Arnold Schwarzenegger shared information on how people who sleep more, weigh less.
Arnold Schwarzeneggeris considered to be the greatest bodybuilder of all-time. He grew a passion for fitness early and has continued decades later. In addition to his contributions to bodybuilding, Schwarzenegger has started a successful newsletter. In a recent edition of Daily Pump Newsletter, Schwarzenegger discussed how to lose weight in your sleep.
Schwarzenegger built a successful career on stage, winning seven Olympia titles. During his competitive days, Schwarzenegger battled the likes of Frank Zane and Sergio Oliva. Following his bodybuilding career, Schwarzenegger found more success on the big screen and in politics.
To this day, he shares information for up-and-comers in bodybuilding and fitness as a whole. This includes workouts and diet plans that can transform a physique. In a recent edition, Schwarzenegger explains that those who sleep more could weigh five pounds less than others.
Image via Instagram @schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger Shares How To Lose Weight Sleeping
Arnold Schwarzenegger quoted research from Harvard scientists when discussing the impact of sleep on weight loss. According to this, those who sleep seven or more hours per night weighed an average of five pounds less.
“Those who slept less than 5 hours per night weighed an average of 5 pounds more than those who slept more than 7 hours per night.
And that wasn’t the only difference. The participants were tracked over a 16-year period, and the researchers found that people sleeping five hours a night or less were 32 percent more likely to experience major weight gain (adding 33 pounds or more over the term) and were 15 percent more likely to become obese.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger continued to explain that the perfect amount of sleep depends on the person and there is no exact science to figure out what is the best amount.
“While it’s hard to qualify a “perfect” amount of sleep — and your body can handle some nights where you sleep less — it appears 6 hours is the minimum, and your best approach is to aim for about 7.5 and 8.5 hours of sleep per night.”
Along with training and a good diet plan, the right amount of sleep can help with weight loss. This will also allow proper rest to get good workouts in when at the gym. Arnold Schwarzenegger will continue to share helpful information like this in his newsletter moving forward.
Mark Sandor gives essential tips to maximize biceps hypertrophy.
Bodybuilders everywhere understand the importance of robust biceps – they’re crucial for lifting and pulling, and having them look good is a plus! Mutant Nation athlete Mark Sandor knows this and follows valuable tips for an even bigger upper body. He follows a certain criteria when training biceps to get there, which helps him maintain maximum strength throughout his workout regimen. Get your own bulging biceps with Sandor’s advice at hand!
Two muscles make up your biceps brachii, also known as your biceps. The long head is on the outside of the lateral side, and the short head is on the inside or the medial side (1). Exercises like curls, chin-ups, and bent-over rows can help you target and grow your bicep heads.
Mark Sandor is taking us through a full-body workout series where we receive invaluable workout tips from this Mutant Nation athlete. Mark Sandor is a fitness specialist who has helped many others hit and smash their body transformation goals.
For this episode of this seven-part series, Mark shows us how to train both heads of the biceps to get bigger, fuller biceps. In addition, he shares tips on the proper grips and the best form to maximize gains. Are you ready? Because we are! Here’s what we learned from Mark Sandor’s biceps workout.
Mark Sandor Biceps Workout
Here’s a complete breakdown of Sandor’s biceps workout:
Exercises
Close Grip Barbell Curl
Wide Grip Barbell Curl
Incline Bench Dumbbell Curl
Close Grip Barbell Curl
The close grip barbell curl is done with a narrower grip than your shoulder width. This keeps your arms turned in; the internal rotation fully involves the long head of your biceps in any movements you make. In addition, doing a barbell curl in this position builds up your biceps peaks, which make up a good part of your biceps mass, leading to fuller-looking biceps.
Close-grip barbell curls improve your pulling and grip strength. This is important for lifters into heavy lifting – the lifting that gets you strong and builds up those muscles! In addition, using a barbell allows you to use much heavier weight than a dumbbell would have you, increasing your tendon thickness (2).
When doing the close grip barbell curl, it’s best to keep your elbows tightly at your torso to ensure that your shoulders aren’t doing the work — this can happen when you start swaying your arms to curl the weight. You should brace your ab core for stability and avoid swinging the weight. Don’t forget to extend your elbow at the bottom to get that full range of motion for significant results. Sandor stated:
“A great exercise to train the long head is to do a close grip barbell curl.”
