Muscle & Fitness (February 2020)

FLEX__GÜNTERS GUIDE
FLEX

















































































HIT THE ANGLES
plates or spotting some behe-
SCHLIERKAMP’S moth. Likewise, he got Schlier- Glass’ system is often referred
to as angle training because he
kamp to wear a belt on exercises
LEGS WENT like the leg press not only to specializes in altering old exer-
LIMP. ALMOST protect his lower back but also cises or inventing new ones to
FAINTING, HE to force him to keep his waist in. come at muscles from just the
“You especially need to breathe
right angles. He had Schlierkamp
COLLAPSED. right when training legs,” Glass stand while doing incline flyes
says. “A belt just makes it easier so his shoulders were above the
to remind yourself not to exhale top of the bench, better target-
too much and push your gut out. ing his upper pecs. He also had
because his spine was wrenched After a year of wearing a belt, we him sit on a stool on top of the

too often in his gymnastics days. got his waist smaller. Between low-cable row bench so he could
But it’s also because he’s forever injury avoidance and keeping the pull the handle up slightly, better
wary of a strain while stripping waist tight, a belt is a necessity.” targeting his inner back.



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FLEX_GÜNTERS GUIDE






FAIL

“We push most sets right to fail-
ure,” Glass says. “As a bodybuild-
er, I know what another person
can endure. I’ll push them right
to that point.” He remains at the

ready to assist with a forced rep
or two. “I always watch the ex-
pression on a person’s face. You
can tell by watching their faces
if they need some help, and I put
my fingers under the bar and
help them through it.”


GET EXHAUSTED


Glass doesn’t care at all about
the pump, and he doesn’t care
much about the weight. He
cares a lot about putting in the
work, pushing the muscles to
places they haven’t gone before.
“A lot of people just try to lift
heavier weights and get a little
pump, but they never exhaust
the muscles,” he said in 2002.
“We really try to wipe the mus-
cles out, totally exhaust them.
Today we worked it until we got
failure from him. I always say
that if a person can do a pushup

or dip after a chest workout,
we didn’t tax the muscles hard
enough.”


PRIORITIZE


It wasn’t enough to zero in on
Schlierkamp’s weaknesses. Next,
Glass devised a plan to give
those areas the highest priority.
Deltoids were hit alone in their
own workouts. Back thickness
received a weekly workout
separate from back width. And
upper chest was stressed first in
each chest routine with incline
presses and flyes. Other chest
exercises, like cable crossovers,
might be altered to better focus

on the highest areas of the pecs
(by bringing the handles up from A L A M Y
low positions).



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FLEX_BACK TO BASICS






Abs-olutely





Basic




Andre Ferguson shares this simple abs routine that

he hopes lands him an Arnold Physique three-peat.


















EXERCISE 1:
HANGING
LEG RAISE

5 sets, 15 reps






























WITH THE VAST ARRAY abs workout with an IFBB Pro-
of workout information and fessional League star known
resources available today, we for having one of the best mid-
can assure you that you’ll never sections in the fitness industry,
be in shortage of a new abs 2019 Olympia Men’s Physique
routine. There are about a million runner-up Andre Ferguson.
different resources and articles “When people ask me what my
instructing you on how to get abs routine consists of, some-
your best Instagram abs selfie, times I can see the surprise on
but digging through a mountain their face when I lay out just how
of both good and bad information simple it is,” he says. “I know
can be a daunting task, and it what works for me, and keeping
can become awfully confusing it simple has treated me pretty
knowing which routine to try and well so far.”
which to trash. As always, our Though simple, Ferguson’s
advice is, when in doubt, stick to abs routine is still very effective.
the basics, such as this no-frills Here, he breaks it down for you.



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FLEX


































































EXERCISE 2:
ROPE CRUNCH

7 sets, 25 reps

“The thing I really like about
rope crunches is that I can add a
good amount of resistance and
still hit my entire midsection and
all the stabilizer muscles around
my abs,” Ferguson says. “I think
you miss out on that with crunch
machines.” He insists that using
the right amount of weight is key
for this exercise. “Twenty-five
reps may sound like a lot, but
you still want to pick a weight
heavy enough so that you have
good resistance throughout
the full range of motion.” Fer-
guson also likes to pause and
give a little extra squeeze at the

bottom of each rep to make
sure he’s getting the best con-
traction possible.


1 5 4 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0

EXERCISE 3: natural feel that engages all the
WEIGHTED
DECLINE SITUP abdominal muscles. I like doing
twists at the top to help work my
5 sets, 20 reps
obliques and serratus [the muscle
“To finish off my abs workout, I go that sits between your pecs and
about as old-school as old-school lats] a little more than they would
gets: weighted situps,” Ferguson get with just a normal situp.
says. “My abs are a strong point “One of the best pieces of
for me, so I usually do these on advice I can give,” he adds, “and
a pretty steep decline, but most something I always stress, is to
gyms have an adjustable bench, make sure you’re training abs
so you can always decrease or with the intensity and purpose
increase the angle depending on as you train everything else with.
your needs. The weight allows A good midsection is crucial to a
added resistance without using good physique, so don’t let off the
a machine and gives the lift a gas on abs day!”





























































P E R B E R N A L ; E D G A R A RT I G A

FLEX_ON THE RISE





“I was originally pursuing a
career in federal law enforce-
ment, but that process can
take up to two years or more,”
he says. “I couldn’t wait forever,
so that’s pretty much how I
ended up going down the path
of bodybuilding.”
Potvin credits the military with
providing him the structure and
discipline to never give up, but

that doesn’t mean his transition
home was easy. It’s a reason
why he got involved with FitOps,
a program that helps veterans
transition from active-duty ser-
vice to a fulfilling career in the
fitness industry. “Unless you’re
committed to going to school or
if you already have a job lined
up [when your service ends],
it’s never easy,” Potvin says. “If
FitOps had been around back
in 2015, I definitely would’ve
enrolled.”
While you might not have
the desire to step onto a body-
building stage, you can still use
Potvin’s training tips to help you
get back in shape or to make the
Totally most of each workout.


