ities into epic tales gym where it was
that rival the achieve- rumored that the best
ments of Beowulf. bodies in the world
R BERNAL
Time glosses over a were being devel-
lot of life’s nasty oped. Within this neb-
details in a temporal ula shone a star who
version of ‘beer gog- PHOTO BY PE
defined the era and
gles,’ allowing society’s remains to this day a
more senior members singular example in
to declare that sports roster spot on a Division I team. bodybuilding— Arnold
heroes were better athletes, Mom’s Bodybuilding has existed long Schwarzenegger.
cooking was the best and politicians enough to develop its own ‘senior Arnold’s meteoric rise in the areas
were honest. Yet, an objective measure society.’ As the most vocal fans of of bodybuilding, acting and now poli-
of ‘Then versus Now’ often disproves competitive bodybuilding are young tics has been well documented. Even
these passionately-held beliefs. adults and adolescents, it is not sur- today, some of his photos are still
Consider the iconic backfield of the prising that debates of the greatest regarded as representing the apex of
1924 Notre Dame Football team, nick- physiques often exclude past competi- muscular development. Some argue
named ‘The Four Horsemen.’ The play- tors. In fact, it’s difficult to find pictures that there are or have been physiques
ers, quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, left of many of the one-time greats; prior equal to or even greater than Arnold’s,
halfback Jim Crowley, right halfback to the ’90s, photo archives were not but his impact on bodybuilding contin-
Don Miller and fullback Elmer Layden, digital records available on the web. ues to be unrivaled.
led the ‘Fighting Irish’ to a national They were celluloid rolls of film or In comparison to today’s champi-
championship with a perfect 10-0 slides in protective sleeves contained ons, does Arnold’s bodybuilding
record, under coaching legend Knute in three-ring binders. physique continue to reign supreme or
Rockne. Though they were giants in The earliest days of bodybuilding would it pale, much like The Four
college football history, each being consisted of traveling performers who Horsemen of college football? This is
named to the National Football would put on displays of strength. It an argument that will never be
Foundation Hall of Fame, none of the was not until the ’60s that a bodybuild- resolved, since bodybuilding is subjec-
players exceeded 162 pounds in ing industry developed, resembling tively judged. However, it is clear in
weight. One can only imagine how what it is today. Bodybuilding was a comparing bodybuilders of Arnold’s
few plays these icons would last in a true niche activity, emerging out of the era to current competitors that the
game against today’s top college psychedelic ’60s, establishing its bodies have changed.
defenses, or if they would even earn a beachhead on the beaches of the Los Compare Arnold and his contempo-
It that Dennis Wolf needs his carbs! If you are not visiting
the MD forums on a regular basis you are missing out
on some serious action! The Royal Rumble was posted on
• Ketogenic diets promote acidosis in muscle (reduced
Ph), which can increase muscle tissue proteolysis.
• Ketogenic diets turn on genes for catabolism. (SEE
December 8, 2008 on the MD message boards; normally all AMPK section).
the staff members and writers are very kosher to each other • Reduced exercise intensity
but not this day. • Carbs suppress cortisol
The research guru and Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of • Lowers SHBG (i.e., lowers free testosterone)
Muscular Development started a thread titled, “Clearing the
Air on Zero-Carb or No-Carb Diets” by Steve Blechman, Why Ketogenic Diets May
which can be found under the NO BULL section in the MD Not Be Conducive for
forums.The Boss posted in his comment’s section, “The fact Muscle Anabolism During
of the matter is that, based on the scientific research, zero- the Pre-competition Diet
carb diets are not optimal for muscle growth!!” Steve also Many people on the message boards were asking,
mentioned that, “Zero-carb diets are great for fat loss, but at “Where is your proof that you need carbs to build muscle?”
the expense of muscle. I endorse low-carb diets, but I do not There are two studies that lead one to speculate that training
believe that zero-carb diets should be used because you lose in a glycogen-depleted state leads to impaired genes for
too much muscle mass!” That’s when the MD Royal Rumble muscle hypertrophy.This study does not prove that being in
began; proponents of those for or against the zero-carb diet a glycogen-depleted state all the time may not be healthy
began posting the reasons carbs should or should not be for muscle anabolism.
used. Comments were posted by Dave Palumbo, John The study was published in the Journal of Applied
Romano, Evan Centaponi, Mike Liberatore, Eric Broser Physiology and reported that performing resistance train-
and Layne Norton. This was no ordinary debate— it was ing in a glycogen-depleted state results in impaired genes
1
like the opening scene of the movie “300,” when the for muscle hypertrophy . The study follows a 2005 study in
Persians first attacked the Spartans! which researchers from the Human Performance Lab in
Indiana reported that a glycogen-depletion diet blunts the
Advantages of a expression of the muscle protein Akt. Akt, or protein
Ketogenic Diet kinase B (PKB), is an important molecule in cellular signal-
• Superior fat loss ing. Akt is also able to induce protein synthesis pathways
• Better appetite control and is therefore a key signaling protein in the cellular
• Increased uncoupling proteins stimulated in muscle pathways that lead to skeletal muscle hypertrophy and
and fat general tissue growth.
• Lowers cardiovascular risk by reducing insulin, Akt is regulated in response to a wide variety of growth
triglycerides, etc. factors, including insulin and more recently has been associ-
• Ketogenic diets may be cardioprotective ated with rapid activation in response to exercise in human
skeletal muscle. In the study, they didn’t use rats or cell cul-
Disadvantages of a tures; they used resistance-trained athletes. (The athletes
Ketogenic Diet had trained for almost 8 years, using resistance exercise and
• Insulin is a potent anti-catabolic hormone. had exceptional leg press strength). Resistance-trained
• Low-carb diets are currently being used to reduce males performed resistance exercise in the glycogen-deplet-
References: heavy-resistance exercise. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol, skeletal muscle. Mol Cell, 7:1085-1094
1. Creer A, Gallagher P, Slivka D, Jemiolo B, 55:362-366. 1986. 14. Wojtaszewski JFP, MacDonald C,
Fink W, Trappe S. Influence of muscle glycogen 7. TESCH, P.A., L.L. PLOUTZ-SNYDER, L. Nielsen JN, Hellsten Y, Hardie DG, Kemp BE,
availability on ERK1/2 and Akt signaling after YSTRO¨M, M. CASTRO, AND G. DUDLEY. Kiens B, Richter EA. Regulation of 5AMP-acti-
resistance exercise in human skeletal muscle. J Skeletal muscle glycogen loss evoked by resis- vated protein kinase activity and substrate uti-
Appl Physiol, 2005 Sep;99(3):950-6. tance exercise. J. Strength Cond. Res, 12:67-73. lization in exercising human skeletal muscle.
2. Churchley EG, Coffey VG, Pedersen DJ, 1998. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 284: E813-
Shield A, Carey KA, Cameron-Smith D, Hawley 8. CHANDLER, R.M., H.K. BYRNE, J.G. PAT- E822, 2003.
JA. Influence of preexercise muscle glycogen TERSON, AND J.L. IVY. Dietary supplements 15. Steinberg GR, Watt MJ, McGee SL,
content on transcriptional activity of metabolic affect the anabolic hormones after weight- Chan S, Hargreaves M, Febbraio MA, Stapleton
and myogenic genes in well-trained humans. J training exercise. J. Appl. Physiol, 76:839-845. D, Kemp BE. Reduced glycogen availability is
Appl Physiol, 2007 Apr;102(4):1604-11. 1994. associated with increased AMPKalpha2 activity,
3. YASPELKIS, B.B.D., J.G. PATTERSON, P.A. 9. Haff GG, Lehmkuhl MJ, McCoy LB, Stone nuclear AMPKalpha2 protein abundance, and
ANDERLA, Z. DING, AND J.L. IVY. MH. Carbohydrate supplementation and resis- GLUT4 mRNA expression in contracting
Carbohydrate supplementation spares muscle tance training. J Strength Cond Res, 2003 human skeletal muscle. Appl Physiol Nutr
glycogen during variable-intensity exercise. J. Feb;17(1):187-96. Review. Metab. 2006 Jun;31(3):302-12.
Appl. Physiol, 75: 1477-1485. 1993. 10. Rolfe DF, Brown GC 1997 Cellular ener- 16. Latzka WA, Montain SJ. Water and elec-
4. MACDOUGALL, J.D., S. RAY, D.G. SALE, gy utilization and molecular origin of standard trolyte requirements for exercise. Clin Sports
N. MCCARTNEY, P. LEE, AND S. GARNER. metabolic rate in mammals. Physiol Rev, Med, 1999 Jul.
Muscle substrate utilization and lactate produc- 77:731-758 17. Busch GL, Völkl H, Ritter M, Gulbins E,
tion during weightlifting. Can. J. Appl. Physiol, 11. Long YC, Zierath JR 2006 AMP-activated Häussinger D, Lang F. Water, electrolyte and
24:209-215. 1999. protein kinase signaling in metabolic regula- acid base disturbances in renal insufficiency.