Wide Grip Barbell Curl
As the name suggests, the wide grip barbell curl is done with a wider grip than shoulder width. The lifter turns externally and rotates their arms at the shoulder joint. This rotation brings more involvement from the biceps short head, working the muscle there more effectively and giving it more width, thus promoting a fuller look.
A wide-grip barbell curl allows you to use more weight than the narrow-grip option. This leads to more muscle hypertrophy and lets you build bigger, stronger biceps. It also helps with grip strength and improves your arm’s definition.
When doing a wide grip barbell curl, ensure your body remains fixed. And again, use only your biceps to move the weight. Do each rep slowly and squeeze your biceps at the top to fully contract them. Remember to keep your elbow position stable during this exercise, too, to activate the short head of your biceps.
Sandor shows us how to train the short head of your biceps using the wide grip barbell curls. He said:
“If you want to train the short head, which is this inside one, you just do a wide grip outside of shoulder grip.”
Incline Bench Dumbbell Curl
The incline bench dumbbell curl works on the biceps brachii, including the short and long heads. It helps to build a strong shoulder position which you will find helpful when doing bench presses,dips, barbell rows, and back squats since good shoulder stabilization is needed to perform those movements.
Incline bench dumbbell curls work on your brachialis and brachioradialis (forearm muscles), making your arms look more massive overall. The brachialis sits beneath your biceps, and growing them will push your biceps up, making your arm look bigger. Plus, they have carryover to curls since their required to maintain good grip strength each rep.
Incline dumbbell curls help you improve your pulling strength, which will come into play on all back movements, such as lat pulldowns and deadlifts. Keep your shoulder in position when doing this exercise, and lower the dumbbells slowly to maximize your size-building benefits. Don’t forget to squeeze your biceps as you do each rep to activate the biceps brachii to their full extent (3).
For the incline bench dumbbell curls, Sandor uses a supinated (overhand) grip with his arms hanging back to train the short head of the biceps.
“Put the bench on a 45-degree angle, lean back, let your arms hang back. You’re going to supinate your hands and bring the dumbbells straight up. So this will train the short head.”
You can check out the biceps workout episode of the 7-Part Mutant Mark Sandor workout series below:
Stay tuned as we follow more episodes of Mark Sandor’s routines and the helpful bodybuilding tips that he shares for building more muscle!
Supplementation
Aside from the heavy lifting, Mark uses some quality supplements to help him with recovery and growth. He is a MUTANT athlete, and they have some of the best products to help pack on muscle. One of those products that can help with recovery is the amino acid, MUTANT GEAAR.
MUTANT GEAAR is one of the better amino acid supplements on the market. Not only do they contain all 9 essential amino acids that your body can’t produce on its own, but they also have arginine, which is critical to include to optimize muscle-building and recovery which is great because of how it plays an important role in the metabolism of an organism.
Amino acids help you grow and repair muscle tissue and recover from workouts. That being said, adding the right amino acid supplement to your nutrition will help you break plateaus in the gym and take your physique to the next level.
So, when you are doing the Mark Sandor biceps workout, keep recovery in mind with MUTANT GEAAR!
Brigido, M. K., De Maeseneer, M., & Morag, Y. (2013). Distal biceps brachii. Seminars in musculoskeletal radiology, 17(1), 20–27. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0033-1333910
Wiesinger, H. P., Kösters, A., Müller, E., & Seynnes, O. R. (2015). Effects of Increased Loading on In Vivo Tendon Properties: A Systematic Review. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 47(9), 1885–1895. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000603
Schoenfeld, B. J., Vigotsky, A., Contreras, B., Golden, S., Alto, A., Larson, R., Winkelman, N., & Paoli, A. (2018). Differential effects of attentional focus strategies during long-term resistance training. European Journal of sports science, 18(5), 705–712. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2018.1447020
Jay Cutler was asked about The Rock’s status on TRT and shared his honest opinion.
Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutlerhas not competed in years but continues to be a voice in the industry because of his overall knowledge. During a recent interview, Cutler got into the topic of steroid use and testosterone replacement therapy. When discussing TRT, he shared his opinion on The Rock’s natty status.
During his career, Cutler battled Ronnie Coleman on stage for years. In 2006, Cutler was able to break Coleman’s streak of eight consecutive Olympia titles. From there, Cutler began his own, winning four titles in five years.
