Chan Sung Jung choked out Dustin Poirier in the fourth round to cap a thrilling UFC on FUEL TV main event at the Patriot Center .It was the Fight of The Night and which stands a strong chance of being one of the most entertaining scraps of 2012.

“I want to thank all the Korean fans and the Korean community that came here to support me today,” the exhausted featherweight said after winning his third straight.

While Poirier began to take control in round three, repeatedly cracking a barely-able-to-stand Jung with hard left hands, it was Jung (13-3) who delivered in most other moments of the fight. He jumped on Poirier early, catching a kick for a takedown and immediately cutting Poirier’s forehead with an elbow strike. Typically relentless in his attacks, Jung suffocated Poirier (12-2) with pressure and punches and takedowns in the second, even dropping the highly-regarded Louisianan with a punch.

After Poirier’s resurgence in the third round, it was proper to wonder if Jung had enough in his tank to survive and keep from squandering his lead. But he put any such thoughts to rest in round four by rocking Poirier with punches and then finishing him on the mat with a D’Arce choke, ending the bout at the 1:07 mark and leaving the wondering to center on what’s next for the charismatic Korean warrior.

Cooking is by all means vey important in keeping us fit and healthy. It is also the art of accuracy; every ingredient plays a role in our day to day diets. ‘Healthy Cooking’, presented by a successful chef Cambiz Shams, and cuisine specialist Avisha Fallah for Physique TV, the leading Health and Fitness channel in the Middle East, is a show looking for the best recipes  for better health. Why not try this simple recipes this month!

Breakfast

Burrito

• Bread  1pc
• Turkey sausage  1 pc
• White of egg  3pcs
• Yellow of egg  1pc
• Salt/pepper
• Feta cheese
• Separate and pan-fry eggs
• Pan-fry sausage
• Warm up wrap in oven or on stove
• layer on top of wrap, eggs, cut sausage and crumble feta cheese

Salsa Sauce

• Tomatoes    2pcs
• Onion   1/2pc
• Garlic   4pcs
• Chilies   1/2pc
• Vinegar   1spoon
• Olive oil  3 spoons
• Salt/pepper

Pan-fry chopped tomato, onion, garlic, and chili then blend and strain roll!

AM Snack

Cereal with banana

• Milk (rice)   ½ cup
• Walnuts
• Banana       ½ pc
• Raw cereal  ½ cup
• Honey         2spoons
• Cinnamon

Combine in a bowl raw oatmeal, chopped banana, walnuts milk, honey, cinnamon and stir.

Lunch

Boogie Burger

• Ground Turkey    100g
• Sweet potato   1pc
• Green pepper   ½ pc
• Tomato  1pc
• Cheddar cheese  1pc
• Kale  1leave
• Chilli powder

Chop the peppers and combine with the ground turkey; add salt and pepper and mix, then make into patties.

Pan-fry the burgers.

Peal and cut the sweet potato into hamburger bun shapes and French fries, cook in the oven on 350 degree till it becomes soft. Cut the tomato into slices for topping and cut the kale into round shapes for a topping.

BBQ sauce

• Tamarind   200g
• Red wine   1cup
• Cranberries  100g
• Salsa sauce    ½ cup
• Brown sugar  3spoons
• Vinegar  1 spoon
• Mustard  1spoon
• Salt/pepper/turmeric

Combine all ingredients in a pan on med-low heat and let it reduce

Assemble and enjoy!

PM Snack

Granola

• Cashew       10pcs
• Blueberry
• Honey
• Cinnamon
• Oat meal
• Combine all ingredients, mix and enjoy!

Dinner

Lettuce wrap

• Breast chicken 100g
• Corn  2pcs
• Lettuce  1 leaf
• Green apple  1pc
• Lime           1pc
• Black beans   1cup
• Chili powder
• Salt/pepper

Season the chicken breast with lime, chili powder, salt, and pepper

Cut corn off the cobb and sauté with precooked black beans

Cut the apple into thin French fry style pieces

Use the lettuce as a wrap, lay in the chicken and top with the salsa and then the apple slices.

