Tag: Bodybuiding
Milos Sarcev: The Biggest Weaknesses Roelly Winklaar Must Improve To Dominate
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Milos Sarcev reflects on Roelly Winklaar’s struggles in 2021 and what he needs to do to dominate on the bodybuilding stage once again.
Roelly Winklaar is a beloved pro bodybuilder and often called the people’s champ by many fans. This is due to Winklaar’s enormous mass monster size that nearly shakes the earth whenever he steps on stage. Though he’s gotten close, the competitor has never earned a Mr. Olympia title. However, he has often been a top 5 competitor that many hoped would rise up to win one day. These hopes were somewhat dashed in 2021, with Roelly Winklaar placing lower than expected and also dropping out of select shows. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Milos Sarcev breaks down Roelly Winklaar’s 2021 physique and explains what needs to improve for success in 2022.
Many fans were shocked when Roelly Winklaar placed 11th at the 2021 Mr. Olympia. It was a large drop down for the elite competitor – who placed 5th in 2019 and 3rd in 2018 at the Mr. Olympia. However, the moment Winklaar stepped on stage last year, it was clear something was off. It wasn’t the people’s champ mass monster physique fans were used to.
That’s why we turned to bodybuilding coach and guru Milos Sarcev to give his thoughts on Roelly Winklaar’s 2021 physique. He pinpointed the two biggest weaknesses Winklaar is facing – and how he needs to improve them to become a dominant force on the stage once again. Milos believes it’s possible and even spoke briefly with Winklaar sharing his advice.
Roelly Winlaar’s biggest weaknesses
Milos Sarcev starts off by stating one big weakness that Roelly Winklaar has always suffered from – his conditioning. Much like Big Ramy, Winklaar is one of the biggest mass monster in the Men’s Open division. And also like Big Ramy, Winklaar often suffers from controlling his stomach and maintaining dry shredded conditioning. This was still evident in 2021, perhaps even slightly worse than in previous years. That lack of conditioning – in combination with another weak lagging body part – was the key element to his lower placing.
So what was that second weakness? Milos Sarcev believes that Roelly Winklaar’s legs were lacking. Of course, bringing up legs is always the hardest body part for most pro Men’s Open competitors. But when you are competing on the elite stage and battling the top five in the world – lacking in the leg department will knock you out of the top 5 or even top 10 at Mr. Olympia. That’s what seemed to happen here.
Milos Sarcev reveals during our interview that Roelly Winklaar spoke to him after his low placing at the Chicago Pro. According to Sarcev, Winklaar was actually worried that his size had gotten too small which is why he was placing low. Sarcev admitted that Winklaar had downsized slightly – but this was not in fact his weakness.
“He asked me what is my opinion and he thought he was much smaller. I said like, yeah. As smaller as he was he was still big enough. That wasn’t the problem. But he needed conditioning and he needed legs. So in other shows that he entered he tried to put size back on and by Prague he was humongous… but still the conditioning was not there.”
– Milos Sarcev
Milos Sarcev went on to say that Roelly Winklaar putting back on more size might have actually hurt him for the rest of his competitive season that year. Sarcev explains that for him to put on so much size so quickly – he lost even more control of his midsection.
Roelly Winklaar may have had a tough year – but we wouldn’t count him out just yet. Yes, he has been competing for quite some time and comes from an older era of the sport. But athletes like Dexter Jackson have proved that age is just a number. And while Big Ramy is somewhat younger – it did take him nearly a decade to become the Mr. Olympia champion. Winklaar is an experienced competitor with a passion for the sport. We are excited to see what he brings to the stage in 2022.
You can watch Milos Sarcev’s full comments on Roelly Winklaar (and some talk abotu Chris Bumstead’s dominance as well) in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
5 Ways To Integrate Powerlifting And Bodybuilding
5 Ways To Integrate Powerlifting And Bodybuilding.
The longstanding relationship between bodybuilding and powerlifting has generally been that of a healthy rivalry. But sometimes oppositional thinking can blind one camp to the benefits of the other.