5. ROBERGS, R.A., D.R. PEARSON, D.L. tion. J Clin Invest, 116:1776-1783 Physiological and pathophysiological signifi-
COSTILL, W.J. FINK, D.D..PASCOE, M.A. BENE- 12. Hardie DG 2004 The AMP-activated pro- cance of cell volume. Clin Nephrol, 1996
DICT, C.P. LAMBERT, AND J.J. ZACHWEIJA. tein kinase pathway— new players upstream Oct;46(4):270-3. Review.
Muscle glycogenolysis during differing intensi- and downstream. J Cell Sci, 117:5479-5487 18. Judelson, A. et al. Effect of hydration
ties of weightresistance exercise. J. Appl. 13. Mu J, Brozinick JT, Jr., Valladares O, state on resistance exercise-induced endocrine
Physiol, 70:1700-1706. 1991. Bucan M, Birnbaum MJ 2001 A role for markers of anabolism,catabolism, and metabo-
6. TESCH, P.A., E.B. COLLIANDER, AND P. AMPactivated protein kinase in contraction- lism. Journal of Applied Physiology, July 10,
KAISER. Muscle metabolism during intense, and hypoxia-regulated glucose transport in 2008.
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... he’s a
mental freak. This article is for enter-
tainment purposes only.
YO’, TODAY I WAS BREAST WITH MUSTARD AND A LITTLE OIL ON IT,
DRIVING TO BOB WHILE I WAS EATING PIZZA WITH BOB BONHAM… AT
BONHAM’s FIRST THE SMELL OF FRESH PIZZA REALLY SEEMED
STRONG & SHAPE- TO BOTHER GUY, HE LOOKED SO RUN DOWN, EATING
LY GYM & I WAS THAT NASTY CHICKEN BREAST…..EVENTUALLY I
SINGING TO MY FAVORITE BRITNEY SPEARS SONG >> THINK HE REALLY ENJOYED SMELLING THE PIZZA
“Oops I did it again I played with your heart got lost in ON MY BREATH, YES GUY WAS REALLY THAT DEPLET-
the game, oh baby baby “ …EEERR…” OH MY GOD”… ED & HUNGRY…HE SAT REAL CLOSE TO ME AND
AAAHHH UMMMM….SHIT!!….I KINDA FORGOT SMILED AS I ATE MY SLICE ….BUT IT WAS ALL WORTH
WHERE I WAS FOR A MOMENT THERE…UMMMM… IT BECAUSE ONE WEEK LATER GUY CISTERNINO
WHAT I REALLY MEANT IS THAT I WAS ROCKIN’ & WON THE NATIONALS…OH YEAH BABE, IT’S TRUE, I
SINGING TO METALLICA…YEAH THAT’S IT …I MEANT KNOW THAT SUBCONSCIOUSLY THE SMELL OF MY
I WAS ROCKIN’ TO METALLICA BABE !!! …WOOOF, PIZZA BREATH SATISFIED GUY’s NEED FOR REAL
THAT WAS A CLOSE ONE,,,MAN IT’S HOT IN HERE, I GOT ITALIAN FOOD, NOT NO CHICKEN BREAST
TO OPEN UP A WINDOW I’LL BE RIGHT BACK… DAMN, I BULLSHIT…. AND
talk more shit than my ass can pro- BECAUSE OF MY PIZZA
duce…that’s bad!! …ANYWAY, I JUST GOT BREATH, GUY DID-NOT
BACK FROM MY BOY BOB BONHAM’S CRAVE PIZZA ANY-
STRONG & SHAPELY GYM CHILDREN’S MORE AND THERE-
CHARITY EVENT…. IT WAS AN AWESOME FORE GUY DIDN’T
TIME, THERE WERE LOTS OF COOL PEOPLE BREAK HIS DIET!!!
THERE… THE REAL TREAT FOR ME WAS …YA SEE HOW FUNNY
THAT I GOT TO HANG OUT WITH MY BOYZ THINGS WORK OUT
aka THE BRAT PACK >>” EVAN CEN- SOMETIMES, WHO
TAPONI, PJ BRAUN, GUY CISTERNINO” WOULD HAVE
(YO’, I COINED THESE GUYS “THE BRAT THOUGHT???…BUT
PACK,” I WANT CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS HEY, NO NEED TO
DUE… THANK YOU), AND THEN THERE WAS P a c k ... THANK ME, THAT’S
RUSSIAN IFBB PRO ALEX FEDOROV, The Brat WHAT FRIENDS ARE
(GREAT GUY, VERY BIG BOY IN PERSON), FOR wink… I’M JUST GLAD TO HELP OUT A FRIEND….BY
ANTHONY ROBERTS (STEROID BOOK AUTHOR) AND THE WAY, IT WAS EXTRA CHEESE AND SAUSAGE
MY 2 YUMMY GIRL PALS ELISE FIRESTONE & PIZZA THAT I ATE…BERRRRUPPP, OOPS EXCUSE ME!!!
JANET MARISCO….THEN THERE WERE “THE LEG- J ..ANYWAY, YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST, THE RAM-
ENDS” >>2 OF BODYBUILDING’S “NATIONAL TREAS- BLIN’ FREAK HELPED GUY CISTERNINO WIN THE
URES” > DENIE & BOB GRUSKIN, with MY LONG-TIME NATIONALS….NOW A BIG CONGRATS TO MY BOY GUY
VERY GOOD FRIEND NABBA VICE PRESIDENT ALEX CISTERNINO, MY ITALIAN BROTHER!!!... If the old
ABBAY, ALL GREAT GUYS WHO I HAVE KNOWN & saying is True > You are what you eat, then I’m Fast,
LOVED FOR OVER 30 YEARS NOW…..IT WAS A GREAT Cheap and Easy!!!!...OH YEAH BABE..“A little nonsense
TIME AND I MET A LOT OF RAMBLIN’ FREAK FANS now and then is cherished by the wisest men.”
THERE….BUT YO, IN ALL HONESTY, I KINDA FELT BAD FOR ALL YOU MARRIED GUYS I GOTTA A LITTE FUN
FOR GUY CISTERNINO BECAUSE IT WAS JUST A WEEK FACT FOR YA >>.“Having sex with your pregnant wife is
TO THE DAY BEFORE THE NATIONALS AND POOR like putting gas in a car you all ready wrecked”…, WHY
GUY WAS STRUGGLING DOWN PLAIN CHICKEN BOTHER???….I THINK I READ THAT ONCE IN A FOR-
Prohormones,
Conversion Rates
and Broscientists
OK, it’s time to discuss your favorite subject:
prohormones!! It’s my favorite subject too,
as I have spent many years studying and manufactur-
hormone, about as well as counting how many cars are
on the highway at an exact given time represents how
many cars have ever been on the highway! Hormone
ing the stuff, and have made most of my living selling metabolism in the body is a multidimensional system
them. I do wanna move on to other things— but peo- and involves way more things going on than just one
ple keep bugging me about prohormones so I keep thing turning into another and stopping. Just like how a
discussing them. And I am sure this article won’t be car can get on the highway, then get off on another road,
the last one on the subject then get on again, then get off on another road etc., a
prohormone can convert to an active hormone, then
The Folly of Prohormone convert back to the prohormone, then convert to the
‘Conversion Rates’ active hormone again, and then convert to something
Ten years ago when I first introduced prohormones to else. And these dynamics are ongoing.
the marketplace, I presented some research that was One of the most well-known of the prohormones is
meant to illustrate the relative efficien- 4-androstenediol and it is often stat-
cy of a prohormone in converting to The concept of ed that it has a conversion rate of 15
an active hormone in the body. I conversion rate, percent (the number coming from
coined the term ‘conversion rate’ based as heretofore the aforementioned blood study).
which was supposed to represent the Well then, let me ask you something:
amount of active hormone formed in
described, has what do you think the conversion
the body after a given period of time. become embedded rate of testosterone is? Or, to put it
The values for these conversion rates in the popular another way, how much testosterone
were based on studies done with a terminology used do you think you will see in that
series of hormones—androstenedione, blood study, relative to the amount
DHEA, 5-androstenediol, and 4-
by bodybuilding you started with? I ask this question
androstenediol— which were incubat- science dudes— to a lot of guys and then I tell them
ed in human blood for about an hour. whom I refer to as the answer is probably not much dif-
I wish now that I hadn’t used the ‘broscientists.’ ferent than 15 percent. They look at
conversion rate term in the fashion me like I am nuts. But using the
that I did. Since that time, the concept of conversion method of this blood incubation, that’s about the num-
rate, based as heretofore described, has become ber you would get. You see how this is so misleading?
embedded in the popular terminology used by body- Examine the chart of hormone metabolism on the
building science dudes— whom I refer to as ‘broscien- next page. This chart is greatly simplified, but it can
tists.’ This has led to gross misunderstandings of how effectively illustrate the basics of what happens to
prohormones work in the body and about how to steroid hormones after they enter the body. The arrows
accurately predict the true endpoint potency that a between the chemicals represent metabolic transfor-
prohormone possesses. mations, with the single arrows designating one-way
These blood incubation conversion rate numbers rep- (irreversible) reactions and the double arrows desig-
resent how much a prohormone converts to an active nating equilibrium (reversible) reactions.