]]> http://www.physique-mag.com/site/index.php/2012/05/healthy-cooking/feed/ 0 http://www.physique-mag.com/site/index.php/2012/05/nate-diaz-wins-by-guillotine-against-jim-miller-in-ufc-on-fox-3-main-event/ http://www.physique-mag.com/site/index.php/2012/05/nate-diaz-wins-by-guillotine-against-jim-miller-in-ufc-on-fox-3-main-event/#comments Mon, 07 May 2012 06:23:20 +0000 naseef http://www.physique-mag.com/site/?p=3084

Dubai, May 5, 2012: Dubai Fighting Championship’s inaugural event ‘The Beginning’ hosted local as well as international world-class fighters at Al Habtoor Grand Hotel. Premium and VIP seating were sold out within days of the tickets going officially on sale at Virgin Megastores all across the U.A.E. The crowds in attendance were treated to 12 action packed fights including the heavyweight ex-UFC Champion Ricco ‘Suave’ Rodriguez against Stav ‘Crazy Bear’ Economou. But it was Malik ‘Smiler’ Omarov from Russia against Stuart Davies from the U.K who performed one of the most adrenaline-charged fights of the night.

DFC-1 kicked off with the semi-pro bouts between Evan O’Reilly from Ireland and Shafeeq Iqbal from India. Within 2 minutes and 4 seconds, O’Reilly half-mounted Iqbal into a keylock submission. The event further intensified as the matches moved on to the Prelims – Pro bouts with Brazilian fighter Nilson Lopes against Morteza Minbashi from Iran. The crowds cheered on as Lopes managed to take down Minbashi to the floor, becoming the winner of that match with an arm-bar.

The swiftest round of the night was between Fabricio Nascimento hailing from Brazil, against Mohammad Naemi from Iran. Fabricio managed to side-mount Naemi and become the winner by an arm-bar within 52 seconds!

The co-main event with Muai-Thai fighter Malik ‘Smiler’ Omarov against Stuart Davies from England – who flew in from the U.K on short notice, stole the show. After what seemed like an endless back and forth slugfest, round 3 ended with Omarov winning by TKO due to Davies’ injured knee. Dubai radio personality and commentator of the night Kris Fade announced this match as the “fight of the night”.

DFC’s CEO, Tam Khan, described the event as epic. “History was made at the Al Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa with DFC 1. We had a packed house and sold out before the event started. The atmosphere was electric. Even as a promoter I found myself being drawn into the excitement of the match ups.” Khan further exclaimed “There were amazing displays of skill shown tonight by the fighters, from slick submissions to devastating striking. There were NO losers in my opinion”.

In the main event of the evening, Stav Economou picked up a unanimous decision win over Ricco Rodriguez, which had the fans on the edge of their seats with anticipation over the final results of the heavyweight match. Even though Economou appeared to be losing the first round to Rodriguez; this appearance quickly faded away by the second round with Economou knocking Rodriguez to the ground and unleashing a flurry of punches to his head. The third round split the DFC crowds between cheering for Rodriguez and Economou. Both fighters at this point are evidently injured due to the intense match of round two. Round three commenced with Rodriguez failing in his attempt to grab Economou’s leg kick, allowing Economou to ultimately wrestle Rodriguez to the floor, and continue to strike Rodriguez until the round had ended.

Khan described the main event with ex-UFC champion Ricco Rodriguez as a “huge honor”. DFC 1 was undoubtedly an action packed evening with hundreds of MMA enthusiasts in attendance.

Khan described the future of DFC as “bigger and better”. He further exclaimed, “There is so much room for growth. We feel this experience tonight will enable us to take it to the next level for the future events. We already have planned a DFC ‘Fight Night’ which is a show that concentrates on future DFC stars; fighters who are not yet professional but would want to display their skills on a smaller scale. The event is planned for June 8th at the Boracay Nightclub, Asiana Hotel, in Dubai.”

The evening ended with an entertained crowd excited for DFC’s next live event in Dubai.