Recently, powerlifting has become increasingly fashionable in the fitness community, and new athletes are rising who are skilled in both powerlifting and aesthetic training, among them are names like Stan Efferding, and Susan Salazar. The following are some of tips for incorporating powerlifting and bodybuilding.
1. Heavy weights, higher reps
Powerlifters prioritize neurological training, but hypertrophy work (6-15 reps) builds a foundation of actual muscle for that training, which is often neglected by powerlifters. Often the weakest link for powerlifter is not their ability to recruit muscular force, it’s the amount of muscle available for recruitment. Bodybuilders often forget that hard, dense muscle and serious thickness is built with heavy weight. He compares Ronnie Coleman and Phil Heath: one preferred lifting very heavy and the other didn’t. The difference is clear.
2. Exchange Movements
To the powerlifters, it’s important to to balance the body. A more complete muscular system will minimize injury, increase strength and mobility, and allow the body to optimally recruit firing patterns.
To the bodybuilders, include some compound movements. Low bar squats are one of the best hamstring and glute builders out there. Paused bench press gives your chest and triceps a completely different stimulation and leads to thickness and growth because you’re starting from a dead point in a different firing pattern. And things like sumo deadlifts can take a lot of pressure off the precious low back while being phenomenal lower body developers.
3. Exchange Rep Ranges
Most bodybuilders would benefit from occasionally lowering the rep range to 1-3. A more powerful neurological system will always be a driver of muscular gains.For powerlifters he recommends occasional sessions of over 15 reps. Increased blood flow pulls nutrition into the joints and stimulates growth in slow twitch fibers. It will also help powerlifters walk up long staircases without feeling out of breath.
4. Nutrition
For bodybuilders, we recommend increasing carbohydrate intake. Carbs help strength performance and can be added slowly and safely into any diet if monitored properly. If you care about strength performance, you need carbs. Powerlifters, by contrast, should have focus on proper macros. Just because strength is king doesn’t mean donuts don’t hurt. He recommends baseline of 1.2-1.5g of protein, 1.5-4.0g of carbs, and 0.3-0.6g of healthy fat per pound of body weight.
5. Strategic Periodization
If you want to compete in both sports, strategic programming must be employed year round. Obviously, one doesn’t want to be maxing out 4 weeks out from a show and you don’t want to be doing a ton of accessory volume 4 weeks out from a meet. Everything has it’s place in a strategic and balanced program.
What do you think of these 5 Ways To Integrate Powerlifting And Bodybuilding? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
Set Your Calves on Fire with This Workout
Set Your Calves on Fire with This Workout
Calves can be one of the most stubborn muscle groups. Most people treat their calves as accessory muscles and throw in a couple of exercises to train them at the end of their workouts. It’s going to take much more if you want to turn your calves into bulls.
You need to train your calves like all your other muscle groups and hit them from all the angles. Your calves are made up of gastrocnemius and soleus muscles which can be targeted with different exercises.
The standing (knees extended) calf exercises work the gastrocnemius muscle while the sitting (knees bent) exercises target the shorter soleus muscle. You need to constantly shock your calves by switching the intensity, volume, and exercises.
Changing your feet placement while performing the calf exercises can also spark new gains. Performing the exercises with a normal foot placement (parallel) targets the medial calves.
Keeping your toes together and heels facing outwards will work the outer calves. If you want to target your inner calves, you should keep your heels together and toes facing outwards.
Calves Blaster Workout
Standing Calf Raises – 3 Sets 30 Reps
A complete range of motion is one of the most important aspects of training calves. Many people make the mistake of overloading the machine and can only move the weights a few inches. You should try to go as deep as you can so your heels are almost touching the floor.
At the top of the movement, your feet should look like a Ballerina standing on her toes. Contract your calves at full extension with every rep. Your calves should have a muscle-ripping pump by the end of this set.