If you look closely, you will see that eral hours (say 6-8 hours). After you
all these diols have double bonds in are done, you filter off the manganese
the first ring that are one carbon atom dioxide, or let it settle out and decant
away from the 3-hydroxyl.The hydrox- the clear layer.This clear layer will
yl at carbon 17, however, does not contain your active steroid in acetone
have this feature. We can use this dif- and you can retrieve it either by slow-
ference to our advantage and perform ly evaporating off the acetone, or by
what is known as an ‘allylic oxidation.’ adding about five parts water and pre-
Allylic oxidations can be done cipitating the steroid out.The precipi-
using a variety of different chemical tated steroid can then be filtered off
reagents; however, activated man- and dried.
ganese dioxide is the most conve- Examples of this reaction are the
nient one to use. What this chemical conversion of 4-androstenediol to
does is oxidize the hydroxyl at car- testosterone, the conversion of 17a-
bon 3 to a ketone, while leaving the methyl-1,4-Androstadien-3b,17bdiol to
17 beta-hydroxyl unaffected. This dianabol, and the conversion of 4-
leaves you with the classic ‘3-one- chloro-17a-methyl-androsta-1,4-dien-
17b-ol’ structure that most active 3b-17b-diol to oral Turinabol.
anabolic steroids possess. Please don’t forget the fact that as
The procedure is simple.You dis- soon as you are done with this
solve the steroid (let’s say 5 grams) in chemical procedure, you have a con-
an appropriate organic solvent (let’s trolled substance on your hand and
say 250cc of acetone) and then add you are therefore committing a
about six times its weight in activated felony. It is for this reason that I must
manganese dioxide. It is important remind you now that this is all being
that you use activated manganese presented to you for purely informa-
dioxide because regular manganese tional and entertainment purposes.
dioxide won’t work.The activated Next month I will continue the
manganese dioxide will not dissolve, chemical information and entertain-
but rather it will sink to the bottom. ment by discussing the chemical
You must then mix the slurry for sev- conversion of diones. C’ya! !
NOJUICE
Bodybuilding By Eric Broser
CLASH IN
COLUMBUS:
Arnold Classic Thoughts
It
is truly amazing how time Kai Greene— After sitting out the now. In fact, a 100 percent on-his-
flies, isn’t it? I feel like the Olympia to heal an injury, Kai is taking game Victor Martinez is probably
2008 Arnold Classic (ASC) his training to a new level in the off- unbeatable at this point in time. The
weekend just ended, and here we are season in order to put it all together questions are…1) Has his knee fully
gearing up for the 2009 extravagan- for the ASC. Kai has become a true recovered since his surgery, and 2)
za! While I do not want to take up my mass monster recently, but it has been Will his time away from the stage
entire column (Steve! More room, at the expense of some of his trade- help him or hurt him? I am betting
please!) on this topic, I do feel com- mark conditioning and a somewhat we will see a close-to-his-best Victor
pelled to share my thoughts on The larger waistline. I feel that if Kai is will- and a tough fight to the wire
Governator’s classic competition. ing to bring his contest weight down between him and Kai.
There is only one problem, however. just a bit so that he can bring back the Toney Freeman— Just when I
At the time of this writing, I am not definition and dryness he owned at his thought the X-man had reached his full
exactly sure who is confirmed to first pro win, while at the same time potential, he shows up at the 2008
compete. I do know Dexter, Phil, combining it with all of the new size Olympia at his all-time greatest! Toney
Dennis, Lee, Melvin and Jay will not he has built onto his frame, he can has always been known for his wide
be there, so let me just focus on a steal the show in Columbus. shoulders, tiny waist and flaring quads,
few of the top athletes who will more Victor Martinez— I will be so but never truly sharp/dry conditioning.
than likely trek to Columbus in order happy to see Vic step back onstage, Well, in the Olympia he had it all and
to contest the second-biggest body- as he is without a doubt one of the managed to grab fifth place, although
building show in existence. best bodybuilders in the world right few would have complained if he were
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PER BERNAL
ResearchUpdate
Warning: Opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of this magazine’s publisher or its
editorial staff. MD does not condone any form of illegal drug use for bodybuilding or for any recreational pur-
pose. MD also does not condone abuse of legal drugs for any purpose.
Iranian Gear:
Does It Stack Up?
Iranian Anadrol certainty that something like this is not a counterfeit just by
In ANABOLICS 2007, you show a picture of examining a picture of its box. This is especially true when
oxymetholone from Alhavi pharmaceuticals in Iran. I the drug product doesn’t use detailed security features such
came across this oxymetholone from Iran Hormone, as holograms or ID verification systems that would make
a different company. Have you heard of them? Is this duplication more difficult. Iran Hormone does not. In this
legit or is this a rip-off? Are a lot of steroids coming case, the box Iran Hormone uses is fairly simple in design,
from Iran now? and could be copied without difficulty. I have not been
To answer your first question, yes, I have heard of the hearing about fakes of this product, however, so I am not
company. Iran Hormone is based in Tehran, Iran, and manu- immediately suspicious. Best I can tell, this is the legitimate
factures a variety of drug products. They presently make item, and should contain a proper dose of oxymetholone.
Note that I was able to get photos of all three Iran Hormone
steroids in the latest ninth edition of ANABOLICS so there
was something for readers to compare these products to.
Iran has traditionally not been a strong ‘source country’
for steroids in the West. But this does appear to be chang-
ing, at least to some extent. Shrinking supply in Western
nations is probably causing this, as well as strong profit
incentives, given that Middle Eastern drug products are
usually easier and less expensive to purchase in volume
than their Western counterparts. A number of Iranian drugs
are now being exported fairly commonly, usually to Europe
though, not the United States. The most prominent of these
products are stanozolol and methandrostenolone from
three anabolic steroids in generic form. The first two are Ramopharmin, nandrolone decanoate and phenylpropi-
nandrolone decanoate and nandrolone phenylpropionate onate from Iran Hormone, and the oxymetholone from
(commonly known as Deca-Durabolin and Durabolin, Alhavi, and Iran Hormone.
respectively). These items come in very low doses, carrying
only 25mg/mL of steroid each. This is very low for body- Underground Gear
building use, of course, making such items in lower Why are you so hard on underground steroids?
demand than many other nandrolone products. The fact Human pharmaceutical steroids are all counterfeit
that these nandrolones are available very inexpensively, now. The market is worse than underground. Don’t
and consumers generally trust them as such low-dosed you like any underground companies?
items are rarely counterfeited, are probably the reasons I do try not to be overly hard on underground compa-
they circulate at all. nies. I do concede that there are some good operations out
The third product is indeed oxymetholone in 50mg there, which really care about product quality. You need to
tablets. Given the sophistication of counterfeit manufactur- understand though, this is a market filled with uncertainty
ers these days, it is always difficult to say with 100 percent by its very nature. Underground drug manufacture is syn-
Any time you stack steroids together, you tend to get a Know Your Gear! William Llewellyn’s ANABOLICS 9th
greater anabolic effect because you are taking a higher Edition (2009) is out NOW. Order your copy of this monster
cumulative dose. So in this regard, it is very easy to come steroid reference guide today by calling 888-828-8008 or
up with new stacking theories that to the casual observer, visiting www.AnabolicsBook.com.
The Anabolic
Freak By Dave Palumbo,
Editor-in-Chief,
musculardevelopment.com
1 reductase. When this enzyme sys- you’re gonna use a product like 11 tion. According to Hutchinson, “They
tem is blocked, cortisone can’t be OXO, listen to your body and back keep me moving forward in body-
converted to its catabolic end-prod- off the dosage if you start experienc- building, and in life.”
uct, cortisol. While inhibiting cortisol ing painful joints or symptoms of Larry would like to thank MD for
sounds like a great thing for body- low blood sugar. all the great information and guid-
builders because of the immune- ance he’s gathered over the last sev-
suppressing, abdominal fat-storing Prison Bodies eral years. He reminds us, “It’s the
and muscle-wasting effects, we must Larry Hutchinson sent in this articles in the pages of MD that push
also remember that cortisol has impressive photo from the Fishkill me to go on and to keep growing.”
many important actions in the body Correctional Facility in Beacon, NY One look at his physique and
such as blood sugar regulation and where he’s currently incarcerated. strength accomplishments confirms
anti-inflammation. Eating only the prison food and that MD is truly all things to all folks!