For all upcoming DFC news, photos, video footage and information, please log onto www.dubaifc.ae

Full Night Results:

Semi Professional Bouts:

Shafeeq Iqbal vs Evan O’Reilly – Winner o’Reilly by Submission (Kimura) 2:04 Round 1

Gudrat Mamedov vs Amir Taghinejad – Winner Mamedov by TKO 4:05 Round 2

Saber Ghorbani vs Franky Spencer – Winner Saber by Unanimous Decision 3 rounds

Professional Bouts:

Fernando Cosenday vs Hadi Rivandi – Winner Cosenday by Submission (armbar) 1:58 Round 1

Nilson Lopes vs Morteza Minbashi – Winner Lopes by Submission (Armbar) 3:05 Round 1

Rafat Shawe vs Bhupesh Kamble – Winner Shawe by Submission (guillotine choke) 3:47 Round 1

Matteo Piran vs Omid Balkham – Winner Piran by TKO 0:30 Round 1

Fabricio Nascimento vs Mohammad Naemi – Winner Nascimento by Submission (armbar) 0:52 Round 1

Michel Maia vs Mohammad Jamishidi – Winner Maia by Submission (armbar) 3:55 Round 2

Malik Omarov vs Stuart Davies – Winner Omarov by TKO 3:01 Round 3

Stav Economou vs Ricco Rodriguez – Winner Economou by Unanimous Decision 3 rounds

The most unique thing about CrossFit is the annual CrossFit games which delivers the title to the winner of “Fittest on the planet”. A brave statement you may say but with the athletes asked to compete in events that could encompass anything the imagination can stretch to it is hard for one to debate otherwise. The process to locate the fittest human beings on the planet is divided into three parts. The first part invites athletes from every corner of the world to take part in “The Open” which is a 5 week process. During the open, athletes are given 1 workout per week and have just 4 days to submit a score either at their home box or by posting a video online. 2012 saw over 60,000 athletes from around the world enter the first stage of the competition and these athletes are split into the regions they emerge from. At the close of the 5 weeks the 60 top ranked male and female athletes are then invited to participate in a 3 day regional competition with the winners advancing to the final stages which are held in Los Angles in July. It is at this meeting where the fittest will ultimately be crowned.

The final is where local athlete and this month’s cover star has his sights firmly set. Marcus Smith will travel to Seoul, Korea to participate in the Asian regional qualification process on May 4th/5th/6th 2012 looking to book his place amongst the top 60 fittest men on earth. Originally from England Marcus has lived in Dubai for a number of years and is perhaps better known to the community for his success on the rugby field having represented the Dubai Exiles since the age of 17 and leading the Arabian Gulf Sevens and 15’s team on a number of occasions. Marcus bowed out of rugby at the age of 30 playing in the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2009 here in Dubai. One of the highlights of his career alongside his spectacular stint with the Gold Coast Breakers in 2003 and 2004, it was 2004 which saw his team overcome all odds to raise the Queensland premier rugby title. Marcus is a high performance coach in Dubai and runs two performance brands in InnerFight which specializes in the enhanced physical performance and Inner Solutions delivering performance solutions to the corporate world.

Marcus was on hand to give the following insight into his journey in CrossFit and an outlook on his imminent trip to Korea:

How long have you been doing CrossFit?

This is a funny one. A friend of mine called me 2 days before the competition started last year and told me to register. I had no real idea what I was getting myself into. I knew what CrossFit was but had had limited exposure. I thought, why not and signed up. I managed to make the regional qualifications last year and finished up 5th. I know this sport needed a lot of work; there were things in it I could not do which naturally frustrated me. I had a choice, to get better or not to! Giving up is not in my nature so for the last year I have spent hours studying the sport and the techniques, went and did the instructors course and in a very short time have worked as hard as I can to develop.

Why are you doing this?

When I stopped playing rugby I needed a new focus, I needed a goal! My first goal was quite random too; a friend called me 3 weeks before the Dubai Marathon and asked me if I was keen to run it. Without thinking I said yes straight away, we went on 3 training runs and I did the marathon. From there I thought golf was a good idea so I started playing, set a goal of getting a handicap of 10 by the end of 2010, I achieved that by October and was looking for something else. Always being keen on fitness I started working hard on my fitness brand InnerFight so when I got the call in March 2011 to take part in CrossFit it was a no brainer. So why am I doing this? Two reasons. I think it’s always important to have a goal and to be involved in a competition for fittest in the world is a pretty special goal. Secondly I believe the human body is an unreal machine that we have all been blessed with so to set about testing our physical and mental limits has always appealed to me and I find I am able to do that through CrossFit.

What motivates you?

I have a few different motivators, my family have always supported me in all my goals and helped me make sport and performance my life, my wife is my best friend and an amazing support, I often wonder how difficult it must be living with me and putting up with me. Something that never really leaves my mind is that we have been given a great chance in our lives to do something special and I want to make the most of that and just push myself as hard as I can and live life to the full.