Seated Calf Raises (Changing Feet Placements) – 3 Sets 10-10-10 Reps
Since your knees are bent in the seated calf raises this exercise targets the soleus muscle. In this exercise, you’ll be changing your feet placement to target the three heads of your calves.
Start the exercise with a neutral foot placement and perform 10 reps. Rack the weights and switch your foot placement so your toes are pointing inwards. After completing 10 reps, point your toes outwards and complete the last 10 reps.
Leg Press Calf Raises – 3 Sets 10 Reps
Leg press calf raises are a great exercise as they isolate your calves. You should be able to have a better range of motion in this exercise as this is one of the few calf exercises where your feet will be placed higher than your upper body. This foot placement can give your toes leverage to extend more than the other calf exercises.
Since you’ll only be doing 10 reps on this exercise, you should try going heavier without compromising your form. Use rep tempos and take three seconds to lower the weights, and hold the weight at the bottom for a second. Take two seconds to extend your feet and hold for three seconds at the top of the movement.
Single Leg Standing Smith Machine Calf Raises – 3 Sets 15 Reps
Unilateral exercises are a great way to bring up lagging muscle groups as it gets easier to establish a mind-muscle connection. Training one side of a muscle group at a time also helps in fixing muscle imbalances.
Stand on your right foot at the edge of an aerobics exercise step or a weight plate with your left foot elevated. Perform the 15 reps on the right leg and then switch to your left leg.
Donkey Calf Raises – 3 Sets 20 Reps
Donkey calf raises were one of Arnold’s favorite exercises to train his calves. If you don’t have a donkey calf raise machine at your gym, bend over on a raised platform and ask someone to sit on your back.
Since your knees are bent in the donkey calf raises, they target your soleus muscle. By the end of this exercise and this workout, your calves should be filled with lactic acid and blood and should be begging you for mercy.
Which is your favorite calf exercise? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
*Header image courtesy of Envato Elements.
5 Tips For A Weight Room Beginner
Tips for Gym Beginners
No one is a born bodybuilder, meaning you get better at it with time and reps. While bodybuilding might look easy, you will take some time to change your lifestyle and get the most out of your workouts.
If you’re new to the gym, you might find the weight room to be intimidating. We have put together this article so you can start out on the right foot and don’t have to take advice from gym bros.
Learn the Right Form
You won’t see optimal results if you don’t have the right form while working out. Before picking up the weights, learn the right way to perform the exercises. If you don’t have certified trainers to teach you the right form, you should take the help of the internet.
There are many credible videos on Youtube you can learn from. You can also start working out with someone who is on an advanced training level. By training with an advanced guy, you’ll have a steep learning curve.
Work on Your Mind-Muscle Connection
Lifting weights aren’t about going through the motions. You won’t get arms like Arnold by just curling some dumbbells. You have to put your mind into it. While performing bicep curls, Arnold thought of his biceps to be mountains.
With every rep, you should be thinking about making the peaks bigger. If establishing a mind-muscle connection is hard for you, start by looking at your working muscles in the mirror and squeeze and contract your muscles with every rep.
Bodybuilding isn’t about lifting heavy, it’s about making your muscles grow. The amount of weight you lift doesn’t matter. If your ego is tied up with the weights you can lift, powerlifting and weightlifting are better sports for you.
Get the Best of Both Worlds
Many gym beginners enter the gym and go straight to the machines. While working out with machines is easy, you can’t rely on them completely. Machines are isolation exercises and are great for bringing definition to your muscles.
If your goal is to build muscle mass, you should have compound movements like squats, deadlifts, bench press and barbell curls in your training program along with isolation exercises like the leg extensions, pulley rows, machine chest press, and cable bicep curls.
Change Your Lifestyle
Your fitness journey doesn’t start when you enter the gym and end when you leave. You might have to make small changes everywhere. Start by getting your diet right and drink at least four liters of water every day.