HIT THE FOUNDATIONAL
Waisted EXERCISES HARD Deadlifts,
bench presses, barbell presses—

make sure that you do them
with perfect form. “I tend to lean
IFBB Pro League competitor and former Army interro-
toward the movements that a lot
gator Jeremy Potvin explains how he keeps his of people are scared of doing,”
physique wide on top and narrow in the middle—and how Potvin says. “I used to be ob-

fitness helped keep his mind right during his service. sessed with deadlifts in the early
years of my training. They really
helped me a lot.”
JEREMY POTVIN EARNED graduating from high school. He
his ticket to the 2020 Olympia spent five years as an interroga- GO HEAVY “I like to train as
Physique with a win in Decem- tor (aka “35 Mike”) and served in heavy as possible,” he says. “My
ber’s Musclecontest Tournament 183 missions over a year in Iraq. favorite chest workout is a bench
of Champions. But what sets the “I started working out as a way press. When I was younger, I liked
30-year-old apart from many to relieve my stress,” he says of to max out a lot. It helped build
other physique or bodybuilding his time in the Middle East. the thickness I have in my chest.”
competitors is more than his And he began to see results—
crazy shoulder-to-waist ratio—it’s fast. But his love for training TAKE IT EASY ON THE
his service to his country. wasn’t what ultimately led him WEIGHTED AB EXERCISES
Potvin joined the Army after to the bodybuilding stage. “Just like any other muscle, your



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B Y M & F E D I T O R S




abs will grow in thickness with KEEP YOUR CORE
a lot of weighted exercises,” TIGHT WHEN LIFTING
he says. “I like to stick with It’s a classic win-win, Potvin
hanging leg raises, decline notes. It helps you maintain
crunches, obliques, things like perfect form and also develops
that. Nothing crazy—just body- the abdominals.
weight movements.”
TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS
ISOLATE THE UPPER Despite his regimented
CHEST “I like to do a lot of military discipline, Potvin
isolation work on the upper feels you need to listen to

chest,” he explains. “I like to hit your body, no matter what.
the Hammer Strength machine “I go by feel a lot,” he says.
hard and heavy. I don’t like to While he trains every day, he
do a lot of dumbbell flyes. I feel won’t ignore his body when it’s
they put unnecessary strain on telling him to take a rest. “I’ll
joints and tendons. But I do a lot sometimes take two days of
of incline work to make sure my rest. You have to know when
upper chest is thick and full.” you need to shut it down.”


USE TRADITIONAL REP FOCUS ON CALORIES,
RANGES During his formative NOT MEALS “I believe that it
bodybuilding years, Pot- doesn’t really matter how
vin would experiment frequently you eat,
a lot and go for PRs as long as you’re
(personal records). getting your calories,”
But he doesn’t Potvin says. He usually
do this too much eats four to six meals
anymore. “I still like per day, but he
to ego lift every now may increase that
and then,” he says, number during prep.
“but for the sets that
really matter, I shoot for
eight to 12 reps.”


































I A N S PA N I E R

FLEX_5 TIPS






Know





Your




Squat







IFBB Pro League

superstar Jon Delarosa
gives us a lesson in

Squatting 101.




WITH MORE TRAINERS
and gurus in the world of
bodybuilding and fitness than
ever, it seems like almost
an impossible task to get
experts to agree on what
exercise works best for what
body part. But there’s one
thing that still seems to be
universally accepted: When
it comes to legs, the squat
reigns supreme. This month,
IFBB Pro League athlete Jon
Delarosa gives us his five best
tips on performing the squat
and takes us through how he
developed some of the best

thighs in bodybuilding.

TAKE YOUR TIME
WARMING UP

1With a lift like squats, many
people are eager to move up to
the big weights and get into their
heavy working sets at a furious
pace. No lift taxes the body quite sa stresses that there is no right KEEP YOUR FEET
like the squat can, and no lift can number, and the time to get into SHOULDER-WIDTH
cause an injury with the potential your working sets is when you 2APART
to set you back as much if you’re feel like everything is primed How you place your feet when
not careful. “I like to do at least and ready to go. “When you think you squat plays a major role in
four to five warmup sets before about it,” he says, “doing a few how the thighs are stressed and
I get into my heavy weights, extra warmup sets only adds a which muscles take on most of
sometimes more if I feel it few minutes to your time in the the workload. While a narrow
necessary,” Delarosa says. While gym, and if that short period can stance can help focus on your
your program may call for a set help you avoid injury, then it’s outer quad sweep, and a wider
number of warmup sets, Delaro- worth it every single time.” stance—favored by many