I’ve talked to a few people who’ve training in a less-than-spectacular
used 11 OXO, and most thought it facility, Larry has the physique of a Reminders
worked pretty well. They felt like they top national-level bodybuilder. He My Personal Training Certification
recovered better from their workouts also has the distinct honor of being Course, S.M.A.R.T., is now available
and they had an easier time drop- the first man in the New York State online at smarttrainingonline.com.
ping body fat. Increased recovery Prison System to ever break the Become a certified personal trainer
can result from less 2,000-pound mark in from the convenience of your own
catabolic hormones powerlifting with a 525- home. I personally wrote the infor-
being produced follow- pound bench, 800- mation-packed 100-page manual and
ing stressful workouts. pound squat and 725- I guarantee it’s the most comprehen-
Likewise, when cortisol pound deadlift. When sive diet, supplement and training
levels are lowest, less you try to imagine how manual available. By popular
glucose gets produced a prisoner who eats demand, a paper (hard copy) version
in the liver via gluco- marginal food, trains on is now also available for $39.99.
neogenesis. Lower beaten-up weights and Check out the web address above. !
blood sugars result in has no access to sup-
lower insulin output. plements or muscle- To purchase my book, Perfect Prison
This leads to less body building drugs can pos- Physique, please send a $25
fat storage. On the neg- sibly accomplish such money order to the address
ative side, several users an incredible feat of below or order online at
davepalumbo.com. To
of 11 OXO whom I strength, you realize
order any of my SPECIES
spoke to complained of that Larry defies all laws supplements visit
chronic joint pain. of probability. He speciesnutrition.com.
When too much cortisol explains that his incredi- Dave Palumbo
is inhibited, inflamma- ble physique and P.O. Box 1122
tion can rise to unsafe strength is the result of Seaford, NY 11783
levels. Therefore, if inspiration and dedica-
Androgens, SARMs
And Stupid Science
Gateway Drug— concomitant use of other drugs of activities and use of ergogenic sub-
Stupid Stuff From abuse. The use of AAS can, however, stances, mass e-mails, and print
The Annals Of progress to the use of other drugs. media to participate in a 291-item
Science Egads!!! A gateway drug (OK, I added web-based survey. The Internet was
More on the evils of androgens. that for dramatic effect).The study also utilized to provide a large and geo-
With folks dying right and left from indicated the importance of obtaining graphically diverse sample with the
alcohol, tobacco and tangling with ter- accurate, comprehensive information greatest degree of anonymity to facil-
rorists, we have a bunch of wishy- about the development of AAS use in itate participation.
washy busybodies who are convinced designing treatment programs and Here is what they found. The
1
that androgens are evil incarnate. For prevention strategies in this area. majority of respondents did not initi-
instance, a recent investigation inter- ate AAS use during adolescence and
viewed six patients (four men and two Researchers discov- their NMAAS use was not motivated
women) with experience of anabolic- ered, by golly, that by athletics. The typical user was a
androgen steroid (AAS) use who were Caucasian, highly-educated, gainfully
attending an addiction clinic for what there was signifi- employed professional approximately
they believed were AAS-related prob- cant variation in the 30 years old, who was earning an
lems. The patients were interviewed development of drug above-average income, was not
in-depth about their life stories, with active in organized sports, and whose
special emphasis on social back-
use in relation to use was motivated by increases in
ground, substance use, the develop- social background, skeletal muscle mass, strength, and
ment of total drug use and subjective onset of drug use, physical attractiveness. These findings
experienced psychological and physi- question commonly held views of the
cal side effects. Researchers discov-
relationship to AAS typical NMAAS user and the associat-
ered, by golly, that there was signifi- use and experience ed underlying motivations. As you
cant variation in the development of of AAS effects. can clearly see, most ‘users’ are high-
drug use in relation to social back- ly educated white guys who want
ground, onset of drug use, relation- This study is so dumb; first of all, bigger pecs.
ship to AAS use and experience of it is SIX, count ‘em…six case studies; The notion of androgens as being
AAS effects. certainly there will be a self-selection gateway drugs is just plain silly, stu-
All patients had initially experi- issue of fu#$ed-up people who are pid, and silly. It really is silly; and not
enced positive effects from AAS but, likely to have drug problems in gen- very scientific.
over time, the negative experiences eral. What this study ignores is the
had outweighed the positive effects. data published in the Journal of the Move Over, Viagra
All patients were dedicated to excess International Society of Sports The relationship between hypogo-
training and took AAS in combination Nutrition (JISSN), showing indeed nadism and erectile dysfunction (ED)
with gym training, indicating that the that the average androgen user is has not been completely clarified but
2
use of these drugs was closely related NOT an abuser of drugs. In this let’s face it, if you have ED, than a little
to this form of training. Use of multi- study, researchers examined non- bit of T can’t hurt, right? This study
ple drugs was common either in paral- medical anabolic-androgenic steroid evaluated the efficacy and safety of a
lel with AAS use or serially. Therefore, (NMAAS) use. United States-based 50mg/day of 1 percent hydroalcoholic
in their infinite wisdom, these scien- male NMAAS users (n = 1,955) were testosterone gel applied on non-scro-
tists concluded that AAS use can recruited from various Internet web- tal skin for hypogonadal men with
develop either with or without the sites dedicated to resistance training sexual dysfunction. Researchers found
BODYBUILDING Q&A
Q: I’ve been working out for
a while and I feel like I’ve
tried just about everything possi-
hormone-mediated protein degrada-
tion (catabolism) and drastically
increased anabolic myofibrillar activa-
being trained, creating the optimum
anabolic environment fast! As a result,
™
INTRAVOL is engineered to stave off
ble to maximize my workouts— tion (muscle growth). muscle protein degradation as well as
but there has to be something As a result of creating a glycogen accelerate the activation of hyper-
more that will really make a dif- sparing, cortisol-reduced environ- hydrated muscular pumps, intracellu-
ference. Lately, I’ve seen a lot of ment, test subjects actually gained lar protein synthesis and glycogen
the ‘hardcore’ bodybuilders carry- 9.04 pounds of lean muscle com- reloading— resulting in superior per-
ing around shaker cups while they pared to the placebo group, which formance in the gym.
™
train. What are they consuming only gained a meager 3.97 pounds. INTRAVOL has been formulated
during workouts and what are the In the same study, test subjects also based on proven scientific ratios of
benefits of it? increased their 1-rep maximum leg key compounds tested in cutting-edge
AskTheDoc
After training calves, the next you straighten your knee and dorsiflex this in a number of ways. You can roll a
morning my heel hurts badly when your ankle puts a great deal of stretch tennis ball or golf ball on the bottom of
I get up out of bed. It is now start- on this muscle. The gastrocnemius the foot. You can see a massage thera-
ing to hurt more toward the end connects to the heel. When this is tight, pist or dig in with your hands. At the
of the day. What’s up, doc? it puts more stress on the plantar fas- end of the day, rolling your foot on a
As an orthopaedic surgeon, this cia as the toes touch the ground and it water bottle made into ice can be
sounds like the bane of my existence— has to fight the tight gastrocnemius soothing to the burning pain. This mas-
plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is a muscle. All of this stress is applied to sage, in combination with gastrocne-
painful inflammatory condition of the the plantar fascia, which pulls on the mius stretches— when done consis-
plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a heel, causing excruciating pain. tently— can cure much of plantar
tight ligament on the bottom of the Pain is usually felt on the inside bot- fasciitis.
foot that connects the heel to the base tom portion of the heel. It often sub-
of the toes. It plays an important role sides after walking around for a few
in maintaining the arch of the foot. minutes, then gets worse toward the
end of a day of
being on your feet.
Obesity, weight
gain, jobs that
require walking on
hard surfaces, walk-
ing up hills, and
shoes with little or
no arch support
often exacerbate
this condition.
However, there are
a few conditions
Plantar fasciitis is often associated that should be ruled out when you
with long periods of standing or walk- have heel pain, such as calcaneal
ing, or sudden changes in weight-bear- stress fracture, insertional Achilles ten-
ing activity. I often see this condition in donitis, nerve pain and even tumors. In
patients who were relatively inactive an Arnold accent, “It’s not a tumor!” I
and then become more active. For always wanted to say that.
instance, I see this after doing a total In all seriousness, this condition can
knee replacement, after patients have be quite disabling to an athlete. It is
less knee pain and become more important to begin treatment early,
active. I also see this in people who before it becomes constantly painful.
have changes in their foot alignment At its worst, some people need crutch-
that result in more pronation or flatten- es or a ‘cast boot’ to walk. There are
ing of the foot. many ways to treat this and the key to
But, you are not an inactive or over- the treatment is consistency.
weight person— you are a fitness ath- First of all, stretching the gastrocne-
lete! Why does your calf day result in mius muscle is very important. Doing
this pain? Well, some believe that plan- Achilles tendon or runner’s stretches
tar fasciitis is perpetuated by a tight with the knee straight, twice a day, is Third, with the diagnosis of plantar
gastrocnemius muscle. The gastrocne- easy to do. Stretch slowly for 30 sec- fasciitis, most insurance companies
mius is the calf muscle that crosses the onds five times on each side, once in will approve a couple of orthotic
knee joint and is tightest when you the morning and again at night. That’s devices. A custom orthotic with a
stand. After sleeping, the calf muscle only 10 minutes of stretching. In addi- medial arch support and a cushioned
gets tight because you don’t hold your tion, avoid activities where you stand heel will often off-load the plantar fas-
toes up at night. And, I bet it is much on the ball of the foot for long periods. cia when you are on your feet during
tighter the morning after your calf Second, deep tissue massage of the the day. An over-the-counter arch sup-
workout. plantar fascia where it hurts can be port and heel cup may also help.
