Muscle & Fitness (December 2019)

FLEX_OLYMPIA WEEKEND












AGAIN, WE MUST GIVE
congratulations to the

15th Mr. Olympia, BRANDON
CURRY, who has been a favorite
of mine since earlier this year.
While Curry did not receive
the fan-favorite award—Hadi
Choopan won that—Curry was
the clear-cut winner and, I
think in comparison to the
other athletes, probably had
the strongest following going
in, in terms of support.
Curry lived up to the pre-
Olympia hype. He continued
to improve from the previous
years, most notably from his
Arnold Classic Brazil champi-
onship from way back in 2013.
That was his first big win. Then
he followed that up by winning
the Arnold Classic in Australia
in 2016 before going to Colum-
bus, OH, and winning arguably
the second most prestigious
title, the Arnold Classic. That
meant he had already beaten
everyone who was compet-

ing in this year’s Mr. Olympia
championship, so to do that
twice in one calendar year,
Curry had a lot of pressure on
him. I’m extremely impressed
that he didn’t drop off and that
his time training over in Kuwait
paid off.
He was able to keep his waist
tight and his size in check.
Overall, he rose to the occasion
of the Mr. Olympia, whereas
others fell short. You had to
tip your hat to him for what he
sacrificed to get there. He has
four kids and a wife and main-
tains a home in Tennessee. For
him, arguably the victory was
the sweetest because he’s run BRANDON

the circuit: three Arnold Clas- CURRY
sics, three different continents,
and a Mr. Olympia title.


1 4 6 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

MEN’S OPEN TOP 3

From left: Hadi Choopan, William Bonac, Brandon Curry

















































ALSO, WE HAD TO BE VERY

aware of the arrival of HADI
CHOOPAN, the surprise fan
favorite who didn’t even know
if he would be able to enter the

country and had trained and
dieted with a lot of uncertainty.
Still, at the 11th hour, two weeks
prior, he got the invitation, and
he delivered with his third-place
finish. Choopan reconfirmed to
people how good he has always
been. While not the tallest, he
certainly did bring a level of condi-
tioning that won over the likes of
Cedric McMillan, Dexter Jackson,
Steve Kuclo, and Juan Morel,
all seasoned professionals, and
arguably he could have finished in
second place, in my opinion. It was
an incredible story, and how great
it was to have people cheering
for him. Based on his journey and
his arrival and then his delivery

HADI at the actual contest, he lived up
CHOOPAN to the hype. Choopan earned the
fan-favorite award.




D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 1 4 7

FLEX_OLYMPIA WEEKEND










NOT TO BE LOST ON
THIS momentous occasion

was the fact that WILLIAM
BONAC had also risen to the

occasion. Last year, he was
fourth place, a former Arnold
Classic champion in two
different continents over in
Australia and Ohio. Bonac
fired his trainer, had some
emotional release on social
media, and, for the very first
time in his career, took the
Mr. Olympia journey on his
own terms and with his own
crew. He was able to deliver WILLIAM
the goods and wind up the BONAC
No. 2 bodybuilder and not
have to give up 20% of the
prize money to his trainer.


A HUGE SURPRISE may
have been PATRICK MOORE.
He brought back the hopes
of an aesthetic athletic-
looking physique that could
potentially be the future of
men’s open bodybuilding.

Another big highlight to
witness was WHITNEY JONES
reclaiming her fitness
championship in the face
of a knee injury and neck
surgery and not losing a
beat. As mentioned earlier,
Shanique Grant was exactly
who we thought she was
and did exactly what we
thought she would do. I
guess one of the surprises
was the crowning of a
new bikini champion out
of Brazil, ELISA PECINI, who
actually did not come out
of nowhere. She’s always
been close, but to upset
the bigger names on the

Olympia stage was a huge
accomplishment for the PATRICK WHITNEY
new bikini champion. MOORE JONES




1 4 8 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9



FLEX_OLYMPIA WEEKEND




MY OTHER HIGHLIGHT, of course,
was CHRIS BUMSTEAD taking down
two-time defending champion Breon
Ansley. This was huge because Ansley
has been everything we would want in a
classic physique winner. But Bumstead,
whose potential had been always talked

about, finally arrived. The Canadian van-
quished the defending champion, which is
very rarely done on an Olympia stage, so
kudos to Bumstead.



















CHRIS
BUMSTEAD










































One of the least-talked-about aspects of O competitors is
CHULAWEAR their choice of stage wear. In a short time, Ray has become
SCORES BIG AT O one of the up-and-coming posing-wear power players with
her Chula Briefs.
Classic physique champ Chris Bumstead, Keone Pearson,
, Arash Rahbar, and Dancovea Anderson were among the
competitors who Ray says wore her Chulawear designs
(teamchulafitness.com).
“I saw a need for shorts with a more classic look like that of
“I was excited to see all these amazing athletes onstage the greats—Arnold [Schwarzenegger], Samir [Bannout], Sergio
wearing my designs,” Ray says. “Words cannot describe [Oliva]—yet with a modern look and comfortable feel,” Ray says.
seeing my labor of love being presented onstage.”






