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COVER STORY

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IN EVERY ISSUE 12

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ON THE COVER

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SECTIONS 55

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GROOMING BY CHRISTIE CAIOLA

25

F R O M

T H E

C H A I R M A N

OLYMPIA TIME

Have you made your plans to see bodybuilding and fitness’s “fall classic” yet?

I

t’s hard to believe that the Olympia is upon us once again, yet here we are, getting ready to head to Vegas to celebrate what is shaping up to be the most exciting O yet. By now you’ve surely heard how Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson ed us last year, both to take in the action and to be part of it. Well, I’m happy to announce that Dwayne will be back at this year’s Olympia to help us celebrate the premier event in fitness and bodybuilding! Of course, Dwayne is just one reason to us in Las Vegas. With the world’s top competitions in bodybuilding, physique, classic physique, fitness, figure, and bikini, as well as a massive expo, the Olympia is the epicenter of the fitness world for four days this September. If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to plan your trip to Vegas for Sept. 14 to 17 for a once-in-alifetime experience. Go to mrolympia .com to get your tickets and learn more about the Olympia Weekend. If you can’t us, though, be sure to catch our live Amazon Prime webcast on Friday, Sept. 15, and Saturday, Sept. 16, hosted by pro bodybuilding legend Shawn Ray, renowned bodybuilding expert Peter McGough, and our own Shawn Perine. Whether you plan to watch in person or on Amazon, I can guarantee that this year’s Olympia is sure to provide you memories to last a lifetime.

Sincerely,

CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER David Pecker VP/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Shawn Perine EDITORIAL ADVISER Paul “Triple H” Levesque EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR, ENTHUSIAST GROUP/BOOKS Brian Good DEPUTY EDITOR Zack Zeigler SENIOR EDITOR Shawn Donnelly ASSOCIATE EDITOR Andrew Gutman COPY CHIEF Pearl Amy Sverdlin COPY EDITORS Jeff Tomko, Yeun Littlefield RESEARCH EDITOR Adam Bible INTERNS Dylan Blanke-White, Martha Upton

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WEIDER PUBLICATIONS, LLC, A SUBSIDIARY OF AMERICAN MEDIA INC. EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Kevin Hyson EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER/CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Chris Polimeni EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL MEDIA OPERATIONS/ CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER David Thompson SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER Brian Kroski SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS Rob M. O’Neill VICE PRESIDENT, CONSUMER MARKETING Ephraim R. Brennan FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN EMERITUS Joe Weider (1920–2013) PRINTED IN USA • We assume no responsibility for returning unsolicited material, including but not limited to photographs, artwork, manuscripts, and letters.

David J. Pecker Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of American Media Inc.

12

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

The information in MUSCLE & FITNESS is intended to educate. Do not substitute it for the advice of a qualified health care practitioner.

AESTHETIC TRAINING >

T 14

HERE’S A LOT OF CHATTER

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

15

A E ST H E T IC T R A I N I NG

THE TRAINING SPLIT MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

Legs Chest Back Shoulders & Abs Arms Cardio Rest

A B E L’ S

LEGS WORKOUT EXERCISE

SETS

*

REPS

5

DEADLIFT

5

10

** 4 LEG EXTENSION SUPERSET WITH LYING LEG CURL

4

15

4

15

4 SEATED CALF RAISE

4

15

*On the final set, do a dropset. The same goes for the leg extension and leg curl. **On the final set, do a quadruple dropset, reaching failure and reducing the weight four times.

BACK SQUAT S Position a barbell on your upper traps and grab the bar with a grip that’s slightly wider than shoulder width. Descend into a squat till your thighs are parallel to the floor. Explode back up.

WALKING BARBELL LUNGE T With a barbell on your upper traps, lunge forward until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Repeat on the other leg, continuing to lunge forward.

A B E L’ S

CHEST WORKOUT EXERCISE

SETS

*

REPS

5

DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS

5

INCLINE DB FLYE

4 4

12

4 HIGH- TO LOW-CABLE FLYE SUPERSET WITH PUSHUP

4

15

4

20

*On the final set, do a triple dropset.

GROOMING BY CHRISTIE CAIOLA

**

10

**On the final set, do a double dropset. 16

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

Shot on location at Matrix Fitness Club, Astoria , NY

INCLINE BENCH PRESS S

INCLINE DUMBBELL FLYE T

Lie back on a bench set at a 30- to 45-degree angle. Grasp the bar just outside shoulder width and pull it out of the rack. Lower the bar to the upper part of your chest, then press it back up.

On an incline bench, hold a dumbbell in each hand over your chest. Spread your arms apart and lower the dumbbells out to your sides. Squeeze your pecs as you bring the weights together again.

ABEL SAYS: “I am all about doing incline work on chest. I’ve always had a welldeveloped chest, and I think that’s why. While my friends were going to the gym and seeing how much they could bench on a flat bench, I was doing incline. It engages your chest more than the flat bench—especially the upper chest, which is where most guys are lacking.”

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

17

A E ST H E T IC T R A I N I NG

SEATED CABLE ROW X Lean forward a bit at the beginning of the rep to put a stretch on your lats. Then move your torso back to vertical as you row the handle to your stomach. Hold the contraction for a second.

A B E L’ S

BACK WORKOUT EXERCISE

SETS

*

REPS

5

BARBELL BENTOVER ROW*

5

10

4 DUMBBELL ROW

4

12

** 4 WIDE-GRIP PULLUP

4

TO FAILURE

*On the final set, do a dropset. **On the final set, do a double dropset. A B E L’ S

SHOULDERS WORKOUT EXERCISE

SETS

*

REPS

5

SMITH MACHINE SHOULDER PRESS*

5

12, 10, 10, 8, 8

BARBELL UPRIGHT ROW

4

12

SMITH MACHINE SHRUG SUPERSET WITH BEHIND-THE-BACK SMITH MACHINE SHRUG

4

15

4

15

*On the final set, do a double dropset.

SEATED DUMBBELL PRESS X Sit against a bench set to 90 degrees and lift two dumbbells to shoulder height. Press the weight overhead and then slowly lower the dumbbells back down. 18

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE T Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides. Raise your arms 90 degrees until they’re parallel with the floor. Hold the contraction for a second, then slowly lower the dumbbells to your sides.

BARBELL BENTOVER ROW X Grasp the bar with an overhand grip and let it hang in front of you. Bend and lower your torso until it’s almost parallel with floor. Squeeze shoulder blades together and pull the bar to your belly.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

19

A E ST H E T IC T R A I N I NG

NUTRITION

CABLE WOODCHOP S

A B E L’ S

ABS WORKOUT DIRECTIONS: Do this as a circuit for four EXERCISE

REPS

UNCH

12

* OP

15 (EACH SIDE)

*Do 10 weighted, then drop the weight and crank out another 10.

Holding the handle of a high pulley with both hands, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Rotate your torso diagonally downward until the handle ends up past your opposite leg, keeping your arms straight.

HANGING LEG RAISE X Hang from a pullup bar with a widerthan-shoulder-width grip. Brace your core and lift your legs up, keeping them straight throughout the duration of the movement. If that’s too difficult, start with your knees bent and work up to extending your legs.

ABEL SAYS: This is the one muscle group I train in circuit form. But just like with any other I lift as heavy as I can, using good form. So I’m going for 10 to 15 reps for each t love doing ab work—honestly, I hate it—but I work them all the time because I ”

20

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

/

CARDIO To get the most bang for his buck, Abel opts for high-intensity interval training (HIIT) over steady-state cardio. His favorite: bike sprints. Here’s the workout: Get on a stationary bike and do 30 seconds of all-out sprinting—“Trying to kill yourself for those 30 seconds,” says Abel. Then rest for 90 seconds. Repeat for a total of 10 rounds. Do this twice per week. “When you do HIIT, the calorie burn goes on afterward,” says Abel. “You might not be burning as many calories during the workout, but your metabolism is boosted the rest of the day. With HIIT cardio, you can maintain more of that hard-earned muscle mass.” Other good cardio activities: hill sprints, track sprints, and “deill” sprints (running on a turned-off treill at the highest incline). 22

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

BARBELL CURL S Hold a barbell and curl the weight to your shoulders while keeping your upper arms at your sides. Hold the contraction at the top for a second, then slowly lower the bar to the bottom of the movement.

EZ-BAR SKULL CRUSHER X Lying on a bench, press an EZ-bar over your chest. Lower it toward your forehead, then drive it back to the top.

ABEL SAYS: “With arms, I make sure to do plenty of work on both the biceps and the triceps. And just like with all my muscle groups, I start with relatively heavy weight for the first few exercises. Later, I go a little lighter and do more reps to further deplete the muscle. But when you’re trying to build muscle, you want to lift as heavy as possible— especially early on in the workout, when you’re fresh—while keeping good form.”

A E ST H E T IC T R A I N I NG A B E L’ S

ARMS WORKOUT EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

* * SEATED DUMBBELL CURL SUPERSET WITH DUMBBELL OVERHEAD EXTENSION

5 4

12

4

12

4 INCLINE BENCH DB CURL SUPERSET WITH DUMBBELL KICKBACK

4

12

4

12

*On the final set, perform a dropset.

ABOUT ABEL

On Abel’s training and supplementation, bonus videos, and more, head to muscleandfitness.com/aesthetictraining

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

23

NEWS / INTERVIEWS / SPORTS / GEAR

2017

MR. OLYMPIA G O T O. . .

BODYBUILDING’S BIGGEST EVENT Head to Las Vegas to watch Phil Heath (right) compete for his seventh straight Sandow and check out the Expo, packed with your favorite supp companies and a plethora of events like the Strongman Challenge, Rhino CrossFit Games, and the Bikini Model Search. Sept. 14–17 If you can’t make it to Vegas, tune into Amazon’s live webcast of the competition at amazon.com/mrolympia.

Presents

Photographs by Per Bernal

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

25

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ACTIVE ANGEL

Your girlfriend will him from Sex and the City, but you’ll come to know JASON LEWIS as the ripped dude on NBC’s new horror show Midnight, Texas ne f s

d

LE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

By Adam Bible

A L A M Y; 2 0 1 7 N B C U N I V E R S A L M E D I A , L L C ( M I D N I G H T, T E X A S )

dude who eats clean, meditates, and lives life as close as he can to a Zen existence, the 6'2", 190-pound Lewis keeps a ripped and lean physique without having to spend hours in the gym, even at 46. His new role as fallen angel Joe Strong on NBC’s Midnight, Texas—a horror drama based on the trilogy written by True Blood author Charlaine Harris—is one that’s leaving him fulfilled and eager to put to rest all the Sex and the City adulation. “Sex and the City is definitely one of my top acting experiences and an amazing time in my life, but I’m really in love with this [current] project,” says Lewis. “It’s one of those shows that combine what fairy tales are supposed to be about—great morals and social allegory but also really entertaining.” His character is a centuries-old angel who lives in the small, dusty town of Midnight, a sanctuary for supernatural creatures who have retreated from society and found

solace in the diverse community. “One of the promotional slogans for the show is ‘Where others fit in,’ and I think that’s a pretty good descriptor,” says Lewis. “Anybody’s welcome as long as they don’t come in and upset the established solidarity and peace. And Joe is a guy who can give a little bit of company to a stranger and defend others, even though they struggle with the hard choices.” It was the unblinking stare of the camera that kept Lewis working hard to refine his body. “It’s a great motivator knowing you’re going to have to take your shirt off in front of a television camera, but I generally stay pretty fit,” he says. “The challenge in shooting is the incredibly long hours. There were times when I pulled an 18-hour day and still had to fit in a workout.” Lewis’ outlook on exercise remains rooted in the outdoors and getting strong by having fun and being active with something you enjoy. “My philosophy is:

Play yourself fit,” says Lewis, who enjoys surfing, mountain biking, snowboarding, kite surfing, yoga, and stand-up paddleboarding. “Being engaged in a lot of different activities that draw your interest can be much more psychologically uplifting and rewarding. Not just, you know, go to the gym, but go ride your bike one day of the week to work. Go play a volleyball game or something and have these different points of interest. Because anything done over and over and over again can become dull and boring and tedious.”

P L AY Y O U R S E L F F I T Below, one week in the active life of actor Jason Lewis:

MONDAY Morning: Two-hour hike Afternoon: Slacklining (aka slack rope walking) TUESDAY Yoga WEDNESDAY Early morning: Surfing Late afternoon: Indoor rock climbing THURSDAY Surfing FRIDAY Outdoor rock climbing + two hours of hiking to and from the climb spot SATURDAY Beach volleyball all day SUNDAY Chill the hell out

Left, Lewis in Sex and the City, enjoying a romantic evening with Kim Cattrall’s Samantha. Above, playing a centuries-old angel in Midnight, Texas.

Midnight, Texas airs Mondays at 10 p.m. EST on NBC.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

29

E D G E

T R A I N

L I K E . . .

By Andrew Gutman

TRAINING SCHEDULE Kennedy has fought in a variety of MMA leagues, most notably Strikeforce and the UFC, and has 14 finishes.

“I do strength and conditioning six days per week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are my mental toughness days, Thursday is yoga, and Tuesday is my powerlifting and Olympic lifting day. Then Saturday is cardio. I also go shooting three to five times per week.”

RECOVERY “I do everything,” Kennedy says. “Cryotherapy, ice baths, massages. I eat a ton of healthy food, and I prioritize sleep. One thing that helps men fall asleep is sex. It also spikes testosterone—it’s not like it’s a regimen, but my wife and I hook up every single day.”

DIET To fuel his two daily training sessions (minimum), Kennedy is constantly eating between workouts to maintain his lean 220-pound physique. “I eat all day long, nonstop, about six to seven meals,” says Kennedy, whose diet consists of only clean foods like oatmeal, flaxseed, milk, eggs, fresh vegetables and fruit, chicken, elk, salmon, and avocado toast.

MMA

THE WORLD’S DEADLIEST MAN

How MMA fighter, Army Ranger, and Special Forces sniper Tim Kennedy trains to keep the moniker of the most dangerous man in the world

30

or that he lifts weights five to six days per week to, in his words, “be the hardest person to kill.” We caught up with Kennedy to find out how one of the most savage men on the planet trains to get ready and stay ready. Every. Damn. Day.

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

GEAR “In my gym bag, I have a Glock 43 with an extra magazine. I have 5.11 shorts, 5.11 shoes, a tank top, a

5.11 PHOTOGRAPHY

T 

im Kennedy is an Army Ranger and Green Beret sniper and a professional MMA fighter (18–6). With that résumé it shouldn't be a shock that Kennedy is known as “one of the deadliest men on earth,”

Kennedy uses MMA as a barometer of his combative progress. “In what I do, I have to find ways to measure if I’m getting better, and the only way to do that is with external stress,” Kennedy says. “Getting stronger doesn’t necessarily mean I’m getting harder to kill. I am picking the sports and activities that translate the most violently to what I do for a living. Every one of those competitions is just an opportunity for me to get better at what I do as a Green Beret and a Special Forces sniper.”

E D G E

T R A I N

tourniquet, and an external battery to charge my phone. The reason I like 5.11 is that all the stuff they make is for guys like me. The shorts I’m wearing now have a few extra belt loops so that my gun fits better on my waist. And I’m a massive-legged dude with a 30-inch waist, and these shorts fit.”

FUELED BY FEAR “The thing that keeps me up at night, and the thing that ultimately is a dagger in the center of my soul, is fear of letting down all the people that I’ve sworn to protect,” says Kennedy—a man who fears nothing else despite being blown up by an IED and who is currently on ISIS’s hit list. “This is what I raised my right hand to do, and I’m

L I K E . . . going to be the best version of it.”

STRENGTH While his main focus is on staying functional and well-rounded, the 37-year-old has managed to deadlift 405 pounds, bench-press 300, and power clean 285. “I’m evenly strong,” says Kennedy. “But I’m not so strong that I can’t run a sub-five-minute mile.” For the record, Kennedy can also cover two miles in under 13 minutes.

ARMY TOUGH When it comes to forging a warrior's mindset, Kennedy its that it's a nasty process. “I was pissed on. I fought dudes, bare knuckles, in front of my entire unit so that I could get on the next

Kennedy’s Workout Think you have what it takes to get through either of these grueling complexes? Whatever the workout, Kennedy keeps his training intensity high to mimic the rigors of being in combat.

Kennedy served in Iraq and Afghanistan as an Army Ranger and Green Beret.

helicopter. I’m not saying hazing is right, but you have to make that boy or that young lady realize that they're going to get hurt in service. The first time I had a round snap by my head, I didn’t hesitate and I didn’t think. I had been trained. I knew what to do, and I ran toward the sound of gunfire.”

COMPLEX

MASTODON DIRECTIONS: Perform each move for 15 seconds before moving on to the next exercise. At the end of the complex, rest one minute and then repeat for a total of 12 minutes. EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

REST

WEIGHTED LUNGE

6

15 SEC.

-

BODY-WEIGHT LUNGE

6

15 SEC.

1 MIN.

COMPLEX

BURPEE THRUSTER DIRECTIONS: Perform each exercise back-to-back with no rest in between. For the reps, start with one rep for thrusters, adding one each set. For the burpees, start with 10 reps, and subtract one each set.

BURPEE 32

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

SETS

10

REPS

10-1

5.11 PHOTOGRAPHY

EXERCISE

THE SECRET TO BOOSTING PERFORMANCE AT ANY AGE? MENT

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JESSIE, WARRIOR PRINCESS

Stuntwoman JESSIE GRAFF on breaking American Ninja Warrior records, punching guys in the face, and owning a pet pig

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JESSIE’S GOT HOPS Graff pole-vaulted at Georgia Tech, where she jumped 4.20 meters, a few centimeters short of Olympic qualification.

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K I C K E R

ENTER THE NINJA

Alternative fitness phenomenon Ninja Kane nearly lost the use of his leg on the way to becoming a death-defying stunt master

T

NINJA STRONG

Santa Monica Showman Kane regularly does handstands and other tricks throughout Santa Monica

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MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

By Chris Lee

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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug istration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

E D G E

I N S P I R A T I O N

By Andrew Gutman

POSSIBLE PAT

Pasquale Brocco ditched an unhealthy lifestyle and dropped more than 300 pounds to show others that they can do the same

P

asquale Brocco doesn’t want to hear your excuses. Once a pre-diabetic who tipped the scales at 605 pounds, he reached his breaking point after catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror and decided to change. He didn’t whine. He didn’t cheat. He simply did. And now at sub-10% body fat and 270 pounds, he’s inspiring his 170,000 Instagram followers to change, too. But before he became a motivating force on social media, Brocco was a security guard for various bands and venues. Over time, he fell into a toxic trap of bad lifestyle choices. “While on tour, I ate everywhere from fast-food ts and gas stations to sit-down places like

“My stomach was hanging to my thighs. My chest was hanging almost to my belly button. I was just disgusted with who I was. Right then I took a picture and I told myself, ‘I never want to be this guy again.’ ” Waffle House,” says Brocco. “A lot of times at McDonald’s, I would get 100 chicken nuggets, fries, a double cheeseburger, and a large Hi-C.” Total calories for that single meal: 6,000. Eventually, a routine medical checkup revealed to Brocco—who, at 6'7", thought he was 400 pounds—that he weighed 605. Worse yet, his blood pressure was through the roof, he was prediabetic, his liver was covered in 38

fat, and doctors told him he was eating himself into a grave. “My first step after that wasn’t change,” Brocco recalls. “I went home, and it was bad. The only way I could think to deal with it was to eat.” Two weeks later, however, after Brocco had trouble washing himself due to the immensity of his belly, he took a hard look at himself in the mirror. “My stomach was hanging to my thighs,” says Brocco. “My chest was

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

At one point, Brocco weighed 605 pounds.

hanging almost to my belly button. I was just disgusted with who I was. Right then I took a picture and I told myself, ‘I never want to be this guy again.’ ” Immediately, Brocco threw out every piece of sustenance in his

Photograph by Andrew Herrera Photography

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E D G E

I N S P I R A T I O N

kitchen and walked a mile and a half (a long walk when you’re 600-plus pounds) to Walmart to buy healthy food. He continued walking every day for 90 days and dropped 100 pounds. But even after all that weight came off, Brocco still felt as if he looked the same. So, he took to the Internet to research weight loss and stumbled upon bodybuilding. From then on, he formulated a plan: First, lose enough weight to fit into the machines at the gym and stand on treills—most can only up to 350 pounds—which was accomplished by swimming laps and playing basketball. Second: Lift weights to lose fat and build muscle to fill out his frame.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED Despite the loose skin, an unfortunate aftereffect of his weight loss, Brocco has chiseled out an impressive physique. His shoulders

“Doing this show was the best way to show my followers that you can do whatever you put your mind to.” and quads are striated, his back is wide, and his abs and obliques are clearly shredded. He has also earned a nickname: “Possible Pat,” a moniker that emphasizes that anything is possible. In early July, he even competed in a physique show, a drastic display of his weight loss that most guys in his position would shy away from. But Brocco knows that following through is more important. “I want to show people you don’t have to stop improving,” says Brocco. “You can keep going. Doing the show was the best way to prove to my followers that you can do whatever you put your mind to.”