Cutler displayed one of the top physique of all-time on stage and The Rock has created one of the best on the big screen. Beginning during his days in WWE, Dwayne Johnson has been one of the best entertainers on the planet and is clearly an elite athlete. Once he left professional wrestling, The Rock became a megastar in Hollywood and has created a massive physique.
For this interview, Cutler ventured out and was featured on FACTZ Podcastto discuss many topics in fitness. From steroid use to how they are depicted in film, Cutler shared his thoughts and The Rock’s natty status was a topic of conversation.
Image via Instagram @therock
Jay Cutler: “I Would Figure That At His Age, A Lot Of People Are On TRT”
During the interview, Jay Cutler was asked about if steroids have ever made him “crazy,” to which he declined. During the discussion about substances and TRT, he brought up some big names that come up and The Rock was near the top of the list.
“It never made me crazy. And listen, we talk about TRT which is popular now and I know there’s a lot of accusations of who or who isn’t on TRT. Obviously, Dwayne’s name comes up a lot and whatever else.”
Many have questioned The Rock’s natural status over the years because of the insane size and conditioning that he has been able to maintain. At 50 years old, Johnson continues to be a larger-than-life figure, both literally and figuratively.
According to Jay Cutler, there is a respect for the fact that Johnson does not display or discuss his status. Also, he highlights the work ethic of The Rock in the gym.
“He doesn’t ever go out there and to give him some sort of respect factor, like he doesn’t go out there and say I’m natural. He just doesn’t talk about it. You know, I know his work ethic, I would figure that at his age, I mean it’s so common, that a lot of people are on TRT.”
At the end of the day, Cutler believes that anyone’s status of natural or enhanced is their business. Cutler has been open about his steroid and has explained how his regimen has not changed.
“What he does is number one his business. I come out and say, ‘Hey I’m on TRT.’ Because let’s be real, looking at my physique at the wildly muscled look of 300 pounds and I was winning Olympias at 270, if I claimed I was natural, you would have killed me.”
Michal Krizo hinted at a return to the stage in eight weeks.
Michal Krizoburst onto the scene last year as a big up-and-coming talent in the Men’s Open division. He has not appeared on stage since the Olympia but recently teased a show in eight weeks during a physique update.
In July, Krizo made the jump from the IFBB Elite Pro League and NPC in hopes of becoming a the Olympia champion. He quickly earned his Pro Card during the Amateur Olympia Italy before winning the EVLS Prague Pro, which was his first show and allowed him to punch his ticket to the biggest competition of the year. Krizo finished 12th at his first Olympia and hopes to improve upon his standing.
This offseason, Krizo has targeted some improvements that need to be made in order to improve on the Olympia stage. The goal will be to qualify and then jump into the top 10 on the biggest stage.
Michal Krizo Working On Conditioning
Michal Krizo took to his Instagram story share his most recent physique update following a chest and shoulders workout. In the caption, he wrote “8 weeks” hinting at a chance to qualify for the Olympia.
Keeping with this timeframe, the Empro Classic Pro Spain will take place on June 18. It is unclear as of now which show Krizo is planning to compete in but this would stay in line with the cryptic timeline he gave.
It was a sprint for Michal Krizo to qualify for the Olympia and prepare for the show. He has incredible mass, especially in his arms, but was not happy with the shape he entered in. Krizo was also invited to compete in the 2023 Arnold Classic but declined in order to make these improvements.
“I WILL HAVE TO PICK SMART. I’LL BE LOOKING FOR THE LEAST CONTESTED SHOWS. I WASN’T HAPPY WITH MY CONDITIONING AT THE OLYMPIA BECAUSE I KNOW I CAN COME IN MORE CONDITIONED THAT THAT. I WAS ALREADY TOO TIRED,” KRIZO SAID IN JANUARY.
When Michal Krizo qualifies for the Olympia, he will be one of the competitors that makes the Men’s Open division deep like it was last year. For now, he is focused on improving his conditioning in order to place better on stage.
Glenique Frank competed in the women’s division during the London Marathon.
Mara Yamauchi, two-time Olympian runner, did not mince words when discussing the topic of a transgender athlete competing at the London Marathon over the weekend and defeating thousands of female athletes.
Yamauchi competed for Great Britain in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, finishing sixth in the marathon. As a long-time distance runner, Yamauchi spoke her mind on Glenique Frank competing in the female category.