What is your training schedule?

Right now its a bit hectic. I am training 6 days a week and most days take me about 4 hours to get through. That’s not saying that I am working hard out for 4 hours, due to the various elements of CrossFit; there are so many bases to cover and so many different points to address. I am really lucky that I have a good support network to help me through my training, I have an awesome coach in Rob Downton from Raw Strength and Conditioning in Australia and I also have an invaluable resource in Danny Harrison the founder of Evolve who coaches me locally as well as Sean Penny from the Wellness Brothers who makes sure my nutrition is in order. Couple this with my long time mentor and all the guys that I train with day in day out and then add my family and wife on top and it makes things that much easier.

So what does a “normal” day look like?

Ha ha. I wake up at 4:30 AM as I teach an InnerFight class at Evolve at 5:30 which gives me a lot of satisfaction brining more people into fitness and making them aware of improved performance. I then I have a second class at 6:15 which is with a bunch of guys who have been with me for years, they are awesome to work with and I often train with them. At 7:30 I have my breakfast and then get tucked into some admin before my second workout of the day at 10:30. 2 days a week I teach a class at 12:30, on the days I’m not teaching its lunchtime and some more work. A lot of my work is computer based, coaching people, designing success plans for people and researching to increase my knowledge. I normally hit my last workout of the day at 2pm and try to be home at 4 to spend some time with my wife. I am always ready for dinner by 6:30 and my wife is an awesome cook so its always a great meal when she is here. After dinner is down time,which normally consists of more reading and watching youtube! I love youtube, so much information, some work related but I also trawl for comedies and interesting clips. Sleep is a top priority so I make sure I hit my sleep goals which means being in bed by 8:30. I always sleep well; a nice cold shower before bed and set the room to 18 degrees, it’s a magic formula!

What is the key to success in CrossFit?

Well there are so many different skills so you have to ensure you cover all bases the best that you can. Brute strength is a key factor too as this carries you in the tough times. However like I tell all the athletes and people that I work with you can work on the skills of your sport as much as you want, but there are two other key ingredients to success. The first is what you do with yourself when you are not training as far as your nutrition, recovery and sleep go but more important than that is your mental capacity. As my brand InnerFight suggests I am a firm believer that the body can achieve unreal things once you have trained your mind. CrossFit like a number of sports puts you under extreme physical pressure; dealing with the physical pressure is a mental equation. I have seen it in so many athletes that when they work on their mental capacity their performance increases. In CrossFit all the top guys have a great skill set but what separates the best from the rest is their ability to cope mentally.

What do you think your chances are?

I believe that I have done everything that I could have done to give me the very best chance of success in Korea. The interesting thing about being part of region Asia is that there is only 1 place up for grabs to get to the finals. I must win in Korea to make LA or it’s all over for another year. That spurs me on that bit more and everything has been solely focused on winning in Korea for a long time now, that’s my goal and that’s all I care about and focus on.

What will you do when it’s all over for this year?

I have a whole list of goals that I want to achieve before the year is over. Strangely a few of these are endurance events, a few long runs in store with some of my mad endurance friends. Something that has been on the list for a while is the 500 meter rowing world record, I want to have a proper go at this, I have done it in 1:17:4 but am keen to knock a few seconds off this and given the strength gains that I have made in the last year this is a goal I am keen to give some attention to! One thing is for sure, there always has been and always will be a goal that challenges me physically and more importantly mentally.

ATLANTA, April 22 – One of the UFC’s most bitter feuds saw Jon Jones pushed five rounds for the first time in his career Saturday night at Philips Arena, but friend-turned-enemy Rashad Evans was unable to overcome the 205-pound champ’s massive reach advantage, wicked elbows and relentless plethora of kicks in the UFC 145 main event.

Jones, widely anointed as the skyrocketing sport’s Superman of sorts, did not steamroll his former sparring partner as many had expected. Rounds one and two were at times riveting and very competitive, but Jones was noticeably busier over the final three rounds to cinch the unanimous decision by scores of 49-46, 49-46, and 50-45.

source:www.ufc.com

In mixed martial arts we usually see the more conditioned athlete with his or her hand raised at the end of the fight. Rarely do we see it the other way around. This being the case, if we want to be in the winner’s spot it’s our job to show up in the best shape we can. Circuit training gives us a great opportunity to improve both strength and cardio so that we can take not one, but two steps closer to being the more conditioned of the two athletes that step into the ring.