That first step in the morning when done twice a day. I recommend doing Another orthotic device is the night
Extreme Muscle
Enhancement By Carlon M. Colker, MD, FACN
GHRELIN:
Growth Hormone
Meets Its Maker
W
hen my sister Pamela and life here— it’s about finding the start- before meals, thus stimulating
I were little kids, our dear ing point where the essence of the appetite, then sharply decline right
mother would set all very best things in life begin. Every after eating. Ghrelin appears to signal
things in motion. In other words, if smart person knows that by going the brain to eat and then terminates
she did not wake our asses up and back to the source, you usually get the desire once full satiety is reached.
sometimes literally pull us out of the best results. The same applies to In addition, we know ghrelin preferen-
bed, we’d gladly squander the day. the human body, from the most tially increases metabolism of carbo-
Like clockwork, mom gave us a gen- obvious functions all the way down hydrates over that of other macronu-
tle and sweet wake-up nudge and to the very neurotransmitters and trients. As a result of these striking
kiss. Exactly 5 minutes after that it hormones that govern our health influences, it has become the intense
was a stern warning. If you ignored and well-being. Identify this prover- focus of anti-obesity drug research.
that, then precisely 5 minutes later bial spark and you understand how But the mystery of ghrelin and its
the sheets came off, and so did you the fire begins! extraordinary powers does not stop
if you didn’t get the hint! Once we there.
got used to the precision of mom’s There’s a lesson Ghrelin stimulates endogenous
routine, however annoying, it did
provide a certain comfort in its pre-
in life here— it’s growth hormone production by way
of acting on a distinct receptor called
dictability. When motion began, about finding growth hormone secretagogue
everything fell into place like clock- (GHS). This receptor is recognized as
work. Faces were washed, teeth
the starting point a key controller of growth hormone
brushed, hair combed, clothes put where the essence production. Once stimulated by
on, book bags packed, breakfast ghrelin, the receptor signals and sets
eaten, lunch bags grabbed and out-
of the very best in motion growth hormone secre-
side we’d be, front and center, wait- things in life tion. This mechanism should be dis-
ing for the bus. After that we were tinguished from the hypothalamic
subject to the order of school, then
begin. growth hormone-releasing hormone
our after-school programs, and final- (GHRH). GHRH is a biologically-
ly home for homework, dinner, Ghrelin is such a spark. It is a small active natural polypeptide comprised
shower, a bit of playtime and right 28-amino-acid peptide protein with a of approximately 44 amino acids.
back to bed to start all over again! fatty-acid side-chain naturally pro- Injections and infusions of GHRH
Looking back, it was this regimen- duced in the human body. It is pro- have been shown in research to
tation that prepared us for life. duced and secreted by endocrine cells increase growth hormone and IGF-1
I became a doctor and my sister is a in the gastric fundus, as well as by the by directly stimulating cells of the
lawyer. To this day, we both remain hypothalamus, to a smaller degree. anterior lobe of the pituitary gland.
habituated to the ingrained structure Classically, ghrelin has been described In this case, unlike ghrelin, GHRH
that all started with our mom. Mom in scientific literature as an important acts on its own GHRH receptor. So
was the proverbial atom that set the factor in the control of appetite. Blood GHRH and ghrelin are not inter-
chain reaction of molecules in levels of ghrelin are directly associated changeable terms, as much of the
motion to follow. There’s a lesson in with digestion; levels rise immediately confusing references to them would
LegalQ&A
“Pregnant
Man” Is Juiced!
The “pregnant man” was given testosterone while
switching from female to male. Why is it illegal for a
heavier beard, more body hair, harder musculature, maybe
a more manly jaw line. Isn’t it curious that the very things
physically healthy woman to take steroids to get buff, that the medical community vilifies as horrific “side effects”
but legal for her to take steroids to get butch? of female steroid use are desired by doctors helping trans-
For anyone who missed the ubiquitous news blitz, the gender-seeking women? If under modern medical sensibili-
“world’s first pregnant man” appeared on “Oprah” and ties, these and other steroid-induced effects are so terrible as
other talk shows recently.The headlines suggested a scientif- to subject physicians to imprisonment for cosmetic prescrib-
ic breakthrough on a par with the discovery of the atom or ing, why are the drugs being permitted in this context?
the first lunar landing. People magazine carried a photo of a Either steroids are too dangerous to give to physically
bearded Thomas Beatie, shirtless and with a bulging baby- healthy people for cosmetic reasons, or they’re not.You can’t
bump. But let’s clarify what we’re talking about. Beatie, a for- have it both ways. Here’s an ironic observation: we’ve some-
mer Miss Teen Hawaii USA finalist, had been a lesbian times heard some fat jackass mutter something insensitive
woman named Tracy who underwent a double mastectomy about a passing female bodybuilder such as, “She looks like
and took male hormone injections but refused any genital a man.” Most female bodybuilders don’t want to look like a
surgery. man. But possessing steroids could get these women arrest-
Legally declared a man by the State of Oregon, Beatie ed… unless they really do want to look like a man, in which
married his lover and together they desired to be parents. case, confusingly, they can get steroids legally prescribed by
But his wife could not conceive a child for medical reasons, a doctor!
so Beatie stopped taking testosterone and was artificially The waters get even murkier when you bring men’s
inseminated with donor sperm using a device bought from a bodybuilding into the equation. It’s generally recognized that
veterinarian. He carried the child to term, giving birth in June the health dangers are worse for women using steroids than
to a baby girl.The media ran wild with the story and the cou- they are for men. So from a gender-equality standpoint, why
ple seemed only too happy to bask in their moment of fame, should we allow transgender-aspiring women to use
as America chewed over the implications. steroids for cosmetic appearance purposes, but not fitness-
Beatie recently announced he is pregnant again. His story aspiring men? Why does one group get “Oprah” and the
has provoked strong reactions– support as well as expres- other group get prison?
sions of confusion or even disgust. Some critics have sug- I’m not passing judgment on Thomas Beatie or other
gested that, notwithstanding Oregon’s declaration, Beatie transgender folks, nor am I advocating for or against
remains a genetic and biological female; he does have steroids. I’m just challenging the inconsistency.You can’t say
altered secondary sex characteristics, but still possesses that steroids are so inherently dangerous that a physician
vagina, uterus, and ovaries. Given the genital hardware, crit- can’t prescribe them in the absence of a serious physical ill-
ics shrug, where’s the scientific breakthrough? ness, but then allow them to be prescribed to a physically
ILLUSTRATION BY LYMAN DALLY
Your question raises a more important point than mere healthy woman who wants to look more like a man.
scientific novelty. Beatie was a woman desiring to dress like Thanks for your question; keep ’em coming! And be sure
a man, live like a man, and undergo some surgical and hor- to say “Hi” to me if you spot the Team Legal Muscle crew at
monal alterations to look more like a man, while remaining the Ah-nuld Classic! ■
a functioning woman from the waist down.The goal of
Rick Collins, JD, CSCS [www.rickcollins.com] is the lawyer that members of
administering testosterone wasn’t to “turn” the woman into
the bodybuilding community and nutritional supplement industry turn to when
a man (that issue was resolved by the State of Oregon); it
they need legal help or representation. [© Rick Collins, 2008. All rights reserved.
was to add a masculine appearance to the face and body– For informational purposes only, not to be construed as legal or medical advice.]
respect that. And now, here I am with my own monthly column. It feels good!
E M
L
Palumbo
W N
Diet Debate
I have been following
along on the MD NO BULL
Forum as the thread debating
the merits of Dave’s diet just
!
keeps going and going. As a client of
Dave’s and a believer in the diet, I will
concede that it’s not for everyone. No
one diet can ever be the best way for
everybody. Until you really give it a
solid try, you can’t know whether or
not it’s cut out for you and your
physique and metabolism.