1 5 0 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

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FLEX_BACK TO BASICS B Y D AV I D B AY E




IT SEEMS AS if fitness enthu-
siasts and athletes alike are con-
Classically stantly coming up with new ex-

ercises to try to facilitate growth

Built Quads and better development of every
single body part, including legs.
While sometimes it’s simply nice
just to try new things in the gym,
From world championship powerlifting meets to the and other times the focus of
Olympia stage, two-time classic physique champion trying these new exercises and

Jordan Plantiko shares how he sticks to the basics hitting a muscle from different
angles is to help break plateaus,
when it comes to his leg routines and keeping quads.
it’s important to remember that
the basics of building strong
thighs remains the same today
as it has for years.
Wisconsin native Jordan Plan-
tiko, world champion powerlifter
turned 2019 IFBB Chicago Pro
and Omaha Pro Classic Phy-
sique champion, is no stranger
to heavy-duty, old-school leg
workouts, and with a certified
705-pound squat as a teenager,
his results speak for themselves.
Here, Plantiko takes us through
a typical quad day and shows us
how you don’t have to get fancy
or creative to get serious results.







WALKING LUNGE

SETS: 3–4 REPS: 15 per leg

“For this exercise, you can
use a dumbbell, a barbell,
or just your body weight.
I like to keep my stride a
little narrower to focus on
my quads for this move-
ment and less on the hips
and glutes, which you
might get going a little wid-
er. It’s important to make
sure you take a big enough
step so that your knee isn’t
extending out too far past
your toes, but you also
don’t want to take such a
big step that you lose your I A N S PA N I E R ; P E R B E R N A L
balance. I prefer to go with
about 30 total steps, or 15

with each leg.”


1 5 2 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

SINGLE-LEG
VERTICAL LEG PRESS

SETS: 3 REPS: 12 per leg

“If your gym has this, I highly
recommend using it. For this
movement, I like to do one leg at
a time, so really focus on each
leg. I think a lot of people can
benefit from picking an exercise
or two in their routine to do one
leg at a time. As with other body

parts, most of us have a domi-
nant leg, so hitting them individ-
ually can really help facilitate
strength and growth. I like to
keep my foot placement toward
the middle of the platform to
focus on my outer quad.”

FLEX_BACK TO BASICS



45-DEGREE-ANGLE

LEG PRESS

SETS: 4 REPS: 25, 20, 15, 12
“This is the main compound
movement in which I try to use
the most weight possible to hit
the required reps for each set.
Set 1 is 25 reps, Set 2 is 20, Set 3

is 15, and the fourth and final set
is 12. I feel that using the higher
reps for the first few sets really
helps force the blood into the
muscle tissue and gives me a
great quad pump early on in my
workout, and by not going lower
than 12 reps, I take the strain
off my joints and reduce the risk
for injury often associated with
lower rep ranges like four to six.
For added intensity, I’ll turn my
last set into a dropset by reduc-
ing the weight by 50% and taking
the set to failure again.”






LEG EXTENSION

SETS: 3–4 REPS: 10–15

“This exercise is used to warm
up the quads and the knee joints
and serve as a primer for the
rest of my leg day. I like to have a
brief pause at the top of the rep
to really squeeze and contract
the quads, making sure every rep
counts. Also, just because it’s a
warmup and the first exercise
in my routine doesn’t mean it’s
short on intensity. Once you’re
through a few warmup sets and
you feel ready to go, you have to
put the pedal to the floor.”

























1 5 4 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 PAV E L Y T H JA L L ; P E R B E R N A L



FLEX_FLEX 101 B Y S H A W N R AY




to March, 12 weeks of trying to
’Tis the get in six to seven meals a day,

eating every three hours.


Off-season WINTER FEVER
By February and March, I’m in
full building mode. These were

What should you do with your body now that the the two months that I’d say
would be my time to pack on
contests are over? Shawn Ray explains his mass and try to be strong in

post-Olympia October-to-March regimen. my training. My reps would be

between six and 10, whereas
prior to that I would be doing 12
You’ve dieted, trained, built, workouts. I would use the month to 15. I also slowed down the
competed, placed, and even to gradually get through the pace of my workout as I was
had time to reflect on the past soreness phase of taking off two lifting heavier weight and going
season. and a half months of training. for stronger lifts.
Now it’s time to make some By January, I could start to I always liked to watch a lot of
serious off-season gains. When reimplement the fourth and video and study photographs of
and where did I begin? For me, fifth meals into my regimen and the competitors that I’d be com-
when a contest was over, most to gradually begin to add some peting against for motivation and
notably Mr. Olympia, I’d pretty weight to the bar. inspiration and also use this time
much take all of October and My cardio would be reduced to get fired up for the Arnold
November off and do nothing but from four or five days a week in Classic. That’d be my first oppor-
some light cardio and stretching. December to about three. My tunity to look at the bodybuilders
I had no need to lift weights, no off-season would begin with that I may be competing against
desire to get big, no desire to eat the bulking phase from January in the Mr. Olympia.
six, seven times a day, and I defi-
nitely did not have the inclination
to train twice a day. After putting
in nine months of hard sweat
equity to build, shape, sculpt,
and display my body, it was time
to let my body rest.


KEEPING IT
LIGHT EARLY

I would always try to do cardio
so I could eat the foods that I
deprived myself of for the calen-
dar year and break a sweat and
rehydrate myself and stay full
with water. I’d consciously make
the effort to try to eat only three
meals a day. There was no need
for me to overload my body,
considering I was preparing for
the off-season to relax and enjoy
the holidays.