Circuit training is a great form of exercise to acquaint yourself with if you plan to compete in mixed martial arts. It allows you to work on strength and cardio at the same time. In addition to that, circuit training has the potential to burn an amazing amount of calories, so if you are looking to decrease body fat and get ripped and lean these are the exercises that you want to implement into your Circuit routine.

What is Circuit training?

Circuit training is a form of conditioning in which you string together a number of exercises completing one after another without rest or with minimal rest. The exercises that you string together form what is called the circuit.

How to do it

There is a huge amount of room for creativity when it comes to creating a circuit. You can vary the overall length of time, the time spent on each exercise, the time in between exercises, what exercises you use, how much weight you use (if you are using weights), etc.

Let’s take a look at some of the things to consider when creating a circuit training program to improve performance in MMA.

Time length – This one is pretty easy. You will usually want to try to mimic the length of time you will spend fighting and resting during an MMA fight. For example, if you have a 3 round fight with each round lasting 5 minutes with 1 minute rest in between, then you would want to create a circuit that uses those times. Of course there are instances that you may not want to do it exactly that ; you may want to increase the intensity of the workout beyond what you will experience in the fight e.g. less rest and longer periods of activity.

Exercises – Well, I’m a big fan of the big bang and functional exercises that use large muscle groups, since that is usually what you use in a fight. Think squats, lunges, pull ups, push-ups, bent-over rows and functional core exercises rather than single-joint movements as they only isolate one part of the body, such as one arm bicep curls, calf extensions and tricep extensions: Isolation movements will not provide the carry-over for athletes especially for MMA. Also try to make the exercises as sport specific as you can. For instance, rather than doing squats, grab a partner and practice shooting in for a double leg, then pick him all the way off the ground, then repeat. You can replace wind sprints with an intense round of kicking the thai pads. you can pretty much use any exercise you want in your circuit if it is safe and will push you in the direction of your goal.

Frequency – This is not an easy question to answer because it will vary from person to person. But it’s definitely an important one to ask so that you can prevent over or under training. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to get a better idea of how often you should be trying to fit this into your routine.

• Am I gearing up for a fight or just trying to maintain the fitness level I already have?
• How intense is the other training I am currently doing?
• Have I recently had a fight and need to recover?
• How intense is the circuit I created?

The answers to those questions will hopefully give you an idea of how often to implement circuit training into you conditioning program. Other than that, just make sure you listen to your professional coach; he is there to monitor your training and make sure you neither over nor under train.

Below is an example of a High Intensity Circuit Training For Mixed Martial Artists. The following circuit hits the entire body

MMA Workout with Heavy Sandbag Circuit (Round 1): 5 minutes

1) Bear hug sandbags and a walk for 1 minute

2) Shoulder sandbag and 10 squats

3) Place sandbag across right shoulder and do 10 squats

4) Place sandbag across left shoulder and do 10 squats

5) Cradle sandbag in front of you and do 10 squats

6) Hold sandbag at arm’s length in front of you and walk for 30 seconds

7) Keeping same grip from previous exercise, and do 20 stiff-legged deadlifts

Shoulder sandbag and walk for remainder of the time

Performing this circuit or one like it is a VERY good MMA workout that carries over to the type of conditioning needed in a mixed martial arts fight, especially for grappling.

The reason is that a heavy sandbag simulates an opponent because it is a heavy, awkward, unbalanced, and constantly shifting weight. Doing quick and explosive squats with the weight in different positions simulates the different positions and resistance when attempting to pick up your opponent and/or take him down.

By never putting the sandbag down, you train your stabilizer muscles as well as tax your isometric strength, strength endurance, and grip strength endurance (the fatigue you feel after a heavy sandbag workout is very similar to the fatigue you feel after an intense grappling match).

In terms of aerobic/anaerobic conditioning, heavy sandbag workouts can train both forms of endurance that transfers over very well to MMA. If you wanted strictly an anaerobic workout, you can do interval training with the sandbags, such as quick sprints or as many squats as you can in a 30 second period followed by short rest periods. By doing circuits like the example I gave above – doing several circuits in 5 minute rounds with a 1 minute rest in between them – your aerobic conditioning will come into play as you get into the fourth, fifth, and later circuits.