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B Y D AV I D B AY E










EXTREME






NEW

















































#1 MOST ADVANCED

TRAINING ACCESSORY

powerlifters—can engage more deadlift and bench press, many
of the hips, glutes, and ham- people prefer to focus on how
strings, Delarosa recommends a much weight they’re moving
shoulder-width stance for the rather than form and safety. “I’m
best overall development. “I a stickler for good form on most
prefer a slightly narrower stance of my lifts, but especially on my
for front squats,” he says, “but squats,” Delarosa says. “I prefer a
when I’m doing old-school bar- slower, more controlled move-
bell squats, I feel like shoulder ment in which the emphasis is
width is the way to go. Anything on actually feeling the muscles
too much farther than that and I work and not just moving the
feel like I’m not hitting my quads weight.” As with the bench press
I A N S PA N I E R ; P E R B E R N A L USE A WEIGHT ing movements, squats can be an REVOLUTIONARY
quite the way I want.”
and deadlift and other powerlift-
ego lift, and quantity often takes
precedence over quality. “Pyra-
TECHNOLOGY
YOU CAN HANDLE
miding up is a great way to gauge
where you’re at each workout as
3Since the squat is one of
far as how heavy you should be
the big three lifts, along with the
VERSAGRIPPS.com

FLEX_5 TIPS




































































going,” he says. “Pick a target rep reps just work better for me,” full range of motion is one of the
range, and if you can hit that with he says. “I’ve done the 10-reps- most basic principles of weight
good form, only then should you per-set thing, and I don’t find it training, regardless of what
be increasing the weight for your as effective. With my focus more exercise you’re performing, yet

next set. Conversely, if you put a on the pump and exhausting the the squat seems to be one that
weight on and it’s too heavy, don’t muscle, I feel like I can do that is most often performed with
be hesitant to take some weight better with higher reps. It also disregard to that principle. “I can’t
off for your next set. Contrary helps minimize the stress on my tell you how many times I’ve seen
to popular belief, lowering the joints and lower back.” Although guys sell themselves short by
weight isn’t always a bad thing.” many feel as though going over only going halfway down or even
15 reps gets into anaerobic activ- less on the squat,” Delarosa says.
ity, Delarosa thinks that this rep “The only person they’re cheating
TRY USING range can be very productive for is themselves.” He insists that
HIGHER REPS building quality muscle. going to parallel or lower is the
4A range of eight to 12 reps best way to make sure you’re get-
seems to be the sweet spot for ting the most out of your squats
most working sets in just about DROP IT LOW and is the most ideal for overall
every hypertrophy training pro- “I feel like we find our- quad development. “It all comes
gram. Some routines focused on 5selves beating the prover- back to leaving your ego at the
strength even favor lower ranges bial dead horse on this issue,” door. Lower the weight, use good
like four to six. For squats, Delaro- he says, “but it’s something that form, work through a full range of
sa likes to go in the opposite really can’t be overstated—you’ve motion, and the results will take P E R B E R N A L
direction. “I’ve found that higher gotta go low.” Working through a care of themselves.”



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FLEX_FLEX 101






Gym





Gripes






Find out what bugs these IFBB Pro
League athletes the most.














































CHRIS BUMSTEAD
“My biggest gym pet peeve
would have to be when
people who are using the
smaller dumbbells, like 20s
and 30s, go and take them
over to a bench right in front
of the heavier dumbbells.
Now anyone who wants to

go heavy has to carry them
down to an empty bench at
the other end. I’m probably
more annoyed by this be-
cause I was trying to avoid
excessive cardio.” [Laughs]

















1 6 2 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S

B Y J E F F T O M K O


































“I absolutely
hate it when
someone walks
over to me and
tries to shake my
hand in the bath-
room. What’s
worse is that
most times they
don’t even wash
their hands!”













MORE PET PEEVES


OF THE PROS


C O U N T E R C L O C K W I S E F R O M L E F T : C H R I S N I C O L L ( 2 ) ; E D G A R A RT I G A
ANGELICA JEREMY POTVIN
TEIXEIRA “It drives me nuts
“I can’t stand it when that there are people
people drop weights in crowded gyms who

and make a huge decide to use three or
noise just to draw more pieces of equip-
attention.” ment at a time.”
DEREK LUNSFORD

“I have two. There’s no need to be rude in the WHITNEY JONES KEVIN ENGLISH
gym or act like you’re better than others. It’s “It’s got to be the “I hate it when
really not that hard to be nice to everyone. selfie takers who people don’t put
Another one, especially at public gyms, is after pose in front of equip- their weights back
you finish one set, someone jumps right onto ment or, worse, in or when people will
the machine you were using. It’s funny, but front of the dumbbell constantly interrupt
frustrating. Normally, I’ll ask to work out on racks! Move so seri- my workout to take
the machine together, or I ignore it and go find ous people can lift.” videos of their sets
another machine.” and workouts.”



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F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S

FLEX_PROFILE

















































































Xanax and things like that” were
Julius Maddox wasn’t just your average user.
what Maddox says he took. “I

I would take it to the extreme.
I lived the lifestyle of taking
The gargantuan powerlifter explains how he overcame prescription pills and actually on
substance abuse to set a bench press world record. the other side of it, too—traffick-
ing drugs and pills. So it’s been a
long journey to get to where I’m
IN THE POWERLIFTING a 744-pound raw bench press, at today.”
community, there aren’t many meaning he didn’t use any gear
athletes who have had to over- other than wrist wraps. But in WEIGHT ROOM
come the same obstacles as order to get his name into the THERAPY
Julius Maddox. record books, the 32-year-old For Maddox, hitting the weights
The Owensboro, KY, native had to first free himself from the wasn’t just an escape from drug
and bench-pressing behemoth grips of depression and addic- addiction and depression, lifting
set a world record in 2019 with tion. “Opioids and benzoids like became his means of survival.