DECEMBER
TO REMEMBER
Come December, I’d start K E V I N H O RT O N
moderate, nonbodybuilding



1 5 6 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S



FLEX_WINGS OF STRENGTH




WHEN THE MS. OLYMPIA
From the was discontinued after the 2014
Olympia, it was the end of an era
for women’s bodybuilding, and
Ashes a painful reminder that women
were seen as second-rate in the
sport. For many female compet-
itors, their options were slim—
Women’s open bodybuilding makes a comeback change their training to become
at Olympia 2020 thanks to Wings of Strength. a women’s physique competitor
or accept that they no longer had

a home at the biggest bodybuild-
ing event in the world.
It hit especially hard for eight-
time Ms. Olympia winner Lenda
Murray. “I really felt for the wom-
en who were currently compet-
ing,” she says. “I wondered, ‘How
would I feel if I were the current
champion or up-and-coming and
now there’s suddenly no space
for women’s bodybuilding?’ That
would be really challenging.”


RISING PHOENIX
But one person believed that
women still deserved a place
on the main stage, and he was
determined to bring the women’s
open category back to the
Olympia. Wings of Strength
co-founder Jake Wood discov-
ered his love for bodybuilding
after a chance encounter with
Stacey Bentley at the gym when

he was 16. “It was a paradigm
shift for me,” he says. “I didn’t re-
alize that women could do that,
and I thought it was beautiful.”
As an adult, Wood linked up
with renowned bodybuilding
promoter and judge Tim Gardner
to create several pro shows, but
he saw that female bodybuild-
ers weren’t getting the same
level of support as their male
counterparts. “It was a travesty
that women’s bodybuilding was
falling apart,” Wood says.
In an effort to right this wrong,
he created Wings of Strength, a
bodybuilding promotion geared
toward women that hosts the R O B E RT R E I F F
biggest female bodybuilding



1 5 8 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

B Y E L I Z A B E T H Y U N



event, the Rising Phoenix World
Championships.


SETTING THE STAGE
Murray immediately signed on as
Wings of Strength spokeswoman
and champion for fellow female
bodybuilders everywhere. “It was
time for female bodybuilders to
stand firm in knowing who they
are—to fight the fight and have

a voice,” Murray says. “This was
going to show how strong we are
and how committed we really
are to our passion.”
This year, Wood and Murray
fully realized their ultimate
goal—bringing the women’s open
category back to the Olympia.
“To make women’s bodybuilding
viable again, we have to promote
it to the general public,” Wood
explains. “How can you do that if LENDA
you don’t have women’s body- MURRAY
Height: 5'5"
building at the Olympia?” Now, Contest Weight: 155 lbs
thanks to Wood, Murray, and the Residence:
entire Wings of Strength family, Venice Beach, CA
the Ms. Olympia will be returning Instagram:
@themsolympia
to the 2020 Olympia. “There has
never been a lack of interest;
there has only been a lack of
promotion,” Wood says about
the return. hiatus. We wouldn’t be where
we are if they didn’t continue to
NEW ERA FOR WOMEN’S show up.”
BODYBUILDING Wood echoes Murray’s sen-

Women in bodybuilding have timent. “Wings of Strength’s
always had to deal with a goal is to change the world a
unique set of challenges, espe- little bit—to make it accept that
cially around body image. It’s a women can look the way they
challenge Murray understands want to look. If they want to be
very well. “It was difficult to muscular and physically big and
make that shift from being a powerful, that’s OK,” he says.
cheerleader and focusing on But their biggest goal is to make
this image of what society said sure bodybuilding—for both
was beautiful to transition into women and men—always has a
having big biceps and shoulders,” home. “People don’t realize that
she says. But that definition of if women’s bodybuilding can go
beauty and femininity is evolving. away, so can men’s, and I don’t
“My mission is to communicate want to see either one of them
go away,” Wood says. Thanks to
with women bodybuilders today:
R O B E RT R E I F F Your challenge is unique, and I’m him and Wings of Strength, it
looks like bodybuilding’s legacy
really proud of the women who
sustained through this extended
is safe.


D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 1 5 9

FLEX_ANATOMY OF AN EXERCISE B Y D AV I D B AY E





Lunge







As either a challenging leg warmup or finishing







WHERE IT HITS
Quads, hamstrings, glutes, core


WHEN TO DO IT:
In the middle or end of your workout
HOW MUCH TO DO:
4–5 sets of 10–15 reps per leg


The move:
LUNGE

The Setup: There are
two main variations of the two main variations of
lunge, and which one you what to use for resistance:
use will depend on both the dumbbell and the
the space you have allotted barbell. The dumbbell vari-
at your gym and your level ation is more simple to set

of balance and comfort up, as you simply need to
with the exercise. There is grab the dumbbells and go.
the stationary-positioned With a barbell lunge, how-
lunge, in which you’re ever, you’ll either have to
stepping out and then back clean and press the weight
up into the same spot with over your head and then
each rep, and there is the lower it onto your traps,
walking lunge, in which or you set up the hooks
you’re continuing to move on the outside of a squat
forward with each and rack, load the bar onto your
every rep. There are also traps, and step out.



Perfecting
the Lunge
1. Standing upright,
back straight, chest
up, step forward with 3 LUNGE VARIATIONS
one foot far enough
that your front leg hits GOBLET LUNGE: LATERAL LUNGE: TREADMILL
a 90-degree angle. Do it: Using a Do it: Using a LUNGE:
single dumbbell dumbbell or kettle- Do it: We strongly
2. Lower your body in held vertically up bell, feet shoulder- recommend doing
a slow and controlled under your chin or a width apart, take this exercise with
fashion to make sure kettlebell, step out a large step out to only body weight to
you maintain proper and return to your your right or left, avoid injury. At low
balance. You can alter- base, or walk as you lowering yourself speed, use the same C H A R L E S L OW T H I A N

nate legs each rep or would for a tradi- in a slow and con- lunge form as you
use the same leg. tional lunge. trolled manner. would with weights.