HR B OO WC T CO ’D SO R OI T UTINE

BP UA SC HK UAPN SD LTI DR EI CRE RP ESA C H EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

4 WIDE-GRIP PULLDOWN SUPERSET WITH ONE-ARM DB ROW

4

12

4

12

4 SEATED CABLE ROW

4

10

4 DUMBBELL ROW

3

12

6 DB TRICEPS EXTENSION

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4 DIP

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12

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MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

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E D G E

F I T

J O B S

By Joe Wuebben

NFL STRENGTH COACH

Luke Richesson, strength coach for the Denver Broncos, explains what it's like to get elite athletes ready for Sundays on the gridiron

L

uke Richesson knew as a high school freshman what he wanted to be when he grew up: a strength coach. And he wasted no time carving out his path to the NFL: a bachelor’s degree in exercise science with an emphasis in coaching from the University of Kansas, working in the Jayhawks’ strength and conditioning program throughout; staff jobs at the University of Wyoming (one year) and Arizona State University (1½ years); nine years at the renowned Athletes’ Performance facility (now called EXOS) in Tempe, AZ, working under movement and performance guru Mark Verstegen; then, landing his current position as Denver Broncos head strength and conditioning coach in early 2012, at age 37. And what does he have to show for his professional expediency? 42

Only a Super Bowl ring and one of the most coveted gigs in the training space. “I think I found my path young,” says Richesson, who was named 2013 NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by Samson Equipment and American Football Monthly magazine. “I didn’t fall into this because Plan A and Plan B didn’t work out. My ion from the jump was strength and conditioning, and now I’m in my 20th year of coaching. I’m living the dream, for sure.”

ON THE JOB Here’s what you can expect as a strength and conditioning coach for a pro or college sports team.

THE DAILY GRIND “In season, I get to the facility at around 5:45 or six in the morning, then I’m usually done by 5 p.m., so

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

the days aren’t that long,” says Richesson. (Note: He just called an 11-hour workday not that long.) “Training camp is when you really put in the hours. And there’s not that many days off. Last season, I think I had seven days off the entire season, and that’s counting the bye week. “As for the off-season, after the Super Bowl, you get some downtime, anywhere from two to four weeks off. Then I come back to work at the beginning of March, and the off-season program usually starts the second or third week of April. That’s really hump time for the strength and conditioning staff, where we’re taking inventory and looking back at the season. What were the highs, what were the lows, what are the things we can improve upon? “If there’s any new equipment we want to implement, we have to

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E D G E

F I T

J O B S THE 411

STRENGTH COACH

1 SUGGESTED EDUCATION

Bachelor’s degree in exercise science or equivalent, while working in the strength and conditioning program for collegiate athletics at the school; high-level training certification like the N.S.C.A.’s C.S.C.S. (certified strength and conditioning specialist).

start the ordering process. It’s a lot of methodology during that time, and it’s all geared around a 10-week off-season training program. Because once mid-June hits, we get about five weeks off before the season starts. That’s how the NFL is structured: There’s some downtime leading into the season.”

mentally they’re ready to get it done and compete at the highest level. Watching our guys compete, that’s what it’s all about. I felt like I had a dream job at Athletes' Performance, but what really started pulling at my heartstrings was missing competition.”

WORST PART OF THE JOB REQUIRED SKILLS

BEST PART OF THE JOB “For me, it’s game day. There’s nothing like helping get your team prepared so that, come game day, 44

“One, seeing guys get hurt. Whether a guy is physically in pain or he’s had a setback, that’s a real jerker. The second thing is, understanding it’s a business. When players get cut, that’s tough. And when a coach’s contract doesn’t get renewed—that’s tough, too. For a lot of people, the NFL is something they watch on Sundays. But for people who are in it, it’s the way we feed our families, so you hate to see that part of it. But we all knew what we signed up for.”

OTHER ADVICE “Lose your ego, be humble, and realize there’s a lot of ways to skin a cat. You’re one piece of the puzzle, and the goal is that the machine keeps turning out wins. How do you fit in to make that happen, and how can you help the players perform their best on game day? Understanding your role, knowing what’s expected of you, staying in your lane, and working your tail off—that’s big.”

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

Position on a strength and conditioning staff at a college program or private-sector training facility.

3 SALARY RANGE

Low to mid-five figures for entry-level staff (assistant strength coaches) up to a max of around $500K for the most accomplished head strength coaches in sports.

IMPORTANT 4 MOST SKILLS

Intricate knowledge of exercise science and performance training, with the ability to write sport-specific programs; extensive experience working with competitive athletes in a formal strength and conditioning setting; high level of interpersonal skills and coaching ability.

P R E V I O U S A N D T H I S PAG E : C O U RT E S Y O F T H E D E N V E R B R O N C O S

“No. 1: You need to be able to connect with people," says Richesson. "The reason I got into strength and conditioning is because I like working with people and helping them reach their goals. Relationships are important, and you need to establish trust. You want your athletes to think, ‘This guy doesn’t just coach me, he cares about me.’ I regularly have my players and staff over to my house for dinner. Everyone knows my family. I love my guys. They sense that, and that’s why there’s a connection and a bond. “You also have to be a worker. You’ve got to be blue collar. You’re going to have to grind through some things, whether it’s in your own training or just in the long hours with not many days off.”

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E D G E

F I T

M & F E R

FIT TEACHER

This iconoclastic history teacher might be the fittest educator in America

N

ick Ferroni used to be an actor. Now, he puts on six shows a day to an audience that doesn’t always want to be there. But after 15 years of teaching history at New Jersey’s Union High School, his career is right where he wants it. The unconventional teacher has made headlines over the years—in part because People magazine named him the Sexiest Teacher

46

Alive in 2014—something that’s resulted in plenty of good-natured ribbing from his students and colleagues. But also for his approach to education, which often bucks traditional by-the-book practices. “Our history books tend to be one-sided,” says Ferroni. “They’re full of facts but not necessarily truths. We indirectly teach kids to be sexist, racist, and discrimin-

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

By Kevin Gray

atory by leaving out certain figures and events from textbooks. I want students to learn that everyone contributed to our history, not just straight, white, Christian males.” Ferroni spends as much time talking about history as he does the importance of fitness and nutrition. He worries that in an environment that’s focused on teaching for standardized tests, and with only a handful of states requiring schools to provide the nationally recommended allotment of physical education, we’ll have kids who are good at taking tests, but physically unhealthy. So Ferroni makes it his mission to teach the importance of diet and exercise, going above and beyond what you’d expect from a history teacher—and probably a lot of PE coaches. If students are hungry or can’t afford breakfast, Ferroni keeps healthy snacks at his desk. If they’ve got a question about fitness, he’s got answers—and stacks of fitness magazines. And if they want to get some exercise on the weekends, he trains students and former students, even going so Photographs by Demoie Montego

E D G E

F I T

M & F E R

far as to pay for many of the gym hips himself. Ferroni heeds his own advice and has the body to show for it. To stay in shape, he subscribes to the tenets of high-intensity training, and performs 45- to 60-minute workouts combining weights and cardio, six days a week. He uses supersets to his advantage, often sticking to one body part when lifting, and then performing ab

exercises between each set. (See his chest workout on this page.) To fuel his body, he gets in as much protein as he can, whether it's a post-workout protein shake, protein bars at his desk, or lean meats for dinner. And he’s a firm believer in intermittent fasting, cramming all of his meals—usually four per day—between the hours of noon and 8:30 p.m. It seems to be working. “At 37 I’m in better shape

now than I was at 27, or even 17,” says Ferroni. His healthy lifestyle and chiseled body do more than just land interviews and make him stand out in the teachers' lounge. “It makes me more energetic and a more effective educator,” says Ferroni. “Kids can smell phoniness, but my kids know that I practice what I preach. I don’t drink or smoke. I’m very healthy, and they know they can approach me for legitimate advice.” Somewhere between all the working out and shaping of teenage minds, Ferroni remains a steadfast advocate for teachers. “Our world is individually driven and not always empathetic, but good teachers dedicate their lives to other peoples’ children,” says Ferroni. “So if there’s a teacher who changed your life, reach out and thank them. You’d be surprised how much it helps.” N I C K 'S WO R KO U T

CHEST & ABS Here’s a page from Ferroni’s muscle-building syllabus. Note: This is no easy A. EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

4 LYING LEG RAISE ON BENCH*

4

15

4 CABLE SIDE BEND

4

15 (EACH SIDE)

4 FRONT PLANK

4

30 SEC.

4 SIDE PLANK Despite his teaching gig, Ferroni still finds time to hit the gym hard six times per week for an hour.

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MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

4

30 SEC. (EACH SIDE)

3 HANGING LEG RAISE

4

*Ferroni holds a five-pound dumbbell between his feet.

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E D G E

HOW TO:

F E A T S

O F

S T R E N G T H

By Joe Wuebben

BREAK A BAT OVER YOUR LEG

The most impressive way to show your frustration on a baseball or softball diamond? This move that Bo Jackson made famous.

RECOMMENDED EXERCISES >

>

STEP 2: TA K E A H U G E breath in, then explosively drive the bat downward while also kicking your knee up toward it. “You’ll be firing that leg in an explosive manner, so everything is gonna be flexed,” notes Baldwin. “Quad, hip flexors, your whole body.”

STEP 1: F I R S T, S T R I K E O U T .

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MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

STEP 3: M E E T T H E B AT with your lower quad at about waist level. Make sure your leg makes with the bat near the handle, right where it starts to become thicker. That’s the sweet spot. Also, try to drive the bat through your leg. “Be sure that the bat breaks and your leg doesn’t,” says Baldwin with a chuckle.

Illustrations by Mark Nerys

B R A D M A N G I N /G E T T Y I M AG E S

(Bonus points for ending the inning.) Then, step toward your dugout, grab both sides of your wooden—not aluminum—bat near the ends and raise the bat to head height. Also, make sure you’re a powerful human. “More than just being strong, this move takes an explosive person,” says Tracy Baldwin, the strength and conditioning coach for Oklahoma State’s baseball team. “It should not be done by your average guy.”

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† Results compared to baseline 1. Kalman DS, Feldman S, Samson A, Krieger DR. A clinical evaluation to determine the safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of an inositol-stabilized arginine silicate dietary supplement in healthy adult males. Clinical Pharm: Adv and Applica. 2015; 7:103- 109. 2.5RRG2MDOYR66DQGOHU'9HOHGDU(.RPRURZVNL-7KHEHQH¿WVRILQRVLWROVWDELOL]HGDUJLQLQHVLOLFDWHDVDZRUNRXWLQJUHGLHQWJournal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2015;12(Suppl 1):P14. 3. Kalman D, Harvey PD, Perez Ojalvo S, Komorowski J. Randomized prospective double-blind studies to evaluate the cognitive effects of inositol-stabilized arginine silicate in healthy physically active adults. Nutrients. 2016;8(11):736. 4. Komorowski J, Perez Ojalvo S. A pharmacokinetic evaluation of the duration of effect of inositol-stabilized arginine silicate and arginine hydrochloride in healthy adult males. The FASEB Journal. 2016; 30(1) Supplement 690.17. 5. Kalman D, Perez Ojalvo S, Komorowski J. Comparison of cellular nitric oxide production from various sports nutrition ingredients. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2016;13 (Suppl 1):P33. ©2017 Nutrition 21, LLC Nitrosigine® is a ed trademark of Nutrition 21, LLC. Nitrosigine is protected by a number of patents and pending patent applications on compositions, their manufacture, and/or their uses, including, but not limited to: U.S. Patent Nos.: 5,707,970; 6,156,735; 6,344,444; 6,803,456; and 7,576,132. DRA908021417

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug istration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

E D G E

F I T

B I Z

By Zack Zeigler

Ballotti makes it a point to run a responsible, environmentally friendly business.

and most diverse. How important is that to you? Great CEOs and great companies define success not in of money but corporate social responsibility—being able to influence and make a difference.

WYNNING FORMULA

GEOFF BALLOTTI, president and CEO of the Wyndham Hotel Group, stays fit in mind and body by training hard and putting family first improve along the way that matter more than anything.

What is “success” to you? My father ed away at 54 of a heart attack, and busloads of folks came to the funeral to say goodbye because he’d made a difference to them. He’d dedicated his life to helping others through the nonprofit world. It’s the people we help, the lives we’re able to

For the third straight year, Wyndham’s been named the most ethical company by the Ethisphere Institute; it’s also considered one of the greenest

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MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

Wyndham is huge—it includes 18 brands—and is No. 1 in its class. You and your team must work 24 hours a day. Actually, I encourage the team not to do that. We all work hard, but none of us should view our jobs as more important than our health and family. I always say they should get home and have lives outside of this building.

What’s your favorite workout? I use the most kick-ass piece of equipment, a VersaClimber. In five minutes, my hair’s as wet as it is in the shower. No weights? I’ve never really been a big weightlifter. But when I was 51—I’m 56 now—a doctor told me that, from an osteoporosis standpoint, I should get a kettlebell. Now, I don’t think there’s a piece of equipment that’s more holistic. How about when you travel? I always have a jump rope, and I use the 12 Minute Athlete app, although I do about 16 minutes. What’s your homelife like? I live in New Jersey on a horse farm with 35 horses—my wife rescues them. But I’m allergic and scared to death of them. And they smell. I spend every free moment I can on my mountain bike.

COU RT E SY OF T H E W Y N DH A M HOT E L G ROU P

When did you realize what you wanted to do with your life? I was a waiter at Hotel Le Meridien Boston and had a setback on the job—a job I desperately needed. The general manager, Bernard Lambert, picked me up, dusted me off, and told me it was going to be all right. He was so kind, comionate, and motivating. That’s the first time I saying, “That’s the job I want one day.” There’s never been a better job than having a great hotel to run with a great group of associates to wake up to every day.

How do you manage stress? Other folks might turn to food or alcohol to cope, but the research is clear: When it comes to relieving stress at the end of the day, exercise is best.

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THE LATEST IN TRAINING, RECOVERY, AND GEAR

THE FAST TRACK TO GAINS The key to bigger, stronger muscles is all about how explosively you lift weights

R

esearchers at the University of Sydney in Australia recently did a meta-analysis of 15 studies that investigated speed of movement when lifting. They found READY, SET, LIFT small gains in strength can occur when a fast movement is performed with moderate intensity, which was defined as 60–79% of the subjects’ one-rep max, compared with a medium or slow speed. So pick up the pace! Î

Photograph by Ian Logan

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

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T R A I

N E W S

F L A M E WA R

HIT THE WEIGHTS TO CUT INFLAMMATION If you want to keep inflammation in your body to a minimum, lifting weights—no matter how heavy—can increase the amount of some cytokines, or anti-inflammatory compounds, in the blood. These compounds attack the free radicals that can trigger disease. (European Journal of Applied Physiology)

MASS CLASS

WHEY PROTEIN IMPROVES LEAN MASS WHEN CUTTING Research in The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research shows that taking whey protein before, during, and after your training can help you keep muscle when trying to drop fat. The study, of guys lifting four days per week for eight weeks, compared whey with a carb supplement and found that those taking the protein lost fat and gained lean mass. The carb group lost lean muscle.

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CLIMBING

THE NEW ANTIDEPRESSANT

AC U T E GA I N S

ONE WORKOUT CAN BOOST BRAIN FUNCTIONING Acute exercise, defined as a single session of physical activity, can offer an array of positive changes in the brain, according to a recent meta-analysis that appeared in the journal Brain Plasticity. Researchers discovered two main things: First, acute exercise boosted executive function, improved mood, and dropped stress levels. Two, it created widespread changes across the brain at the physiological and chemical levels. Translation? Keep hitting the gym; it’s good for your body and your mind.

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

Bouldering, a type of rock climbing done on rocky outcroppings close to the ground (20 feet high or less) with no ropes or harnesses, has been shown to help heal the mind and strengthen the body. Researchers looked at more than 100 people and found that the scores on tests for depression for those doing bouldering were significantly better. The difference was equal to moving from a diagnosis of moderate to mild depression. (University of Arizona and University of Erlangen in )

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Minutes of lifting weights needed per week to lower your risk of developing metabolic disease—a cluster of symptoms that up your risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes— according to a study in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

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1 2 THRUST IN TIME

Use the banded hip thrust to improve your strength and range of motion

F

ew moves build lower-body strength and increase the force of your hip drive better than the hip thrust. That means adding this move into your routine can translate to stronger squats and deadlifts. And even if you already thrust like crazy (in the gym—get your head out of the gutter), simply changing the modes of resistance—like adding bands to the mix—can unleash new benefits. In this case, the payoff is improved range of motion and efficiency in the movement. Sure, heavy hip thrusts increase strength and size, but thrusting too much weight will lead to improper form, which can result in injury and lackluster results in

58

other compound lifts. Not only are bands easier on your body since you don’t have to load a barbell across your hips, but they also provide resistance throughout the whole motion, not just the top or bottom. This means that your body has to fight back for the entire duration of the move, which forces your body to react by keeping everything tight and in a straight line. This will not only optimize your range of motion but also bolster your efficiency at performing hip thrusts (after all, practice makes perfect). So, master this movement for stronger hips and glutes, better lifts, and any other activity that includes thrusting. But we’ll let you figure that out on your own.

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

HOW TO DO IT

BANDED HIP THRUST

1

Grab a super band and loop each end around a dumbbell (the heavier the better). You can also loop it around either end of a power rack, with a bench set in the middle. The band should be taut.

2

Once the band is set up, get under it so it’s at your belt line. Place your shoulder blades on a bench or plyo box, then thrust your hips off of the floor, driving through your heels. Be sure to hold the contraction at the top of the movement for one second. Photographs by Edgar Artiga

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THE GREATEST STRETCH EVER This one move will have you feeling loose in less than five minutes

S

tretching before you lift can help you avoid injuries that can leave you sidelined for weeks or even months. Unfortunately, many lifters come to this conclusion after it’s too late. “Most guys neglect stretching until they get hurt,” says Brad Baldwin, C.S.C.S., a New York City– based personal trainer. “And then, all of a sudden it’s important to them.” If “I don’t have time!” is your main excuse to skip a warmup, there’s good news: Spending 20-plus minutes getting your muscles and ts loose isn’t necessary. However, using a few minutes to run through the World’s Greatest Stretch, a pigeon stretch, and inchworms can help you “cover all of your bases,” explains Baldwin. “The World’s Greatest Stretch is excellent for increasing your thoracic mobility and extending out your spine before compound movements. Specifically, it will open up your hips and stretch your psoas, a major muscle that starts in your quad and inserts into your low back, which can cause back tightness, so targeting this will help combat tightness.”

62

HOW TO DO IT

W O R L D ’ S G R E AT E S T S T R E T C H Perform two sets of six reps per side before any multit lift

1

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

Lunge forward until your front foot is flat and you’re on the toes of your back foot, and squat down until your back knee is almost touching the ground.

2

Lower the opposite arm of your extended leg to the floor and reach your other arm to the ceiling.

3

Hold for 20 seconds, then lower your arm to the same side as your front leg. Repeat on the other side.

Photographs by Edgar Artiga

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5

REASONS YOUR PLANK SUCKS

Brace yourself (literally) for better movement by avoiding these plank mishaps

T

here is hardly a core exercise more basic or notorious than the plank. And when performed “actively”— meaning you’re engaging every muscle you can, from head to toe—it neutralizes the spine and taxes your entire body. Which, according to Chris Frankel, head of performance at TRX, “brings awareness to alignment and posture with intention and strength.” Unfortunately, most people “ively plank,” which visually resembles a proper plank, but doesn’t feel like one, and does nothing to bolster core strength. So, check for any of the following blunders to make sure you’re getting all the benefits.

66

By Chris Doherty, C.S.C.S.

FIX THESE...

PLANK PITFALLS

You’re curvy. g to maintain a ht line between shoulders and s one of the most king mishaps, as it ns there isn’t optiin the abdominals queeze hard and intaining a straight ad to toe.