So if you want to change your MMA workout routine and get an intense full body strength and conditioning workout, incorporate some heavy sandbag training in your MMA workouts.

For personalized coaching contact Andy Ashton at info@andyashton.tv

For more information on holistic health & fitness, nutrition, beauty and lifestyle, please visit www.AndyAshton.tv

Parker started Greco-Roman wrestling when he was in 3^rd grade, and continued until his senior year of high school.  The discipline and dedication he learned at a young age became a part of him.  When he started weight training regularly in his freshman year of high school, his dad noticed that and bought him his first fitness magazine. He remembers staying up all night reading it and he just knew that it would be something he wanted to be a part of, and after his wrestling days were over, fitness modeling seemed like a natural transition.

• Full Name: Parker Cote
• Place of birth: Providence, RI
• Current residence: Boston, MA
• Height: 5’11”
• Weight: 187
• Favorite saying: Show up, shut up, and shine.
• Turn ons: A good smile, ambition
• Turn offs: Negativity
• Website: www.ParkerCote.com

• Who has been your biggest influence?

I definitely couldn’t do what I’ve been doing without the support of my parents.  Fitness modeling is not a common career choice; so having my parents encourage me to pursue my dream was remarkable.  My best friend, Mike, has also been a big influence- he has always supported me 100% and has helped keep me focused throughout the years.  I was very fortunate to have the first shoot of my career with photographer Andre DeLoach four years ago.  He has been a selfless mentor to me since day one and has given me some great advice and guidance.

• Can you describe your training style?

I am not a believer in maxing out or lifting super heavy.  That style of training will put you at risk, and won’t help develop your physique. I train each body part once per week, so I can put all my focus to one muscle group each day.  This also helps me avoid overtraining by giving myself a full week before I repeat a body part.  I like to keep my rep range moderate.  On most exercises I perform 8-12 reps per set.  I always make sure I’m switching up my workouts and exercises so my body doesn’t adapt and to keep the workouts interesting.  Efficiency is crucial- most of my workouts last no longer than an hour.

• Tell us about your approach to nutrition?

My approach to nutrition is simple- I eat clean during the week then on Sundays I eat whatever I want.  When I wake up Monday, it’s back on a strict diet.   During the week, I follow a modified version of the caveman diet.  The basic theory behind this eating plan is that if it’s man-made, avoid it. My diet consists of lots of lean meat and fish, fruits, and vegetables.  The key is to get your carbohydrates primarily from fruits and vegetables, not from starches or simple sugars.  The only time it is beneficial to consume simple carbs is directly after a workout.  On Sundays, it’s a different story!  I eat whatever I’m craving to break the monotony of my diet and to give my metabolism a boost.  It also gives me something to look forward to throughout the week, making me more likely to stay on point.

• What is the most challenging thing for you when it comes to be in fit?

The most difficult part of staying in shape is coming back after I’ve taken a few weeks off.  When you’re eating well and training hard consistently, everything flows and it’s virtually effortless to stay in shape.  Coming back after a break can make it difficult to get back into the routine.

• Who’s your favorite fitness icon?

I wouldn’t necessarily say that I have a favorite fitness model, but there are a couple guys who have had a big impact on me.  Greg Plitt’s consistency in the past several years is extremely impressive.  As one of the younger fitness models, he is definitely someone I look up to.  My friend James Ellis has also been a major role model for me, he taught me a lot when I first started.  His combination of success and humility is admirable.

• Can you explain your favorite weight loss workout?

There isn’t one specific workout, but when I’m trying to lose weight, I incorporate lots of supersets in my weight training sessions and perform HIIT cardio.  Both are very powerful fat burning tactics!

• In your opinion, what are the things that affect the world badly in terms of health and fitness and what is your solution for them?

Infomercials and the media make people think that it is so easy to get in shape.  When they fail after using the product and not getting instant results, they feel even worse.  This just leaves people discouraged and frustrated.  There are no quick fixes.  You have to earn it, and a lot of people aren’t willing to put in the work.  The solution is to realize that it takes diligence and consistency to get results.  More importantly, it takes time.

• Which is the one incident that you can’t ever forget in your career?