1 6 0 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9



FLEX_5 TIPS



























































Try pre-
exhausting
your muscles
before hitting
the big lifts.





“FEEL” SETS While many
Train Smarter 1“warmup sets,” Cutler insists
people refer to these as


that these sets are more than
and Harder just going through the motions

prior to getting into your working
sets. Being in tune with your
body becomes more and more
Four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler says you can both
important the further along
train for serious mass and stay injury-free. Here’s how. you get with your training, and

knowing when your body is ready
to start moving heavier weights
THERE’S NO WAY AROUND IT. If you’re training to put on serious is key. Cutler recommends sets
muscle, you have to be willing to train heavy and hard. The road to an of no fewer than 15 reps and
elite physique can be a long one, and nothing will slow down or poten- believes there’s no right number
tially even permanently halt your progress like an injury. of sets to do prior to your working T H I S PAG E A N D O P P O S I T E : K E V I N H O RT O N
By his early 20s, Jay Cutler had already built enough mass to rival sets, hence the name “feel sets.”
many of the IFBB Pro League’s top physiques, and throughout his nearly “Sometimes I’ll do my feel sets
two-decade career, he found many ways to continue building quality size just before my first few exercises;

while avoiding serious injury. Here, the four-time Olympia champ shares sometimes I’ll do them prior to
his top-five tips for training for serious size while remaining injury-free. all working sets in a day,” he says.


1 6 2 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

B Y D AV I D B AY E



don’t want to be getting into If we look at the cases of people
ultra-high-rep sets if hypertrophy getting hurt while lifting, more
is your goal, you can still make times than not it’s when they’re
all the size and strength gains shooting for sets under six reps.
you need to make on an eight- While you undoubtedly have to be
to-12-rep scheme. Along with lifting heavy and using progres-
being more than adequate for sive overload principles to make
building muscle, this rep range progress, you can accomplish
can significantly reduce your said gains without having to put

risk of injury. “Usually we see yourself at a high risk for injury.
guys getting hurt when they’re
stacking up the really heavy PRE-EXHAUSTION
weight and maxing out or going MOVEMENTS
for low reps because they think 3Heavy, compound move-
that’s where the real gains are,” ments have always and will
he says. “That’s usually where always be the meat and potatoes
we start seeing guys sacrifice of putting on quality mass, but
form for just moving the weight— often they’re also the movements
that’s also where the injuries are.” that result in injuries. “Basic




You don’t
always need
heavy weights
to see some
heavy gains.

















“It’s just about feeling whether
my body is ready to go heavier.”
Also, being physically warm is
key. Growing up in the North-
east, Cutler knows all about low
temperatures and cold gyms. If
your gym is in a cold-weather
environment or the AC is always
cranked up, wear a sweatshirt
until your body is warmed up. A
cold muscle is a tight muscle, and
you never want to get into heavy
working sets if you’re stiff from
low temperatures.


AVOID THE LOW REPS
A lot of people believe that
2you need those low, four-
to-six-rep sets to make serious

mass gains. Cutler just doesn’t
think that’s the case. While you


D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 1 6 3

FLEX_5 TIPS




compound movements should you move on to heavier weights. they can also aid in increasing
be a foundation of everyone’s As with the feel sets, however, blood flow and nutrient delivery.
training regimen, but that doesn’t there’s no right or wrong amount “Generally, with these kinds of
mean they always have to be of stretches to do throughout treatments, more is better, but
first up in your daily routine,” your workout—some days it’ll be costs can add up fast, so even
Cutler says. just during your first few sets, though not everyone can justify
He recommends using other some days you’ll be stretching going in weekly, I would at least
isolation exercises prior to going during your rest periods from try getting in once a month,” he
into lifts like barbell shoulder start to finish. You just have to says. If you just can’t get in to

presses, rows, or squats. “For know your body, and if in doubt, have these types of treatments,
shoulders I really like doing lat- you’re probably going to be even doing a yoga class at your
eral raises before hitting military better off stretching out a little local gym can have some added
presses, and for leg day I’ll hit too often than not enough. benefits for your lifting routine.
some legs extensions and leg curls
before getting into my squats or TISSUE THERAPY BONUS TIP
leg presses,” he says. “Doing these OUTSIDE THE GYM Leave your ego at the door. “You
types of exercises first can help 5“A pliable muscle pumps can’t have a rock-star, record-
fatigue the muscle, so when you easier, plain and simple,” Cutler breaking workout every single
get into the compound move- says. Regular massages, deep- day,” Cutler says. Depending on
ments, you’re not going quite as tissue work, and assisted factors like food intake, how much
heavy and you’re taking it easier on stretching can be critical in you slept the night before, stress
your joints, tendons, and ligaments. reducing your risk of injury. Not levels, etc., you may not always
Lots of people like going into the only do these treatments help have your best day. Go in, work
gym and going big right out of the reduce muscle fascia tissue hard, but don’t put yourself at risk
gate, but doing some pre-exhaus- tightness, increase flexibility, and of getting hurt just for the sake of
tion exercises can really help curb relieve stress on the joints, but padding your ego.
your chances of getting hurt.”