2

You shrug your shoulders.

Many lifters instinctively shrug their shoulders, which doesn’t look or feel right. To fix it, squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull your forearms toward your hips to maximize core engagement and proper positioning.

You move your head.

3

You have soft knees.

5

You don’t know when to stop.

If you aren’t pushing toes into the g them kely dr eps are not p ng which will create a ki on chain. Keep you o straight and rigid

Attempting time will und p rec each, with a 3-s allow you to accu deteriorating. Note:

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

4

2

Many amateur lifters tend to flex and hyperextend their neck, which screws up their positioning. Try to aim your gaze a few inches in front of your fingers to maintain a neutral head position, which will in turn help keep your hips and shoulders aligned.

nness World Record for plank ad to the aforementioned gement. Frankel four sets of 10 seconds ets. This approach will r planks without your form ard 10 seconds.

1 5

3

Photograph by Edgar Artiga

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By Andrew Gutman

SPIN CITY

Add a little spring to your lunge to build power, strength, size, and athleticism

E

xercises don't need to have a singular focus. Take the 180-degree jumping lunge, for example. By combining the lunge (a move that strengthens your quads, glutes, and hamstrings) with a vertical jump (an excellent exercise for building raw lower-body power), you double up on the benefits. And that's exactly why two-in-one moves, like this one here, should be in your training arsenal. In addition to developing power and strength, exploding up from a lunge and then rotating 180

68

degrees also challenges your balance and coordination, which will carry over to everything from lifts like the squat to your weekly game of basketball with the boys. It’s easy to work these lunges into your program, too. Wear a heavy weight vest and make them the first move of your routine, superset them with a heavy squat exercise to bolster your power output, or end your leg day with them for a brutal finisher. Any way you spin it (pun intended), there’s no reason not to give these a go.

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

HOW TO D O

180-DEGREE JUMPING LUNGE

1 2

Start in a lunge, with your front leg parallel to ground.

Explosively jump up and rotate 180 degrees, switching your legs in midair so that you land in a lunge with the opposite leg facing forward. That’s one rep.

Photographs by Per Bernal

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C R O S S F I T

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By Joe Wuebben

LEAVING LINDA

One famous full-body WOD gets a musclebuilding facelift

C

rossFitters have a nickname for the Linda workout: “three bars of death.” When you see the WOD on paper, it makes sense: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps for time on the deadlift (1½ times body weight), bench press (body weight), and power clean (¾ body weight). For a 200-pound guy, that means 300-pound deadlifts, 200-pound bench presses, and 150-pound cleans, 10 sets of each with as little rest as possible. Those last few sets of 3, 2, and 1 reps would be easy if not for those seven grueling sets beforehand. The WORKOUT Linda WOD is a wholeNOTES body killer that > demands power and strength in the face of fatigue—a combo more conducive to > enhancing stamina and grit than promoting mass gains. Perhaps you’re more interested in packing on muscle than tackling Linda. We get theme is maintained. (Thank it. That’s why we’re offering a goodness!) However, you have the hypertrophy-focused variant, freedom of using dumbbells on designed by Robert Ciresi Jr., one or more of the exercises if I.S.S.A. Ciresi’s version nixes the you prefer. Just make sure the deadlifts and cleans in favor of dumbbell rows are performed barbell bentover rows and barbell two arms at a time to keep the curls. “This will keep the original workout moving along. formula of the workout,” he says, Ciresi recommends performing “which is a pull, push, pull. It will this routine once a week for six also train opposing muscle groups weeks, increasing weight each [back and chest via rows and time. “Add 2½, 5, or 10 pounds to bench presses], which is very each lift every week,” he says, “and powerful for muscle hypertrophy.” don't change the exercises during Plus, with this exercise selecthat time. Choose your three tion, the “three bars of death” variations and stick with them.”

70

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

WO R KO U T

MUSCULAR LINDA EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

1A. 1B. BENCH PRESS

10

10-9-8-7-6 5-4-3-2-1

1C.

Like this workout? Find more at muscleandfitness.com/crossfit

Photograph by Per Bernal

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T R A I N

T R A I N I N G

M E T H O D S

PAY YOUR DEBT

Understand EPOC so you can manipulate your body into burning more fat, even out of the gym

W

hen it comes to maximizing your training, the devil is in the details. Don’t get us wrong, knowing the basics—like exercise selection, sets and reps schemes, and how much weight to lift based on your goal—will take you pretty far. But understanding how your body responds to exercise, and what certain responses can do, is how you take your fat loss to the next level. Enter: Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). While EPOC is a biological function, not a tangible method, it shows how you can change your training methodology to elicit a stronger fat-burning response. Below, we outline exactly what EPOC is and how you can use it to torch extra calories for up to three days after a workout.

By David Otey, C.S.C.S.

EPOC It Up

Use these two protocols to elicit an EPOC response PROTOCOL

R E S I S TA N C E T R A I N I N G DIRECTIONS: Use this template for your main lift, like a squat or bench press. Then perform your normal accessory work. SET

REPS

2

10 REPS AT 75% OF ESTIMATED 1RM

4

6 REPS AT 85% OF ESTIMATED 1RM

PROTOCOL

CARDIO DIRECTIONS: Hold the equivalent of your body weight, with either a trap bar or two dumbbells, and walk 25 yards. Put the weight down and sprint back to your starting point. Then sprint back to where you dropped the weight, for a total of 75 yards covered. That’s one set. EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

REST

akin to needing $100 and taking out a loan from the bank, with the intent of paying it back later. After intense exercise, you need to pay back your oxygen “debt” so that your body can return to its base level of function.

WHAT IT IS

HOW IT WORKS

EPOC is a biological response following intense exercise, which returns your body to its baseline level of functions. These functions include heart rate, body temperature, muscle tissue quality, and glycogen levels.

During bouts of intense exercise, like wind sprints or high-rep training, your body uses more readily available energy sources, like Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), since oxygen takes longer for your body to process. This is

72

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

WHY IT WORKS Over the course of 72 hours, your body is working hard to replace the oxygen used, so your metabolic rate increases by about 5%. That equates to about 100 extra calories burned per day, for three days. Photograph by Edgar Artiga

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and strengthen muscle tissues. This is called “mechanotherapy” and can also improve an athlete’s range of motion and decrease delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). It’s a big reason why GT has become popular among professional sports teams such as the New York Yankees, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New England Patriots. However, GT is not universally loved. Skeptics point out that few human studies have been performed, and most insurance companies list the therapy under

METAL THERAPY

The Graston Technique uses stainless steel tools to heal stubborn scar tissue

F

74

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

tendinitis, carpal tunnel, back pain, tight IT bands, and plantar fasciitis by giving the practitioner the ability to identify subtle restrictions, undetectable to the bare hand, and to mobilize or manipulate the tissue more precisely. Ploski adds, “Patients can also feel the same abnormal tissue through the instrument as the clinician, and can feel the quality of the tissue improve.” What’s more, the force that GT places on your muscles elicits a response from your cells that causes them to remodel, repair,

$90 a session. It’s noninvasive, so trying GT won’t hurt anything except your wallet.

THE 411

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For more information on the Graston Technique, visit grastontechnique.com

COU RT E SY OF G R A STON T E C H N IQ U E

or guys with a boatload of scar tissue and tight fascia—a result of continuously breaking down muscle tissue by training, which can lead to t pain, tendinitis, and muscle knots—a recovery method that puts a twist on deep tissue massage might help. The Graston Technique (GT) was created in the 1990s by David Graston, who at the time was an amateur athlete suffering from a knee injury. GT purports to give you a faster and better outcome compared with more traditional recovery methods, like a massage. “The protocol uses stainless steel instruments to amplify abnormalities in the texture of the tissue,” says Mike Ploski, P.T., A.T.C., O.C.S., director of strategic planning at Graston Technique. Backed by some research, the therapy may help better treat conditions like

But if you have lingering soft

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S P E E R

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ANDY SAYS:

By Andy Speer

WO R KO U T 1

STRENGTH CIRCUIT DIRECTIONS: Perform this circuit for 30 minutes. Don’t rush. The weights should be a heavy working set of 5 reps, 75–85% of your 1RM. Perform once per week. Add 5 minutes each week for four to six weeks. EXERCISE

REPS

5 WEIGHTED PULLUP

5 5

DEADLIFT

5

WO R KO U T 2

CARRY CARDIO DIRECTIONS: Perform with kettlebells or dumbbells for 30 minutes. Start with a moderate weight. Do once per week. Add 5 minutes each week for four to six weeks. EXERCISE

REPS

SINGLE-ARM OVERHEAD CARRY (RIGHT) 100 FEET

CARDIO 2.0

There’s a better way to do cardio—one that’ll boost strength and endurance. Performix athlete ANDY SPEER, C.S.C.S., shows you how.

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MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

strength-cardio circuits a try. They’re designed to help you shed fat and develop your aerobic system—which will elevate your performance in all training sessions, as well as improve recovery between workouts. Plus, you won’t die of boredom while pedaling on a stationary bike.

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WHAT'S IN THE FRIDGE THIS MONTH

ALMOST PIZZA

Love pizza but not all the carbs? We’ve got mouthwatering solutions.

I

TAKE IT OFF

Î

Photograph by Claire Benoist

MBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

79

E A T

A L M O S T

Z Z A

CHICKEN PITA PIZZA S E RVE S 4

4 1 1 2 1

large whole-grain pitas tbsp olive oil cup jarred marinara sauce cups bagged fresh spinach cup preshredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken 1 cup jarred artichoke hearts, sliced (optional) 1 /3 cup fresh basil, torn into pieces 1. Preheat oven broiler. Place pitas on baking sheets and brush each with oil. 2. Broil for 2 minutes, or until golden brown on top, being careful not to burn them. Remove from oven and spread sauce over pitas. 3. Top with spinach, cheese, chicken, and artichoke hearts (if using). Broil for 1 minute, or until cheese is melted. Garnish with basil.

PREP TIP

PIZZA SALAD WITH TOMATO DRESSING S E RVE S 4

1. Place spelt and 3 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to

medium-low, and simmer, covered, about 50 minutes, or until spelt is tender. Drain. 2. In a bowl, toss together spelt, dried meat, bocconcini, red peppers, and olives. In a separate bowl, grate the cut sides of tomato down to its skin, then add olive oil, vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper and whisk together. 3. Divide greens among serving plates and top with spelt mixture. Drizzle on tomato dressing.

THE MACROS

553

21g

44g

31g

CALORIES

PROTEIN

CARBS

FAT

BRIAN KLUTCH

1 cup spelt 4 oz dried meat sticks, chopped 8 oz bocconcini (fresh mozzarella pearls) 1 cup sliced roasted red peppers 1 /3 cup sliced kalamata olives 1 large tomato, halved 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp red-wine vinegar 1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp black pepper 8 cups baby greens (such as spinach or kale)

PORTOBELLO PIZZA S E RVE S 2

4 1 1 2 1

large portobello mushrooms tbsp olive oil cup jarred marinara sauce cups bagged fresh spinach cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese 12 slices pepperoni 1 /3 cup chopped olives ¼ cup fresh basil, torn into pieces 1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Remove mushroom stems and scrape out the dark gills under the mushroom caps with a spoon. Lightly coat mushroom caps with oil.

4 small aluminum foil circles and place them on a baking sheet. Place mushroom caps topside down on foil circles. (This prevents sogginess.) Bake for 10 minut 3. Remove mushrooms from o and spread them with sauce. Top spinach, cheese, pepperoni, and oli Bake for an additional 7 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Garnish with basil and serve.

SMART SWAP

THE MACROS

407

25g

30g

22g

CALORIES

PROTEIN

CARBS

FAT

Wanna Go Meatl

D T R AV I S R A T H B O N E

aiya, which makes dairyfree, plant-based foods, has come up with the first-ever plant-based, soy-free, gluten-free meatless pepperoni pizza. The pepperoni is made with Daiya’s signature blend of mushroom and pea protein crumbles, and the pizza contains just 470 calories per serving (and no trans fat or cholesterol). But the company

churns ou pepperon supreme p meatless sa Meat, a spin option, a ma well as thr And non dairy eat. So you ely one delicious slice can at a time. For more information, go to daiyafoods.com.

E A T

N E W S

SWEET TOOTH

DRINK TO WIN

COFFEE ADDICTS STILL GET AN EXERCISE BOOST FROM CAFFEINE

ANOTHER REASON TO HEART CHOCOLATE

Researchers took 40 experienced cyclists and divided them into three groups based on daily caffeine consumption: One had about 60mg a day, another had 143mg, and the third had 351mg (about three cups of coffee). After ingesting either 600mg of caffeine, placebo, or control, they cycled as hard as possible for three time trials until they burned 450 calories. The results showed that caffeine was a performance enhancer for all three groups. Most experts agree that the optimal dose of caffeine to help boost performance is 300 to 900mg. (Journal of Applied Physiology)

Denmark researchers tracked the weekly chocolate consumption of more than 55,000 people and found that those who had two to six 1-oz servings per month had a 20% lower rate of heart arrhythmia than people who ate less than one serving. Reminder: Dark chocolate is the healthiest variety.

70% OF YOUR SODIUM COMES FROM RESTAURANTS Recent research appearing in the journal Circulation showed that almost 71% of our sodium intake comes from food outside the home. Salt added to food cooked at home came in around 6%. The study, which looked at 450 people of all ages and races in three U.S. regions over one year, also found that people get an average of 3,500mg of sodium a day, much higher than the

VEG OUT

WANNA LOSE WEIGHT? DITCH THE MEAT o ju p sta t you e g t oss, d op t e meat and go vegetarian. Researchers in the Czech Republic followed 74 people with type-2 diabetes for six months after they put them on either a vegetarian diet—vegetables, grains, legumes, fruits, nuts, and one yogurt a day—or one

spec ca y ta o ed to t eat d abetes t at included 50% carbs, 20% protein, and less than 30% fat a day. The vegetarian diet was almost twice as effective, with people shedding an average of 13.7 pounds, compared with only seven pounds from the diabetic diet.

F R O M T O P : L E W R O B E R T S O N / G E T T Y I M A G E S ; W I L L I A M R E AV E L L / G E T T Y I M A G E S ; J I M S C H E R E R / G E T T Y I M A G E S

Percent was the amount of increased consumption of cooked vegetables after they were labeled with adjectives like dynamite or sizzling. The takeaway? Don’t think of it as broccoli. Think of it as dynamite broccoli. (Stanford University)

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E A T

T A S T E

T E S T

By Shawn Donnelly

CULTURE CLUB

Which type of protein-packed yogurt is tastiest and the most muscle-friendly?

W

hether you need a post-workout snack or something to tide you over until dinner, look no further than yogurt. “It’s a great source of calcium, vitamin D, and protein," says Jennifer Agustines, R.D., a dietitian in Tampa, FL. "And you get the added benefit of the cultures, which are good for your gut microbiome.” For the most protein, go

1

with whole milk, rather than skim or 2%. (The fat stabilizes the sugar, so your insulin doesn't spike all at once.) Finally, for the healthiest option, buy plain Greek yogurt and add your own fruit, honey, or protein powder. As for which yogurt rules, tastewise, we asked staffers to sample five yogurts and rate them from 1 (disgusting) to 5 (delicious). We got Agustines’ thoughts, too.

5

1 YO CRUNCH VANILLA WITH M&M’S M & F TA S T E R AT I N G : 3.38 Predictably, tasters enjoyed this yogurt/candy hybrid. Also predictably: It’s not good for you. “You might as well just eat a bowl of ice cream,” said Agustines, citing its high sugar content and additives.

2 SIGGI’S PLAIN M & F TA S T E R AT I N G : 2.63 The Penn State football uniform of yogurts held its own with reviewers. “That’s doable,” noted copy editor Jeff Tomko. It got raves from the dietitian, too. “If it were full fat,” said Agustines, “it would be the perfect yogurt.”

3 POWERFUL YOGURT COCONUT + QUINOA M & F TA S T E R AT I N G : 1.75 This one garnered some powerfully negative reactions. “Gross,” said deputy editor Zack Zeigler. The dietitian didn't like its sugar (18 grams) and artificial sweetener. One positive: 21 grams of protein.

4 SO DELICIOUS STRAWBERRY BANANA M & F TA S T E R AT I N G : 3.00

4

Staffers found it a bit runny but generally liked this yogurt made with coconut milk. The dietitian approved, as well: “It’s good for someone with dairy intolerance.”

2

M & F TA S T E R AT I N G :

3

/

3.63

This Greek yogurt earned top marks from staffers. “Great flavor,” said senior designer Miguel Paredes. But the dietitian was less impressed: “That one has quite a bit of sugar (15 grams).” Photograph by Jeffrey Westbrook

PROP STYLING BY JUDITH TREZZA

5 CHOBANI BLUEBERRY

STRENGTH FROM THE INSIDE OUT Living a healthy life requires inner strength. It’s the dedication to working out, eating clean and supplementing with quality products – that work. After all, you get what you put in – whether that’s in life, at the gym or when it comes to fueling your body. A new look, the same inner strength.

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E A T

1

THE FOOD:

F O O D ,

5

W A Y S

AVOCADOS

New ways to consume these nutrient-dense berries (yep, they're berries)

1DRESSING

2 SALSA

In a blender, add: 1 avocado, ¼ cup fresh basil leaves 1 clove garlic, 1 tb fresh lime juice, 2 tbsp extra-virgi olive oil, ¼ cup pla Greek yogurt, salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp water. Blend well until combined. Use this dressing to top roasted vegetables, salads, fish, poultry, or your favorite whole grain.

In a small bowl, comb diced strawberries, 1 c neapple, 1 medium ch ocado, ½ cup diced red pper, ½ cup chopped fres antro leaves, 1 medium hopped jalapeño, ¼ cup finely h i n 1 tbsp of

5

TUNA SALAD

For a healthier m avocado instead of in your tuna salad. S with ½ ripe avocado an mash in a medium bowl. Mix with 1 can drained tuna fish, 2 large chopped celery stalks, ½ bell pepper diced, 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt, ¼ cup sunflower seeds, a squeeze of lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

88

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

ze of lime. Sprinkle with garlic and herb seasoning, then dunk slices into a high-fiber flour like coconut oat. Next, dip each slice into egg, whole-wheat breadcrumbs (or ea crumbs). Place slices on a ed baking tray and bake at F for 15 minutes. Pair with ayo dip or a mix of plain k yogurt and hot sauce.

4

TRUFFLES d 1 ripe avocado until mashed s achieved. Set aside. Melt 1 cup k chocolate chips and mix in with ado. Add 1 tsp pure vanilla extract and a pinch of sea salt. Place mixture in fridge for 20 to 30 minutes. Once batter is set, scoop out and roll into 1-inch balls. Pour unsweetened cocoa powder in one bowl and powdered peanut butter in a second bowl. Alternate rolling truffles through desired powder topping. Store in fridge until ready to serve. Makes 20 truffles.

Jenna Werner is a New Jersey–based ed dietitian. Instagram: @happyslimhealthy

G E T T Y I M AG E S

GO GREEN An avocado provides hearthealthy monounsaturated fats (aka good fats), fiber, and nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, making this fruit a nutrient-dense superfood.

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By Kevin Gray

MEAT THE CONTENDERS

W  

Wings vs. ribs

ings and ribs: two very different yet equally satisfying foods you’ll find on menus across the globe. And with access to a grocery store and some basic cooking skills, you can easily whip up both at home. But which one (if either) can you reach for without undoing all that hard work you put in at the gym? Susan M. Kleiner, Ph.D., R.D., a

6g

high-performance nutritionist and the author of the best-selling book Power Eating, says that neither wings nor ribs is a great choice when health and fitness are your goals. But hey, sometimes you just want to eat them. When that’s the case, look at the nutrient breakdown. Both contain similar amounts of protein, but pork ribs have more fat, which translates to about 50% more calories.

90

FIGHT CARD

RIBS

It’s also important to consider what you eat with the wings or ribs. “If you add vegetables, especially raw vegetables, to your meal, you’ll fill up on fiber and eat fewer wings or ribs,” Kleiner says. This can benefit you more than simply choosing one over the other. And pay attention to how the foods are prepared. Instead of frying the wings and slathering them with a sugary sauce, Kleiner recommends baking them and using a lighter, tomato-based sauce. For the ribs, try a savory marinade, then bake, boil, or slow-cook them to remove extra fat.

61

6g

VS.

WINGS 1 pork spare w/BBQ sauce 1 chicken w w/BBQ sau

4g

90

6.5g

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

WINNER: CHICKEN WINGS

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FROM THE MAKERS OF

E A T

F O O D

CHIPS AHOY

I D

By Jenna Werner, R.D.