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B Y Z A K W O J N A R



One day following a recovery
program session, Maddox, who
has been powerlifting only for
a little over seven years, put JULIUS MADDOX
his strength to the test, in a 6'1"
dungeon-like basement gym 441 lbs
with nothing but dirt for a floor.
He and his workout partners Owensboro, KY
put all the weight they could irregularstrength.com
on the bar, and he pressed it
for two. @irregular_strength

“We added the weight up
afterward, and it ended up
being 505 pounds,” Maddox
says. “The guys were like, ‘You
realize that nobody is doing
this type of weight like this.’
So it got me fixated on C.T.
Fletcher and things like that.
And I started watching those
things, and I’m like, ‘I think I
can get there.’ ”
Today, Maddox, 32, gets his
endorphin rush by lifting heavy
weights. But while he’s not set-
ting records, Maddox is aiding
kids in his Kentucky commu-
nity, helping them veer away
from doing drugs like he did in
his younger days and preaching
the merits of physical fitness.
“If I can change one person
or inspire one person to live a
different life, then I’m fulfilling
my purpose,” he says.


WHAT’S NEXT?

As for the future, Maddox has
his sights set on breaking his
own record. “I want to do some-
thing that no man in the history
of the world has done,” he
says. “I will be the first man on
earth to ever bench-press 800
pounds raw.” He has the op-
portunity, and this time there’s
nothing standing in his way.
“I got a second chance at life,
so I’m not going to waste it this
time,” Maddox says. “I’m going
E R I C A S C H U LT Z To watch the entire interview,
to take full advantage.”




head to muscleandfitness.com.

FLEX_FLEXPIRATION






Heart of a





Champion






erett Jolivet dropped an incredible 233 pounds in

ear. Now he’s competing on the NPC circuit—and
others achieve their own success stories.






OLIVET FELT years old and tipped the scale at
ut to die. 405 pounds.
by myself one He thought of his father, who
ed, and my dog had been a bodybuilder in his
e recalls. “I younger years but gradually fell
saved my life. out of shape, then died unex-
bed my chest pectedly of a heart attack at
dn’t breathe, age 42. He wanted to honor his
a small heart dad’s memory and not make the
same missteps. And with three
all 911—in hind- young daughters, regaining his
s he should have. health wasn’t just for himself—
ke a momentous, it was for his family, too.
decision when the “That first day, I thought back
ar subsided. “I was to high school and what I did to
have to stop and make stay in shape then,” Jolivet says.
ge,” he says. “It was cardio. So I went to a
ormer high school running local track, jogged a lap, walked
ack and track star, Jolivet a lap, then did it again. That
admits to “just getting lazy” in was one mile.” Day after day, he
the following years and living returned to that track. Soon he

off a time-bomb diet of pizza was up to two miles, then three
and other high-fat foods. His with ease.
weight increased by hundreds
of pounds after graduating PREPARE FOR
from Texas Southern University SUCCESS
with a degree in counseling. His Realizing diet was a make-or-
activity levels got worse—even break component of his quest,
after signing on as a personal Jolivet pulled all the junk food
trainer at Hardcore Gym in from his fridge and dumped it
Galveston, TX. Around the time in the trash. He also vowed to
of his health scare, he was 33 stop eating carbs late at night.
“I think I was like a lot of people
in that I would eat and then go

EVERETT JOLIVET IV to bed with a full stomach,” he
Birth Date: May 19, 1983 says. “It made me feel good,
Height: 5'4" at least emotionally.” He went
Contest Weight: 175 lbs cold turkey, eliminating carbs
Residence: Galveston, TX
Profession: Certified personal trainer and sugar in the evenings, and
Instagram: @everettjolivet started prepping healthy foods

B Y M I C H A E L B E R G



Beach Classic, he won the open
bodybuilding middleweight divi-
sion, took second in the masters
over-35 division, and earned
second in his men’s classic
physique novice division.
Now, no matter what the future
holds, Jolivet is rightfully proud
of the road he’s traveled from
that moment in bed when he
thought his heart was giving

out to his life today. “When I
was 405 pounds, I’d hear people
say it’s hard to lose weight, and
I wish I would have done this, I
wish I would have done that,” he
muses. “With my weight loss and
with competing, I didn’t want to
let time go by and be like, ‘I wish.’
Why not just go ahead and try
and see what it leads to?”




TRAINING
JOLIVET’S

WEIGHT-LOSS

LEG THRASH


EXERCISE SETS REPS/TIME

2





ahead of time, such as grilled took notice. He says new clients

chicken, fish, white rice, and began clamoring for his training 2
sweet potatoes. services—then the competitive
As his weight-loss efforts bodybuilding stage beckoned. 2
gained momentum, Jolivet add-
ed weight training, following a THE WISH LIST Lying Leg 2 60 sec.
five-day split of legs on Monday In 2018, competing around 162 Curl
(jogging around the outside of pounds, Jolivet entered his
his gym in between exercises first-ever show, the John Sher- Notes: After each set, do 1 min-
to infuse a cardio component), man Muscle Beach Classic in his ute each of two of the following
arms on Tuesday, shoulders and hometown of Galveston, finish- calisthenic movements: jump-
abs on Wednesday, and back on ing runner-up in the masters ing jacks, burpees, frog jumps,
Thursday. He would take Friday over-35 bodybuilding division lunges, or up downs. Then run
off before restarting the cycle and fifth in the open bodybuild- at a moderate pace for 2 to 2½
over the weekend. ing middleweight division. minutes. Rest 2 minutes and
After a year of those simple yet In 2019, he earned his first then do the next set in the list.
fundamental changes, Jolivet class victory, winning the This typical workout should take
had dropped an incredible 233 masters over-35 division at the about 60 minutes total, includ-
pounds and was down to 172 NPC City Limits Championships. ing anywhere from four to eight
pounds. Others immediately And while at the NPC Muscle weight-training exercises.