“This male ran in yesterday’s #LondonMarathon as Glenique Frank in the female category (Mass race) finishing in 6160th place out of 20123. So nearly 14,000 actual females suffered a worse finish position bc of him.”
This male ran in yesterday’s #LondonMarathon as Glenique Frank in the female category (Mass race) finishing in 6160th place out of 20123. So nearly 14,000 actual females suffered a worse finish position bc of him.
Yamauchi referenced Frank competing at the Tokyo as a man named Glen. She also noted that United Kingdom Athletics applied World Athletics rules on the exclusion of transgender women from female competitions.
“This male competed under U.K. Athletics’ transitional arrangements, but it is still wrong and unfair,” Yamauchi told Telegraph Sport.
Frank Offers To Give Back Medal After Marathon
Frank defeated nearly 14,000 women at the London Marathon in the female category. He finished in 6,159th place after completing the marathon in 4 hours, 11 minutes. Frank told the New York Post that he is willing to give the medal back but will continue to run for charity.
“If they want me to give my medal back, I’ll say ‘Okay, fine. No problem.’ If they really think I’ve stolen the place [of a female runner], I don’t mind giving the medal back because I’ll run again next year for charity.”
Frank continues to say that he will not apologize for competing because he feels he did not do anything wrong.
“I don’t want to apologize because I didn’t do anything wrong. They’re really angry because they’re saying that one of 14,000 women behind me could have had my place. Really?…There’s a lot of women who beat me.”
In March, a court has ruled that transgender women will be able to compete in USA Powerlifting moving forward. This notion came after JayCee Cooper originally filed the case back in January 2021 after being denied entry into certain powerlifting events. The USAPL then banned transgender women from competing in its events.
Natural bodybuilder Brandon Lirio gets transparent about the health risks in bodybuilding
Brandon Lirio may not be an “enhanced” bodybuilder competing in untested leagues – but he does still believe that bodybuilding as a whole is dangerous. This is not an attempt to dissuade others from entering the sport. Far from it. In fact, Lirio wants to encourage those with a passion for weightlifting to engage with the competitive bodybuilding world. However, it’s important that the realities of the sport are made transparent. In the latest episode of the U-Natty States Of America Podcast, Brandon Lirio explains why bodybuilding is unhealthy despite being a part of the fitness world.
In the mainstream culture, when people hear the world bodybuilder they think of weightlifters. Weightlifting is often associated with strength, fitness, and health. This, in general, is true. To be physically fit and strong helps with longevity throughout life. It’s also true that a pleasing physique is the result of a healthy diet removed from snacking and greasy processed foods.
But when we talk about the sport of bodybuilding – the mass monsters and the muscular athletes who look like Arnold Schwarzenegger (and often times today much bigger than him) – what started as fitness transforms into something else that can be less healthy than you imagine.
Brandon Lirio understands that – and he’s not just speaking of steroids and PEDs that do damage to your organs. He believes that bodybuilding on a competitive level is an obsession. And like most obsessions, it can become unhealthy both physically and mentally.
Brandon Lirio compares pro bodybuilding to any other form of professional sports. Just like the NFL, NBA, or pro soccer leagues – bodybuilding on a pro level is extreme. It encourages athletes to try and achieve greatness above all others. The goal is to win – and many athletes will do whatever is necessary to achieve victory (and perhaps even historical greatness).
When speaking of bodybuilding specifically, Brandon Lirio opens up about how far this pushes the human body closer to a breaking point. He points out the recent injuries of Hafthor Bjornsson and Charles Griffen. These are the kind of injuries that happen when you push your body to the farthest limit. For some, an injury like that will affect the rest of their life.
But it goes beyond just weightlifting injuries. Bodybuilding also requires cycles between the off-season and contest prep. This often includes fluctuations of weight across dozens upon dozens of pounds. Not only that – but during contest prep, a bodybuilder will bring their body to a point of depletion in order to appear dry and shredded. By the time of the competition day, they are so dehydrated that they occasionally collapse backstage (and sometimes while even on stage).
Brandon Lirio himself recalls a day where, during contest prep, he ended up nearly collasping on a day where he was walking far longer than usual. Because his body was more active from travel and walking for 3-4 hours – it threw off his calorie burning for that day. He was already dieting into depletion. It almost made him pass out.
