The Squeeze
Muscle & Fitness|August 2019

Current Bikini Olympia champion ANGELICA TEIXEIRA’s slavish dedication to peak contraction helped build her champion-caliber glutes and abs.

Mike Carlson
The Squeeze

BALL CRUNCH

Get on an exercise ball and walk your feet forward until your hips are supported but your upper back is hanging off the ball. Keep your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent 90 degrees. Bring your hands behind your head. Allow your back to slightly hyperextend and then raise your torso upward. Contract your abs hard for 2 seconds before coming back down.

Perform 3 sets of 30 reps.

BRAZILIAN-BORN ANGELICA TEIXEIRA is an absolute force in the IFBB Pro League bikini division. Of her past 11 shows, she’s managed to win 10, including top honors at two Olympias and two Bikini Internationals. But major success doesn’t mean that the 34-year-old is content.

“It is more motivating for me to defend the title than to take the title,” says Teixeira, who resides in New Jersey. “Some people get in their comfort zone, but for me, as soon as I step off the Olympia stage I am thinking about the next one. Being the face of the sport means everything to me. I don’t want to lose that.”

For the 2019 Bikini Olympia, Teixeira is making some changes to her training. After listening to the feedback of the judges, she has decided to add more size to her upper body. She is moving a bit more weight and doing less cardio. What won’t change, though, is her focus on her glutes—her premier body part and a bikini division must-have— and abs. “If it’s working, why change?” she asks.

THE GLUTES OF HER LABOR

This story is from the August 2019 edition of Muscle & Fitness.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the August 2019 edition of Muscle & Fitness.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MUSCLE & FITNESSView All
7 Things Fitness Insiders Want You To Know
Muscle & Fitness

7 Things Fitness Insiders Want You To Know

We asked seasoned coaches and trainers in the fitness industry for tips and advice that they wish all their clients and social media followers knew. From dispelling myths about training with injuries to assuming all box gyms suck, your training IQ is all but guaranteed to rise a few points after digesting these tidbits.

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2020
GRAGE AGAINST THE MACHINES
Muscle & Fitness

GRAGE AGAINST THE MACHINES

Fitness entrepreneur James Grage ditched the gym for resistance band workouts to spend more time with his family. Judging by his results, he won’t be returning anytime soon.

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2020
GO TO BED TIRED
Muscle & Fitness

GO TO BED TIRED

Forget brains, talent, or genetics. For Special Forces operator and former UFC fighter Tim Kennedy, hard work is the most important factor to a rewarding life.

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2020
FINE ART: CHISELING A COMPETITION-QUALITY UPPER BODY
Muscle & Fitness

FINE ART: CHISELING A COMPETITION-QUALITY UPPER BODY

How physique competitor Osamoje Imoohi shaped his mind and impressive body through fitness.

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2020
Light Up Your Legs
Muscle & Fitness

Light Up Your Legs

Juan Morel’s continued quest for bodybuilding’s top prize begins with his killer leg workout.

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2020
ROMAN'S SECOND REIGN
Muscle & Fitness

ROMAN'S SECOND REIGN

After being sidelined with leukemia in 2018, WWE Superstar Roman Reigns returned bigger and stronger—both inside and outside the ring.

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2020
COOL RUNNINGS
Muscle & Fitness

COOL RUNNINGS

To break out of his fitness funk, M&F ’s chief content officer, Zack Zeigler, challenged himself to complete a 5K, a 10K, a half marathon, and a 24-hour, 30-mile Spartan Race all in a week’s time.

time-read
1 min  |
April 2020
THE FUTURE OF STEROIDS
Muscle & Fitness

THE FUTURE OF STEROIDS

M&F explores the advancements being made to PEDs, emerging drugs, and what this all means for the future of bodybuilding and other sports

time-read
9 mins  |
April 2020
BRAIN FOOD
Muscle & Fitness

BRAIN FOOD

These seven foods will nourish your body and sharpen your mind.

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2020
THE MODERN RUNNING SHOE...DISSECTED
Muscle & Fitness

THE MODERN RUNNING SHOE...DISSECTED

More innovations have been made in the past decade to the running shoe than ever before, resulting in a product so efficient it was almost banned from all running events. Here are the major changes that have led us to the pinnacle of performance footwear.

time-read
5 mins  |
April 2020