THE NEXT BIG THING

BY SEAN ANDROS // PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAVEL YTHJALL

We spend a lot of time looking for the next big thing,so when she shows up, FLEX takes pictures — a lot of pictures. IFBB pro Camala Rodriguez is the next big thing in the fitness division. As a rookie in 2010, Rodriguez won her third pro contest, the 2010 Europa Show of Champions. In 2011, she is displaying no signs of letting up with a couple of top-five finishes and a win at the New York Pro Fitness Championships.

Rodriguez's quick success is no accident; it's what happens when you combine a strong body with a stronger will. She's a born performer with a physique that could stand on any figure stage, but her fitness routine was lagging behind. So she did what any champion does: she went to work. In well under two years, the girl with the tight curves added a routine that can hang with the best. The next big thing is going to keep working — and that makes Rodriguez a contender at the 2011 Fitness Olympia.

 

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ADVANCED NUTRITION

EDITED BY JIM STOPPANI

FLEX has long supported the practice of eating more frequent meals per day than the standard three (breakfast, lunch and dinner) as the best way to lose bodyfat and build muscle. The International Society of Sports Nutrition has analysed studies done on eating more frequent meals and reported that eating more meals daily does help to maintain and build more muscle in athletes. They also found that more frequent meals might help athletes lose more bodyfat. This may be due to the reduced hunger that comes with eating more often. In addition, they discovered that greater meal frequency leads to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, total cholesterol and insulin levels, which may also enhance fat loss. Eat at least six meals on rest days and eight meals on workout days to build more muscle, lose more fat and stay healthy.
— Jim Stoppani

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STRONGER IN 6 WEEKS

BY JIM STOPPANI AND JOE WUEBBEN // PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAVEL YTHJALL

Building muscle mass can be a complicated endeavour involving numerous intensity techniques and a variety of training cycles, but the concept of building muscular strength is much simpler: lift more weight. Easier said than done — unless, of course, you know what you're doing. That's where we come in.

This programme is a stepwise progression from lighter weight and higher reps to very heavy weight and very low reps over a six-week period (linear periodisation). The emphasis is on increasing your one-rep max in the three big lifts: bench press, squat and deadlift. As a bonus, you'll get stronger on just about every other exercise you do, too, from shoulder presses to barbell curls to calf raises. And that will lead to greater overall size.

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ISSUE 157 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TRAINING & NUTRITION
26 
STRONGER 
IN SIX WEEKS
SEND YOUR TRAINING POUNDAGES THROUGH THE ROOF AND ADD SIZE 
IN JUST A MONTH AND A HALF 
WITH THIS HEAVY-DUTY STRENGTH PROGRAMME.
BY JIM STOPPANI AND 
JOE WUEBBEN

 

42 STRONGER ASAP
THROW MORE WEIGHT AROUND IN 
THE GYM — TODAY — WITH THESE 
15 CUTTING-EDGE TECHNIQUES.
BY JIM STOPPANI AND 
JOE WUEBBEN

48 
THE SEVEN ARM COMMANDMENTS
FOUAD ABIAD'S RULES FOR BIGGER 
AND BETTER ARMS.
BY SEAN ANDROS

86 THE NEXT BIG THING
IFBB PRO CAMALA RODRIGUEZ IS HELPING TO KEEP FITNESS ALIVE.
BY SEAN ANDROS

92 
PAK-MAN 
PUMMELS PECS
IT'S GAME ON WHEN IFBB PRO BEN PAKULSKI BRINGS INTELLIGENCE AND INTENSITY TO HIS CHEST WORKOUT.
BY GREG MERRITT

104 POWER PLAYS
OLYMPIA WORLD'S STRONGEST BODYBUILDER STAN EFFERDING REVEALS HIS 12 BIGGEST STRENGTH SECRETS.
BY GREG MERRITT

FEATURES
62 
HARDCORE CONTENDERS
THE FIVE MEN WHO TRAINED 
THE HARDEST IN PURSUIT OF THE 
MR. OLYMPIA TITLE BUT NEVER WON.
BY GREG MERRITT

76 
RONNIE'S 
HARDCORE Q&A
RONNIE COLEMAN TALKS ABOUT 
THE TRAINING THAT WON HIM EIGHT SANDOWS AND HIS PLANS FOR THE FUTURE.
BY TEAM FLEX

CONTESTS
128 RONNIE RETURNS!
GUEST POSING BY 8-TIME MR. OLYMPIA RONNIE COLEMAN WAS THE ICING ON THE CAKE AT THE 2011 IFBB AUSTRALASIAN BODYBUILDING, FITNESS, FIGURE AND BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY GARY PHILLIPS

132 
A TREAT FOR EVERYONE
RESULTS FROM THE 2011 NPC/IFBB O'MARA CLASSIC
PHOTOGRAPHS BY GARY PHILLIPS

DEPARTMENTS
16 JOE'S PAGE
18 GYM BAG
114 LOOKING BACK
120 ADVANCED NUTRITION
138 JD COLUMN
142 BODYBUILDER OF THE MONTH
143 THE SHOT