Sleep is a major part of transforming your physique. You need at least 6-8 hours of sleep every night. No matter how hard you workout in the gym, you won’t see the results until you are giving your body enough time to rest and recuperate.
Go Slow
You won’t see changes in your physique in a day – or week. Crafting your body will test you physiologically and psychologically. Some beginners make the mistake of doing too much in the gym in hope of making quick gains.
You need to put in the work every day and be patient to see the results. Increase the volume and intensity of your workouts gradually and don’t try to do too many things too fast. And remember, fitness is a journey, enjoy it without worrying too much about the destination.
How long have you been working out for? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
3 Tips To Smashing Through A Bodybuilding Plateau
Almost every experienced lifter has experienced the frustration of a plateau.
There are many potential causes of plateau thus many corresponding solutions. These three tips are an excellent place to start if you’re looking to break a plateau or even just steepen your rate of progress.
1. Set Goals
If asked, most people would declare that their time in the gym has a purpose. But it’s not enough to have a vague idea of a better body or stronger lifts. Empirical measurements and specific deadlines are some of the best ways to ensure you possess a conscious intent throughout the day.
Goals can be set for various time ranges, but the best way to start is with monthly, weekly or even daily goals. This helps initiate the habit of goal setting and fulfillment. A daily goal can be anything from a calorie count to concrete ‘in bed’ and ‘out of bed’ times. A weekly goal can be a total number of set’s accumulated on a weak bodypart. Goals should be personalized, purposeful, and WRITTEN DOWN.
2. Change The Stimulus
The Law Of Accommodation rules the gym. It basically states that any given stimulus over time will excite a diminishing result in the body. So one of the best ways to make sure that we are constantly optimizing growth is to vary our workouts. This doesn’t just mean vary the movements- set number, rep number, weight, rest time between reps, types of reps, types of resistance – can and should all be modified, both to change the stimulus, and to discover the optimal stimulus for your body.
Occasionally, something completely outside the box, like a day of kayaking, can torch your shoulders in a way that the gym can’t, simply because your body is unused to the movement. Don’t underestimate the power of the unfamiliar.
3. Recover
Offering this tip may be beating a dead horse at this point, but frankly it’s a horse that can’t be beaten enough. So often it is not our work in the gym that forestalls us, it is our ability to recover from our work in the gym. Recovery doesn’t just mean sleep and nutrition, although those practices must be refined. Most elite level lifters routinely get bodywork done, and there’s a reason for that- it makes a difference.
Of course the average lifter cant afford to get massage, dry needling, chiropractic, etc every week. But, for example, one sports massage every month or two can really do wonders to prevent and resolve injury, open up new ranges of muscle contraction and separation, and offer a deeper connection with the body.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Gives Advice To Guide Anyone Getting Into Weightlifting
Arnold Schwarzenegger provided advice in his recent newsletter.
If you are a person who is looking to get into weightlifting, it might be wise to listen to the greatest bodybuilder of all-time. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently shared some advice to anyone looking to get into weightlifting in his newsletter.
Schwarzenegger began his writeup by mentioning a charity contest going on where anyone who donates to “After School All Stars” will have a chance to attend an outdoor party at his house. Schwarzenegger then spoke further on the recent controversy surrounding his comments about COVID-19 and mask wearers.
After addressing certain issues and topics, Schwarzenegger answered some fans questions. One wrote: Do you have any advice for a girl getting into weightlifting? Schwarzenegger began by stating that gender does not matter in weightlifting and it is for everyone.
“I would have the same advice for you as I do for any boy!” Schwarzenegger said.
“First of all, don’t get discouraged because of your gender because, remember, fitness is for everyone. If anyone gives you crap about it, let your lifting do the talking. If you want to just start lifting to feel better, take it one step at a time, start with lower weights and really focus on your technique. Slow and controlled. Don’t worry about the fancy exercises you see on Instagram either, stick with the basic lifts like the squat, deadlift and press until you master them. After a while you’ll see yourself getting better and stronger, and before you know it you’ll be deadlifting more than all the guys in the gym.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger came to the United States from Austria and quickly made a name for himself as a bodybuilder. He was inspired by the Olympics and became a force in the sport. Schwarzenegger is a three-time Mr. Universe and is a seven-time Olympia champion.