Long term effects of the bodybuilding lifestyle
Brandon Lirio also discusses the long term health effects from bodybuilding on an extreme level. It goes without saying that years of cycling steroids and other PEDs will enlarge your heart and damage your vital organs such as the liver and kidneys. But beyond that – the constant cycle of bulking and dieting can also have a negative effect.
Lirio explains how he has known many bodybuilding women who ultimately develop Amenorrhea – which is when their menstrual cycle stops due to low body fat percentage and displaced hormones in the body. This is just one example of how the body reacts to extreme competition in bodybuilding over the long term.
Understanding the risk vs reward of bodybuilding
While this all might sound like scare tactics or negativity towards pro bodybuilding, that’s not Brandon Lirio’s intention. In fact, Lirio encourages those interested and passionate about weightlifting to enter the bodybuilding community. The truth is that majority of those who love bodybuilding will do so as healthy as possible.
But what Brandon Lirio wants to make clear is how far this obsession can take you. If you choose to try and take it to a risky level, or even lose sight of playing it safe due to tunnel vision propelled by passion – that the results can be very dangerous.
There are many competitive bodybuilders who know the risks and choose to still push the limits within bodybuilding. There’s nothing wrong with that. An individual should be able to do with their life however they please so long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. But Brandon Lirio wants to help be transparent about the full extent of those risks. Do you know what risks you are really signing up for? You only live one life after all.
That’s, ultimately, what Brandon Lirio wants to speak on the unhealthy aspects of bodybuilding. The sport is often lumped into fitness as a whole – which is seen as a positive thing in society. That’s generally true – but just like any extreme sport, at a certain level it requires pushing limits that can lead to dangerous outcomes.
Wrap up
You can watch Brandon Lirio go into full detail about the health risks in competitive and professional bodybuildings in the latest U-Natty States Of America above. Don’t forget to check back every Wednesday for new episodes only on the Generation Iron Fitness Network or wherever podcasts are downloaded.
Jay Cutler discussed steroid use and how inaccurately they are shown in movies and TV shows.
Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutlerknows a thing or two about steroid use and continues to keep up as the sport of bodybuilding evolves. Outside of bodybuilding, steroids have been depicted in movies and TV shows over the years. According to Cutler, this gives an inaccurate picture of the substances and certain behaviors.
During his career, Cutler battled Ronnie Coleman on stage for years. In 2006, Cutler was able to break Coleman’s streak of eight consecutive Olympia titles. From there, Cutler began his own, winning four titles in five years.
Cutler is considered one of the best bodybuilders of all-time and continues to share his training and knowledge in retirement. He has created a successful social media platform, including his Cutler Cast podcast. For this interview, Cutler ventured out and was featured on FACTZ Podcastto discuss the depiction of different steroids.
Jay Cutler: “Guy Takes A Shot And gets Aggressive”
Jay Cutler and podcast host Nik Richie got into the topic of steroids and testosterone replacement therapy, which has become extremely popular recently. Cutler began discussing steroid use during his time and brought up the misconception about movies and TV shows.
“With the films and everything, they portray a guy takes a shot at testosterone and he gets aggressive. Like that’s the misconception, I can tell you that.”
Jay Cutler, who remains open about his steroid use and cycle, admitted to using TRT and that his regimen has not changed. Over the course of his career, he built himself to be a mass monster and had the conditioning needed to be a champion.
When asked about how steroids made him feel, Cutler admitted that he did not experience any swings.
“It never made me crazy.”
Toward the end of last year and heading into 2023, Jay Cutler shared his plan to take on a “Fit for 50” challenge. He is going to begin a 12-week transformation program that will improve his physique further. Despite remaining shredded in retirement, Cutler does not feel the need to take the competitive stage.
“I’m just not satisfied with how I look now. The Fit for 50 challenge is me against me.”
Jay Cutler continues to be an open book about steroid use and is an inspirational voice to up-and-coming bodybuilders. When he takes on his Fit for 50 challenge, it will further show that anything is possible in the gym. At the same time, Cutler will continue his regimen because he knows what his body can take and what works the best.
Ryan Terry and Hafthor Björnsson “The Mountain” put their pecs to the test and attack a strongman chest-focused workout.
Monday is international chest day, so you’ll find a beeline for the bench press station to start the week. Hafthor Björnsson and bodybuilder Ryan Terry are at the front of that line — their chest workout occurred earlier this month. This was quite the team-up, with the duo giving many invaluable tips to implement your next push day. Read on for some insight!