STRETCHING
“I feel like stretching is
4one of the easiest things
to do to avoid injury but often
the most overlooked,” Cutler

says. He believes you should be
making the most of your entire
time in the gym—including your
time in between sets. Stretching
out, especially during those first
few feel sets, can really help
lower your risk of getting hurt as






















Stretching
is one of the PAV E L Y T H JA L L
easiest ways to
prevent injury.



1 6 4 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

WWW.AXEANDSLEDGE.COM













































































































OFFICIAL SUPPLEMENTS OF IFBB PRO SETH FEROCE

FLEX_MY FAVORITE WORKOUT



Kevin Jordan took
all of 2019 off in
preparation for a
monster 2020
campaign.



































Armed




for





Victory





IFBB pro Kevin Jordan is

primed to finally step into
the winner’s circle in 2020—

and, more important, make

his way to September’s
Olympia stage.





AS A FAN FAVORITE across
the globe, IFBB pro Kevin Jordan
has gained a reputation as one
of the most charismatic and
outgoing athletes in bodybuilding
and fitness. Anyone who follows
Jordan on social media knows
that he engages his fans with
a lighthearted sense of humor,
a quick wit, and a magnetism
matched by few in the sport.
However, since earning his pro
card in 2013, Jordan has yet
to take home an IFBB win. He



1 6 6 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

B Y D AV I D B AY E



KEVIN JORDAN give them more dedicated days in which you’re really trying to
Birth Date: June 29, 1980 than one. At that point, you’d just do whatever you can to get the
Height: 5'10"
Off-season Weight: 280 lbs be overtraining and potentially weight up are also the reps most
Contest Weight: 250 lbs hindering progress.” likely to end up getting sloppy.
Residence: St. Louis, MO When you’re on your last set
Instagram: KEEP IT SHORT and can’t seem to muster up the
@kj_theproteinpapi
AND SWEET strength to bang out another rep,
“I like my arm workouts to be in instead of swinging your arms or
and out. There’s no need to be in putting your back into it, lower
the gym for two hours to train the weight by half or one-third
a small muscle group,” Jordan and keep going with the same

says. He insists that arm work- controlled form you started with.
outs shouldn’t take you hours
and hours to finish up. By keep-
ing your pace up, limiting rest
time between sets, and avoiding
other gym distractions, you’re
going to keep a much better
pump, keep the muscles warm,
and just have an all-around
better workout. Give yourself
intends on changing that in 2020. enough rest time between sets
Jordan has made it a focal so being short on breath doesn’t
point to bring up lagging body interfere with maximum effort,
parts in his long off-season, but don’t be sitting around for
which included a break from two to three minutes waiting to
TRAINING
competing for all of 2019, but get to it again after each set.
that doesn’t mean he’s neglect- KEVIN JORDAN’S
ing his strong points, either, most GET IT UNDER CONTROL ARM ROUTINE
notably his massive arms. Even when you’re trying to grow
Jordan takes us through his massive arms, you must be BICEPS
short yet intense bi’s and tri’s conscious about using a weight EXERCISE SETS REPS
routine and also offers some tips you can handle to ensure that Standing 4 8–12
that help him stay in possession you can perform each exercise Alternating
of some of the IFBB’s most with good form. Not only will Dumbbell

impressive set of guns. this help you properly target Curl
the biceps and triceps and aid in
LESS IS MORE growth, focusing on good form Barbell 4 8–12
Curl
When it comes to training arms, can also significantly decrease
Jordan’s weekly routine is on the your chances of getting hurt in Machine 4 8–12
lower side of the volume spec- the gym. There’s nothing worse Preacher
trum, but he insists that with than having to take weeks or Curl
the right intensity and exercise even months away from the gym
variety, there’s no shortage of because you allowed common TRICEPS
effectiveness in his program. sense to take a backseat to your EXERCISE SETS REPS
“Lots of guys like to train arms ego and ended up getting hurt.
Rope 4 8–12
two, sometimes even three Pressdown
times a week,” he says. “What DROP IT LOW
you must keep in mind is that “If you’re training by yourself like Skull 4 8–12
your biceps and triceps are going I often do, dropsets are a great Crusher
to be getting lots of work and way to really fatigue the muscle
stimulation in both your back and when there’s no spotter around Dip 4 Body
weight to
your rear-delt workouts as well, to help with forced reps,” Jor-
failure
so there really isn’t a need to dan says. Those last few reps



Photographs by Lloyd Terry Jr. D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 1 6 7

Pec-tacular











Brandon Curry is Olympia’s

newest king. Here is the chest

program that helped him reach
bodybuilding immortality.



B Y J E F F T O M K O
/// P H O T O G R A P H S B Y C H R I S N I C O L L





































































1 6 8 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

/

FLEX_BRANDON CURRY




















































































































1 7 0 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 Shot on location at Filthy Power Gym, Las Vegas, NV G R O O M I N G B Y C H R I S TA L L O R E T O

DIP INCLINE BENCH PRESS

DO IT LIKE CURRY: Grab the handles of a dip station DO IT LIKE CURRY: Lie back on an incline bench and
and, with a slight bend in your knees, lift yourself grab a barbell with an overhand grip that’s slightly
until your arms are locked out and your body is wider than shoulder-width apart. Press the bar
straight. Bend your elbows and begin lowering your upward, locking out elbows. Lower the bar straight
body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. down in a slow, controlled movement to your upper

Allow your torso to lean forward until your chest is chest, briefly pause, and then press the bar in a
almost parallel with floor. Use your chest, shoul- straight line back up to the starting position. Oh, and
ders, and arms to power out of the bottom position unless you’re also a Mr. O, maybe start with weight
and return to the starting position. lighter than 315 pounds (as shown).