Potato chips—the unofficial snack of football season—are a train wreck for your body: high in fat, sodium, and calories. Here are five better ways to crunch this fall.

ROOT VEGETABLE This is a grain-free snack that provides all the benefits of vegetables. Varieties include beet, jicama, sweet potato, and carrot. B U Y E R B E WA R E :

Make sure the root vegetable is listed as the first ingredient so you know the chip truly contains vegetables. And go with a ked chip.

QUINOA These are similar in crunch to potato chips, and they’re lower in saturated fat and calories than, say, Classic Lay’s.

DS WE LIKE:

Superand

B U Y E R B E WA R E :

Look for quinoa as the first ingredient on the package. Also, just know that these chips aren’t as nutritious as the other chips here. BRAND WE LIKE:

Simply 7.

WHEY PROTEIN

BEAN Beans have a ton of fiber—which helps us get full faster and stay full longer— so these bean-based chips will satisfy cravings and keep weight in check. B U Y E R B E W A R E : Keep it to one serving, or about 10 chips. And look for brands that use whole beans. B R A N D S W E L I K E : Beanitos and Beanfields.

These chips are so high in protein— about 20 grams per serving—they’re great on game day or post-workout. They’re also low in carbs and semi-low in calories. B U Y E R B E WA R E :

BRAND WE LIKE:

Quest Nutrition. 92

PEA PROTEIN With flavors like spicy chili lime and nacho cheese, these gluten-free, vegan-friendly chips are low in carbs and high in fiber. The best part: Each chip contains about 1 gram of protein. B U Y E R B E W A R E : Stick to one serving to keep your intake of sodium low. B R A N D W E L I K E : Protes.

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

Photograph by Jeffrey Westbrook

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FROM THE MAKERS OF

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For greater power, strength, and muscle mass, look for supplements that contain CarnoSyn.

By Steve Downs, C.S.C.S.

day—to reach an effective muscle saturation level. If you want to amplify your strength and endurance, you can increase your daily dose to reach the maximum threshold of 179 grams. This means supplementing with an average of 6.4 grams of CarnoSyn each day. A few additional tips: Betaalanine can cause a tingling sensation, which is harmless and subsides after a few minutes—so start with a lower dose to deter-

One study showed that supplementation with CarnoSyn increased work capacity by 16.9%.

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hen it comes to boosting your power, muscle mass, and training endurance, your supplements are as important as your training program. And one supplement that can improve your performance in the gym within 28 days is beta-alanine. It’s an amino acid that increases carnosine concentrations in muscle tissue and is directly related to amplified muscular performance, as well as buffering of lactic acid.

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Simply put: More beta-alanine means more carnosine. CarnoSyn, the only patented version of beta-alanine, is ed by more than 50 scientific studies. In one study, results showed that supplementation with CarnoSyn at 6.4g a day for 28 days increased work capacity by 16.9% and endurance by 14.9%. To optimize the effects, studies show that you must take a total of 90 grams of beta-alanine over 28 days—an average of 3.2 grams per

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

mine tolerance, then increase intake to speed up the 90-gram accumulation. (You can also try sustained-release SR CarnoSyn, which allows athletes to consume higher single doses.) Second, don’t skip any days of supplementation; consistent use leads to more effective results. Finally, ingest more on lifting days to maximize the training effect. CarnoSyn is included in a variety of supplements, and there are many strategies for hitting the dosing thresholds with these products. For more on proper dosing, go to loading.carnosyn.com.

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MUSCLE & FITNESS PRESENTS

THE 2017

NFL

STRENGTH TEAM >

OFFENSE

CAM NEWTON

QB | PANTHERS AGE

C

HEIGHT

WEIGHT

YEARS PRO 7

AM NEWTON’S BLEND of height, strength, and speed led to 35 touchdown es, a 99.4 QB rating, an MVP award, and a trip to the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos in the 2015–16 season. And despite a less-than-Cam-like 2016 season in which injuries limited him to just 19 TD es, his blazing speed (4.5 40-yard dash) and incredible athleticism have made him a fan favorite, while his balls-to-the-wall training ethos has made him a favorite of Panthers strength and conditioning adviser Jason Benguche. “Our workout strategy this off-season, given that Cam had shoulder surgery, was a little more challenging,” says Benguche. “But the overall goal of our total-body program is to prepare him for the season with a regimen that includes a core circuit, light conditioning, flexibility training, and ovements that enhance mobility.” ’s love of training (see his out at right) and es back to his epic where the 2010 er enjoyed a the national season. Fasthis flashes of sheer s in 2015 once again point to Newton as a front-runner for this season’s MVP award. But always the ultimate team player and strength warrior, his only focus is on winning games rather than personal honors.

Cam Newton is the only Carolina Panther to win an MVP award, which he received in 2016.

NEWTON’S TOTAL-BODY OFFSEASON WORKOUT EXERCISE

SETS

REPS*

2 PHYSIO BALL LEG CURL

3

10

5 BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT

5

5

3 SINGLE-ARM KNEELING KETTLEBELL PRESS

3

8

3 SEATED MED BALL TRUNK ROTATION **

3

15

*All single-arm or leg movements are performed for the identical number of reps on each side.

3

4

**Perform both a forward and reverse lunge. That’s one rep. SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

97

N F L ST R E NGT H T E A M

OFFENSE

LEONARD FOURNETTE

At 230 pounds, Fournette possesses the strength of a linebacker and the speed of a receiver.

RB | JAGUARS AGE

HEIGHT

WEIGHT

YEARS PRO 1

L

EONARD FOURNETTE grew up in the mean streets of the 7th Ward of New Orleans, where his exploits in pickup football games at Goretti Playground became legend. Now that he’s all grown up, Fournette’s incredible brute strength—the key to his bruising, slanting running style—has only improved, as a result of one of the most intense workout programs ever cooked up for a football player at any level. While at St. Augustine High School, Fournette trained with Eddie Com, the former police chief of New Orleans and a strength and conditioning expert. “Eddie developed a workout program called ‘the 4th Quarter Concept,’ ” says Fournette. “The objective is to simulate in-game situations for my body in the training room that directly duplicate my on-the-field physical requirements. His dedication to training quick paid dividends at LSU: In his sophomore season, he set school records for yards (1,953) and TDs (2 Prior to being drafted in 2017, Fournette partnered with MET-R to take his training to the next lev His current goal is to use his spee (4.51 in the 40) and size (a potenti playing weight of 240) to blow pas would-be NFL tacklers like a blowtorch through butter.

FOURNETTE’S WORKOUT EXERCISE

SETS

3 1 1 1

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MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

REPS

1

5

DEFENSE

JOEY BOSA

After being picked No. 3 overall in the 2016 draft, Bosa decided to work out with a private trainer in order to focus on pure athleticism.

DE | CHARGERS AGE

HEIGHT

WEIGHT

YEARS PRO 2

J

O P E N E R S P R E A D : S H U T T E R S T O C K ; PAT R I C K S M I T H / G E T T Y I M AG E S . T H I S S P R E A D : J O E RO B B I N S /G E T T Y I M AG E S ; S C O T T C U N N I N G H A M /S T R I N G E R /G E T T Y I M AG E S

OEY BOSA IS A TRAINING machine who, at Ohio State, earned the respect of legendary coach Urban Meyer for his unmatchable work ethic. “No one has ever worked harder to prepare for playing football than Joey Bosa,” says Meyer. “He never stopped working harder to play the game at the highest level.” Bosa’s 10.5 sacks in the 2016–17 season led all NFL rookies and vaulted him into the elite of the NFL’s top rushers and also earned him the title of AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Bosa’s explosiveness is a result of his dedication to hardcore football training, which has led him to believe that the NFL combine training approach is not football-specific enough to be useful for young players. Says Bosa: “I didn’t like that training at all because it was too easy. You’re doing very light work and running a few sprints because you can’t kill your legs before running the 40. I will do mobility training that’s realistic to playing football, but I have no patience for the lighter volumes that go with the combine training, so I couldn’t wait to get back to actually training for football.” And, to the chagrin of all NFL quarterbacks, Bosa, a part of Team MET-Rx since 2016, has returned to football training with a vengeance, using MET-Rx’s array of sports nutrition products to help him reach his full potential.

BOSA’S PRE-WORKOUT MOBILITY DRILL

STEP UP YOUR GAME:

DIRECTIONS: Do as a circuit, resting 15 seconds between each sprint-backpedal combo. Aim to complete each combo in 45 seconds or less. Do three rounds.

SPRINT 10 YARDS

BACKPEDAL 10 YARDS

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

99

MUSCLE & FITNESS PRESENTS

THE 2017

NFL

THE REST OF THE ROSTER

STRENGTH TEAM 5

OFFENSE 4

9 1 Trent

Williams

2

OT Redskins HEIGHT: 6'5" WEIGHT: 318 lbs NOTE: A gifted run blocker, Williams is blessed with good size and the ability to drive defensive linemen into the turf 3 Ezekiel

Elliott

3

6 4

RB Cowboys HEIGHT: 6' WEIGHT: 225 lbs NOTE: A power back who uses his lead shoulder to destroy defenders he rushed for 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2016. 5 Dion

Dawkins

7

6

OG Bills HEIGHT: 6'4" WEIGHT: 314 lbs NOTE: This converted DT is a powerful point-of-attack player who can stuff the inside and is versatile enough to play right tackle 7 Odell Beckham Jr.

1

8

2

8

9

WR Giants HEIGHT: 5'11" WEIGHT: 198 lbs NOTE: OBJ’s quick hands, superb balance, and insane hops all led to 101 catches and 1,367 yards in his 2016 campaign. 100

MUSCLE &

/

n

N F L ST R E NGT H T E A M

DEFENSE 1

2

3

5

8 7

5

1 7

4 Xavier

n Maxwell

ek Collins wboys 6'2" 284 lbs ollins d right into wboys’ D-line okie in 2016 monstrated h, size, ess, and nce.

4 3

9

Branch

don rdson

phins 6'1" 199 lbs essed with a hysique, l is adept at wing receivers ying tough, coverage and the run.

9

2 Alan

DT Patriots HEIGHT: 6'6" WEIGHT: 350 lbs NOTE: A two-time Super Bowl champion, Branch tosses blockers like rag dolls, resulting in his 267 career tackles and 15 deflections.

s 6'3" 293 lbs ght feet, size, and h make this Mizzou n abletackler in uarters.

10

6

Lee wboys 6'2" 229 lbs s chiseled ue and athletic eam up to ee to push s aside with élan.

Rhodes

CB Vikings HEIGHT: 6'1" WEIGHT: 215 lbs NOTE: An elite athlete with football smarts. His five interceptions and a standout Pro Bowl performance solidified his high rank among NFL D-backs. 6 Tyrann

Mathieu S Cardinals HEIGHT: 5'9" WEIGHT: 186 lbs NOTE: This Louisiana native is one of the best tacklers in the NFL and will do whatever it takes to make a stop. 8 Leonard Williams

DE Jets HEIGHT: 6'5" WEIGHT: 291 lbs NOTE: Williams is one of the best D-linemen in the NFL. He’s a triple threat of length, power, and athleticism.

d Harris

10 Brian

riots 6'2" 249 lbs arris’ career s more 00 tackles, ks, and 11 fumbles.

LB Texans HEIGHT: 6'3" WEIGHT: 255 lbs NOTE: The fiery Cushing became the Texans’ all-time leading tackler in 2016. Expect plenty more takedowns before his playing days are done.

Cushing

2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

101

UNBREAKABL 1. BENCH PRESS

Sets: 5O Reps: 10, 10, 6, 4, 4O Rest: 60–120 sec.

Grasp the bar just outside shoulder width and slightly arch your back. Pull the bar out of the rack and slowly lower it to your sternum, tucking your elbows about 45 degrees to your sides. When the bar touches your body, drive your feet hard into the floor and press the bar back up.

DAY 1 Exercise 1:

BENCH PRESS Tucking in your elbows will save your shoulder ts.

2. INCLINE BENCH PRESS

Sets: 5O Reps: 10, 10, 6, 4, 4O Rest: 60–120 sec.

Lie back on an incline bench or set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 40-degree angle and lie back on it. Grasp the bar just outside shoulder width, arch your back, and pull it off the rack. Lower the bar to the upper part of your chest and then drive your feet into the floor as you press it back up.

3. 3-PART PUSHUP VARIATION

Sets: 3O Reps: 25 per variation (3)O Rest: 60 sec.

Position 1: Place your hands on the floor at shoulder width. Keeping your body in a straight line, squeeze your shoulder blades together and lower your body until your chest is an inch above the floor. Position 2: Bring your hands close. Position 3: Place your hands outside shoulder width.

4. 3-PART BATTLE ROPE VARIATION Sets: 3O Reps: 30 sec. per variation O Rest: 60 sec.

Tuck your elbows into your sides and alternate pumping your arms up and down, creating alternate waves in the rope. Switch to a double wave, where your arms move in tandem. Then move each arm in independent circles in front of you.

5. DIP

Sets: 3O Reps: 25O Rest: 60 sec.

Suspend yourself over the bars of a dip station and lower your body until your upper arms are parallel with the floor. Add weight using a weighted belt or by holding a dumbbell between your feet. 102

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

DAY 1 45–60 MINUTES

LE

>

DAY 2 45–60 MINUTES

1.

O O

DAY 2 Exercise 1:

DEADLIFT If you’re having trouble gripping the bar, try an overhand and underhand grip. DAY 2 & DAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

103

UNBREAKABLE

DAY 2 45–60 MINUTES

DAY 2 Exercise 5:

DUMBBELL ROW For variety, nix the bench and alternate two dumbbells.

2. BENTOVER ROW

Sets: 5O Reps: 10, 10, 6, 4, 4O Rest: 60–120 sec.

Grasp the bar overhand at shoulder width and let it hang in front of your thighs. Bend at the hips and lower your torso until it’s nearly parallel to the floor. Bend your knees a bit to take tension off your hamstrings. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull the bar to your belly.

DAY 2 Exercise 3:

SLED PULL AND PUSH Keeping your weight on your heels will engage your legs, saving your arms from fatigue.

3. SLED PULL AND PUSH

Sets: 4O Reps: 20 yards down and back O Rest: 60 sec.

Facing the sled, pull the straps taut with straight arms. Slightly bend your knees as you pull the straps in a row movement toward you. Then move behind the sled and, with straight arms, drive it forward using slow, controlled steps. 104

4. PULLDOWN

Sets: 5O Reps: 10, 10, 8, 6, 4O Rest: 60–120 sec.

Grasp the handle at a cable station. Lower it down to your collarbone, squeezing your shoulder blades together as you pull.

5. DUMBBELL ROW

Sets: 5O Reps: 15, 10, 10, 8, 8O Rest: 60 sec.

Place your right knee and right hand on a bench and grasp a dumbbell with your left hand. Let the weight hang. Retract your

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

shoulder and row the dumbbell up. Hold for one second. On the final two sets, choose a heavy weight and “cheat” it up, performing your reps explosively and with loose form. Switch sides with each set.

DAY 3 Exercise 2:

HANG CLEAN TO FRONT-RACK WALKING LUNGE Foam-roll shoulders and triceps before doing this move.

DAY 3 45–60 MINUTES

1. SQUAT

Sets: 7O Reps: 15, 10, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2O Rest: 60–120 sec.

Grasp a barbell as far apart as is comfortable and step under it. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and unrack. Step back and stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your toes turned slightly outward. Take a deep breath and then bend your hips and knees to lower your body as far as you can without losing the arch in your lower back. Push your knees outward as you descend. Extend your hips to come back up, continuing to push your knees outward.

2. HANG CLEAN TO FRONT-RACK WALKING LUNGE

Sets: 3O Reps: 10 with 20-yard walks O Rest: 60 sec.

Hold a barbell with extended arms just above your knees. Now explosively extend your hips as if jumping while at the same time shrugging your shoulders and pulling the bar straight up in front of you. As the bar reaches chest level, quickly slip under the bar and catch it at shoulder level with your upper arms. Complete 10 reps. Then step forward into a forward lunge. Continue walking for 20 yards.

DAY 3 Exercise 3:

TRAP BAR DEADLIFT WITH WALK For more of a challenge, try the suitcase deadlift. Place two loaded barbells side by side; lift and walk. The exercise has four points of instability you must balance.

3. TRAP BAR DEADLIFT WITH WALK

Sets: 5O Reps: 10 with 20-yard walks O Rest: 60 sec.

Stand with feet about hip-width apart. Bend your

hips back and grasp the handles. Keeping your lower back in its natural arch, drive through your heels to stand up straight and extend your hips and knees. Walk 20 yards.

4. JUMP SQUAT

Sets: 4O Reps: As many reps as possible in 30 sec. O Rest: 60 sec.

With your feet shoulder width, squat down halfway, then jump as high as you can.

LET NO OBSTACLE

STAND IN YOUR WAY!

>

O

106

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

RUN YOUR FIRST OCR SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

107

PICK YOUR POISON

FARMER’S WALK Walk slowly; keep your chest up and arms tensed.

About:

RACE READY IN 8 WEEKS

To excel at OCRs, racers have to be adept in three areas: running, lifting and carrying heavy things, and the ability to hang for a long time. To get ready for your first race, Joe DiStefano, director of training for Spartan Race, put together the following program designed to strengthen all of the aforementioned areas so that you’re ready to kill it come race day.

Length:

Number of Obstacles:

Difficulty: Number of 2017 Events:

Events:

1

WEEK

2

4

TRACK WORK:

TRACK WORK:

TRACK WORK:

5K time trial

4 x 800m run

4 x 800m run

6 x 800m run

STRENGTH:

STRENGTH:

STRENGTH:

STRENGTH:

Upper A

Upper A

Upper B

Upper B

THRESHOLD DAY*:

THRESHOLD DAY*:

THRESHOLD DAY*:

THRESHOLD DAY*:

30-min. run

30 + 30 for 30 min.

35-min. run

30 + 30 for 35 min.

STRENGTH:

Lower B

Lower A HIKE/RUN:

Hike 2 hours

Lower A HIKE/RUN:

Run 1 hour

R 2017

3

WEEK

TRACK WORK:

STRENGTH:

/

WEEK

STRENGTH: HIKE/RUN:

Hike 3 hours

STRENGTH:

Lower B HIKE/RUN:

Run 1.5 hours

Photographs by Edgar Artiga

O P E N E R S P R E A D : RU G G E D M A N I AC O B S TAC L E R AC E . T H I S PAG E : RU G G E D M A N I AC O B S TAC L E R AC E ( S I D E B A R )

WEEK

GEAR ESSENTIALS Dominate your first race and look good doing it with this crop of essential race-day gear

About:

Adidas Techfit Base Tee The polyester/spandex blend drives moisture off your body and into the fabric, keeping you dry and cool. Also, it’s treated with silver salt, which prevents bacteria and fights odor. $30, adidas .com

Length:

Number of Obstacles:

Difficulty: Number of 2017 Events:

Under Armour Heat Gear Leggings Designed to keep you cool, dry, and light, this base layer is ideal for any season. Bank on these tights to help keep you comfy during muddy and water-based obstacles. $35, ua.com

SINGLE-LEG STEPUP Place one leg on a mediumheight box. Drive up while keeping all of your weight on your front leg.

GROOMING BY CHRISTIE CAIOLA; TOUGH MUDDER (SIDEBAR)

WEEK

5

WEEK

6

WEEK

7

8

TRACK WORK:

TRACK WORK:

TRACK WORK:

TRACK WORK:

6 x 800m run

8 x 800m run

5K time trial

STRENGTH:

STRENGTH:

STRENGTH:

STRENGTH:

Upper A

Upper B

Upper A

Upper B

THRESHOLD DAY*:

THRESHOLD DAY*:

THRESHOLD DAY*:

THRESHOLD DAY*:

40-min. run

30 + 30 for 40 min.

45-min. run

30 + 30 for 45 min.

STRENGTH:

Lower A

Lower A HIKE/RUN:

Hike 4 hours

Lower B HIKE/RUN:

Run 2 hours

STRENGTH: HIKE/RUN:

Hike 5 hours

Obstacles:

WEEK

6 x 800m run

STRENGTH:

Events:

Kong

Stage 5 Clinger

STRENGTH:

Lower B HIKE/RUN:

Run 2.5 hours

*On the threshold days, aim to cover as much ground as possible during your runs. For the 30 + 30, alternate between 30 seconds of max effort with 30 seconds of less effort on either a rower or Airdyne bike, for the allotted amount of time. SEPTEM

/

U P P E R B O D Y D AY A EXERCISE

About:

SETS

REPS

REST

1.