One of the most memorable days of my career was media day for the Cosmopolitan Magazine Bachelor Search.  My little sister nominated me for the contest, and I ended up being chosen to represent the state of Massachusetts.  We traveled to New York City and started out the day with an appearance on the Today Show.  Then we went to Cosmo Radio for interviews and then to Times Square to film a segment for The Insider. As I had never done any live interviews or appeared on national TV before, that was exciting to experience.  We ended the day with a celebration at Studio 54.  The whole experience was a blast, and I made some great friends in the process.

• Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

One of my long term goals at the moment is to become the editor in chief of a fitness magazine.  I am passionate about health and fitness and I love print media, so it seems like the perfect job to pursue.  I could also see myself working in advertising.  No matter what, I know my job in 10 years will be one where I’m doing something new all the time.

• What else do you do other than Fitness modeling?

In addition to fitness modeling, I write for publications in Europe and the US.  This summer I am taking a journalism class at Harvard University to sharpen my writing skills further.  In my free time, I love surfing, reading, traveling, and spending time with my family and friends.

• What is something that you’d like to change in your life right now?

I’m really happy with my life right now, but I want to make sure that I am always challenging myself and taking risks.  I think people grow the most when they are outside their comfort zone.

• What else keeps you always motivated and why is that?

How much better life is when you’re in shape.  Exercise is a great outlet that I could never imagine being without.  My whole life- in every aspect- is better when I’m eating well and exercising hard.  I can’t think of any better motivation than that.

It seems “The Last Emperor” has his next fight booked.

M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan announced that Fedor Emelianenko will return to the ring on June 21 at the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. Kogan also teased that Emelianenko’s opponent would be announced at a later time.

While Kogan did not release specifics regarding the June 21 event, it is expected to be held under the M-1 banner. First, however, the Russian promotion will hold M-1 Challenge 32 on May 16 at the Crocus Expo in Moscow. While a main event has yet to be officially announced, that event will feature a lightweight title bout between Daniel Weichel and Yuri Ivlev as well as an appearance from Aleksander Emelianenko against a to-be-named foe.

The elder Emelianenko earned a pair of wins to close out last year after suffering an unprecedented three consecutive losses. Previously regarded as the world’s top heavyweight, Emelianenko, 35, was finished by Fabricio Werdum, Antonio Silva and Dan Henderson in the Strikeforce cage before receiving his promotional release.

Following those defeats, Emelianenko responded with a unanimous decision victory over former UFC title challenger Jeff Monson this past November. Most recently, the Russian earned a first-round knockout over Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii at Dream’s New Year’s Eve show in Saitama, Japan.

Introduction to Chest Building 101

A new course is available at Weik University on building a massive chest.  Those interested in sitting through an easy course, no need to look any further because class has just begun.  Everyone is guaranteed an “A” for the course as long as you sit through the course and pay attention (you can take notes if you wish).  From there, all you have to do is take what you learned from the course and utilize it in the gym for massive chest gains.

Let’s start with the basics of Chapter 1 and then get into more detail later on in the course.

Chapter 1:  Anatomy of the Chest

Let’s start off by explaining the anatomy of the chest.  It’s not very complicated and not much to it.  Once you understand how the chest works, you will find it easier to visualize your chest workouts.

The chest is made up of two muscles: the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor.

The pecs are found attached to the humerus of the arm, right near where the shoulder joint is. They then run across the front of the body and originate on the breastbone (picture a chicken breast). The pectoralis major is attached to the front of the body on the rib cage. The pectoralis minor is found underneath the pectoralis major. It originates on the ribs and attaches up to the scapula, specifically at the coracoid process.

The pectoralis major brings the humerus across the body while the pectoralis minor moves the shoulders forward.  Together, you get the bench press movement.

Like I said before, once you understand how everything works it makes it much easier to visualize the muscle fibers contracting during each set.  When you have a good mind-muscle connection you get more out of each rep.  Too many people try to load on a weight that they can’t handle and end up using more accessory muscles rather than the chest alone.  That’s fine if you are trying to impress chicks, but in terms of results it’s not efficient.

Chapter 2:  Different Parts of the Chest

When hitting the chest you have 3 different areas that you want to hit hard with compound movements.  You have the upper chest, mid chest, and lower chest.