When Ryan Terry started in 2010, going to the gym at 14, it was about improving his fitness and gaining confidence. Well, he’s come a long way since then, with a professional career that snowballed from winning the Mr. Great Britain Pageant at age 21 in 2010.
After winning the best body award and the Mr. International competition next, he decided to step up his bodybuilding career, and he’s had quite the success. He went on to win the European Arnold Classic’s Men’s Physique in 2013. Then he came second place in Mr. Olympia Men’s Physique in 2016 and secured a first-place finish in the Arnold Classic UK Pro 2021. He’s the first ever IFBB Men’s Physique Pro from the UK!
Full Name: Ryan Terry
Weight
Height
Date of Birth
185-195lbs
5’10”
11/17/1988
Division
Era
Nationality
Men’s Physique
2010s, 2020s
British
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is no stranger to bodybuilding either, but you probably know him as Hafthor “The Mountain” Bjornsson. Quite the nickname of the man who won the World’s Strongest Man, Europe’s Strongest Man, and Arnold Classic in one calendar year! Your favorite non-bodybuilding pal probably knows him as Ser Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane from Game of Thrones.
Thor started his professional career as a basketball player, but injuries forced him to retire in 2008. However, he soon met Icelandic Strongman Magnus Ver Magnusson, who encouraged him to compete. As a result, Björnssonwon three bronze and three silver medals before finally winning the World’s Strongest Man in 2018. Thor also holds the record for the world’s heaviest deadlift at 501 kg, which he set in 2020.
Full Name: Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson
Weight
Height
Date of Birth
231- 450 lbs
6’9”
11/26/1988
Division
Era
Nationality
Strongman/ Bodybuilder
2010s and 2020s
Icelandic
In this post, we deep dive into Thor and Ryan Terry’s epic chest day workout, including some bodybuilding tips shared by this powerful bodybuilding duo. We also learn how to pose for Men’s Physique from Ryan Terry, and you’ll find Ryan Terry’s unique refeed day meal plan.
As mentioned, Ryan Terry and Thor teamed up for this epic chest day in early April. Building your chest as a bodybuilder is vital for your posture, helps you breathe better, and makes lifting easier. Strengthening your back to help your balance and posture is also recommended when doing a lot of chest work to prevent muscular imbalances.
Barbell Bench Press
Barbell bench presses work your pectoral muscles, shoulders, and triceps. The barbell is easier to lift to control than dumbbells and will allow you to lift a heavier load. Thor and Terry did this exercise as a warmup and discussed the differences in using flat bench presses for bodybuilding. For this movement, Björnsson starts with 40kg and works up to 140kg.
Ryan Terry reveals that he was banned from flat benching because he was part of a bodybuilding team, and three of the lads tore their pecs from flat bench presses. So he avoids it and hasn’t gone above using three plates to stay injury-free. Instead, he focuses more on reps as opposed to heavy weights. Ryan Terry explains he trains at a high intensity but uses lighter weights in most workouts to avoid injuries.
Unfortunately, this foreshadowed when Bjornsson tore his pecs two weeks later trying to hit a new bench pressing record during a live stream!
Incline Dumbbell Press
The incline dumbbell press works on all three of your pec heads, and the incline of the bench specifically engages your upper chest.
Thor starts lifting 26 kg of dumbbells for this exercise, and Terry does the same. They then move up to 40kg dumbbells, and Terry needs some spotting assistance to complete his reps.
Seated Cable Rows
Seated cable rows are just what you need to work on your back on chest day. They’re great for your lats, your traps, and your rhomboids. They also work on your biceps as a secondary muscle. Terry and Björnsson both took turns doing the seated cable rows before moving to the final routine of the day.
Face Pulls
Face pulls are a great finishing exercise to exhaust yourself and maximize your gains after your routine. They work on your traps, rear delts, and rhomboids. For this routine, Thor and Terry did three sets of 15 before heading to the bodybuilding pose session.
Ryan Terry’s Men’s Physique Bodybuilding Poses
After their session, Ryan and Thor finished the day with bodybuilding poses. As a pro in Men Physique, Terry showed Thor the best ways to pose and shared some crucial tips.