*

2A. PUSHUP

5

60 SEC.

20 SEC.

5

60 SEC.

90 SEC.

*

30 TOTAL

AS NEEDED

2B. 2C. FARMER’S CARRY

Length:

3. 4. “EASY” PULLUP

Number of Obstacles:

*Perform five sets of one rep, then five sets of two, and then five sets of three.

Difficulty: Number of 2017 Events:

Events:

M A C S T O N E ( S AVA G E R A C E S I D E B A R ) ; W

BURPEE Aim to get as much height as possible when you jump.

/

2017

GEAR ESSENTIALS Reebok Running Essentials Shorts: 8 inch A loose fit around the legs and a breathable mesh lining make the Reebok shorts your go-to pick to layer over your compression gear. Plus, the rear pocket is perfect for a couple of energy gels. $35, reebok.com

GEAR ESSENTIALS

About:

Spark 3 Track your distance, speed, and calories burned to ensure race-to-race progression every time. $130, tomtom.com

Length:

Number of Obstacles:

Difficulty: Number of 2017 Events: Swiftwick: Aspire Four Quarter Crew Made of abrasion- and water-resistant fibers, you can run blister-free. $17, swiftwick.com

Events:

Inov-8 X-Talon 200 For less than $100, the Inov-8 X-Talon is everything you’d want in an OCR shoe. The soles have a rugged grip for extreme terrain, the mesh drains water quickly, and the shoe, at 7 ounces, is extremely lightweight. $95, inov-8.com/us

L O W E R B O D Y D AY A EXERCISE

SETS

1.

*

2. DEADLIFT**

7

REPS

5, 2

3. 4. “EASY” WALKING LUNGE

REST

3 MIN.*** -

10

5 PER SIDE

AS NEEDED

*Perform five sets of one rep, then five sets of two, and then five sets of three. **Perform the first two sets for five light reps. Then, increase the load and perform five sets of two heavy reps. ***During the three-minute rest, hang from a towel, draped over a pullup bar, for 30 seconds, and then hold a plank for 60 seconds. Shot on location at Murder of Crows Barbell Club, Brooklyn , NY

About:

Length:

Number of Obstacles:

Difficulty: Number of 2017 Events:

Events:

Obstacles:

PULLUP From a dead hang, pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar.

Double Sandbag Carry

High Sierra Tokopah 1.5 L There’s a zipper pouch for race fuel, a hose for “bite and sip” water drinking, and a screw-on cap—aka everything you need to excel on any course. The hydration bladder holds 1.5 liters of water, and the sternum strap allows for a comfortable nonslip fit. $25, shop.highsierra.com

Yokohama Tire Flip

/

2017

MEDICINE BALL SLAM Reach back, then throw the ball down as hard as you can.

S PA RTA N R AC E ( S I D E B A R )

GEAR ESSENTIALS

U P P E R B O D Y D AY B EXERCISE

1.

SETS

REST

2

*

2. DUMBBELL MANMAKER

REPS

L O W E R B O D Y D AY B

5

10

90 SEC.

3A. 3B. KETTLEBELL SWING

5

60 SEC.

20 SEC.

3C. 4. HANGING**

1

5 MIN.

AS NEEDED

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

1.

5

3

2. DEADLIFT**

7

5, 2

3A.

3

3B. HANDRELEASE BURPEE

3

3C.

3

3D. PULLUP

3

REST

* 3 MIN.*** -

30

-

10

-

4.

*Perform these reps as explosively as possible.

*Perform five sets of one pullup during your rest.

**The goal is to accumulate five minutes of hanging. If you need a break, stop the clock, rest, and then resume.

**Perform the first two sets for five light reps, then increase the load and perform five sets of two heavy reps. ***During the rest, hang from a towel, draped over a pullup bar, for 30 seconds, and then hold a plank for 60 seconds.

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THIS WAY Tossing meat and veggies in a red-hot pan >makes for a nutritious meal that’s quick, simple, and muscle-friendly B Y M AT T H E W K A D E Y, R . D . / / / P H O T O G R A P H S B Y S A M K A P L A N

T

AP INTO THE ANCIENT CULINARY CRAFT KNOWN as stir-frying to feed your muscles the protein they crave and get loads of essential vitamins and minerals for optimal health. The quick, high-heat cooking method—which is the backbone of stir-frying—preserves the texture, flavor, and nutrients of your ingredients, and that means a plate full of succulent browned meats and crisp, bright vegetables. These unique dishes move away from the typical Asian flavors, so take a break from the takeout menu and throw some ingredients in a red-hot pan. There is simply no better way to get a nutrition-packed meal on the table in a matter of minutes.

SWEET AND SOUR TOFU SOBA STIR-FRY S E RVE S 4

USE YOUR NOODLE

¾ 2 ⅓ 2 2 1 1 1 1 4 1 3 2 1 1

lb soba noodles blocks extra-firm tofu cup vegetable broth tbsp rice vinegar tbsp soy sauce tbsp tomato paste tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar tbsp cornstarch tbsp peanut or canola oil cups broccoli florets large red bell pepper, sliced scallions, sliced garlic cloves, sliced tbsp finely chopped ginger cup pineapple chunks

colander and rinse well. 2. Line a cutting board with a couple of paper towels. Top with tofu and a couple more paper towels and another cutting board or plate. Press gently to extract excess liquid. Slice tofu into cubes. 3. In a bowl, whisk together broth, rice vinegar, soy sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, and cornstarch. 4. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat pan. Add tofu and stir-fry until browned, about 4 minutes. Remove tofu from pan; set aside. Add broccoli to pan and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add red pepper, scallions, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry until peppers are slightly tender, about 1 minute. Add tofu, pineapple, and broth mixture and heat until liquid has thickened, about 1 minute. Serve over soba noodles.

THE MACROS PER SERVING 1. In a pot of salted boiling water, prepare soba noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles in a

593

40g

71g

18g

CALORIES

PROTEIN

CARBS

FAT

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

117

READY, SET, GO

S E RVE S 4

g p 118

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

g

g

FOOD STYLING BY EUGENE JHO; PROP STYLING B Y K A I T LY N D U R O S S WA L K E R

MEDITERRANEAN PORK STIR-FRY

WOK T H I S WAY

STEAK FAJITA TACOS WITH AVOCADO CREMA For whom the bell tolls: Fill your stir-fry with bell peppers to load up on vitamin C. S E RVE S 4

1 ½ ½ ½ ¼ ¼ 2 1

tsp paprika tsp garlic powder tsp onion powder tsp cumin tsp salt tsp black pepper tsp canola oil lb sirloin steak, thinly sliced 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 3 bell peppers (preferably different colors), thinly sliced 1 medium zucchini, sliced into matchsticks ½ cup reduced-fat sour cream 1 small avocado Juice of ½ lime Salt 8 corn tortillas, warmed

PATIENCE PAYS

1. Combine spices in a small bowl and set aside. 2. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat pan. Add steak and stir-fry 3 minutes. Remove from pan; set aside. Add onion, peppers, and zucchini to pan and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add steak and spices and stir to combine. 3. In a bowl, combine sour cream, avocado, lime juice, and salt to taste. 4. Place steak mixture in tortillas and top with the avocado crema.

THE MACROS PER SERVING

452

29g

CALORIES

PROTEIN

37g

22g

CARBS

FAT

2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

119

WOK T H I S WAY

OIL CHANGE

SESAME SCALLOP STIR-FRY Great catch: Stir up buttery scallops and benefit from a boatload of selenium, a nutrient that may help fend off prostate cancer. S E RVE S 2

3 1 1 2 2 2 4 3 1 ½ 1 2 1

tbsp tahini tbsp soy sauce tbsp rice vinegar tsp sriracha tsp chopped ginger tsp honey Salt tsp canola oil garlic cloves, chopped bunch spinach, ends trimmed lb sea scallops (about 8 scallops) cup cooked brown rice tsp sesame seeds scallion, sliced

1. In a bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp water, tahini, soy sauce, vinegar, sriracha, ginger, honey, and salt to taste. 2. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp oil and swirl to coat pan. Add garlic and stir-fry 20 seconds. Add spinach and a couple of pinches salt to pan and stir-fry just until wilted. Remove spinach from pan; set aside. 3. Heat 2 tsp oil in wok. Add scallops and stir-fry until they’re nearly cooked through, about 2 minutes. Lower heat to medium-low and pour tahini sauce over scallops. Cook until sauce is hot and starts to bubble. 4. Place brown rice on serving plates and top with spinach, scallops, and tahini sauce. Sprinkle on sesame seeds and scallions.

THE MACROS PER SERVING

120

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

510

32g

CALORIES

PROTEIN

45g

25g

CARBS

FAT

ORANGE CHICKEN CAULIFLOWER RICE STIR-FRY Nicer rice: Cauliflower “rice” cuts starchy carbs from your diet while boosting your vitamins C and K intake. No food processor? Look for brands of ready-to-go cauliflower rice like Green Giant and Trader Joe’s. S E RVE S 4

1 1

cup chicken broth cup orange juice Zest of 1 orange 2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger ½ tsp cayenne powder 1 ½ lbs skinless chicken breast, cubed 1 head cauliflower, florets roughly chopped 4 tsp peanut or canola oil 1 bunch Swiss chard, with stems cut into ½-inch pieces 1 tbsp cornstarch ⅓ cup roasted cashews 1. In a large bowl, whisk together broth, juice, zest, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne. Reserve 1 cup for later use. Place chicken in marinade and chill for at least 1 hour.

2. In a food processor, pulse cauliflower until it’s the size of rice grains. 3. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp oil and swirl to coat pan. Add cauliflower and stir-fry 4 minutes. Remove from pan; set aside. Add 2 tsp oil to pan. Add chicken and stir-fry 3 minutes. Add chard stems and stir-fry 1 minute. Mix cornstarch into reserved sauce, add to pan, and heat until thickened. Add chard leaves to pan and cook until wilted. 4. Serve chicken on top of “rice.” Top with cashews.

THE MACROS PER SERVING

377

46g

22g

13g

CALORIES

PROTEIN

CARBS

FAT

PAN HANDLING

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

121

HOT

/

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS WORKOUT 1 pair of exercise sliders (or a towel) 2 water bottles filled with water 1 resistance band 1 suspension trainer (e.g., TRX) T R A I N...

I N T H E PR O O LM ( & N E A R I T DIRECTIONS: Perform the following

exercises in order without rest. Complete four rounds, resting 60 to 90 seconds between rounds. EXERCISE

REPS/TIME

TRX LIMBO

10 PER SIDE

LUNGE WITH LATERAL RAISE

10 PER LEG

SLIDER LATERAL PUSHUP*

10 PER SIDE

S ARM CIRCLE WITH WATER BOTTLES Stand tall with a water bottle in each hand, then raise them up until your arms are parallel to the floor. Slowly make small circles with both arms, keeping your head and back straight.

W TRX LIMBO With a shoulder-width stance, grab one handle and lean back, with knees slightly bent, until arm is extended. Tense your core and then row your elbow past your torso, rotating your free arm toward the door.

TRX Y-FLYE X SLIDER DOUBLE KNEE-IN

15

*If you’re on a wood floor, you can also use a towel. Same goes for the double knee-ins. 124

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

With a handle in each hand, lean back until your arms are fully extended. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and raise your arms overhead, in a Y position, until they’re next to your ears. The farther out your feet are, the harder the exercise will be.

HOT E L WOR KOU T

S LUNGE WITH LATERAL RAISE Lunge forward until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Lift both bottles, with arms fully extended, straight up.

W TRX BICEPS CURL Grab the handles of a suspension trainer and lean back until arms are fully extended. Curl your hands to your face and then slowly lower yourself.

SHOT ON LOCATION At Wingate by Wyndham hotel in Springfield, VA. Wingate by Wyndham® (wyndhamhotels.com) enables travelers seeking balance in work, life, and everything in between to stay connected, productive, on schedule, and ready for whatever comes next.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

125

HOT E L WOR KOU T

S SLIDER LATERAL PUSHUP

SLIDER DOUBLE KNEE-IN T

Hold a looped band in one hand and place your opposite foot in the middle of it. Hinge at the hips so that your free leg raises high off the ground.

Lower yourself to the bottom of a pushup while sliding one hand to the side. Push yourself back up as you bring your hand back in. Repeat on the other side.

Place both of your feet on sliders and lower yourself down into the bottom of a pushup. Raise your hips and bring your feet in toward your belly.

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MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

G R O O M I N G B Y C O N N I E T S A N G U S I N G H A I R S T O RY A N D M AC C O S M E T I C S ; S H O RT S : N E W B A L A N C E ; S N E A K E R S : A S I C S ; B AT H I N G S U I T B Y T E N T H O U S A N D

SINGLE-LEG DEADLIFT WITH BAND T

W BAND PUSHUP Wrap a looped band around your upper back and plant your hands firmly on the ground in a pushup position. From there, perform a standard pushup, keeping your elbows flared out to avoid interfering with the bands.

STAIR STEP TAP T In front of stairs, quickly tap one foot on the first step and repeat with the other foot. Continue in a fluid manner. Each foot should leave the ground before the other one hits the floor.

S CALF RAISE yourself with the railings and place your toes on the edge of the step. Lower your heels toward the ground, then raise them until you reach a peak contraction, and hold for one second.

T R A I N...

IONN TTHHEE PSOTAO LI R( S& N E A R I T DIRECTIONS: To crank up your heart rate, destroy your lower body, and blast fat, perform five circuits with 30 seconds of rest between each circuit. EXERCISE

S SPLIT SQUAT Face away from the staircase and place one leg on the second step. Squat down until your front leg is parallel to the floor and then explosively drive back up. Repeat on both sides.

STEPUP* CALF RAISE

REPS

20 PER LEG 15

*With one leg, step up two steps. Bring other leg toward your chest, then step down. Switch legs. SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

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HOT E L WOR KOU T WILLIAMSON SAYS:

S BAND FRONT SQUAT Stand in the middle of a looped band and wrap the other end over your deltoids. Cross your arms, then descend into a squat until your legs are at 90 degrees. Drive up as forcefully as you can, keeping your back and head straight.

POOL EDGE DIP X Get into the pool and place your hands on the edge, at about shoulder width. From there, raise yourself up until your arms are fully extended. Lower yourself back down, allowing your elbows to slightly flare out, until they’re at 90 degrees or lower. 128

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

S V-UP Lie on your back with your arms extended behind you. Using as little momentum as possible, simultaneously raise your legs and arms toward each other, squeezing your core as you complete the movement.

W SITUP ON WALL At the shallow end of the pool, place a towel on the pool edge. Get into the pool and place your lower legs on the towel, one leg at a time. From there, cross your arms and crunch up. The water will provide a natural resistance.

T R A I N...

I N T H E P O O L (( A&N D NN EEAAR RI T ) I T DIRECTIONS: Perform the following exercises in order without rest. EXERCISE

REPS

V-UP

15

SITUP ON WALL

20

* FREESTYLE KICKING**

1 MIN.

UNDERWATER SWIM

1 MIN.

*Stand in water four or five feet deep, depending on your height. “The water should be just shy of neck deep,” advises Williamson. **With your hands over your head, kick your legs to stay afloat. SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

129

WHAT’S IN A

NAME?

These eight lifters etched >their busts onto Mount Swolemore by coining these exercises. Meet the men behind the moves, and learn how to do them, too. BY BRIAN MATTHEWS, C.S.C.S. PHOTOGRAPHS BY PER BERNAL

W H AT ’S I N A NA M E ? INVENTOR:

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER EXERCISE:

ARNOLD PRESS Back in the day, legendary bodybuilder-turned-movie star-turned-governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger put a new twist (literally) on the dumbbell shoulder press. He claims his version recruits more shoulder muscle, and considering that Arnold won his first Mr. Olympia at age 20, who can argue? HOW TO DO IT: Hold two dumbbells at your shoulders, palms facing you. Press and rotate your palms outward in one fluid motion. Reverse the motion on the eccentric.

INVENTOR:

J.M. BLAKELY EXERCISE:

J.M. PRESS Powerlifter J.M. Blakely is known for gaining and then cutting 100 pounds before competition—he would go so far as to douse a large pizza in olive oil, in addition to scarfing down 10 to 15 Hershey bars. Don’t do this. If you’re looking to push past your bench-press plateau, then definitely try his signature move, the J.M. Press—a close-grip bench press, skull crusher hybrid that has helped many big-time benchers increase their poundage. It strengthens your triceps by overloading them with more weight than you could normally lift with moves like the skull crusher.

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G R O O M I N G B Y N ATA L I E M A L C H E V

HOW TO DO IT: Set up on a bench press with a close grip. Lower the bar and, when you start to feel the tension in your triceps shift to your chest, bring the bar back toward your skull. The bar path should resemble a capital L. Contract the triceps hard and reverse the bar back to the starting position.

INVENTOR:

f m your body until your arms

SVEND KARLSEN EXERCISE:

SVEND PRESS

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

PUSH EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

REST

2 2 2 2

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

INVENTOR:

JOHN MEADOWS EXERCISE:

MEADOWS ROW John “the Mountain Dog” Meadows is a bodybuilder—famous for his grainy conditioning and muscle-numbing workouts and a coach who has prepped a plethora of musclemen, like IFBB pros Mark Dugdale and Amit Sapir, for the stage. The reason he’s sought out is he’s an innovator in the gym, using various implements and angles to try and recruit every last muscle fiber he can. And out 134

of that experimentation came the Meadows Row, his namesake exercise that is now known among lifters as a notorious upper-back blaster with a long range of motion that recruits maximum muscle. HOW TO DO IT: Prop a bar in a corner or use a landmine attachment. Stand perpendicular to the bar and grip the end with the hand closest to the bar. Then, pull your shoulder blades back and row the bar to your rib cage, holding at the top for a two count.

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

PULL EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

REST

MEADOWS ROW

2

15

120 SEC.

REAR-DELT FLYE

2

15

120 SEC.

INVENTOR:

VINCE GIRONDA EXERCISE:

GIRONDA STERNUM CHINUP Nicknamed “the Iron Guru,” Vince Gironda trained bodybuilders like the first-ever Mr. Olympia, Larry Scott, and Hollywood stars like Denzel Washington and Cher. Rumor has it that he even threw Clint Eastwood out of his gym after a disagreement! Gironda was

ahead of his time in nutrition and training methods, and his spin on the chinup, which increases the range of motion, is still practiced today. HOW TO DO IT: Hang from the bar with a normal chinup grip. Start the movement like in a regular chinup and pull yourself up toward the bar. Halfway through the movement, lean back and contract your lats hard to bring your lower chest or sternum to the bar.

INVENTOR:

GEORGE ZOTTMAN EXERCISE:

ZOTTMAN CURL

TWO-FOR-ONE Leaning back midrep turns the pullup, a vertical pull, into a horizontal pull, which recruits more muscle in your back.

Turn-of-the-century strongman George Zottman was quite a character. He had 15-inch forearms and performed well into his 50s. Also, he set a world record with a seated one-arm clean and press of 175 pounds—a mark that has yet to be broken. But his greatest claim to fame is undoubtedly the Zottman Curl, which he did regularly to build his beastly grip strength. You might want to try it from time to time, too. HOW TO DO IT: Curl the dumbbells up to the top, with palms facing up. At the top of the move, turn your palms over and then slowly lower the dumbbells. Reset at the bottom and repeat. EPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

135

DON’T GO NUTS Lift the weight slowly, otherwise, you may, well, not make it through your set…or the rest of the workout.

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MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

INVENTOR:

CHARLES JEFFERSON EXERCISE:

JEFFERSON DEADLIFT

W H AT ’S I N A NA M E ? INVENTOR:

JOHN PALLOF EXERCISE:

PALLOF PRESS cal therapist John Pallof has bed and trained a variety of lympic and professional athletes, ee Stempniak of the Carolina canes and Travis Stevens of USA . His own antirotation core exercise be applied in a rehab, prehab, or ormance setting. The payoff is a nger, more stable core. W TO DO IT: Stand perpendicular to nd or cable attachment and grab it. p it close to your chest, tense your e, and push it away from you in a ight line. Resist the urge to rotate.