D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 1 7 1

FLEX_BRANDON CURRY

















































DUMBBELL
BENCH PRESS

DO IT LIKE CURRY: Lie back on a flat
bench with a pair of dumbbells in
each hand. Directly press them above

your sternum until your arms are fully
extended. Pull your shoulder blades
together, slightly stick out your chest,
and point your palms forward.
Slowly lower both dumbbells to
the sides of your chest. Pause, then
press the dumbbells back to the
starting position.








































1 7 2 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9



FLEX_BRANDON CURRY

































STANDING MACHINE PRESS

DO IT LIKE CURRY: Using a Hammer
Strength machine allows you to focus
more on the target area (pecs) and
less on the stabilizers normally re-
quired to help balance a free weight.
Depending on which machine you
use, push as straight as possible,
exhaling as you go. Inhale as the
weights come closer to your chest
and exhale again as you push out.




























































1 7 4 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

CATCH THE EXCITEMENT OF FEMALE BODYBUILDING!






BODYBUILDING FOR






































































































WWW.WINGSOFSTRENGTH.NET



FOR THE 2020 SHOW SCHEDULE!

Tru-Lee T H I S PAG E : C O U RT E S Y O F W E I D E R H E A LT H & F I T N E



















Legendary S S


1 7 6 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Nearly 30 years since

his final win, eight-
time Mr. Olympia

Lee Haney admits

he nearly gave it up

after seven.

B Y J E F F T O M K O






























WHEN LEE HANEY LIFTED
THE SANDOW trophy for the
eighth and final time at Orlan-
do’s Walt Disney World Dolphin
Hotel in 1991, the champion had
one feeling going through his
chiseled body. The time to finally

exhale had come.
No longer did Olympia’s win-
ningest champion have to worry
about having to be on point at all
times, as the nearly decade-long
onslaught of hungry opponents
gunning for his crown had come
to a close. It was finally time to
C O U RT E S Y O F W E I D E R H E A LT H & F I T N E S S ( 2 ) ; C H R I S L U N D
call it quits.
“People came and asked, ‘Lee,
are you coming back?’ I said,
‘No!’ ” Haney recalls, nearly 30
years since his Olympia win in
Florida. “I was glad I could finally
breathe, because these guys
were the best of the best, and
any one of them could hand you
your lunch on any given day.”
Bodybuilding’s greatest era
was filled with a list of legends

who failed to call themselves Mr.
Olympia—from Lee Labrada (“I
used to call him ‘Flea’ Labrada

FLEX_RETRO





















































































































1 7 8 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

in my career, everything was
hurting,” Haney says. “All that
pain happened overnight. At that
moment, I was like, ‘Could I actu-
ally go through this again?’ ”
He added: “My mindset was,
‘Yes, let’s go for it,’ but my body
was like, ‘Hey, man, I don’t know if
we can go through this again.’ ”
History thanks his patience for
allowing the healing process to
because he was so short,” Haney run its course before ending his
says) to Rich Gaspari (“Rich the bodybuilding career. It was nor-
Itch—he would never go away”), mal for Haney to take time off
Shawn Ray, Mike Christian, and from any weight training. “After
Albert Beckles—because the the Olympia stress, your body

5'11", Georgia-born Haney could needs to readapt itself,” he says.
not be toppled from bodybuild- Haney also began creating
ing’s mountaintop from 1984 to what is now known as his
his retirement in 1991. seven-day cleansing system—
“I made it that far, and I wasn’t nothing but fruits, vegetables,
falling apart, that’s what I was and water for a week—that he
thinking,” Haney admits. “That’s experimented with at the time
what made it easier to walk to clean and repair any liver
away.” damage, to obvious success.
However, Haney says, making a Since incorporating the
final title defense almost didn’t cleansing in his regimen, he’s
happen following his seventh prescribed his system for sev-
win a year earlier. eral athlete clients through the
Haney says he was ready to re- years, including heavyweight
tire following his 1990 victory— champions Evander Holyfield
or at least his body was ready. and Riddick Bowe and baseball
According to Haney, every joint— star Gary Sheffield.
from his knees to his shoulders “It’s like changing the oil and
to his back—was aching like filth in your car every 3,500 to
C H R I S L U N D ( 2 ) the time, unbearable, he recalls. mortality allowed him to rethink
5,000 miles,” Haney says.
never before, unusual and, at
His brush with bodybuilding
“I woke up the day after the
and revamp his workout regimen.
Olympia, and for the first time

For the first time, Haney was the needed family time with his for one last Olympia moment,
dropping sets and reps during his 9-month-old daughter, Olympia, nine years since his first time on
workout and went from the tra- and his 4-year-old son, Joshua. the O stage, in 1983, when he
ditional six-day-straight program “I was finally able to breathe finished third behind Samir Ban-
used by his predecessors to a and laugh and play,” Haney says. nout and Mohamed Makkawy.
three-day-on, one-off routine. “And by cutting back on the level Haney had received a tip
The changes helped. Within of intensity, I was no longer over- afterward from none other than
three weeks, Haney says, he training my body, which I believe Arnold Schwarzenegger.

was healed and ready to defend was the problem.” “He said, ‘Lee, you have an J O H A N S E N K R AU S E
his title. Family put things in perspec- incredible physique, but the
The time off also gave him tive, and Haney was reenergized one thing that you lack is your


1 8 0 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

RETRO_FLEX










































pose big. That meant that
the days of front double biceps
from the knees were over. Stand
tall, flex wide, take over the
entire stage. And from there,
Haney would never again be
beaten at the Olympia, jumping
past Makkawy to win his first
Mr. O title. “I posed big and won
it hands down,” he says.
Always keep evolving was the
lesson learned, something he
took with him to his final O.