Your front and back pose is essential in the Men’s Physique class, although some federations could also ask for a side pose. Terry leads Thor through doing his front pose perfectly to show off his V-taper, lats, delts, and abs.
Next, he shows how to position yourself for the perfect back pose before ending the lesson with vacuuming — drawing in the lower abs while exhaling. Unfortunately, Thor had a bit of a challenge learning to vacuum and ended up with cramps from the lesson.
Many people confuse refeed days with cheat days, but they’re not the same. Cheat days are about eating unplanned and uncontrolled for one day; all kinds of food are allowed (1).
On the other hand, refeed days involve eating a calorie surplus in a controlled manner, usually after increasing physical activities like Ryan Terry did with FIBO day or eating fewer calories.
Refeeds are a great way to counteract hunger, tiredness, and lethargy and can even help you step out of a weight loss plateau due to a calorie deficit (2). Here’s Ryan Terry’s meal plan for his refeed day:
Murray, S. B., Pila, E., Mond, J. M., Mitchison, D., Blashill, A. J., Sabiston, C. M., & Griffiths, S. (2018). Cheat meals: A benign or ominous variant of binge eating behavior? Appetite, 130, 274–278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.08.026
Peos, J. J., Norton, L. E., Helms, E. R., Galpin, A. J., & Fournier, P. (2019). Intermittent Dieting: Theoretical Considerations for the Athlete. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 7(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports7010022
Flex Lewis discussed what would make him return to the stage.
Bodybuilding legendFlex Lewishas not competed on stage in years and has been enjoying retirement. Lewis opened a gym and began a podcast called Straight Outts the Lair. In a recent episode, the 212 legend discussed what it would take for him to return to the stage and the answer was a massive payday.
Lewis is considered one of the best 212 bodybuilders of all-time. Beginning in 2012, Lewis totaled seven 212 Olympia titles before his final defense in 2018. There were talks of Lewis competing in Men’s Open but decided to call it a career instead.
During his retirement, Lewis continues to be active in the gym. He has shared physique updates and different knowledge of the sport via social media. There is nothing set in stone on a return but Lewis certainly has a price in his head and it is upwards of seven figures.
Image via Instagram @flex_lewis
Flex Lewis Would Need Seven Figures To Be Lured Out Of Retirement
The complete rosters for the 2023 Masters Olympia were released on Tuesday. The conversation of a return came up in discussion about the upcoming show. According to Flex Lewis, the return would have to make it worth it for him to walk away.
“Obviously, my name has been thrown in the mix this year, and I said, ‘Eh!’ Let me dispel this right now, I’m on my own journey, it’s definitely back to the stage. I said this though, if there was a monetary draw for me – I’m all in. For me, it has to be a seven-figure monetary draw. It has to be because for me to walk away from what I’m doing right now.”
With the return of Masters Olympia, this has brought up the conversation of many bodybuilding legends. Legends like Jay Cutler and Dexter Jackson continue to improve their physiques in retirement but have no plans of returning as of now. Cutler shut down the idea of a return to Masters Olympia but he will be present for the show.
Phil Heath is another legendary bodybuilder that has improve his physique over the last year. Once the calendar turned to 2023, Heath set his sights on areas that need more improvement. He has continued to build a shredded physique and could find himself on stage soon. Once again, there is no timetable as of now.
Flex Lewis has thought about the idea of a return and has put a price tag on it. Will any show offer that return? It is hard to say as of now but it will be interesting to see if these comments move the needle a bit.
We already put out an article about the best exercises you could do to build muscle mass, hopefully you saw it. But, that article got us thinking about the exercises people love doing, don’t really help in budging the needle in the right direction. In simpler terms, these are the worst bodybuilding exercises you can do.
Many of the exercises on the list are here because people don’t take out the time to learn the proper form of performing them, and quite frankly there are better exercises out there than the ones listed. You could save yourself time and energy by performing substitute exercises in place of the ones on this list, and don’t worry, we have replacement suggestions.
Worst Bodybuilding Exercises
Ab/Oblique Rotation Machine
Dips on the Bench
Romanian Deadlifts
Lat pulldown
Upright Rows
Tricep Kickbacks
Bad Exercise Disclaimer
First off, we want to say that there is no exercise we believe is downright “bad”. Each exercise hits the muscle in a certain way, and that is okay if you enjoy some of the ones on the list that we do not agree with. These “worst bodybuilding exercises” are ones that we find less optimal, and can be substituted with something that may yield better results.