Photographs by James Allen F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 1 6 7

FLEX_RETRO B Y D AV I D B AY E






The Best 212





There Never Was?





Before the inception of the 202 and 212 divisions, Shawn Ray stood next to giants.

Here’s why he believes he would’ve dominated the smaller class.





JORDAN VS. LEBRON. Ray holds a record 12 consec-
Ali vs. Tyson. Throughout utive top-five Olympia finishes
sports history, fans across (1990–2001). He achieved this in
the globe debate about which an era when there was only one
athlete from which generation weight class, and he rarely got
reigns supreme and should be heavier than 210 pounds.
dubbed “the greatest of all time” In 2008, we saw the emergence
Bodybuilding is no different f the 202-pound class. After
The past three decades h years and seeing two cham-
seen some of the most in David Henry and three-
iconic “small” body- me winner Kevin English,
builders (those under e IFBB Pro League
220 pounds) in the ecided to increase the
storied history of weight limit to 212
the sport— ounds.
Mohammed This set the stage
Benaziza, Lee Flex Lewis to
Labrada, Lee Pri dominant seven
and, of course, S stablishing him-
Ray, who all com eyes of many,
against much larg ve “small” GOAT.
And if you were e overwhelming
himself, who is now oesn’t agree.

ing expert and comm is is a phenomenal
who, out of the small der, a great champ-
would’ve been a champ a true ambassador of
given a division of his own port,” he says. “But the
answer is simple: “Me!” e thing Flex never had to do
Referring to the 202-pound was stand next to the guys I
(now 212) weight class, which did. I was beating guys like Flex
was established in 2008, he says, Wheeler, Kevin Levrone, Vince
“If there had been a 212 title Taylor, Chris Cormier, and other
back in my day, I have no doubt guys who were taller than me
I would’ve been hailed as the and outweighed me by 20 to 30
greatest of all time.” pounds or more, and I just don’t
Ray earned his IFBB Pro League know that Lewis would’ve been
card at the 1987 NPC National able to do the same.” (Lewis,
Championships at the age of 22. though, plans to compete in the
He went on to win the Ironman open class in 2021.)
Pro and the Arnold Classic, and And as long as Ray has a plat-
although he never found himself form to speak from, he’ll always C H R I S L U N D
in the top spot at the Olympia, proclaim himself 212’s best.



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

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The superhero-esque proportions of international


fitness sensation Simeon Panda are straight



out of a comic book.





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




























Flip open a comic book, and it’s rife enough to block out the sun.
with bodybuilding motivation. After all, And if you think that looking like
when we look in the mirror, the body of a Superman is a stretch, don’t tell that to

superhero is what we hope to see: a giant fitness inspiration Simeon Panda, who is a
torso that tapers down to a narrow waist; living embodiment of the classic superhero

abs so deep and defined that you can see physique. The British national, who now
them popping through your spandex; a thick calls Los Angeles home, is no stranger to
chest that can stop bullets; lats wide taking inspiration from the two-dimensional.




M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 1 7 1
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0

Shot on location at Self Made Training Facility, Costa Mesa, CA
1 7 2 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0

PANDA_FLEX



“You probably hear it a lot from
people of my generation, but
we grew up watching Dragon-
Ball-Z,” says the 33-year old.
“Goku is a character we all loved.
The crazy physique, the shoul-
ders, the waist on some of these
superheroes. You think of Goku.
You think of Kenshiro from First
of the Northstar. I think of Guile
from Street Fighter, with those

delts and shoulders.”
Panda has always trained
as if he lived on Krypton or in
Gotham. When teenage Panda
first picked up a weight, his only
thought was about getting stron-
ger. And just as with Batman,
the giant traps, the barn door
shoulders, and the shredded abs
have all been a product of his
quest for strength. Don’t believe
it? Check out Panda’s Instagram
(@simeonpanda) and watch him
perform ass-to-grass squats
with 525 pounds on his back.
“It sounds silly, but it was never
about the physique,” he says.
“The physique was not part of
the plan. I started at 14 or 15,
and I loved how it felt. To this day
the strength training is what I
love the most. Building a certain
physique comes with it, and I love
that, but it’s the training that ac-

tually gets me to go to the gym.”

Super Volume Serum

Whether it’s gamma radiation or
the bite of a radioactive spider,
all superheroes have that special
X-factor that instigated the birth
of their powers. Panda’s origin
story centers on training volume.
If you look at any of his online
workouts, they’re filled with
exercises done for eight sets,
sometimes more. He’ll often
slide in a one-rep max or three-
rep strength set, but then he’s
back to racking up insane rep
counts.
“I love volume. If someone
hasn’t used high-volume training,



F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 1 7 3

FLEX_SIMEON PANDA





I can guarantee they’ll increase
their muscle mass from doing it,”
he says. “For me, it’s something
I’ve always done. It’s contributed
to my strength and my size. I get
the best of both worlds.”
Panda typically begins a work-
out with several high-rep sets
of a compound exercise. Since
he trains a single muscle group
every day, he knows he has

several days to recover before
those same fibers go through
his brand of high-rep hell. Even
as he transitions into isolation
exercises, he still saturates the
muscles with set after set. If
Panda had a costume, he’d most
likely have a pyramid icon on
his chest (probably in gold, over
black Kevlar). He likes to take
three sets to slowly build up to
his heaviest weight. He’ll spend
three to four sets pushing very
heavy loads and then finish with
a warm-down set or two. These
submaximal sets help him add
the thick cross-section of mus-
cle fibers that are a requisite for
developing super strength.