One critique I have heard that
seems to make sense is that a no-carb
diet probably isn’t suited for lighter
athletes who don’t have much muscle
to spare. If a guy or girl like this flat-
tens out or even loses mass in the
process of leaning out, it’s far more
obvious and more detrimental to the
overall appearance. In contrast, big-
ger, heavier guys can probably afford
to lose a bit of size and it doesn’t real-
ly hurt them, especially since getting
shredded creates the illusion of look-
ing bigger anyway.
CHEC
musculardevelKopOUT
ment.com
FOR COM
CONTEST PLET
E
COVERAGE
!
Who impressed So I take pictures, answer questions and what have you.
me at the Nationals? Often 20 minutes have gone by and I still haven’t made it
I get this question after any show I attend these days. to the bathroom! I don’t really mind being nice and accom-
The truth of the matter is that it’s very rare that I actually modating to the fans, because without them I would have
get to watch a contest anymore. Even if I’m not working a no career and there would be no sport of bodybuilding.
booth for my sponsor, Muscle Meds, I still have certain So I was on the way back to my seat when someone
responsibilities that come with being in the spotlight. For called out to me. I recognized the face, but it took me a
instance, if I get up to go to the bathroom, many fans see minute to realize it was Marvin Ward from New Jersey. We
the opportunity to interact with me on a one-on-one basis. go way back. In 1999 we were both representing the US
Team at the IFBB World Amateur
Championships in Slovakia. Marvin asked me
to keep an eye out for him in the lightweights
and let me know what I thought his chances
were. That threw me for a loop, because I
thought Marvin was already a pro. He had
earned his pro card first by being the only
bantamweight to ever win an Overall at a pro
qualifier at the 2000 Team Universe, then
another time by winning the same class at
the 2003 NPC Nationals. But apparently he
didn’t want to take his pro card until he could
at least move up to lightweight and do it
(he’s 5’2”).
In my opinion, Marvin is one of the best
drug-free bodybuilders alive today. His shape
and structure remind me of one of the tro-
phies. I’m not ashamed to say I’m even a little
envious of some of his attributes. So when he
asked me to look for him, I asked him if he
had done his homework. I already knew the
answer from his sunken eyes and jutting
cheekbones— the man was shredded. I told
him he would win and immediately regretted
saying that out loud. Other competitors in his
class may have heard that and felt hurt. I
hadn’t meant it as any disrespect to the other
lightweights, it’s just that I know Marvin and
what he’s capable of. He did go on to win the
class and earn his pro card for the third time.
Hopefully this time he takes it and we can
start seeing Ward battle in the 202s.
Meeting Expectations
There were a few guys going into the Nationals with a lot of hype and a lot of expectations from fans, media and their
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL COMSTOCK
sponsors to win. Peter Putnam and Mike Liberatore had that pressure going into the show and luckily won their classes.
Trey Brewer wasn’t so fortunate, and I feel for the young guy. I’ve been in that position where there’s a lot riding on you,
though not to his extent. When so much time, money, and publicity has been invested in a person, that person is expect-
ed to come through. It’s like a machine pushing on him, and I imagine it must seem overwhelming. Trey looked very good,
but it just wasn’t his day. Ed Nunn was the clear winner in the super-heavies. I know what it’s like to be up there posing
your heart out and see that no one is even looking at you anymore. It’s a terrible feeling. You know that in bodybuilding
there is always a ‘next time,’ but when all those expectations are on you, you are supposed to win now, not some other
time. Brewer has a lot of freaky body parts and he’s getting better all the time, so he’ll get another chance.
386
000 MD www.musculardevelopment.com March 2009
www.fantamag.com
I am in awe of the back
thickness you have built over
the last year. Which exercises
would you say have made the
biggest difference?
I know the simple answer that
you probably want and expect:
deadlifts, bent rows, T-bar rows,
clean and presses, etc. And those
are all exercises that I have been
doing that no doubt contributed
to my improved back thickness.
But the truth of the matter is that
it’s not the exercises themselves
that made the differences—I’ve
been doing them for years and
years. One thing I started doing
recently was pull-ups, every day,
between sets when I was training
other body parts. Arnold called
these ‘staggered sets.’ But again,
it’s not that doing those pull-ups
stimulated the new gains in a
direct manner. I used those pull-
ups as a means of becoming
more cognizant of how to perfect-
ly retract my scapula and contract
my lats to develop a more com-
plete mind-muscle connection.
This allowed me to achieve more
significant contractions in all my
back exercises. If you can truly
master the pull-up and learn how
to activate each and every fiber of
your lats throughout the course of
the entire range of motion, you
can apply that same technique to
various rows and even the dead-
lift. Another shift took place in my
mind after seeing how drastically
Phil Heath had managed to
improve his back from the time of
the Arnold Classic to the Olympia,
a span of just over six months. It
humbled me, to be honest. Back
was one of my strong points and I
certainly expected to dominate
Phil in the back shots the next
time we met onstage, but now I
saw that I had been presumptu-
ous and had underestimated When Do I Train?
Heath’s capabilities. I realized that A few years ago, I used to love training anywhere from 3 to 7 p.m. The
my back would have to be better, gyms were crowded with tons of people that had just gotten off work and
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PER BERNAL
and resolved to make it happen. there was always an abundance of energy to feed off of. It was typically a
So if you were hoping I would packed madhouse, but the air was electric with adrenaline you could just
simply list my ‘magic routine’ soak up. Nowadays, I hit the gym whenever the spirit moves me. Usually
responsible for my new back this can be anywhere from early morning to early afternoon. I like it now
thickness, it went a lot deeper when the gym isn’t so congested, as it makes it easier to do things like giant
than that. sets, supersets, or compound movements. It’s tough to use the power rack
for squats when a couple guys are doing their curls on it!
Goodbye, Dad
In the first week of December, my dad passed away at the age of 89. His
name was also Victor Martinez. Dad came to the USA in the late ’70s and
worked at the old Woolworth department store for years before he retired.
We clashed a lot when I was younger. I was getting in a lot of trouble in
high school so I dropped out. Dad saw me lifting weights and didn’t
approve because he thought I was throwing my life away on this dopey
dream of being a muscleman. At one point he even threw my weights out
in the trash! Eventually I went back and got my GED, and he was relieved
about that.
Dad came around to the whole bodybuilding thing once he saw how
dedicated I was and how it gave my life structure and discipline. He was
very proud of my accomplishments and would cut out any newspaper arti-
cles and send copies out to all our relatives. Dad was also happy any time I
gave him a magazine that had an article about me. I know he had quite a
collection of MD issues. Dad was a lot older by the time I was competing as
a pro, so traveling to my shows wasn’t something he was able to do.
Unfortunately, he never saw me compete. We took him back to the country
town of San Francisco in the Dominican Republic to bury him. I miss him
just like I miss my mom, who passed away going on three years ago. Now
they’re together again.
hungry. There have been many bodybuilders who use it to relax after a
tough workout and to stimulate the appetite so they can take in the quality
calories they need. Obviously, if someone gets the munchies and eats a
bunch of junk, that defeats the purpose. There is no hangover with weed. It
does affect short-term memory and some people also have issues with los-
ing motivation in general if they smoke on a regular basis. So really, neither
alcohol nor marijuana is something I would recommend to bodybuilders, but
you did ask me to pick the lesser of two evils.
I know this is quite a hypo- your house for the rest of your life pasta. Do you think it’s best to
thetical question, but here goes. so you won’t have to worry about not worry and just go for it, or
If somehow you were able to getting hit by a car or kidnapped. should I be more careful and go
maintain all your size and densi- You’d be ‘safe,’ but what kind of life a bit slower?
ty using very light weights, would you really have? I’m mean- First off, 10 pounds of muscle in a
would you? Or do you enjoy or dering, but you catch my drift. No, I year is awesome! If I could do that at
take pride so much in lifting wouldn’t train light even if I could this point in my career (in the right
heavy that you would do it any- maintain my size that way. places) I would jump for joy. I used
way, even though training very to let myself get pretty heavy. Before
light would pretty much guaran- On your way to working up in my first USA, I got up to 240 and
tee healthier joints and an size, say the time when you couldn’t see my abs. But I was build-
almost zero chance of injury were about to hit the National ing a lot of mass along with the fat. I
ever again? level, what type of conditioning was only 202 for that show, but I got
Believe it or not, I would still would you stay in during the up to 250 after that, then dieted
train heavy. And it’s not an ego off-season? I am trying to gain down to 220 and turned pro at the
thing where I have to be the some size now before my shows Nationals. I can’t let myself get out
strongest guy around or anything next year and never had a true of shape anymore because I am con-
stupid like that. I simply enjoy train- off-season, even though I have stantly guest posing and making
ing heavy, and have from day one. been adding approximately 10 appearances. If not, I wouldn’t care
It’s fun. I’ve had to train light on cer- pounds a year to my stage so much about staying lean. It
tain things after injuries, and it weight the last three years. sounds to me like you stay lean pret-
sucks. It’s not fun for me. If I didn’t What body fat percentage did ty easily anyway, so you should defi-
enjoy training, I wouldn’t do it. As you try to stay around? I have a nitely go ahead and increase your
far as healthier joints and never get- fast metabolism so it’s hard to overall protein and calories and
ting hurt again, that’s like saying get fat, and I do add some good throw in a couple of cheat meals a
you should stay locked up inside cheat foods in each day like week. For someone with a metabo-
lism like yours, you can probably
get away with pizza, Chinese food,
or burgers and fries for those
meals. Even so, I would keep an
eye on what’s going on with your
body fat and don’t let yourself get
carried away. It’s easy to do, as evi-
denced by a lot of borderline
obese bodybuilders I have known!