PULL & ABS EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

REST

2 2 2 2

2

MODELED BY IFBB PRO AND APS NUTRITION ATHLETE

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

137

your biceps growth come > Has to a screeching halt? Use this three-week plan to shock them for some serious size gains. BY ERIC “MERLIN” BROSER

BLITZ YOUR

BI’S 138

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

T

HINK CAREFULLY

about your biceps workouts. Do you tend to perform the same exercises over and over at every session—barbell curls, preacher curls, seated dumbbell curls, and so on? Now go ahead and flex your biceps. Are you satisfied with their current size and shape? If the

next article. However, if your answer is no, then please keep reading, because it is my goal to greatly increase ticket sales to your “gun show.” Personally, I am a huge advocate of variety when it

O P P O S I T E PAG E : D U S T I N S N I P E S . T H I S PAG E : B R I A N K U H L M A N N

training programs. If my 28 years of experience as a competitive bodybuilder and coach have taught me anything, it is that the human body is a profoundly adaptable machine—and because of this, we must continually present new challenges by switching up the stimuli we thrust upon it (that is, exercises, angles, tempos, and techniques). While there are many effective ways to tweak your workouts with the goal of pushing past plateaus or staving off stagnation, the one we shall focus on in this article is introducing a few novel movements. Of course, each of the exercises I will present are nothing more than variations of the basic curl. By simply changing the arc of pull, the angle of the torso, and the positioning of the elbows and shoulders, you can attack a unique set of motor unit pools (and muscle fibers). This, along with giving the central nervous system something new to deal with, can help take your biceps development—and arm measurements—to an entirely new level!

WEEK

2

SETS

3

REPS

13 –15

60-DEGREE-INCLINE PALMS-OUT DUMBBELL CURL TARGET: INNER BICEPS HOW: Set an incline bench to about 60 degrees. Grab a pair of moderately weighted dumbbells (maybe only 50% of what you would use for normal dumbbell curls) and lean back on the bench. To get into position, you need to externally rotate the shoulders so that your palms are facing away from your torso. Just how far you can rotate will be a matter of personal shoulder flexibility, so I recommend that you warm up the delts a bit before hitting this movement. Keeping the chest high, shoulders back, and elbows locked in place, slowly curl the dumbbells

to full contraction. Hold the squeeze for a moment, then lower carefully until the arms are straight and the biceps fully stretched.

TIP: Getting the greatest stretch

possible on this exercise is vital for activating powerful anabolic pathways that will trigger rapid muscle growth. To make sure your biceps get the intense stretch required, try raising your rib cage high and dropping your shoulders while allowing your arms to fully straighten at the conclusion of the eccentric rep.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

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B L I TZ YOU R B I’S

WEEK

1

SETS

3

REPS

5 -7

LOW-CABLE INCLINE CURL TARGET: OVERALL BICEPS MASS WEEK

1

SETS

3

REPS

5 -7

HOW: Set an incline bench to about 60 degrees and place it directly in front of a low-cable pulley with a short straight bar attached. Take hold of the bar and lie back against the bench, making sure you are far enough away so that your arms can be fully extended. Keep your chest high, shoulders back, and elbows locked into your sides throughout every rep. Curl forcefully from the bottom, and when you get to the top, flex the biceps hard for 1 to 2 seconds. Lower slowly and repeat with no bounce at the bottom of the rep. Strict form is a must.

TIP: To really light your biceps

on fire, try performing as many quick, short, partial repetitions as possible after you reach “full-range” failure. 140

PRONE INCLINE BARBELL CURL TARGET: BRACHIALIS, OVERALL BICEPS MASS HOW: Grab a moderately loaded

barbell (about 50% of what you would normally curl on a preacher bench), head over to an adjustable incline bench set to about 45 degrees, and lie prone (chest against bench) with the shoulders positioned near the top of the incline. You can either rest your knees on the seat of the bench or straddle it with legs to the sides. Have someone hand you the barbell, and take a shoulder-width grip. Allow your arms to hang straight down to start, then begin slowly

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

curling the barbell with movement only occurring at the elbow t. Do not allow the elbows or shoulders to come forward at any point of the curling motion. After a hard contraction at the top, carefully lower back to the starting position.

TIP: This exercise can be made

even more intense by keeping the wrists bent back while curling. By doing so, the forearm flexors are almost entirely removed from the movement.

MERLIN’S 3-WEEK BICEPS BLITZ

EXERCISES NOT PICTURED

SEATED OVERHEAD CABLE CURL

WEEK 1 (POWER)

TARGET: BRACHIALIS

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

3 WEEK

3

SETS

2

REPS

LOW-CABLE INCLINE CURL

10 –12

3

5–7

3

HOW: Attach a short straight bar

F R O M T O P L E F T : I A N S PA N I E R ; A L E X A R D E N T I ( 2 )

to the pulley at a lat pulldown station. Grab the bar and sit down with your knees secured firmly under the pads. Lean your torso back about 15 degrees and make sure your arms are fully straightened. Keeping the shoulders locked in place, curl the bar down and back behind the head until the biceps are completely contracted. Hold and squeeze for 1 to 2 seconds, then slowly perform the negative portion of the curl, feeling the biceps lengthen along the way.

WEEK 2 (REP RANGE) EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

3 HIGH-CABLE INCLINE CURL

3

10–12

3

WEEK 3 (SHOCK) EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

2 2

TIP: Do not use heavy weight for

this movement. The keys to making it more effective are strict form and the ability to curl back far enough so that your forearm flexors are htly against your biceps of contraction.

HIGH-CABLE INCLINE CURL TARGET: OVERALL BICEPS MASS, BRACHIALIS WEEK

3

HOW:

SETS

2

REPS

10 –12

an incline bench to about and place it in front of e pulley with a short r attached. Grab the bar k on the bench. Your d be straight and angled

HIGH-CABLE INCLINE CURL SUPERSET WITH 60-DEGREE-INCLINE PALMS-OUT DB CURL

2

10–12

2

7–9

upward toward the pulley. Without any shoulder or upper-arm movement, strictly curl the bar toward the forehead. Make sure not to curl too explosively so as not to bang the bar against your head. Hold the peak contraction for 1 to 2 seconds, actively flexing the biceps. Slowly return the bar to the starting position.

TIP: Vary the degree of incline of

the bench to change the arc of the curling motion, adding even more variety to this unique movement.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

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PULL WEIGHT CLOSE-GRIP PUSHUP Make a diamond shape with your hands and lower yourself to the floor, keeping your elbows in. These will better target your triceps. 142

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

> Train insane with nothing but your own body weight

BY GREG MERRITT

NEWS FLASH:

Y w Y

s he to on n th t, an squat, you ca t escape the barbell. But a shredded six-pack and toned physique don’t require iron. Just YouTube “calisthenics” and you’ll see what we mean. With a minimum amount of stationary equipment—a pullup bar and dipping bars—or no equipment at all, you can train your entire physique. So, when you can’t get to a gym, you have no excuse for not squeezing in a workout. SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

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P U L L YOU R W E IG H T

THE BASICS BODY-WEIGHT BASICS

BODY-WEIGHT TRAINING TIP SHEET

Body-weight workouts can be done almost anywhere. The easiest way to use virtually all your body weight as resistance is to pull or push while suspended, as with a pullup or dip. Because choices are limited, you may need to focus on a single exercise for eight or more sets. Change hand or foot placements.

When you can do 15 reps of a body-weight exercise, increase difficulty by reducing rest. Boost intensity by doing supersets, trisets, or giant sets. Use a training partner to add or reduce resistance. Leg exercises usually require high reps and maximum ranges of motion.

INVERTED ROW Increase the difficulty of inverted rows by placing your feet on a bench or box. Decrease the difficulty by raising the height of the bar.

BODY-WEIGHT CHEST/BACK ROUTINE EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

4 WIDE-GRIP PULLUP

4

8-15

4 CLOSE-GRIP PUSHUP

4

8-15

4 INVERTED ROW

4

8-15

Go underhand on pullups or inverted rows (and set the bar higher so you’re more upright), and you’ll work the biceps more and your back less. You can also shorten your range of motion to keep the tension on your biceps.

Stay upright on your dips and do your pushups with narrow hand placement to focus more on your triceps and less on your pecs. You can also do bench dips with your hands slightly behind you and your legs straight out in front of you, or elevated on another bench.

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MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

OPENER AND THIS SPREAD: PER BERNAL

Dips focus on your lower pecs—be sure to lean into each rep to take tension off the triceps—while a standard pushup is the bodyweight version of a barbell bench press. But there are several variations you can perform: Elevate your legs on a bench to target your upper chest; place your hands on a bench for your lower pecs; and do them with a close grip for more triceps and inner-chest activation.

DIP To better target your chest, lean forward to increase the stretch in your pecs. For more triceps activation, keep your torso straight.

P U L L YOU R W E IG H T

DECLINE PUSHUP With your feet on a bench, assume a pushup position with your hands underneath your shoulders. Lower yourself and then drive back up.

WALKING LUNGE

146

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T : J A M E S FA R R E L L ( 2 ) ; P E R B E R N A L ; E D G A R A R T I G A

Keep your torso upright and lunge forward with one leg until it’s bent at 90 degrees. Continually lunge until you reach the allotted rep count.

Like your chest, the back is an easy body part to hit without weights thanks to the almighty pullup. Pullups are great because they can be performed with a variety of grips: wide, moderate, close, overhand, and underhand. You can also vary the difficulty. For example, if you’re not strong enough to get more than a few, then you can use a band or an assisted pullup machine to help you bang out more reps. Conversely, if you’re a pullup deity who can rep out more than 15, you can hang weight from a dip belt or close your feet around a dumbbell to make them harder. The other key back exercise is the inverted row, which is essentially a pullup with your heels on the floor and body held flat. Set a Smith machine bar or a barbell in a power rack at slightly higher than arm’s length when you’re lying on the floor, and pull yourself up as if rowing upside down.

Though extremely difficult to do, the handstand pushup is a suitable substitute for the barbell military press. Face away from a wall, with your heels against the wall. Get into an extended handstand position and then press yourself up and down. A regression of this is to prop your feet onto a bench in a pushup position and then walk your hands in so your body is making an L shape. From there, press yourself up and down. This is called a modified handstand press and will help you build up to the handstand pushup.

Many ab exercises—leg raises, planks, crunches—can be very productive with only your body weight.

WIDE-GRIP PULLUP Hang from a pullup bar and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Then pull yourself up, leading with your elbows, until your chin is over the bar.

Stand barefoot on a flat floor, not holding on to anything to steady yourself, and rise up very slowly, squeeze hard, and hold each contraction. You can also do weightless calf raises unilaterally, raising and lowering yourself with only one calf at a time.

Perform air squats, split squats (with your back foot elevated on a bench), assisted pistol squats (holding on to a suspension trainer), unassisted pistol squats, jump squats, and walking lunges. All of these should be done for high reps, in the 20 to 30 range. SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

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113 > These powerful food

combinations are greater than the sum of their nutritional parts BY CHRIS CANDER /// PHOTOGR /// STYLING BY BRIAN PRESTO

S

OME TALENTS J

Joe Montana and Jer They bring out the be too. Although researc phytochemicals and s ing interest among nutrition between them. The foods th together than they ever cou COMBO 1

TOMATOES AND PROSTATE CANCER

These vegetables are each l with cancer-fighting compoun tomatoes, with antioxidants su lycopene, vitamin C, and vitam and broccoli, with the phytoch cals beta-carotene, indoles, a isothiocyanates. A University o Illinois (UI) study also found th eating them together is like a one-two punch against prostate cancer. “We see an additive effect. W think it’s because the bioactive compounds in each food have different actions on anticance pathways,” says UI food science and human nutrition professor John Erdman, Ph.D. In the study, the tomato and broccoli combination outperfo other diets in slowing the grow of cancer tumors in rats. So try to add about 1½ cups 148

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEP

COMBO 2

ASTHMA, CANCER, DIABETES, HEART DISEASE

An apple a day is one of nature’s best prescriptions and a perfect example of synergy within a single food. They’re a great source of polyphenols, vitamin C, fiber, and potassium. Numerous studies have linked eating apples with a reduced risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and diabetes. Researchers at Cornell University

found that eating apple slush with skin worked five times better to prevent the oxidation of free radicals than apple slush alone. “The phenolic phytochemicals in apple peel for the majority of the antioxidant and antiproliferating activity in apples,” says Elaine Magee, R.D., the author of Food Synergy.

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149

ON E PLUS ON E I S T H R COMBO 3

GARLIC AND F INFLAMMATION, BLOOD PRESSURE, CHOLESTEROL

Fish and seafood are the major sources of long-cha omega-3 fats. They’re also in other nutrients (such as vitamin D and selenium) high in protein, and low in saturated fat. The omega-3 fatty acids help lower bloo pressure, heart rate, and triglycerides; improve blood-vessel function; and reduce inflammation. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eat one to two 3-oz servings o fatty fish (salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, or sardines) a week. “Cook your fish with garli make an even bigger impac your blood chemistry,” say Magee. Researchers at the University of Guelph tested effects of garlic and fish oi supplements, taken alone and together, on men with moderately high blood cho terol. The combination low total cholesterol, LDL chole terol, and triglycerides.

GARLIC SMELTS WITH PARSLEY 8 large sardines or smelts, cleaned, rinsed, and dried Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing on fish Salt and black pepper, to t ½ tsp minced garlic ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley garnish 1. Preheat broiler. Lightly bru inside and out with olive oil. S with salt and pepper. 2. Lay fish on a baking sheet overcrowding—keep them at l 2 inches apart. Broil for 2 to 3 on each side. 3. Drizzle with more oil if desi sprinkle with garlic. Garnish w parsley and serve immediatel 150

MUSCLE & FITNESS /

COMBO 4

SALAD GREEN AND ALMONDS CATARACTS, CANCER, HEART DISEASE

Brightly colored vegetab are rich in plant pigments t can reduce your risk of he disease, cataracts, and cancer. However, they nee be eaten with absorptionboosting monounsaturated such as that found in almo or avocados. An Ohio State University study measured how well phytochemicals from a mix green salad were absorbe when eaten with or withou 3½ tbsp of avocado. The avocado’s fatty acids helpe subjects absorb 8.3 times more alpha-carotene, 13.6 times more beta-carotene, 4.3 times more lutein than those who ate plain salads “This is a great argument against fat-free dressings,” says Magee, who suggests adding sliced almonds to salads. “When plant sterols combined with almonds, th LDL cholesterol-lowering e is greater than with plant sterols alone.”

ARUGULA AND QUINOA SALAD WITH ALMONDS ½ 2 2 1 ½

NOT PICTURED

HEART DISEASE, CANCER

COMBO

5

cup quinoa peaches, quartered tbsp extra-virgin olive oil cup arugula cup almonds Black pepper, to taste

1. Add quinoa and 1 cup water to a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes. 2. Coat peaches in 1 tbsp olive oil and cook in grill pan over medium-high heat until fruit begins to caramelize. 3. Toss quinoa, peaches, arugula, and almonds in a bowl. Drizzle on remaining olive oil, season with pepper, and serve. SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

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ON E PLUS ON E I S T H R E E NOT PICTURED

COMBO

6

GREEN TEA AND LEMON FREE RADICALS

This is a culinary no-brainer, at least south of the Mason-Dixon Line. But while you may know that the taste of tea is greatly improved by a squeeze of lemon, you may not realize that the nutritional benefits are amplified by it as well.

COMBO 7

ONIO GRA ALLERGIES, CANCER, WEIGHT GAIN

Querc derived a many fru bles, but concent It’s been relieve a symptom offer sig cardiova protectio improvin tion—wh extensio s function Meanw nol antio found in grapes, cardiova and neur may eve Togeth inhibit bl overall h red grap chicken with a fe ingredien as a per grilled ch 152

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

Green tea is high in catechin, which is associated with lower incidences of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and high cholesterol. But catechin breaks down quickly in nonacidic environments such as the intestinal tract, so typically only about 20% of

catechin is available for abso tion after digestion. Howeve study published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research found that adding lemon juic tea increases the level of antioxidant utilization in the b more than five times.

BROWN RICE AND BEAN BOWL WITH CHILI

COMBO 8

CANCER, DIABETES, HEART DISEASE

Packed with protein, fiber, vitamin B12, magnesium, and potassium, red kidney beans really are a magical “fruit.” They can help prevent colorectal cancers and heart disease, as well as reduce blood cholesterol and stabilize blood-sugar levels. Brown rice, on the other hand, is a whole grain (meaning that both the germ and the bran parts of the grain have been preserved) and is high in magnesium and fiber.

Rice and beans are usually inexpensive and readily available, and when eaten together they form a complete protein. A protein is “complete” if it contains all nine of the essential amino acids (those that can’t be made by our bodies and therefore must be ingested). A cup of red beans with ½ cup of brown rice provides 327 calories, 1g of fat, 42.5g of carbohydrates, 18g of fiber, and 18.5g of muscle-building protein.

d brown rice ( 5 o ) ca ed kidney beans 2 tsp olive oil Pinch chili powder 2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley ½ tsp garlic powder 1. Cook rice in a saucepan according to package instructions, then transfer to a bowl. 2. In a separate bowl, combine beans with olive oil, then transfer to the pan used to cook the rice. Add chili powder, parsley, and garlic powder and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. 3. Mix all ingredients together and serve immediately.

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THE

> Utilize both low and high reps to

consistently shock your muscles into both size and strength gains BY GREG MERRITT 154

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

Barbell Bentover Row Depending on where you row the bar to—your hips, your belly button, or closer to your chest—you can better activate different muscles in your back. Shown here, rowing the bar higher up your torso will better hit your upper-back muscles.

AND

LOW

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

155

H IG H-L OW T R A I N I NG

RESEARCH HAS PROVEN THAT

lifting within the eight- to 12-rep range is best for muscle growth, but it’s not the only way to grow. In fact, if you stick with it too long, your gains will likely stall. Translation: Don’t be too predictable. Besides, higher and lower reps have advantages, too. Higher reps maximize blood volumization and stamina. Lower reps are best for boosting strength. And both can generate growth. For this reason, the best strategy is likely a mixture of rep ranges. Alternating between high and low reps is going to throw out the middle, temporarily, and focus only on the high (15 to 30) and the low (four to seven). Let’s analyze the three distinct ways you can incorporate high-low in your routine.

HIGH-LOW TIP SHEET

High-rep sets are 15 to 30 reps. Low-rep sets are four to seven reps. Alternate high-rep and low-rep sets of the same exercise. Or do all high-rep sets of one exercise and then all low-rep sets of the next exercise, seesawing throughout the workout. Or do all high-rep sets one workout and all low-rep sets the next time you train that body part. Alternate for at least six workouts.

It’s best to do high-low set sequences with exercises that allow you to easily change the resistance, like pulldowns. On the other hand, heavy exercises like deadlifts or leg presses would likely involve too much plate loading between sets. During a high-low cycle, avoid midrange sets of eight to 12 reps. High-low can effectively shock calves and abs, which are not usually worked with low reps.

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Front Lat Pulldown As you row the bar down to your collarbones, arch your back and lean back a little. This increases the stretch of the muscle by increasing the distance that your arms have to travel to move the weight.

OPENER SPREAD: PER BERNAL. THIS SPREAD FROM LEFT: PER BERNAL (2); MARIUS BUGGE

HIGH-LOW BASICS

THE FIRST WAY to incorporate high-low training is to alternate between all high reps one workout and all low reps the next time you train that body part. (Be sure to avoid midrange sets of eight to 12 reps, as this defeats the purpose.) If you hit more than one body part per workout, you can also stress each with different rep ranges. For example, if you work chest before triceps, do all low reps for chest and nothing but high reps for triceps, then flip that script on your next chest/tri’s day. Utilizing high-low workout to workout lacks the benefit of “muscle confusion,” which you get via attacking your muscles with rep variety in the same session. However, it allows you to better focus on one range at a time.

T-bar Row When performing T-bar rows, allow your elbows to flare out slightly. This lets you row the bar a little higher, which, given the fixed position of the implement, is more comfortable on your ts.

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THIS IS THE MOST radical way to utilize high-low and the method that best distinguishes it from other workout styles: alternating high and low reps each set of the same exercise. This will have you seesawing back and forth from a pumping set to a power set. Be thoughtful of your exercising

pairings. For example, heavy freeweight exercises will have you changing plates from the bar every set, which is a pain compared with a cable pushdown machine that allows you to simply select weights with a pin. Another approach is to turn the set into a superset, alternating between a heavy move, like the bench press, and a lighter exercise, such as the dumbbell flye. This way, the lighter work complements and expands upon the heavier work. The potential downside of set-toset high-low training is that you’ll lose your focus. It’s easy to forget your immediate goal when you just did a light set and you’ve grabbed a much heavier weight. Rededicate yourself to the task at hand before each set, aiming for your rep target.