The Hero Workout
The superhero body is all about
creating that dramatic X-frame:
a strong torso that contracts to a

narrow waist, then flares out into
powerful legs. When it comes to
building that body type, every-
one knows which muscle group
should be your top priority.
“The first thing is the shoul-
ders,” he says. “You have to have
big delts. You need arms, too, but
it really is the shoulders.”
Panda’s shoulder workout
begins with a huge dose of
stimuli in the form of German
Volume Training (GVT). From
there, it systematically hits each
head of the deltoids.
On the following pages, Panda
breaks down his five-move
shoulder workout for delts that
are just super.




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



FLEX_SIMEON PANDA











Behind-the-back Lateral Raise
2 dropsets of 20, 15, 10, 6 reps
Panda has his own tweak to this classic exercise.
Instead of lowering the dumbbells to his sides, he brings
the weights behind his back for an extended range of
motion. “I feel like I hit the delts better with that motion.
It might not be technically correct if someone analyzed it,
but that’s how it feels to me,” he says.




























































Simeon’s

Superhero

Shoulders



GVT Military Press
10 sets of 10 reps
A classic, albeit painful, technique for
accelerated growth, German Volume Training
(GVT) consists of 10 sets of 10 reps of a
compound exercise. Use approximately 60%
of your one-rep max for the exercise, and
rest no more than 90 seconds between sets.
Panda uses it somewhat sparingly, once or
twice a month. Always perform GVT at the
start of the workout, while you’re still fresh.



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



FLEX
























































Dumbbell Front Raise
2 dropsets of 20, 15, 10, 6 reps
Grab a dumbbell in each hand
with a neutral hammer-style grip.
Panda prefers to perform this
exercise in an alternating fashion,
with a fairly brisk tempo. Why
dropsets? “I always say, ‘When
you finish, finish strong.’ Go for
something that will burn you out.”










Barbell Shrug
3 sets of 12 reps
One of the most prominent
features of Panda’s physique are
his traps, so he must know some-
thing about building them up. He
loves a fast tempo with barbell
shrugs and is convinced they’re
the secret of his growth. “I use
heavy weight and rep it out,” he
says. “I always go high reps with
shrugs, at least 10 or 12 reps.”













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



FLEX_SIMEON PANDA







































































Face-pull


Clip a rope attachment
to a high pulley. Grasp one
end of the rope in each hand
with an overhand grip and
take a few steps away from
the pulley. Stand with your
arms extended in front of
you and your feet shoulder-
width apart. Pull your hands
toward your forehead,
splitting your hands apart
as they come closer to your
face. The end of the move-
ment should look like a front
double biceps pose.
“You need to hit all the
angles of a muscle,” Panda
says. “We have the volume
with the GVT, then you want
to hit each head of the delt.
That’s what I owe my phy-
sique to: Every part of every
muscle gets hit.”





1 8 0 M U S C L E & F I T N E S S F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0

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Off Winter

















You’ve likely gained some weight during

these winter months. Put those calories to

good use by tackling these four foolproof
mass-gaining workouts.



B Y M & F E D I T O R S






■ IT’S THE TAIL END OF WINTER. a strength coach to several pro
For most of the country, the past few football players; CJ Murphy,
months meant a return to sweat- a strength coach, powerlifter,
ers and scarves, holiday parties, strongman, and all-around badass;
and comfort foods—all things that and Mike O’Hearn, a bodybuilder,
conspired to rob you of definition and powerlifter, and former American
steadily expand your waistline. Gladiator—to get their picks for the
And rather than fight it, we say best muscle- and strength-building
embrace it. Now is the perfect time exercises, period. We then mixed as
to shift your training to a powerbuild- many of them as we could together
ing split focused on putting up big to fashion a damn fine mass-gaining
numbers and adding prime beef to program that will have you setting
your frame so that when the warm new PRs—safely—while pumping up
weather comes back, you’ll need only the muscles that show behind even
a few weeks of dieting to shed your the ugliest sweater: the traps, shoul-
“winter coat” and reveal the dense ders, chest, and arms. We bet that

muscle beneath it. you will enjoy this routine so much,
To this end, we polled three of you’ll wish it stayed winter forever.
our favorite experts—Joe DeFranco, (Almost.)



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

Squat low until your thighs
are at least parallel to the

floor or lower. Going a bit
lower will make it easier to


approach very heavy weight.

