FLEX is Australia’s and the world’s leading hardcore bodybuilding magazine. It delivers cutting edge information on diet, nutrition and muscle growth that will help you grow stronger faster. For those who are serious about their bodies.
IT’S A COMMON PHRASE doled out to disappointed children: “Winning isn’t everything”. But while it might be trite, it’s also true. Yes, Phil Heath is unbeatable right now and genuinely deserved to win his sixth straight Olympia. But in my view, every other athlete who qualified is also a champion. To reach that peak - to compete at the greatest bodybuilding show on earth – is a remarkable achievement. And to make it to the top 10 puts you in a league that few will ever enter. That’s why it’s so exciting to see Australia’s Josh Lenartowicz come in at ninth place – the first Aussie in more than a decade to do so. The amount of sacrifice and hard work he has put in to get this far is…
DRINK BEER TO LOSE WEIGHT? New research published in Nutrition Journal has linked a key compound in beer to weight loss. Called matured hop bitter acids (MHBA), they are formed when beer is stored for a long period of time and can also be extracted from hops – the flowers that give beer its flavour and bitterness. Scientists divided almost 200 overweight people into two groups and gave one a daily dose of MHBA and the other a placebo, without upping exercise or changing diet. After 12 weeks, the extract subjects lost almost a square inch (2.5cm²) of visceral fat and more than one inch (2.3cm) of abdominal fat. But, not so fast, beer lovers: the amount of calories in the beers with the highest hop content – strong IPAs…
GO BIG FIRST A University of Kurdistan study examined the effect of exercise order on acute hormonal response. Performing large muscle group exercises first in a workout and then progressing to small muscle groups produced greater anabolic hormonal response relative to the reverse sequence. A MATTER OF MASS Research done at the University of Oklahoma, US, examined the relationship between whole-body muscle mass and powerlifting performance in elite powerlifters. Results demonstrated that muscle mass is a very good predictor of powerlifting performance throughout all weight classes. GROWTH SPURTS A study at Lehman College, US, compared a powerlifting-type routine (seven sets of 3RM) with a bodybuilding-type routine (three sets of 10RM) on muscle growth. After eight weeks of training, both routines produced an equal amount of muscle growth. STAY SAFE Researchers…
“OTHER COUNTRIES SHOW A LOT OF LOVE FOR THE COMPETITORS – THEY APPLAUD THE NO. 5 GUY AS MUCH AS THE WINNER.” Q Do people recognise you everywhere you go or can you sometimes maintain a low profile? There’s always at least one guy at the airport who points me out or someone in the hotel lobby or someone in the restaurant or someone on the street. I was in Mexico before Christmas for a much-needed holiday, and even when I’m out by the pool, there’s some guy taking his shirt off to show me he knows who I am. Q How do you stay motivated between Olympias? Thinking about successes in the past and looking at pictures from my career going back to the start. There’s always something to…
How can you ensure you get the most accurate and reliable reading? Individuals who exercise at a high intensity over long periods of time exhibit differences in their muscle structure and hydration to standard adult body types. Regular long periods of intensive exercise can cause muscle tissue composition to differ and a change in water-to-muscle ratio. As muscle tissue is denser than fat these body types tend to have greater muscle mass and higher hydration levels. The answer is the athlete mode function. Developed by Tanita, the athlete mode function provides more accurate readings for athletic body types. What makes an athlete? Tanita defines an “athlete” as an individual involved in intensive physical activity for over 10 hours per week and has a resting heart rate of less than 60…
Q Do you consider yourself an artist? Well, Arnold Schwarzenegger said something about it – “Good bodybuilders have the same mind when it comes to sculpting that a sculptor has” – except a sculptor does his work in the studio, and a bodybuilder does it in the gym. There is also a creative aspect to posing. I mean, I’ve seen a lot of people with great physiques lose contests because their posing lacked artistry. Posing onstage is an art form in itself. Other than the 212 Showdown, what is your favourite part of the Olympia weekend? Meeting the fans. It’s not just one event during the Olympia weekend, it’s all of it, because it all revolves around the fans. People come from all over the world to be there, to…