The upper chest is something that some gym rats forget about.  The best exercise for hitting the upper chest is incline barbell presses.  For this you want to have the bench on an incline where you can specifically feel it working your upper chest.  Different people feel the exercise at different angles (45 degrees works for most people)—but the best thing to do is try different angles to see what works for you.  If you feel the exercise more towards the middle of your chest then you have the angle too low and it will feel more like a flat bench press.  On the flip side, if you feel the exercise more in your shoulders, then you have the angle too high and you need to decrease the angle.

The mid chest is hit with the famous exercise—the bench press.  Everyone does it in the gym (unless you are injured, have a disability, or simply have no idea what you are doing in the gym).  Too many people are in the gym trying to impress everyone with how much they can bench, yet more than half of them are doing th e exercise incorrectly in which they can cause serious injury to themselves.  The famous saying, “What do you bench?” is said around the gym more than any other saying—I cringe at the sound of it.  Not because I don’t care what they bench, but because I know that person is one of the many that I mentioned above that are probably executing the exercise incorrectly.  So let me say it once and get it over with…  It’s not how much weight you can lift, leave your ego at the door—concentrate on feeling the weight and using the correct form.  Another exercise that involves no weights that hits the mid-chest is the pushup.  These are great for if you can’t get to the gym or you want to pump up a little bit.

The lower chest I believe is the most neglected portion of the chest.  When you look at the best chests in bodybuilding, you notice from top to bottom the chest is fully developed and full.  If someone neglects the lower portion of their chest you will notice fullness in the upper half but below mid-chest they will be flat and without the roundness at the bottom portion.  Doing decline presses as well as dips can develop the lower chest.

Chapter 3:  Different Chest Exercises

Flat Barbell Bench Press

Flat Dumbbell Bench Press

Incline Barbell Bench Press

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

Decline Barbell Bench Press

Decline Dumbbell Bench Press

Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes

Incline Bench Dumbbell Flyes

Decline Bench Dumbbell Flyes

Flat Dumbbell Press on the Stability Ball

Flat Dumbbell Fly on the Stability Ball

Flat Cable Machine Fly on the Stability Ball

Smith Machine Flat Bench Press

Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

Smith Machine Decline Bench Press

Machine Fly

Pec Deck

Cable Machine Flat Bench Fly

Cable Machine Incline Bench Fly

Cable Machine Decline Bench Fly

Bodyweight Pushups (different hand positions available)

Weighted Pushups (different hand positions available)

Bodyweight Incline Pushups on the Stability Ball (different hand positions available)

Bodyweight Dips

Assisted Dips

Weighted Dips

Pullovers

Chapter 4:  Mass Building Chest Workouts

Workout #1

Incline Barbell Bench Press  3×8-12

Flat Barbell Bench Press  3×8-12

Decline Barbell Bench Press  3×8-12

Incline Bench Dumbbell Fly  3×15

Flat Bench Dumbbell Fly  3×15

Workout #2

Incline Dumbbell Press  3×8-12

Flat Dumbbell Press  3×8-12

Decline Dumbbell Press  3×8-12

Incline Cable Fly  3×15

Flat Cable Fly  3×15

Workout #3

Incline Dumbbell Press  3×8-12

Flat Barbell Bench Press  3×8-12

Dips  3×8-12

Incline Dumbbell Fly  3×15

Machine Fly  3×15

Workout #4 (bodyweight workout)

Bodyweight Incline Pushup on Stability Ball  5×8-12

Bodyweight Pushup  5×8-12

Bodyweight Dips  5×8-12

Workout #5 (Smith Machine workout)

Smith Machine Incline Bench Press  5×8-12

Smith Machine Flat Bench Press  5×8-12

Smith Machine Decline Bench Press  5×8-12

Course Conclusion

When it comes down to it you want to focus on the mind-muscle connection.  You should really feel each rep and feel the muscle working.  If you don’t feel an exercise in your chest, then you are probably doing it wrong or are using a weight that you can’t handle and are using more than just your chest.

Make sure you are hitting each part of the chest equally (unless your chest isn’t balanced then you need to work on that section more).  Focus on compound movements for the upper, mid, and lower chest.  Then utilize shaping movements such as flys to finish out your chest workout.

Most of all have fun with your workouts.  If you aren’t having fun, then what’s the point?  Utilize what you learned in this course and see where it takes you.  Good luck and see you at graduation!

*Weik University is not a real college and therefore this is not a real course.  The materials found in this article are those of the author and will not give you college credits (sorry)*