DIRECTIONS


■




of the bar, choosing to do deficit to eight reps; it’s up to you and
deadlifts (where you stand on a how far you want to push your
each week. For example, on platform to increase the range of strength gains. Just be aware
the first leg day, you can do the motion) or rack pulls. that repeatedly training very
classic back squat one week, On all the main lifts and their heavy (five-rep maxes or heavier)
then a box squat the next, and variants that you cycle, you’ll will be stressful and will require
a pause squat in Week 3. (If you work up to a one- to 10-rep max. occasional deloads. Once you
have access to special bars, like Begin with an empty bar and reach the load that allows you the
a safety squat bar, you can use gradually add weight until you number of reps you’re shooting
these as well for more variety.) reach a load that cuts you off at for but no more, you’re done with
On upper-body days, you can a certain number of reps within that lift for the day.
rotate among the bench press, that range. You can shoot for a Note that some exercises are O P E N E R A N D T H I S S P R E A D : P E R B E R N A L
incline bench press, and floor 10-rep max one week on one lift alternated. This means you’ll do
press, just for example. On the and then an eight-rep max on one set of the first lift, rest, then

second leg day, you can opt for another lift the next week. You one set of the second lift, rest
any variety of deadlift you like; can work down to a one-rep again, and repeat until sets are
you can also change the height max over time or stay within five complete.



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

FACE-

PULL


Attach a rope
handle to the top
pulley of a cable
station and grasp
an end in each
hand with palms
facing each other.
Pull the rope to
your forehead
while flaring your
elbows out until
your back is fully
contracted.






Set up the BULGARIAN
machine so that SPLIT
SQUAT
the foot pad rests
just above your Hold a dumbbell

ankles as you in each hand
do your reps. and stand lunge
Squeeze each rep length in front of
at the top position a bench. Rest the
for 1 to 2 seconds. top of one foot on
the bench behind
you. Bend both
knees and lower
your body until
WORKOUT your rear knee
DAY 1: LEGS, CORE nearly touches
the floor. Keep
EXERCISE SETS REPS your torso up-

Lying 3 15 right.
Leg Curl To perform 1½
reps, lower your
body into the
bottom position
Keystone 2 6–8 and then come
Deadlift
up halfway. Go
3 back down and
then come up to

the start posi-
Ab Wheel 3 8–15 tion. That’s 1
Rollout “1½” rep.



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

_




WORKOUT
DAY 2: CHEST, BACK, SHOULDERS, TRICEPS


EXERCISE SETS REPS

Alternating Incline 3 12–15 per side
Dumbbell Press






Chest-supported Row 4 8–12


3

Tate Press 3 15








































WORKOUT
DAY 3:
LEGS, TRAPS, CORE

EXERCISE SETS REPS

Sliding 3 10–12
Leg Curl
(or GHR)

2 8


Deadlift* As many 1–10
as
Set a bench to needed
an incline and lie
3
back with a pair of
dumbbells locked F R O M L E F T : J O N AT H A N D E L G A D O ; C H R I S N I C O L L ( 2 )

out overhead. Flare Back As many 50 total
your elbows out and Extension as
needed
lower the weights in
toward your chest. 2







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

Keep your back flat and
drive through your heels.
For the keystone varia-

tion, hold the bar at arm’s
length at your thighs.
Push your hips back and
lower your torso until the
bar reaches the top of
your knees. It’s similar to
a Romanian deadlift, only
with a shorter range of
motion. (It’s also easier on
the lower back.)

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

WORKOUT
DAY 4: SHOULDERS,
CHEST, BACK, ARMS

EXERCISE SETS REPS

Seated 3 10–12
Dumbbell
Overhead
Press
ALTERNATE
WITH
3





Cable Flye 3 15
ALTERNATE
WITH

3




Face-pull 3 15–20

4


Band As many 100
Pushdown as total
possible


ONE-ARM
FARMER’S WALK
Hold a heavy dumbbell in one
hand and walk as far as you
can while keeping your torso

upright and straight. Alternate
sides each set.



BAND PUSHDOWN

Attach a band to the top of
a power rack or other sturdy
surface and grab an end in
each hand. Perform push-
downs as you would at a cable
station, but do as many sets as
needed to reach 100 reps.
MEET THE EXPERTS




JOE DEFRANCO CJ MURPHY MIKE O’HEARN







I A N S PA N I E R








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

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

Incinerate that last

layer of body fat to
get into fantastic

shape at the last

minute.


B Y S H A W N D O N N E L LY
L L L L
/// P H O T O G R A P H S
B Y P E R B E R N A L

































LET’S SAY YOU’VE GOT
a wedding coming up, or a
Fine-tune trip to Cabo. Whatever the

event is, you have a date on
your calendar marked when

you want to look good. No,
not just good, but rather
like a cross between Fight
Club Brad Pitt and Fast Five
Dwayne Johnson.
And there might even be
a late-night bacchanalia at
the hotel pool, which will
require you to show some
skin. And when you do, you
want it to be a “Wow, he’s
been hitting the gym hard”
moment. Rather than a
“Wow, he’s been hitting the
Taco Bell hard” moment.
To get there you need a
plan, right? Here is that
plan: the 600 Workout, a
fast-paced, high-volume
training regimen that will

help you burn fat, retain
muscle, and sculpt your
best body ever.