My Comeback!
Let it hereby be known that I, Lee Priest, am officially announcing
the two contests where I will be making my comeback: The
Australian Pro show on Saturday, March 14 and the New Zealand
Pro show the very next day, Sunday the 15th. I did give some serious
thought to doing the Arnold Classic, or at the very least making an
appearance there at the expo, but I decided against it. Any of you
Americans who have ever been to Australia know what an incredi-
bly long and exhausting flight it is, and I know it would negatively
affect my condition for the shows over here. My plan is to be at least
as good as I’ve been before in terms of condition, and I know from
past experience that it wouldn’t be possible with all that traveling. So
I am sorry to all my fans who wanted to see me at the Arnold. Don’t
worry, I’ll make it up to you somehow! I definitely plan on qualifying
for the Mr. Olympia and being in that show.
Suicide, Live Online himself, shoot himself in the mouth, jump into a bath-
I heard about the young guy who committed sui- tub with electricity flowing through it, cut his throat,
cide with his webcam on, being broadcast on the or even come up with something far more original and
Bodybuilding.com forum. I was pissed that I missed it deranged, like what they do in the “Saw” movies. But
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PER BERNAL
because I would have been egging him on just like taking some pills so we can watch you sleep and
the others were. As far as suicides go, I only give this eventually stop breathing? I feel sorry for his family
one a single star. Pills? How fucking boring is that? and friends, but this guy clearly wanted as many peo-
People watched him lie there unconscious. If you are ple as possible to watch the final act of his life. I
going to off yourself live on camera, do something a would watch anyone do this online if they are that
bit more dramatic (not that I am urging anybody to dumb and desperate for an audience. But I would pre-
end his or her life, of course). A person could hang fer a more entertaining method.
New Ink
One thing I said I would do that I did follow through
on was to join the tattoos on my face and my neck so it
all flows together. I think it looks much better this way,
but of course I am sure I will have to hear from people
who will say I look stupid or that I must be crazy or
whatever. These are the same people who used to com-
plain about my hair years ago, how I cut it or what color
I had it dyed. I must be pretty important to have
debates raging on about such ridiculous shit with my
appearance!
ShawnRay
This was the most highly anticipated event of the year, with ketability’ of the
more media and depth of competition than ever before, winner. Berry was out of the competition due to a torn pec,
and I would be front and center of everything that was while I was touring Russia and Italy where we met up and I
good and I’d make my mama proud! Sadly, the turn of decided the Arnold was what I’d train for. Even he had
events after the show would leave a stench of bad sports- agreed with the experts that water-based injectables like
manship that would take a long time to get rid of. Winstrol V and Test Suspension were fast-acting steroids
I sauntered into Columbus, Ohio as the golden boy of that if used properly would be out of the system in a rela-
bodybuilding, a future Mr. Olympia winner in the making. tively short period of time. However, knowing the magni-
People wanted my autograph and photo, not to mention a tude and ramifications of a victory failure at a show this
victory! As I approached the good doctor for the piss test, I big, I chose to stop all drug use in October of 1989 to be
had no foreboding that something could go wrong, or even safe, with the exception of Anavar tablets which I used right
considered the possibility of foul play. As a matter of fact, I up to the new year! Clenbuterol was something I had heard
had too much piss for the cup, which felt good because I a lot of guys were using, but I had no interest in introduc-
was excreting excess water from the plane flight! Ahhh, ing something I had never taken before into my contest
Meshing Together
One thing I made very sure of was that my surgeon put a mesh
screen over the repaired area before sewing it all back up. I had
talked to some guys who had hernia operations who did not have
a mesh screen put in, and each and every one of them got another
hernia later on! I really, really can’t afford to lose more time like
this again. As it is, I am going to miss the Arnold, a show I had
been looking forward to and that I could have had a good chance
to win. So if any of you bodybuilders out there have a hernia repair,
be very sure you specifically ask for a mesh screen.
Too Much Time On whole lot, but one time I did the
My Hands day after the operation and it
My days are normally pretty almost felt like someone stabled
full with training and eating. me in the guts! I really thought
After about a week following the I had torn open the hernia again
surgery, I didn’t know what to do because the pain was horrible.
with myself. I was watching all Pretty scary.
my DVDs and some old UFC
fights, but the boredom and the Back To The Gym—
feeling that I was just wasting With Extreme
time sitting around was tough to Caution
take. I’ve always taken some Next week (beginning
time off from training after a big December 8), I am going back
show like the Olympia, but that to the gym for some very light
was by choice. It’s worse when training, just to see how it
you can’t train even if you really goes. I will be using very light
want to. It definitely made me weights and probably mostly
appreciate being strong and machines, just to get the
healthy that much more. blood flowing and maybe a bit
of a pump in the muscles. I
It Only Hurts When I. . . have to be very careful and
• Sit up. Who knew how ease back into heavy training
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PER BERNAL
House Calls
House, you busted onto the bodybuilding scene
North American
pretty damn quick. Could you give me some tips on
Overall Champ 1st Place
how to get my name out there and get noticed? It
would be nice to pick up a supplement sponsor. How It is funny that you should ask how Universal
did Universal find you? Nutrition found me. It ties right in with the question. Irv
Yeah bro, it has been a fast ride so far. I only did four Gelb, a well-known photographer, saw some of the pho-
shows in three years before I turned pro. It was pretty awe- tos I had posted and he set up a shoot for me and got
some. I still remember doing my first show. It was the me in contact with Universal. Universal then saw pic-
Upper Ohio Valley NPC show. I had no idea what was going tures of me that I had posted online. They e-mailed me
on. I was dieting while I was still in college, but I was lucky and at first I thought it was people messin’ with me, but I
to have some good people in my corner to show me the followed up with it and they ended up signing me over
CONTEST PHOTO BY BILL COMSTOCK
ropes. So yes, it all happened pretty quick. the phone in a few days. It was crazy; I went from Mr.
Getting your name out there is pretty important and WV to being signed with them. They signed me before I
doing that will get you noticed. I think that the Internet is had even stepped on the national-level stage. Getting
one of the best tools for any bodybuilder at any level to signed with Universal was my first big step in bodybuild-
get noticed. I used the Internet early in my career to get ing, and now being with MD is just a dream come true.
my face out to different people. Once I started dieting I also have to say my wife has also been very sup-
down for my shows, I was posting pictures online for portive and she is my biggest promoter. She is always
people to give me some input. It is funny to look back at talking on the boards and keeping me in the light while I
what people thought of me then. There were people who am training hard.
OUT
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usculardevelopmenEt.com
m FOR COMPLER ET
AGE!
T COV
CONTES
NATIONAL HERO
It’s Gonna Be A Great Arnold Classic!
As I write this in mid-December, the lineup for the 2009
Arnold Classic hasn’t been announced yet. The two big
mystery entries that a lot of people would love to see are
Dexter Jackson and possibly Ronnie Coleman. If any Mr.
Olympia can compete twice a year without risking much,
it’s Dexter. He’s shown many times that peaking is not an
issue with him. So I would not be surprised if he decided to
show up and spoil the party. I am pretty skeptical of
Ronnie. Personally, I would love to see him compete again
because he’s a living legend, but I doubt he will do any-
thing before that big show in Berlin after the Olympia.
As for Victor Martinez, the Arnold could easily be his if
he is able to look as good as he did back in 2007 where he
beat Dexter at both the Arnold and the Olympia. Nobody
really knows yet how that leg looks. Kai Greene could also
be right up there and could even push Victor or Dexter for
the title if he’s improved again. He gets better at every
show, which makes him a serious threat. He’s a freak, and
he brings the condition.
Toney Freeman and Branch Warren will also be there
gunning for glory. Toney is coming off a very strong fall
2008 season and Branch missed the Olympia and is practi-
cally foaming at the mouth to do his best here. It would
have been an even better show if Phil Heath hadn’t decid-
ed to skip it, of course. People are debating whether this is
a smart move, but the guy has made nothing but wise
choices so far when it comes to picking which shows to
enter and which ones to pass on. Regardless, the 2009 sea-
son is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting
ones we’ve had in a long time.
