Dragon's Training Tips

QUESTIONI noticed in one of your pre-Olympia videos at FLEXonline that you stop your dumbbell side laterals halfway up. Why do you do that?ANSWERI do side laterals the conventional way, too, getting full reps. But the half reps are a favorite of my trainer, Neil Hill. There are only so many ways to work the medial delts, so the half reps are a method of doing something difFerent with side laterals and working just the bottom sections...

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Strong Arm Tactics

It wasn’t always like this. When I first met 20-year-old Flex Lewis in the autumn of 2004, the Welsh Dragon was undefeated in physique contests in his native United Kingdom. But all the focus was on his pro-caliber legs (those calves!) and pleasing structure. His arms were his most glaring weakness. Cut to the autumn of 2012 when he won his first Olympia 212 Showdown title. His biceps and triceps had completed their improbable journey from...

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Growth Surge : Prime your body for gains with this week-long supplement-loading program.

What’s your first reaction when training isn’t working anymore and you hit a plateau? Do more! If a bodypart isn’t responding, you hit it harder and longer, beating it into submission to force a response. Often, however, that is exactly the wrong approach. It’s what causes us at FLEX to whip out the term overtraining — which is probably a damn good word for Scrabble (if we even knew how to play that game), but a...

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Close-Grip vs. Wide-Grip Upright Row

OPENING ARGUMENTSUpright rows have long been a staple exercise for shoulders. After all, shoulder presses and upright rows are the only multi-joint movements for the shoulders. While shoulder presses are a pushing exercise that include mainly the three deltoid heads and the trapezius, upright rows are a pulling movement that target the same muscles.DEFENSE: The upright row is typically done with a close grip (about half of shoulder width) because...

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Hormone Control: Manipulate hormone levels to get ripped and stay full

A number of bodybuilders have e-mailed me requesting the same thing: “Can you check out my precontest diet?” Time and again, their approach to dieting is the same: no carbs. A no-carb or very-low-carb plan can be effective — it almost always means fewer calories, so that’s a plus. It also means insulin, a potentially fat-storing hormone, is controlled. But it doesn’t guarantee a ripped fat-free physique. Getting ripped is...

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How to Lose Belly Fat Without Ab Exercises

Get Up, Stand UpTry to avoid sitting for prolonged periods of time. Any movement—standing, walking, jogging—will produce a higher metabolic rate than sitting. So unless you’re seated in class or stuck inside a bus or car, get up out of that chair and move around. Try walking or jogging to nearby destinations, rather than driving to them. If you do have to drive somewhere, park in the farthest possible space so you take more steps on your way...

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How to Improve Weak Deltoids and Broaden Your Shoulders: : By Tom Venuto

 Q: Tom, I need some help. I am very narrow shouldered and I can't seem to get any muscle size in my deltoids as my triceps seem to take over. I have a large chest which makes me look even more out of proportion. Do you have any suggestions for exercises or workouts that would isolate and build size in my shoulders? I especially need width and my rear deltoids are non existent. Thanks A: Your shoulder width is partly determined by genetics....

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