Each month I bet you pick up FLEX, see all the incredible physiques, and ask the same question: Why aren't I changing? I spent many years thinking exactly the same thing. I tried all the workouts, switched up my programs, plowed through vast amounts of food, and gave it all I had in the gym. But you get to a point when you think you're just not destined for bigger muscles.
Well, you do if you're the kind of person who is happy to give in. But I'm not like that. I don't believe in "can't." I don't believe only certain people in the world can build serious muscle mass. In my eyes, anyone can do it, but the less you know, the slower you grow.
I developed my physique—and am still working on it—off the back of 22 years of playing rugby. I suffered all kinds of injuries, including a torn ankle ligament, a prolapsed disk, and shoulder reconstruction, so when I started bodybuilding, my body was slightly dysfunctional. The reason I'm telling you this is that if I can grow and balance out my physique, so can you.
ONE BODY PART I ALWAYS STRUGGLED WITH was chest. It’s by no means where I want it to be, but it’s a million miles from where it was. What’s interesting to note is that, just like many of you, I’d tried nearly every tip in the book. So why didn’t they work?
When it comes to training and building muscle, most people focus on exercise choice, reps, load, sets, and rest. But if these variables were always the answer, why isn’t everyone walking around with an oak like chest, boulders for shoulders, and legs like Tom Platz’s?
What many people fail to understand is the importance of biomechanics and how individual we are. We are structures built of muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments. The goal when bodybuilding should never be to move a weight from A to B. If it is, your main focus is simply on what’s happening to the dumbbell, cable, or barbell. Your primary focus should always be the working muscle and what’s happening to it throughout the entire range of an exercise.
This story is from the February 2017 edition of Flex.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2017 edition of Flex.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Compounded Interest
The collective power of compound exercises.
After The O
The post-O tour and the champ’s visit down under.
Structure
Family time, Kevin Levrone, and thoughts about the Vegas shooting.
The Great Indoors
HOW DOES THE CHAMP PREFER TO SPEND HIS FREE TIME?
Squat Less?
You Don't Need The So-called King Of Exercises To Build Tree Trunks.
Olympia Win, Take 7
Following a Seventh Mr. Olympia Victory— Tying Him With the “goat,” Arnold Schwarzenegger— Phil Heath Put His Win in Historical Perspective as Only He Can.
Under Pressure
My Reflections on Finishing Seventh at the Mr. Olympia— and What I Will Do to Break Into the Top Five.
The Other Guys
A Look at the Pros Rounding Out the 2017 212 Olympia’s Top Five.
"That Good"
Fresh Off a Hands-down Olympia Victory That Ties Him With Dorian Yates on the All-time List, Phil Heath Talks About His Latest Statement Win.
The Pec'ing Order
One of the Most Popular Bodybuilders in Ifbb History Is Older, Wiser—and Still a Force in the Pro Ranks. Here, Dominican Dominator Victor Martinez Takes on Chest Training While Revealing His Competitive Plans for 2017.