(A logbook can help you hit your goals as well.) The upside is that your muscles never quite know what’s coming. Will it be a few reps with a heavy weight or many reps with a light weight? Answer: It’s going to change every set. You’re going to pump up and power up as you attack your muscles with high and low combinations—again and again.

Low-cable Row Keep your torso rigid when doing lowcable rows, allowing your shoulders to slightly roll forward during the lowering phase. To initiate the lift, squeeze your shoulder blades together and then row the D-handle to your stomach.

IAN LOGAN (2); PER BERNAL

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ANOTHER WAY TO go high and low is to do all high-rep sets of one exercise and then perform all low-rep sets of the next exercise. Alternate that way throughout the workout, seesawing from pump-up to power-up. Plan your workout, so you go low on compound exercises that let you slide on the most plates (like bench presses and deadlifts) and high on isolation lifts, which don’t easily lend themselves to low reps (like cable crossovers). It’s usually best to start with a sequence of high-rep sets because this serves as a working warmup. However, you can go low first as long as it’s preceded by a sufficient warmup.

HIGH-LOW BACK ROUTINE EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

4 T-BAR ROW SUPERSET WITH LOW-CABLE ROW

3

4–6

3

20

3 STIFF-ARM PULLDOWN

3

30

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EXERCISE TWEAKS >

BY GREG MERRITT /

YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG.

1 /

BARBELL CURL Do only the top halves of reps, going from halfway to contraction. This is when the biceps are most activated. Performing barbell curls seated (so each rep begins with the bar hitting your thighs) makes certain you do only upper-half reps.

25 E X E RC I SE T W E A K S

7 DUMBBELL CURL

2

DEADLIFT Pull the bar from power rack s set at knee level or slightly lower. The greatest advantage of deadlifts, which is that they work a wide variety of muscles, is also their greatest disadvantage if you’re doing them primarily for your back. By starting each rep a little higher up, you’re working your lower-body less and your back more.

3 Alternate some backward elliptical work with forward work.

4

Preacher Curl

Use chains. Doing so adds resistance to the top half of the movement where it is otherwise lost as gravity’s pull lessens. Alternately, perform preacher curls on a machine with a vertical weight stack, which provides consistent resistance throughout each rep.

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5

Front Raise Tense your glutes to lock your

lower back and legs and prevent cheating. This is simply the most effective way to stay tight. Near the set’s end, you can progressively loosen the tension on your glutes to get more reps. This works with most standing exercises: dumbbell curls, side laterals, etc.

6

Push yourself entirely off the floor with each rep and then catch yourself and return immediately to the floor. Doing so adds explosiveness, which carries over to weighted exercises, too. And it’s a great way of adding a degree of difficulty to a simple exercise.

9 CRUNCH Rope Pushdown

At each contraction, separate the rope ends as far as possible with your palms facing down. This better targets the triceps lateral heads. It also makes you switch from a parallel grip throughout much of the movement to a palms-down grip at contractions, effectively giving you two pushdowns in one. If you’re accustomed to doing rope pushdowns with a parallel grip throughout, you’ll likely need to lighten the weight to maximally separate the rope ends at contractions.

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8

Pushup

Hold your arms up as if reaching for the ceiling and slightly forward throughout each rep. Most people put their hands behind their heads, but crunches are already easy enough without tugging to help you get up. By reaching up, not only do you stop tugging, but you also use the weight of your arms as resistance. Hold up a resistance ball or a weight plate to make crunches even harder.

OPE N E R S PR E A D: E D GA R A RT IGA. T H I S S PR E A D: PE R B E R NA L (4); DUST I N S N I PE S

Do these as fast as possible, alternating arms. Slow down as you approach failure. Increasing speed is a technique that can be applied to many exercises, but it’s especially effective with isolation lifts like dumbbell curls. This will better stimulate fast-twitch muscle fibers. Try preceding or following this quick exercise with a slow exercise, like preacher machine curls, to focus on slow-twitch fibers as well.

11

SQUAT At the bottom of each rep, sit briefly on a box or bench before rising. Unlike a standard squat, wherein you reverse your downward momentum to upward, you begin your ascent each time from a dead stop. This works your lower body in a different manner and may help you stay more upright, stressing your spinal erectors less. Box squats can also accustom you to hitting parallel or below on regular squats.

10

Cardio

Alternate time on the treill or stationary bike with time on the StepMill, elliptical, or rowing machine. The StepMill should be low-intensity while the rowing machine should be high-intensity. Alternating intensity is superior for fat burning, and this has the added advantage of imparting variety throughout your cardio session to keep you alert and to stress different muscles. In an uncrowded gym, you can do a circuit, working your way through four or more unique machines, each used for only a few minutes at a time.

12

Calf Raise

Pause for four seconds at the top of every rep and contract your calves as hard as possible. Most people never give their lower legs—which are accustomed to low-intensity, high-rep work (like walking)—the stimulation they really need to grow.

13

Leg Curl

Throughout every set, flex your toes (as if standing on your tiptoes). This puts your calves in a weakened position by keeping them tensed and, in turn, forces your hamstrings to work harder.

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18

BENCH PRESS

14

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

15

Lying Triceps Extension

Perform on an incline bench. Doing so allows the bar to clear your head for a full range of motion and prevents you from putting the “crush” in “skull crusher.” 164

16

Pull the bar down as fast as you can and then resist its ascent, taking five seconds. Altering pace can be applied to many exercises. With pulldowns, a training partner can easily apply extra pressure to the bar during the negative reps.

17

Hack Squat

Keep your feet under your hips, as if squatting on the floor. Most people place their feet forward, which shortens the distance they need to bend to get their thighs parallel to the platform. This allows them to use more weight, but it also works their glutes and hamstrings more and their quadriceps less. To target your quads and put them through a greater range of motion, keep your feet under you.

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19

Upright Row

Hold dumbbells with your palms facing your sides, and raise your elbows as high as possible while keeping the weights at your sides. This better targets your medial deltoids than a barbell upright row. As an added bonus, it puts less strain on your wrists. The tendency, however, is to turn this into more of a shrug. Use a weight you can properly handle, resist bringing your traps too high too fast, and instead focus on raising your elbows up and out as you bend your arms.

FROM LEFT: PER BERNAL (3); MICHAEL NEVEUX

Instead of standard dumbbell presses, with your elbows flared out, perform Arnold presses to recruit all three heads of your deltoids. To do so, begin with your palms facing backward toward your face as you hold two dumbbells. Press them up and simultaneously rotate them outward, allowing your elbows to flare out, until your arms are fully extended in the top position. Slowly reverse the motion as you lower them back down to the starting position.

Pulldown

Follow each full rep with a half rep, going only halfway up. The bottom halves of bench-press reps work the pecs more than the tops, so doing one-and-a-halves places a greater emphasis on the pecs but also allows you to stress your upper body through full ranges of motion. This technique can be applied to many moves, like squats and curls.

25 E X E RC I SE T W E A K S

21

Seated Wrist Curl

Let the bar roll down your palms and into the cradle of your fingers at the start of each rep and then curl it back up into your palm before curling your entire hand up. This strengthens your grip. Expanding the short wrist curl movement won’t rob much strength from the rest of the lift, so you should do at least some of your wrist curls with these additional “hand curls.”

22

Leg Extension

Point your toes in, so that your shoes touch, to focus more on your outer quads. Point your toes out to target your inner quads. If you don’t have a preference, alternate a set with toes in with a set with toes out.

23

OVERHEAD PRESS Take an underhand or a neutral grip. Whether done with a barbell or a log-press bar or on a super squat machine, pressing with your elbows in front of your body instead of flared out to your sides better isolates your front deltoids.

24

Machine Crunch

Follow two fast reps with one slow rep. This forces you to stay focused instead of going through a set on autopilot, so it’s especially effective for shortrange, high-rep exercises like machine crunches.

25 20 LEG PRESS Use one leg at a time. Going unilateral forces you to focus more on the muscles of each thigh, and you can get fuller ranges of motion. As an added bonus, you need to load only half as much weight.

Rear Lateral

Keep your arms straight. Technically, this is a reminder for proper form, but bending your arms will enable you to use more of your back to move the weight, taking the tension off your delts. With that said, you can bend your arms as the set progresses to eke out a few extra reps.

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TUNA UP

Fish—high in protein, low in fat, and completely carb-free—is a macronutrient all-star. Eat up!

THE

NO-BULL GUIDE TO BULKING > Forget the myths. Here’s the truth about when, what, and how much to eat to build muscle. Hint: It’s less than you think. BY SEAN HYSON, C.S.C.S.

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T H E NO -BU L L GU I D

B

ULKING, AS COMMONLY understood, is B and it’s time you too. Telling your anything you wa you’re skinny and tryin muscle is just an excus pig, and you’ll pay for i gain some muscle, but fat, and that fat will ob muscles until you decid ately need to lose it—a have a hell of a time di We’re telling you now: before it’s too late. The your skinniness might require less food than y no fancy supplements o able force feedings. (On it doesn’t warrant pizza either.) Discover the rea gaining weight, and nev the process again.

The Hard Truth Your body can gain only so muscle in a given period of dependent on your genetic training age (how long you lifting). According to Nate C.S.S.N., a San Francisco– nutrition coach to physique competitors, a beginner in up through his 30s can exp on two to four pounds of le per month for the first two months of his training. An ate (several months’ to a few experience) might see 1–1½ per month. An experienced the other hand, should be h just a few pounds per year. This means that when yo about somebody who “gain pounds in a month,” he rea closer to two pounds of mu 18 pounds of water and fat equipment manufacturers, muscle “gurus” like to exag 168

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EATING BIG

This is how a 180-pound man could eat to gain muscle.

FOCUS ON STRENGTH. NGER MUSCLES INEVITABLY ME BIGGER MUSCLES. if you measured the their subjects, you’d see est increase in lean mass. ne. p a two-pound topand envision what that ike on your body,” says ry few guys on this the potential to gain f rock-hard muscle in a t is, not sans the aid of cle-building drugs.

How to Bulk Right mistake that bulkers barding their bodies straight out of the gate. re eating clean (and e eating clean), your doesn’t need that many ain muscle. “Eating alories above maintewill do the trick,” says a nutrition expert and ch in Morristown, NJ. an American Journal utrition study found

that subjects who dieted and weighttrained for 90 days lost an average of 35 pounds while gaining significant muscle mass. Don’t get too excited, as the subjects were obese women, but it proves that muscle gain isn’t dependent on big eating alone. So what should you do? Start by eating 14 to 18 calories per pound of your body weight, and adjust from there. Consume one gram of protein per pound of your body weight daily, two grams of carbs, and 0.4 grams of fat. (For a visual breakdown, see the “Start-Up Formula for Bulking” sidebar on the next page.) In other words, a 180-pound man looking to gain weight would eat between 2,500 and 3,200 calories daily, consisting of approximately 180 grams of protein, 360 grams of carbs, and 70 grams of fat. To make adjustments, tweak your carbs and fat, but keep your protein intake constant. (See the “M&F-Approved Bulking Foods” sidebar for a list of approved eats.) The most important

Sample Meal Plan BREAKFAST ck coffee bled eggs

LUNCH ed salmon raw salad with 2 tbsp l and vinegar weet potato (cooked)

SNACK eplacement shake with otein, 25g carbs, 5g fat

POST-WORKOUT 25g whey protein 1 banana

DINNER 6 oz grilled chicken breast 3 cups white rice or potato (cooked) Steamed broccoli

DESSERT 2 tbsp almond butter, mixed with 1 scoop chocolate protein powder 1 cup white rice (cooked) Water (to make pudding)

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QUICK FACT

Timing doesn’t matter when it comes to food intake. Just hit your macros for the day.

Start-Up Formula for Bulking

14-18

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2

0.4

CALORIES

GRAM PROTEIN

GRAMS CARBS

GRAMS FAT

1

lb

BODY WEIGHT

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BODY WEIGHT

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1

lb

BODY WEIGHT

1 lb BODY WEIGHT

F RO M L E F T: G E T T Y I M AG E S ; A L

factor, however, is getting in the gym and training your ass off. “The key element to bulking is to focus on increasing strength,” Alvino says. Stronger muscles inevitably become bigger muscles, so while you can’t quickly eat your way to 10 extra muscle pounds without storing a lot of fat, you can— eventually—train your way there. Stick with your eating plan for at least two weeks before making adjustments a d t k h t couple of days progress. Also It seems simp getting bigger kind of weigh

T H E NO -BU L L GU I DE TO BU L K I NG

Timing Is Nothing For the past decade, bodybuilding hype has stressed the importance of the so-called “pre- and post-workout windows.” The idea here is that ingesting protein and carbs up to an hour before weight training and within an hour after training will result in better absorption of these nutrients for superior muscle growth. Some product marketers and so-called nutrition experts have even threatened that your workout will be a complete waste if you don’t ingest protein and carbs at these times. But the science to back this notion doesn’t exist. A 2013 meta-analysis published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found no significant benefit to rushing protein intake within one hour before or after training. In other words, as long as t th f d d th

M&F-Approved Bulking Foods MAKE THIS LIST YOUR GO-TO MENU TO GAIN MUSCLE WITHOUT FAT Protein is the main ingredient of muscle tissue, carbs power your workouts and prevent muscle breakdown, and fat s hormones like testosterone that help muscles grow. The following are the healthiest sources of each nutrient.

PROTEINS

CARBS*

Lean meat (any kind), including chicken, beef, and turkey Fish and seafood Eggs Protein powder

Potatoes Sweet potatoes Rice Fruit

FATS** Avocado Nuts (all kinds) Seeds (all kinds) Oils (including olive and coconut)

*NOTE: We’ve excluded grains and vegetables from this list. Grains such as oats and wheat contain compounds that make them difficult to digest for many people and can cause stomach upset and bloating. However, if you feel you do fine on these foods, you’re welcome to consume them in small doses, but make starches such as potatoes and rice your main carb sources. Green vegetables, on the other hand, should be consumed liberally, but because of their very low caloric value, aren’t to be counted toward your daily calorie and macronutrient totals. **Most of your fat intake should come as a by-product of your protein foods. For instance, egg yolks contain protein and fat, as do even the leanest cuts of beef. However, if you need extra fat to hit your allotment for the day, you can pick from this list of foods.

2,500 AND 3,200 CALORIES

/

QUICK FACT

Focus on time >and speed—not weight or volume— to lose fat faster

A time limit will make you train harder. No texting between sets allowed.

BY DAN TRINK, C.S.C.S.

BEAT THE CLOCK TO

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Photographs by James Michelfelder & Therese Sommerseth

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B E AT T H E C L O C K

QUICK

T

For all three exercises, beginners should use a 45– to 65-pound weight. Intermediates can use 95 to 115 pounds.

3

2

DAY 1 1 BARBELL THRUSTER

2 PULLUP

3 KETTLEBELL SWING

Reps: 5 (PICTURED ON PREVIOUS PAGE)

Reps: 10

Reps: 20

Grasp a barbell in a front rack position, with your elbows up, and assume a shoulder-width stance. Squat down and then explosively drive up, pressing the bar overhead. Lower it back to your shoulders. That’s one rep. If you’re new to thrusters, use an empty barbell. If you’re experienced, use 95 pounds.

Hang from a bar with hands outside shoulder width and palms facing forward. Squeeze your shoulder blades together as you pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar. You may alternate your grip each round if you like (switching to a neutral grip or performing chinups, for example).

Stand with feet hip-width apart and the weight on the floor, about six inches in front of you. Hinge forward at your hips and grasp the handle. Keep your elbows tucked in, draw the weight back as if you were hiking a football, then forcefully drive your hips forward until the weight reaches to your chest level.

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1

2

DAY 2 1 FRONT SQUAT

2 OVERHEAD SQUAT

3 SQUAT

Reps: 10

Reps: 5

Reps: 15 (PICTURED ON NEXT PAGE)

Set up as you did for the barbell thruster on Day 1 but perform only the squat, not the press. Also, to squeeze your shoulder blades together and keep your chest up throughout the duration of the lift. Neglecting to do so will result in you leaning forward and possibly dropping the bar.

Grasp the bar with hands doubleshoulder-width apart and press it overhead. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed outward. Bend your hips back and squat as low as you can without losing your back’s arch. If you have never attempted this move, don’t load the barbell with any weight.

Rest a loaded barbell on your upper traps and get into a shoulder-width stance. Take a deep breath and bend your hips back, then bend your knees to lower your body as far as you can without losing the arch in your lower back. Extend your hips to come back up.

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B E AT T H E C L O C K

FORM CHECK

Take a deep breath and bend your hips back, then bend your knees to lower your body as far as you can.

3

DAY 3 1 PUSH PRESS

2 FARMER’S WALK

3 ROWING MACHINE

Reps: 5

Reps: Walk for 50 meters

Reps: Row for 500 meters (NOT PICTURED)

Grasp the bar with hands shoulderwidth apart so your forearms point to the ceiling. Dip your knees to gather momentum and then explosively press the weight straight overhead.

Pick up the heaviest dumbbells you can handle and walk as quickly as you can, without allowing the weights to touch your sides. Stand tall with your chest out. Aim to use dumbbells that together total 70% of your own body weight.

Set the drag on the machine to between three and five, grasp the handle, and sit back so your torso is almost vertical. Drive with your feet to push your body back and then row the handle to your sternum.

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D O O W Y L L HO

R O V I V R U S

Survivor actor LAMONICA GARRETT has been hustling >forDesignated years to chisel out a place for himself in Hollywood. Along the way, he’s also chiseled out some of the best abs in Los Angeles. BY MICHAEL WEINREB /// PHOTOGRAPHS BY PER BERNAL

T

HE FIRST TIME LAMONICA GARRETT DISCOVERED the secret to persevering in a competitive field, he was a high school football player with more of an attitude than a work ethic. His family had moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles not long before, and he’d transferred with one of his friends to a high school where he thought his athleticism would earn him more visibility. Instead, his friend got pulled up to the varsity, and Garrett got held back on the JV team. “It was everybody else’s fault,” he says. “I came in with an ego that I had to check. I wasn’t working hard. I thought my name alone would bring me in.” Few actors working in Hollywood today have a first name as mellifluous as Garrett’s—his parents were fans of former Oakland Raiders quarterback Daryle Lamonica, and Garrett hopes to someday continue

the tradition by naming a son after his childhood hero, 49ers quarterback Joe Montana. But it’s also true that few successful actors have worked as hard, both in workouts and in auditions, to succeed as Garrett has. At age 42, after spending years sculpting his body and starring at a made-for-TV basketball hybrid called Slamball, after working in short films and taking on small

roles in TV series and films, Garrett finally caught his biggest break: He plays badass good-guy secret service agent Mike Ritter in the hit ABC show Designated Survivor, starring alongside Kiefer Sutherland. And he attributes much of his success to that high school wake-up call, which taught him both humility and ability—and drove him into the gym. Garrett’s dad was a semipro football player in Chicago. Since Garrett grew up near the 49ers’ former home, Candlestick Park, he has long been drawn to the sport. After he failed to make the varsity at Burbank High School, he started pushing himself in the weight room, building the titanic abs he’s now

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conditioning coach gave him his own key to the weight room. “I got there, and the guy in front of me [on the depth chart] was a stud, but I just kept my mouth shut and worked. He got hurt the first game of the year, and I led the team in tackles,” he says. “That’s been my whole life. I’m not going to be outworked. And I’m not going to

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

stop until I get it right.” Garrett put on 20 or 30 pounds at Central State, grew a few inches, and started thinking about the NFL—his teammate Hugh Douglas had been drafted by the New York Jets in 1995, so Garrett figured pro football was worth a shot. He had a great Pro Day in front of scouts and coaches—“I still my

G R O O M I N G B Y N ATA L I E M A L C H E V

known for and becoming a standout player on offense. He went to a Los Angeles junior college for a year, where the only spot open was at linebacker, so he hit the gym even harder, bulking up to play the position. And after transferring to NAIA powerhouse Central State in Ohio, Garrett worked out so much that the team’s strength and

Shot on location at Clutch B odyshop, Los Angeles , CA

numbers: 37-inch vertical leap,” he says—and had a couple of workouts with the Lions and Rams, but it didn’t pan out. Yet Garrett wasn’t done chasing after long-shot dreams: He’d always been interested in acting once his football career was over, so he moved to Los Angeles and told himself he’d keep after it until he succeeded. If actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Hugh Jackman could persevere for years before making it, so could he. “This is it,” he said to himself. “I don’t have a Plan B.” He took a job driving a FedEx truck to pay for his acting classes, delivering packages to Clint Eastwood’s production company and to the Warner Bros. lot. He observed on the set as shows like ER and Friends were being filmed and thought to himself, “How can I angle to do this?” But he kept coming back to what he’d learned in high school, even as friends (like Isaiah Mustafa,

ROLE MODELS Three actors LaMonica Garrett has learned from:

F R O M L E F T : A L A M Y; E V E R E T T C O L L E C T I O N ; G E T T Y I M A G E S

WILL FERRELL

ROCKMOND DUNBAR

KIEFER SUTHERLAND

DADDY’S HOME

SONS OF ANARCHY

DESIGNATED SURVIVOR

“We were shooting at the New Orleans Pelicans’ arena. We’d go through the scene, and Will would just keep going, and you’d have to roll with it and improv. But it’s so funny, and each take is different.”