“What I had was good enough
to win those shows,” Haney says,
“but now standing onstage with
Frank Zane, Albert Beckles, and
Samir Bannout, who killed it in
’83, my presentation had to be
taken care of.”
Eight victories later, in 1991,
Haney capped his career by
fighting off Ray, Labrada, Vince
Taylor, and future legend Dorian
presentation. This is a whole Yates and exiting the stage one
other level, so you have to bring last time—this time with his
that up to par. Once you get that family. Now, nearly three de-
J O H A N S E N K R AU S E ; C O U RT E S Y O F W E I D E R H E A LT H & F I T N E S S Haney recalls. the rivals remains tight.
down, you’ll be Mr. Olympia,’ ”
cades later, the bond between

“We always cherish our time
That day, Haney took
together when we get together
Schwarzenegger’s advice and
each year at the Olympia,” Haney
began his mission to up his
says. “Man, we’ll crack jokes and
posing game. Considered a “big
bodybuilder,” as the Austrian
just have fun reminiscing about
those days.”
Oak called him, Haney needed to

Lewis’









Flex-cellent


























Seven-time 212

champion Flex Lewis

talks Olympia open

division during a
recent New York City

sightseeing tour.


B Y J E F F T O M K O ///
P H O T O G R A P H S B Y
E R I C A S C H U L T Z






FLEX LEWIS IS BIGGER
THAN BODYBUILDING. The
Welsh Dragon is known for his
seven consecutive Olympia wins
in the 212 division (2012–18),
but Lewis is much more than a
chiseled body. He co-owns
gym equipment manufacturer
Arsenal Strength, is sponsored
by Yamamoto Nutrition and
Monster, has more than 1.5 mil-
lion Instagram followers, and,
as of recently, partnered with
cbdMD, a company that pro-
duces premium CBD products.
M&F caught up with Lewis, who
was in New York for cbdMD’s
IPO launch, to discuss his plans,

which he announced in Septem-
ber 2018, to move up to the open
division and compete with the
biggest guns of bodybuilding.

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 1 8 3

FLEX_FLEX LEWIS



































A Wall Street takeover
From working the trading floor to posing
with Charging Bull and “Fearless Girl,” Lewis
left his mark on NYC’s Financial District.












































































1 8 4 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

newest heroine—“Fearless Girl.”
It was a fitting welcome to
the city for the champion, who
is looking pretty bullish as he
preps for his Olympia open
division debut in a loaded field of
prominent contenders.

“No disrespect to anybody, but
in the seven years I’ve been the
titleholder, there’s been several
athletes that have come to take
me out,” Lewis says. “There’s
somebody who’s being praised
each year as the man to beat
me, the first year, second, third,
fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh.
There’s always been an athlete
who was going to take my title.
It never happened—those are
just facts. When you’ve had the
title for so long, fans like to see
a change. That’s one of the rea-
sons why I reinvented myself.”

SAFE TRAVELS

While riding uptown en route
to lunch, Lewis discussed the
trials and tribulations of Hadi
Choopan, the Iranian bodybuilder
who, after battling visa issues
for years, was finally approved

two weeks prior to the Olympia.
Lewis admitted to lending his
support to Choopan’s effort to
make it to the Olympia—even
penning a letter on his behalf.
“It’s a horrible situation to be in.
STOCK RISING Again, [Choopan] was caught in

Lewis began his day on Wall the crosshairs, and I tried to be
Street, touring the trading as supportive as I could over the
floor of the New York Stock last couple of years.”
Exchange. Over the course of Lewis had initially hoped
an hour, it was common to see Choopan would’ve chosen to
traders stare at the seven-time compete in 212. “It would have
212 Olympia winner, who often made a great story, seeing him
stopped for selfies and even come out and possibly winning
removed his shirt on occasion 212,” he says. “Then he and I
before appearances on several could’ve faced each other in the
national financial shows. 2020 open, which would’ve been
From there, tourists got a another great story.” But after
jaw-dropping peek at the Welsh witnessing Choopan’s physique

Dragon as he stood next to Wall up close and personal, Lewis
Street’s Charging Bull. Then he knew the Persian Wolf had made
paid his respects to the city’s the right decision to join the open.

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 1 8 5

FLEX_FLEX LEWIS









Always working
No longer confined to the
212, Lewis indulges in
a hefty lunch before a
“workout” at NYC’s Life
Time Athletic at Sky
alongside NFL Network
host Nate Burleson.



“He obviously struggled to
make that 212 class,” Lewis
says. “Then when I was at the
show, it was the best decision he
made because he made such a
great impact, he was in phe-
nomenal shape, and he, again,
embraced that first rookie role.”