Schwarzenegger referenced some questions that must be answered before beginning weightlifting. It all begins with your goal and passion.
“It really depends on what type of weightlifting you want to do. Do you want to lift to just feel better and look better, or do you want to get into powerlifting, or are you inspired by the Olympics and want to start Olympic lifting? They’re all good options.”
Schwarzenegger continued to speak on his inspiration and the impact that the Olympics had on him during his early days of training.
“If you are like me and you were inspired by the Olympics and you loved watching these men and women do their lifts, read about Kate Nye. Until 2014, she was trying to make it into the Olympics in gymnastics. She didn’t achieve that dream, but only 5 years after she started weightlifting, she had the United States’ best result in over 20 years by winning the silver medal in Tokyo. She overcame some tremendous mental health struggles, and I hope she inspires you, because she definitely inspires me.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger has plenty of experience as both a bodybuilder and powerlifter. He was extremely successful and is still willing to help the next generation. His advice is simple — focus on technique and do not overexert yourself. Focus on basic movements and not the advanced and difficult lifts seen on social media.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Five Crucial Tips For Aspiring Bodybuilders
Solid tips for any aspiring bodybuilder.
IFBB Pro and World record-holding powerlifter Amit Sapir has recently discovered a penchant for sharing information over the internet. This weekend he offered up five crucial tips for young and aspiring bodybuilders.
First off, he explains that more is not always better. Amit recommends that bodybuilders stay as lean as possible, even in the off season:
“Staying lean will help with insulin sensitivity, general health, and will keep you disciplined and focused on making the right food choices to help you grow.”
He also says that in this age of equipment and advanced supplementation, learning to use one’s body before specialized products is critical:
“Take the minimum amount of supplements you need to grow. Do that and you will be one step ahead of everyone else at all times, as you will always have a new card to pull from up your sleeve. Your body is the best machine you will ever have, trust it and do the work!”
Second, he says:
“Get Strong While You’re Still Young.
“I cannot put into words how much I miss the days when my body allowed me to squat almost daily, to deadlift three times a week, and to bench or overhead press every day and still get bigger and stronger.”
According to Amit, heavy compound movements form the basis for most excellent mature physiques. Of course form and prudence are important, but youth is the essential time when a lifter can push himself.
Third: Sapir says to set smaller objectives on the path to your grand goal. For him, that final end was the Olympia stage. However, like all experienced athletes, Amit knows that the real challenge is in the daily grind.
“All those workouts I did when everyone else was partying, the cardio I did in the rain for months, working with my clients and trying to smile to them while I am starving and cranky from the diet. Every single one of those was a little goal and a small win that I got daily.”
He says that setting concrete objectives for various time periods is critical to stay accountable and feel the urgency of a deadline.
“Your yearly goals should be winning small shows. After you have your yearly goals in place, break them into the daily, weekly, and monthly steps that are needed for making this goal into reality.”
Fourth, Amit says to accept the inevitability of some failure.
In his second pro show, Amit finished dead last. That failure crushed him, but it made him work smarter and harder for his next show, from which he qualified for the Olympia.
“As long as you are ok with it, then your dream will stay alive. Failure does not mean the end. Quitting does.”
Finally, Amit says to Keep Your Day Job:
“Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
“I’ve seen people risking and losing every dollar they have and ending up in the hospital with no money to pay for the doctor bill. Dream big, but be smart, and take into consideration the worst case scenario.”
And lastly, Amit says that ultimately, life is bigger than bodybuilding:
“Spend time with loved ones…Trust me, in the end, they are more important than any pro card or a victory.”
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.