Fortunately, I never had any problems with my skin. I
Evan, have you ever had problems with acne? know a lot of guys who are susceptible to acne on either
My doctor prescribed me some tetracycline their face, body or both. You may want to try drinking more
because it was getting bad on my back (bacne). water and cleaning up your diet if it isn’t already in good
Then I read something Dave Palumbo wrote, that shape. I wish I could offer you more advice. One thing I will
this drug inhibits protein synthesis. Great— so my say and some people will probably disagree with me, is that
skin will clear up but I won’t be able to make any you may want to make sure your liver function is up to par.
gains! Do you have any suggestions on what I can It would make sense to me that your body excretes toxins
do for my acne instead of using tetracycline? through your urine and your fecal matter and if either if
those are not working up to par, you will excrete them
through your skin.
Maybe this is entirely untrue and I’m out in left field with
this theory, but I do know people with skin issues who start-
ed using liver products that cleared up their skin dramatical-
ly. Liv.52 is very popular. Also, there is a product from a
company called Standard Process called LivCo. It’s only pre-
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PER BERNAL
because a couple of the other mid- and fullness back, along with the con-
dles outmuscled him in terms of raw dition he had here (and then). I don’t
mass and thickness, but Guy had know if it means going back to heavier
deep, clear separations and an overall lifting or what, but Trey Brewer could
polish that carried him to the win. If be one of the best if he figures out
he wants to compete as a pro in the what his body really needs. He’s a nice
202 class, I think he could do really kid and I would love to see him fulfill
well as long as he takes a year or two his potential, even if that means I’ll
off to add quality size. You have guys have to go up against him in the pros.
like Dave Henry, Kevin English, Flex
Lewis and possibly Lee Priest bat- Overall
tling it out in the 202s. All those men Easy call for Nunn. The dude was
pack a lot of mass on their frames. huge, had great shape and was Heavyweight
But congratulations to Guy on a well- ripped. I doubt the judges had to Mike Liberatore
deserved win. sweat too hard over that decision.
CH
musculardeECK OUT
velopment.co
FOR CO
CONTE
S
MPLET
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m
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ERAGE
!
Fast-Food Fanatic
I still can’t get over how a few comments I made here about how I used
to chow down at Wendy’s in my earlier years trying to bulk up has almost
taken on a life of its own. It’s almost like I am getting to be the official
Wendy’s pro the way Lee Priest is known for KFC! I don’t eat that crap any-
more. If I’m gonna have a burger, I go someplace where they do it right and
use quality meat. But I will say that for guys who can’t add weight even
though they eat as much good food as they can stuff down, fast food would
probably help them reach their goals. Just make sure you avoid trans fats.
Those really clog your arteries up, and that’s not good.
Being Selective
Both Phil and I are extremely logical and ana-
lytical when it comes to picking his shows. He
doesn’t just randomly jump into any contest on a
whim. Since he turned professional at the 2005 USA,
each contest has been carefully selected to make sure
it’s the right step for him at that point in time. Some
concerns would obviously be: Is he ready to do well at
this level of competition? Would he have sufficient
time to make improvements since his last event?
And, has Phil allowed enough time between events for full
recovery of all systems? A key process before deciding
whether to compete in any given contest is to see if it makes
sense after taking various factors into consideration, other-
wise known as weighing the pros and cons.
Trainer of
of Champions
Champions
THE BODYBUILDING
First of all I want to say how much I love your and they would have to be carrying an extreme amount
column. I get MD every month and go straight to of muscle mass. I’m talking someone with about as
your article. I appreciate all the tidbits I’ve picked much beef as Cutler— and there aren’t many humans
up over the years; they’ve really helped me as a out there fitting that description! Furthermore, given
bodybuilder. I’m 48 and trying to diet down for your age and the fact that you are admittedly leaning
my first show. A guy I know who went to toward the endomorphic body type, chances are you
Nationals gave me a diet program that didn’t would be much better off on a very low-carb diet.
work (it included 7 cups of cooked rice a day), so The diet you outlined seems far more appropriate for
I thought I’d solicit your advice on the diet I’m your needs. What does look woefully inadequate,
going to try next. though, is the amount of cardio you are doing. Twenty
I’m 5’8” and 254 pounds, my body fat is about or 30 minutes is hardly a warm-up for someone your
15 percent and I’m 19 weeks, five days out from size and with as much body fat as you have to lose. I
my show. I’m more of an endo-mesomorph (prob- have found that in most cases when a person estimates
ably heavier toward the endo). My diet is as fol- his or her body fat to be 15 percent, it’s actually more
lows: like 20-30 percent. Just for the sake of argument, let’s
say it’s 20. At your weight, your lean body mass would
5 a.m.: 2 scoops whey protein with 1 cup of raw oat- be 203 pounds. Of course, you aren’t going to get down
meal blended into 16 oz. of coffee, 1 Animal Pak, 16 oz. to zero percent body fat.
water. So, let’s say you want to get down to 5 percent body
7 a.m.: Ab training and 20-30 minutes cardio: heart rate fat. To do that, you would have to lose about 38 pounds.
in the upper 120s. If you have 19 weeks to do that, you need to lose an
8 a.m.: 1½ cups liquid eggs scrambled, 32 oz. water. average of 2 pounds a week. This can be accomplished
10 a.m.: 9 oz. chicken, 1 cup cooked rice, 1 cup by increasing caloric expenditure via your cardio and
steamed broccoli, 32 oz. water. decreasing your caloric intake via your diet. Keep in
1 p.m.: 9 oz. chicken or lean beef, 1-2 cups green mind that you need to burn 3,500 calories to lose 1
beans, 32 oz. water. pound of fat. If you were to attempt to lose all the fat
2:45 p.m.: Workout (64 oz. water) you have merely using cardio, you would need to burn
4 p.m.: Post-workout carb shake with 60g maltodextrin an average of 1,000 calories a day. This is a very rough
carbs, BCAAs, 5g creatine, 100mg potassium, 400 IU vit- estimate, but that would mean about 2 hours of moder-
amin E, 1,000mg vitamin C, 16 oz. water. ate-pace cardio every day. I need to point out that
4:20 p.m.: 2 scoops whey protein, 16 oz. water. unless I saw your body and also tracked how your body
5:45 p.m.: 9 oz. chicken or lean beef, 1-2 cups broccoli, responded to various diet and training factors, there is
32 oz. water. no way I could give you specific diet and cardio recom-
8:30 p.m.: 9 oz. chicken or fish, 1 cup broccoli, handful mendations to follow. What I can tell you is that you def-
almonds, 32 oz. water. initely need to bump your cardio way up. Find someone
who can give you accurate body fat readings once a
Sorry if this is too much info but you always week so that you can track changes in your body com-
say the more the better. Thank you in advance for position. Ideally, you want to maintain all your muscle
any help you can give me. mass and gradually lose as much body fat as possible.
First, you were smart to recognize that the diet given
to you was not suited to your needs. I’m still shaking I’ve been pretty lazy this year and have finally
my head over the seven cups of cooked rice a day— decided to get off my lazy ass and get back in
that’s about 350 grams of carbs! Only a rare few men shape. What would be a good program for someone
could possibly get leaner eating that volume of carbs, coming off a long layoff of about nine months?
The Best Arnold Classic Silvio brings a lot to the table: stellar
in years? conditioning from head to toe, awe-
Even with Phil Heath, Dennis some shape and symmetry, and a
Wolf, and Melvin Anthony all round, full look to all the muscle
out of the Arnold as of this writ- groups. I don’t know how this
ing in mid-December, it’s still Arnold Classic is going to turn
shaping up to be one of the out, but it will be exciting to
best Arnold Classics in years. watch all these incredible com-
The man to beat is definitely petitors battle it out in March.
going to be Victor Martinez.
After missing out on the Arnold Got a question for
and the Olympia last year, two Charles? E-mail it to him at
huge shows he very likely would editor@musculardevelopment.com
have won, he is taking no prisoners and you could see it answered right
this time, to make sure he grabs here in MD!
Correction:
In my January column, something I talked about regarding Silvio Samuel and my critique of his posing presentation
at the Mr. Olympia made it sound like I was throwing him under the bus. I want to set the record straight. According to
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PER BERNAL
Silvio, both Flex Wheeler and Shawn Ray offered to work with him on his posing for a fee. At the time, Silvio did not
have it in his budget and instead accepted the help of Bob Cicherillo. Bob offered to work with Silvio free of charge—
but I don’t want to put the blame on Silvio for not having the type of polished posing he should have. I am part of his
team. We succeed as a team, and we fail as a team. From now on I am going to make sure Silvio works harder on show-
casing his physique. We work too hard in the gym and he has far too good of a physique for it to be presented less than
perfectly. So to sum it all up one last time, some comments here were blown a bit out of proportion and that’s regret-
table. However Silvio posed before doesn’t matter, because we’re looking forward to better things in the future.
here is perhaps no greater debate the most read, most anticipated place of you are unaware of the fact that just
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