Ab/Oblique Rotation Machine
Many gyms have a machine that has a revolving base which can be used to train the abs and obliques. People need to stand/sit on it and twist their torsos to train the midriffs. Some people take it to the next level by using weights on the base to add resistance.
Why it is Bad
The basics of biomechanics state that you need to avoid moving through the terrible triad of lower back movements: simultaneous flexion, rotation, and side bending, especially under loading. Reading just this one line about biomechanics should be enough to make you stop using the rotation machine, and it is enough to make it one of the worst bodybuilding exercises.
What to do Instead
Russian twists. These are great for the obliques and a fairly simple movement. You just have to lean back, raise your legs off the ground, and twist your torso from side to side. You can even hold a dumbbell, plate, or medicine ball for additional resistance.
Dips on the Bench
Although the dips on the bench are considered a great tricep exercise, an a classic exercise of many Golden Era bodybuilders. They are a simple movement that many people like to throw in as a finisher.
Why it is Bad
The problem with dips on the bench is that many people don’t get anything out of it because they can’t establish a mind-muscle connection with the muscle, and can feel no contraction, making it one of the worst bodybuilding exercises.
What to do Instead
The plate loaded dip machine, or bodyweight dips on the power tower. These allow you to focus more on the squeeze and target the pecs or the triceps more than you would be able to if you were just doing them on a bench.
The Romanian Deadlift
The Romanian Deadlift, or RDL, is a favorite amongst gym goers as a hamstring and erector builder. Unlike the traditional deadlift, you keep your back straight so you are able to get more of a stretch on the hamstrings rather than the back and traps.
Why it is Bad
It’s harder to train the posterior muscles as you can’t see them in the mirror directly. To perform the RDLs correctly you need the right amount of range of motion and bend in your knees which is sometimes too much to ask off a beginner.
What to do Instead
Instead of using the RDL for your hamstrings, try something to isolate them more. This is where a machine like the lying hamstring curl comes into play. Laying face down on the machine, with the pad over your heels, curl the weight towards you.
Fun fact: the lying hamstring curl was a favorite for bodybuilder Tom Platz, who had some of the best legs of all time.
The Lat Pulldown
Thought to be one of the best builders for your back width, you can find a lat pulldown in just about every gym.
Why it is Bad
Many people make the mistake of using momentum by swinging back and forth while performing the lat pulldowns. Using the jerking motion takes off tension from your back and puts it on your arms and shoulders, and because of the extra muscle recruitment it makes the list for the worst bodybuilding exercises.
What to do Instead
Single arm cable lat pulldowns are a good substitute. All you have to do is attach a D-handle and position yourself as you would for a regular lat pulldown. From there, reach up and grasp the handle with a neutral grip (palm facing in) and pull down towards you. Somewhat tuck your elbow into your hip too.
The single arm cable lat pulldown isolates the lats and allows you to really get a good squeeze and break down the muscle.
The Upright Row
Upright rows are a favorite amongst many on shoulder day as they are said to work the traps as well as the deltoids. You can even see bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger doing them in the classic film, Pumping Iron.
Why it is Bad
The uprights rows need the strictest of forms to optimally work the traps. If you use weights that are too heavy and need to swing back and forth to lift them, you’ll end up performing a weird variation of overhand barbell curls. All that unnecessary muscle recruitment is why upright rows are one of the worst bodybuilding exercises.
What to do Instead
If you are looking to target the delts and the traps, then a superset between dumbbell lateral raises and bent over dumbbell rear delt flyes will do the trick!
Tricep Kickbacks
People use the tricep kickback for its simplicity. You can just take a dumbbell or even a cable and lean over and extend your arm out, and boom you think you’re doing a great tricep movement.
Why it is Bad
Even though bis and tris are antagonistic muscles, the triceps don’t get the same love as the pythons. Elevation of your elbow, shoulder, the bend in your back, the distance between your feet, there are too many variables connected with performing the tricep kickbacks correctly.
What to do Instead
Tricep rope extensions are a great replacement for the tricep kickback. It allows for a good stretch and squeeze on the triceps to really get the blood flowing.
Worst Bodybuilding Exercises Wrap Up
There you have it, our list of the worst bodybuilding exercises. Will you be ditching these exercises for our recommendations?
Which exercise do you hate the most? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