“He’s brilliant. A fantastic actor. I took so much from working with Rockmond that helped me in other parts of my career—his professionalism, his preparedness, just how he approached the work.”

“It was supposed to be winter in D.C. Right before he was about to deliver a speech in front of 100 people, he noticed one woman was in short sleeves. Aware doesn’t give it justice.”

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L A MON IC A GA R R E T T

LAMONICA GARRETT’S ABS CLASS Sculpt a jaw-dropping six-pack of your own with these tips from Garrett

HIT ’EM HARD “I always go back to the moves I know work for me. One of the main ones is where I’m lying on a bench, holding a plate over my head and a dumbbell between my feet, and I do leg raises. It burns up the whole abs, especially the lower abs. And it hurts to a deeper level. When I tell my buddies about it and they do it, they can’t cough the next day, ’cause it hurts.”

HIT ’EM OFTEN “I work out five or six days a week, and I try to do some kind of core work every day that I train. So if I’m doing legs, I’ll still hit my abs for two or three exercises. And if I’m going to the gym for core and cardio, I’ll do five or six abs moves. I’ve been doing it this way for a while now, maybe seven or eight years. Seems to be working.”

KEEP IT ROLLING “I travel a lot for work, so I’ll take the ab wheel with me—break that thing down and put it in my suitcase. It goes with me everywhere. I do straight rollouts with it, but I also go left for the full extension, and right for the full extension, to hit the obliques.”

TAKE YOGA “I do a lot of hot yoga. I’ll leave the gym and go straight to hot yoga, so I don’t have to do as much cardio. I sweat out five pounds of water weight every time I’m in there. It’s great for dropping weight and getting cut, but it also helps your body heal and become more pliable so you can prevent injury. I wish I had done yoga when I was playing football.” —Shawn Donnelly

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another former football player, best known as the Old Spice guy) began to succeed first: There is no angle except hard work. He started playing Slamball, a hyperadrenalized basketball hybrid involving trampolines and forceful dunks, and eventually became the league’s leading scorer. It was an outlet for his athleticism, a reason to stay in shape, but acting was still his driving force. When the TV show One Tree Hill decided to film a Slamball-related story line, Garrett begged for an audition. He nailed it, got the part, and landed an agent, and then smaller roles in shows like NCIS and Mike & Molly led to bigger roles in shows like Sons of Anarchy, which led to the Designated Survivor audition. “We needed someone who could throw Jack Bauer into a car, you know?” says David Guggenheim, the creator of Designated Survivor (which will begin its second season this fall). “But there’s also an

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L A MON IC A GA R R E T T

emotional core goodness to LaMonica—he’s a protector in this role, so you sort of want that. And I think it’s always great when you get someone who’s clearly been working their ass off and understands some of the struggles, so they appreciate what they’ve got.” Even now, Garrett isn’t above owning up to his failures. Ask him about one of the terrible auditions he survived amid his ascent, and he has to go back only three or four years, 184

to a time he was up for a high-profile role, saw a bunch of recognizable actors in the waiting room, and choked. “I’m like, ‘Man, how am I even here?’ ” he says. “I just forgot everything I studied. I just kept blacking out on the lines. I tried it once more, blacked out again, and then the next time I blacked out I just said, ‘Hey, guys, I’m sorry for wasting your time,’ and walked out of there.” But Garrett had learned long ago how to move on from a bad day, and how to endure in the fickle worlds of both sports and Hollywood. His remedy remains the same as it’s been since high school: He hits the gym, another one of those places where there are no angles beyond hard work. “To me, working out, yoga—it’s my therapy,” he says. “That’s how I wake up in the morning and keep myself grounded.”

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

LAMONICA GARRETT’S ABS WORKOUT Here’s how Garrett carves out what may be the best abdominal region in Hollywood EXERCISE

SETS

* HANGING WINDSHIELD WIPER

REPS

4 3

10

3 SEATED CRUNCH ON PULLDOWN MACHINE

4

**

4

DECLINE WEIGHTED RUSSIAN TWIST FRONT PLANK

10

4

8

4

8

3

30 SEC.

*Garrett holds a 45-pound plate over his head and a dumbbell between his feet. **For each rep, roll straight, left, and right.

THE BEST BODY-WEIGHT

LEG WORKOUT Photographs by Beth Bischoff

SINGLE-LEG GLUTE BRIDGE

Lie on your back with your heels a couple of inches from your butt and your hands palms down on the floor. From there, cross one leg over the other and then drive your hips off the floor, pushing through your heel. Hold the contraction for a second or two at the top and then slowly lower back down.

BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT ISO HOLD

Stand about two feet in front of a bench or box of equal height and place one foot on it. Squat down until your front thigh is parallel to the floor, hold for 30 to 60 seconds, then drive back up.

FLEX OFF

1.5 WALKING LUNGE

Lunge forward until your front leg is bent at 90 degrees and your back knee is inches from the floor. Drive your back leg up until your knee is just below hip level, and then step forward so that leg is now bent at 90 degrees. Continue this process as one fluid sequence.

A stretch in the middle of a workout? That’s right, buddy. Keeping your hip flexors loose is key for moving big weight and general well-being.

GLUTE-BRIDGE WALKOUT

Lie on your back and bend your knees so your feet are close to your butt. Brace your core and raise your hips into the air, then walk your feet out in a V shape, taking small steps on your heels. Continue until your legs are fully extended and then walk them back.

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KNEELING HIP FLEXOR STRETCH

Perform a reverse lunge until the knee of your back leg is touching the floor, then raise the same-side arm straight up. To increase the stretch, lean forward toward your front leg.

SKATER SQUAT

Stand on your right leg and pick your left one up off the floor. Raise both arms in front of you to act as counterbalance. Now bend your hips and knee and lower your body as low as you can. Drive yourself back up.

JUMP SQUAT

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes turned out. Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and then explosively jump as high as you can. Land softly on your heels and then perform the next rep.

e

g e

Your leg muscles are stubborn since they carry you around all day, so making them bigger and stronger takes more effort. Which is why heavy squats are always a good go-to. However, you can elicit a similar response with just your body weight—and we’re not just talking about squats and lunges. This unilateral, high-volume approach to training will fry your thighs and hit every major muscle.

HOW IT WORKS This workout brings the pain (in a good way) with compound moves that work your leg muscles unilaterally and don’t allow your knees to lock out (aka rest) during a set. Working your legs one at a time will strengthen each side individually. Also, performing reps for each leg means more work, which translates to more total calories burned.

DIRECTIONS Perform the exercise pairs (marked “A” and “B”) as alternating sets. Continue for all prescribed sets. EXERCISE

RUSS_POSTER.indd 35

SETS

REPS

1A JUMP SQUAT

4

8

60 SEC.

REST

1B KNEELING HIP FLEXOR STRETCH

4

HOLD FOR 30 SEC. (EACH SIDE)

30 SEC.

2A SKATER SQUAT

4

6 (EACH SIDE)

60 SEC.

2B GLUTE-BRIDGE WALKOUT

4

8

3A 1.5 WALKING LUNGE

3

15 (EACH SIDE)

60 SEC.

3B SINGLE-LEG GLUTE BRIDGE

3

12 (EACH SIDE)

60 SEC.

4 BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT ISO HOLD

2

HOLD FOR 30–60 SEC. (EACH SIDE)

60 SEC.

60 SEC.

8/1/17 4:38 PM

Katie Chung Hua

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MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

START YOUR DAY STRONG

badass Katie Chung Hua is probably up before you, and her results speak

IFBB bikini pro KATIE CHUNG HUA’s >early-morning workout will kick your ass BY ANDREW GUTMAN /// PHOTOGRAPHS BY PER BERNAL

T

HERE IS NO RIGHT TIME to hit the gym. If you have to squeeze in a high-intensity session at lunch, go; if it happens after work, fine; if pumping iron at midnight is your thing, well, we think you’re kinda nuts, but so long as you get enough sleep each night (or day, in the latter case), cool. However, there’s something to be said for getting your

START HERE

You may not be familiar with every exercise that Chung Hua includes, so refer to these descriptions before working out.

workout done first thing in the morning. First, studies have shown that exercising in the morning on an empty stomach can increase your body’s ability to burn fat by up to 20%. Second, training early eliminates any possible excuses that may pop up throughout the day. And if you need a third reason, consider that IFBB bikini pro and former hockey

Superman DO IT: Lie facedown on a

mat, arms and legs fully extended. Lift arms, chest, and thighs off the floor as high as you can, keeping head in line with spine. Hold contraction for two counts, squeezing your muscles at the top of the movement.

wanted me to have a hobby,” says Chung Hua, who after being offered a spot to play goalie for the National Sports Academy in Lake Placid, NY, at age 14, got burned out and decided to shift gears upon entering college. “He was always into fitness growing up, so he suggested that I give bodybuilding a try.” And so she did, earning her pro card at the 2011 NPC Team Universe competition. While she hasn’t stepped onstage in three years, Chung Hua remains dedicated to living fit, which includes early a.m. gym sessions like this 30-minute routine she provided for us—and you—to knock out before the sun rises.

180-degree Squat Jump

Barbell Biceps Curl

DO IT: Stand with feet hip

DO IT: Hold a barbell in front

width, arms at sides. Squat down, bending knees 90 degrees while bringing arms forward. Jump up, turning 180 degrees so you’re facing opposite direction. Land and quickly jump up again.

of thighs, palms up and elbows close to sides. Keeping elbows close to body, curl weight toward shoulders, holding for one count at the top of the movement.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

187

K AT I E C H U NG H UA

Back Squat

DO IT: Lie faceup on a flat

DO IT: With a barbell on your

bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended above shoulders. Lower weights toward chest, stopping when upper arms are parallel to floor. Push back to start and repeat.

back, stand tall with feet about shoulder-distance apart. Keep core engaged and chest up. Squat down until your thighs are parallel with floor. Push through heels as you drive out of the bottom position.

188

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

Plié Squat to Upright Row

Side Plank with Leg Lift

DO IT: Assume a stance

DO IT: Lie on right side, right

wider than shoulder width, toes pointed out about 45 degrees, holding a kettlebell in front of thighs. Squat down, and as you come up, row the weight to chest level.

elbow under shoulder and legs and hips stacked. Lift hips and torso off the floor, forming a straight line, and lift left leg as high as you can. Hold 30 to 60 seconds.

Shot on location at Global Fitness Studio, Los Angeles, CA

G R O O M I N G B Y N ATA L I E M A L C H E V

DB Chest Press

STRONG ALL OVER A.M. ROUTINE

“This workout has all the ingredients needed to jump-start your metabolism and kick your day into high gear, and it won’t take a long time to get it done,” says Chung Hua, who models the moves on these pages. “It starts with a warmup to get the blood flowing and is designed to help you lose fat and put on lean muscle.”

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

3 BACK SQUAT

3

15–20

3 PLIÉ SQUAT TO UPRIGHT ROW

3

15–20

3 3 BARBELL BICEPS CURL SUPERSET WITH OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSION

3

15–20

3

15–20

SIDE PLANK W/LEG LIFT

3

3 30 SEC.

3

Lunge to High Knee with Dumbbells

Plank Knee to Elbow

DO IT: Holding dumbbells at

DO IT: Begin in a plank posi-

your sides, lunge back with your left leg until knee is an inch from floor. Drive that same leg up to your hips. Balance here for one count, then repeat on opposite side.

tion with forearms on the floor, maintaining a straight line from head to heels. Bring right knee to right elbow, keeping thigh out to right side. Return leg back to start and repeat.

DB Bentover Row DO IT: With a dumbbell in

each hand, bend over until your torso is about 45 degrees to the floor. Keep your back straight and row your elbows back toward your sides, keeping your head up. Hold the contraction for a second at the top.

Overhead Triceps Extension DO IT: In a staggered stance,

hold a barbell in both hands with arms extended overhead, palms facing forward and abs engaged. Keeping your elbows tight, lower bar behind head.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

189

THE LEVEL UP SERIES:

TRAPS > Get yoked while developing functional strength with this upper-trap-building routine

BY JOE WUEBBEN

THE UPPER traps are one of the few small body parts that can make or break a physique. (Two others that come to mind are the forearms and calves.) Build size in this muscle and you’re “yoked”— a term derived from the prominent wooden harness that sits atop the shoulders of oxen. The only problem with getting the upper traps to grow is that most of the routines you see for this muscle are boring as hell— shrugs, followed by shrugs, and then finishing off with more shrugs—making them an easy muscle to, ahem, shrug off. But your uppertrap workout doesn’t have to be dull. Livening things up is simply a matter of adding some cleans and farmer’s carries to the mix. The following Level Up routine does just that to help you develop some power, core stability, and grip strength while building that coveted yoke. 192

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

L EV E L U P SE R I E S: T R A P S

NOT PICTURED

O P E N E R S P R E A D ; E D G A R A R T I G A . T H I S S P R E A D F R O M L E F T : I A N S PA N I E R ; S I M O N M C D E R M O T T-J O H N S O N ( 2 )

STRAIGHT UP EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

4 DIP BAR SHRUG

4

10

4 MACHINE UPRIGHT ROW

3

12, 10, 8

As published in the June 2013 issue of M&F.

LEVEL UP EXERCISE

BARBELL SHRUG * PRONE INCLINE DUMBBELL SHRUG

SETS

REPS

3

8

3

15

3 3

* 10-12

* On each set, do 10 reps of shrugs followed by 30 seconds of walking.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

193

YOU SUPPLIED THE QUESTIONS, WE FOUND THE ANSWERS

STRONG LIKE BULL

If you use the fall and winter months to bulk up, the tips and advice from these three strength specialists will most certainly help you get stronger faster

Is there a way to combine my strength training and conditioning work into one workout?

A

There are a few ways you can do this. First, implement circuits by doing traditional resistance exercises back-to-back-toback, with minimal rest between sets. You can also work in

strongman-style exercises like farmer’s walks for time or distance, tire flips, and heavy prowler pushes. Lastly, simply cut the rest time on your regular training. It works. You’ll increase work capacity and shed fat.

I’ve heard of a program called Daily Undulating Periodization. What is it and is it safe?

O P P O S I T E PAG E : W E S T E N D 6 1 / G E T T Y I M AG E S . T H I S PAG E : E D G A R A RT I G A

A

Yes, it’s safe. Daily Undulating Periodization (DUP) is simply a way of organizing your training—based around compound movements like the deadlift, bench press, squat, and clean and jerk—by varying the sets and reps. For example: During a training week, you will do the same movements each time you’re in the gym, but perform a different rep scheme—typically the sets and reps cycle between 4x12, 6x3, and 5x5—for each of those movements (hence the term undulating). By doing each lift three times per week, you’ll become more proficient at the exercise. And the undulating rep scheme ensures that you won’t burn out as you cycle between a light, moderate, and heavy load for each.

What’s a good set and rep scheme for a Day 1 newbie?

A

New lifters are better off sticking to a rep range of five to eight. It will induce both muscle gains and strength gains, while keeping form in check. A rookie lifter will fatigue more quickly

and his form will suffer because of it. Keeping the set in the five- to eight-rep range will ensure each rep looks good and make the weight heavy enough where he can safely reach the target volume for the set. SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

195

A S K

Right now I consume a protein shake post-workout. Should I make any changes to my supplement regimen as I shift into a heavy-lifting phase?

A

First and foremost, make sure you’re eating .75 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily—so if you weigh 180 pounds, aim for 135 to 180 grams of protein each day. Next, I would recommend adding a daily serving of creatine—it’s been shown to increase power output, strength, and the development of lean mass.

I normally follow a bodybuilding-style split. How should I change my accessory work to bolster strength gains?

For the past year, I’ve been eating five meals per day and lifting five days per week. Recently, my gains have stalled. Am I doing something wrong?

196

workouts into three full-body workouts and one conditioning-focused workout. And focus on upping your bench, squat, and deadlift while supplementing with bodybuilding-style sets and reps for accessory work.

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

G E T T Y I M AG E S

A

It seems like you have good intentions and a good work ethic, but your progress might be stagnant because your body is looking for a change. I would suggest training four times per week and splitting the

A

Accessory work is great for building muscle and boosting strength on your main lifts, but not all accessory exercises are equal. To maximize strength gains, focus on compound lifts such as close-grip bench presses, weighted chinups and dips, speed or deficit deadlifts, and paused or box squats. These exercises will have more carryover to your main lifts compared with moves like pec flyes, triceps rope pressdowns, and leg extensions. Aim to perform three to four sets of three to six reps for each exercise once a week.

Are body-weight exercises like pullups, pushups, and air squats still worth doing to help me get strong, or should I nix them for weighted exercises?

A

Body-weight exercises like pullups, dips, and pushups can build strength and muscle, but they are no substitute for squats, deads, presses, and rows. The best way to achieve strength is to rely

on barbell exercises, which provide much more resistance than your own body weight. Use the bodyweight stuff as accessory work for higher reps—when balanced with barbell training, this approach works well.

Once I get the bar over my knees for the deadlift, my grip fails and I drop the bar. What are some ways to improve my grip strength?

A

First, you can try a mixed grip, in which one palm is facing up and the other down—it doesn’t matter which one is up or down, although most people put their dominant hand facing up. To maximize your strength with this particular grip, curl the “up” palm up and twist the “down" palm down, like you’re revving a motorcycle. You should also train your grip during your workouts. The best way to do this is to get a pair of Fat Gripz or Grip4orce and add them to your accessory lifts—do your rows,

pullups, and dumbbell presses with them. Your grip will be stronger in a few weeks.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / MUSCLE & FITNESS

197

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L A S

W O R D

If you want to achieve your best physique, then put everything else aside and focus.

WORTH THE EFFORT

Put down your phone, pick up that weight, and get ready for progress

I

n each issue of Muscle & Fitness we take special pride in delivering to you as many workouts as possible within our 200 pages. Whether it’s a mass-gaining plan or a six-minute shoulder blast, we make an effort every month to provide a wealth of workouts that you can take to the gym or perform at home as you strive to achieve your fitness goals. I’m sure you’ve already noticed that this issue is no exception.

200

Yet, while we can give you the training information you need to get bigger, stronger, and leaner, we can’t do the workouts for you; those you’ll have to power through on your own (though my editors and I do often try out the routines ourselves). And while we certainly feature a wide variety of training protocols in every issue, all are equally effective or ineffective based on a single common thread: the effort you put in.

MUSCLE & FITNESS / SEPTEMBER 2017

Fact is, there are a lot of paths you can take to build your pecs or get shredded, but the difference in approaches is not nearly as significant as the yawning gap between those who put in maximal effort and those who mail it in. I see this exemplified every day at the gym I train at, where there is a handful of guys and girls who are in terrific shape. Not coincidentally, all of them work hard for the hour or so they’re at the gym. The vast majority of the gym’s , however, seem far more preoccupied with incoming texts and social media updates than with any exercise. And not coincidentally, they each look like someone who prioritizes a phone over a workout. In their cases, a Google search of the phrase, “Why am I not responding to my workouts?” won’t provide them nearly as accurate an answer as would putting down their phones and trying to follow the lead of their fellow, hardworking . They’d soon learn that their failures have nothing to do with their workouts but rather with their lack of focus, effort, and dedication. You can try every single routine in this magazine, but if your effort is lacking, your results will be, too. I’m such a strong believer in the power of intention that I maintain that a truly dedicated trainee who is limited to doing only pushups and lunges would make better progress than a distracted one who has access to a fully loaded gym. So if you’re serious about significantly improving your physique, know that good, old-fashioned hard work will be your winning ticket every time. And if you apply that effort to the expert-designed workouts we provide you with in each issue of M&F, well, you’ll find it hard not to be the fittest, best built guy in your gym.

Sincerely, Shawn Perine Photograph by Dustin Snipes