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

_



WHAT IT IS ORIGIN “Get rid of the fat with max-

It’s called the 600 Workout be- It wasn’t always known as imum muscle retention. The
cause you’ll perform 600 reps the 600 Workout. Years ago, nearer the show, the more I’d
per session (in about an hour). when Roscoe was working with look to circuits to burn the last
Sounds insane, right? It is. overweight clients, he devised stubborn fat to attain the hard,
The workout was designed by a series of circuit workouts crisp look.”
Ken Roscoe—a British trainer that involved lots of high-rep That hard, crisp look was

who works with top IFBB phy- resistance training. “I found it what Matt Green, a Bay Area–
sique competitors such as 2016 the fastest method for losing based fitness model and cor-
Olympia Physique runner-up weight while maintaining as porate marketer who was once
Ryan Terry. much muscle as possible,” says a special assistant to Arnold
There are two variations of the Roscoe. “Back then, trainers Schwarzenegger, was look-
600 Workout. In the upper-body pushed people into lots and ing for. A few years ago, after
600, you’ll do three sets of 20 lots of cardio to lose weight, meeting Roscoe at the Arnold
reps for 10 exercises. Do the as if it just magically melted Classic in Ohio, Green began
math, and that equates to 600 the fat off. They forgot that the following the trainer’s workout
reps. In the lower-body/abs muscle is the body’s furnace, programming to help polish off
600, you’ll do seven leg exer- where everything is burned, so it his already impressive body.
cises and two ab exercises for requires stimulating.” Their collaboration would even-
a total of 600 reps. During the Soon, Roscoe was using these tually lead to the 600 Workout.
week, you’ll alternate between workouts to prep physique Now, a couple of months before
the two workouts. Start with athletes for competition—and a shoot, Green will do the 600
one session of each workout finding just as much success. as many as five times per week
per week and slowly add more “The principle is the same for an (three upper, two lower).
workouts over time. advanced athlete,” Roscoe says. “It’s great for toning and
sculpting your muscles,” says
Green, who had never entered
a gym in his life until 2007
and has since added some 50
pounds (mostly muscle) to his
frame. “Obviously, as you tone
down and lose weight, you will

lose a little muscle mass. But
this workout almost prevents
that. It preserves as much
muscle as you can.”

WHY IT WORKS

One of the reasons the 600
Workout is so effective is its fast
pace. You’re completing 600
full reps (with proper form!) in










CABLE O P E N E R : D U S T I N S N I P E S . T H I S PAG E A N D O P P O S I T E : P E R B E R N A L
LATERAL RAISE

Maintain a slow and con-

trolled pace throughout
the entire movement. To
increase inten sity, pause at
the apex for 1 or 2 seconds.



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

SEATED
DUMBBELL
CURL

While sitting on
a bench, hold
a dumbbell in
each hand, arms

at sides and
palms facing
forward. With-
out moving
your upper
arms, curl the
weights up.















































about an hour. That’s 10 reps high-volume and high-intensity three sets, and two exercises
per minute, or a rep every six approach increases metabolism per body part, you’re good,” says
seconds. That might not seem and EPOC (excess post-exercise Green. “You’ll experience the
like a breakneck speed, until you oxygen consumption) so that same effect.”
realize it includes all the time you’ll continue to burn fat long Of course, you don’t have to
between exercises, as well as after you leave the gym. be training for a photo shoot
the rest between sets. (or a trip to Cabo) to employ
“When you tell a bodybuilder IMPLEMENTATION this workout. As Roscoe points
he’s going to do a circuit, he Keep in mind, too, that you can out, the use of lighter weight
invariably thinks it’ll be a walk in always swap out these exercises makes it a safe training meth-
the park,” says Roscoe. “Fifteen for similar moves. In fact, Green od to use anytime you want to
minutes later, he’s blowing out does this all the time. Instead burn fat while building muscle.
of his backside.” of incline dumbbell presses and Whichever way you use it—
Roscoe recommends select- incline dumbbell flyes, he’ll twice a week to stay toned, a

ing weights that will have you do flat bench dumbbell presses week out of every month to
reaching that final rep of each and hit the pec deck. “As long keep things fresh—you can’t
set fairly close to failure. The as you’re keeping to the 20 reps, go wrong.


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

LAT PULLDOWN

Secure your knees under
the pad, reach up, and grasp
the handle outside shoulder
width. Pull the handle down
to your collarbone, squeez-

ing your shoulder blades
together as you pull.








































































LATS DELTS


EXERCISE SETS REPS EXERCISE SETS REPS
WORKOUT
UPPER BODY 1A. Lat 3 20 2A. Cable 3 10 per
arm
Lateral Raise
DIRECTIONS: Perform all Pulldown
exercises in order. Super- 1B. 3
set all exercises marked 2B. 3
A and B. Rest 30 seconds
after each set.





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

DUMBBELL LATERAL
Holding dumbbells,
palms facing inward,

raise arms out to sides
until they’re at shoulder
level. Pause, then lower

the weights back to the
start position.








F R O M L E F T : E D G A R A RT I G A ; P E R B E R N A L CHEST SETS REPS TRICEPS SETS REPS BICEPS SETS REPS




EXERCISE
EXERCISE
EXERCISE
5A. Seated
20
3A. Incline
3
20
3
20
4A. Triceps
3
Dumbbell Curl
Dumbbell
Pushdown
Press
3
4B.
5B.
3
3
3B.
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S 1 9 5

_






LEG PRESS
With your feet
roughly hip-width
apart, lower the
weight until your
knees are past
90 degrees, then
press back up.



























WORKOUT
LOWER BODY + ABS






LEGS
EXERCISE SETS REPS


3

3

3



3
LEG EXTENSION
Bulgarian Split 3 20 Extend legs
Squat
while keeping
3 rest of body
still. Pause for
Calf Raise on 6 20 a 1 count at the
Linear Press*
top, then slowly
bend knees to
ABS
lower weight.

EXERCISE SETS REPS
Hanging Leg 3 20 C L O C K W I S E F R O M R I G H T : P E R B E R N A L ( 2 ) ; E D G A R A RT I G A
Raise






*Do 3 sets with a narrow stance and
3 sets with a wide stance. Also,
stretch calves after each set.




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