EATING UP THE
COMPETITION
The cheesecake at Junior’s
Restaurant & Bakery is a must-
try dish for any city visitor.
Lewis, however, unsurprisingly
skipped the decadent dessert
and opted for the steak. Now
that Lewis isn’t confined by
weight restrictions, adding a
surplus of quality calories has
become a workout on its own.
“I’ve always trained every sin-

gle year to make improvements
even though I’m governed to a
weight class. So, for the last five
years, it’s been incredibly hard
for me to make the 212 weight
class,” Lewis admits.
Loyal fans of Lewis know that
he’s often in his best shape
weeks before the competition.
Leading up to the 2017 Olympia,
for example, he posted a photo
of himself posing in front of a
mirror. He was huge, lean, and
grainy. His biggest gripe is that
cutting to the 212 weight limits
his ability to bring his best pack-
age to the stage.
“I don’t have the best appetite,
and I think everybody knows

that—it’s been well-documented.
So adding the extra calories has
been one of the new challenges.”


1 8 6 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

C H R I S N I C O L L








D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 1 8 7

1 8 8 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

FLEX LEWIS_FLEX














































LINING UP WITH

THE GIANTS

New Yorkers hate Times
Square for its tourist-heavy
congestion and commotion. The
best examples lie around 45th
Street, where tourists fork over
their cash to take pictures of a
bevy of superheroes—the Incred-

ible Hulk, Captain America, even
Mickey and Minnie. And there’s
Optimus Prime.
Even with the champ standing
at just 5'5", it was hard to tell
which giant was larger when
Lewis’ mass lined up next to
Prime. It’s sort of like what Lewis Sergio Oliva Jr. up onstage—it’s
faces come next September embedded in my head. When
when he competes in the open the opportunity came, I thought,
division for the first time. It’s ‘Wow, I would love to bring my
been a long time coming. Why daughter on the stage.’ ”
the wait? Lewis adds: “The 212 was my
“The storyline would change baby. So it’s something that I’ve
every year,” he says. “My third helped grow, taking it to the
win was the 50th anniversary of main stage, from prize money
Joe Weider’s Olympia. I wanted being a joke at first to being
Flex-ing through NYC
Lewis strikes poses to create that milestone and be substantial. We’re now seeing
with Optimus Prime, in
front of NYC’s Oculus, the 50th winner. Then the fourth the new blood of athletes
and with fans during a year my wife and I were expect- coming through. My goal was
recent city tour.
ing our first child. I remember to pass it off to somebody who
as a kid, a teenager, seeing a really knew the value of what
photo of Sergio Oliva picking up this title meant.”

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 1 8 9

The 2019 Olympia 212 runner-up, Derek Lunsford, offers his

take on the moves that helped shape his massive back.


B Y J E F F T O M K O ///

Tweak Your










Back




















.(WORKOUT).

FLEX_DEREK LUNSFORD’S BACK




THE 2019 SEASON
hasn’t ended quite yet
for 212 superstar Derek
Lunsford. After placing
second at September’s
212 Olympia, you’d think
Lunsford would kick back

and prepare for 2020.
“I’m a lot more, you know,
leisure with my diet for
sure,” Lunsford admits. But
guest-posing obligations
have required him to remain
near Olympia shape weeks
after finishing second to
Kamal Elgargni, which
means Lunsford’s massive
wingspan looks as ripped
and massive as it did in
September. Here, the 212
Olympia runner-up shares
his four-move back routine
and tips for each exercise.













LAT PULLOVER

SETS: 2–3 warmup sets, 3 working
sets REPS: 12–15

LUNSFORD’S TAKE: “I like
beginning my workouts
with these because it’s
not an exercise that you
need to go superheavy on
while still getting the form.
Sometimes, however, I may
use them in the middle to
break up two heavy, intense
exercises.”
LUNSFORD’S TWEAK: “Keep
your chest up and core
locked in tight. Think of
driving your hands toward
your feet instead of pulling

back when you perform this
move. If you drive toward
the floor, then you’re going
to activate your lats.”






1 9 2 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 Shot on location at Filthy Power Gym, Las Vegas, NV

LAT PULLDOWN

SETS: 2–3 warmup sets, 3 working sets
(including dropset) REPS: 6–8

LUNSFORD’S TAKE: “This is simply one of
the best exercises for both the upper and
G R O O M I N G B Y C H R I S TA L L O R E T O bar as far up as I can before bringing it
lower lats.”
LUNSFORD’S TWEAK: “I like to extend the


down in front of me. But to work my lower
lats, instead of pulling the bar to my chin,
I drive my hands and elbows forward into
my lap. If I pull to my chin, I’m going to
target more rear delts and traps.”






D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 1 9 3

FLEX_DEREK LUNSFORD’S BACK







SEATED
CABLE ROW

SETS: 2–3 warmup sets,
3 working sets REPS: 12–15

LUNSFORD’S TAKE: “Seated
cable rows can take the
place of free-weight exer-
cises like bentover or T-bar
rows. It does hit a differ-
ent angle, but it’s a great
exercise to grow strength

and size. You can go a lot
heavier with these, at least
that’s my belief.”
LUNSFORD’S TWEAK:
“Placing my thumb over
the attachment handle pre-
vents me from pulling with
my biceps and forces me
to drive my elbows down
into my pockets instead of
just straight back. In other
words, drive into your belly
button and not your chest.”

























TRAINING
LUNSFORD’S
WORKOUT SPLIT


DAY BODY PART
Monday Chest

Tuesday Back


Wednesday Legs

Thursday Arms

Friday Chest

Saturday Back

Sunday Off




1 9 4 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9