Bodybuilding

The Romanian man-mountain, Andrei Deiu’ is an authority when it comes to building huge arms. In 2011, at just 17 years of age, he entered the Miami Pro and while it would be his first taste of competition, the young upstart impressed judges so much that he walked away as the winner.

Now at age 25, Deiu’ is building an enviable reputation as one of the world’s most exciting fashion models, lending his face and physique to brands such as boohooMAN active wear. And, with more than five million avid followers on Instagram, it’s easy to understand his growing popularity.

Andrei Deiu’, who has guns measuring in at 18.9-inches pre-pump, treats us to a masterclass for those serious about gaining muscle and building bigger arms.

Have you learned a lot through working with renowned coach, Hany Rambod?

I have been working with Hany Rambod for the past three years and even now I’m learning new tricks and tips. That’s why they call him the Pro Creator! The mind-to-muscle connection is very important. Hany has taught me that you don’t always have to go really heavy in order to gain mass. If you go slightly lighter by 5kg or even 10kg, but make sure to contract the muscles and hold on, this helps to break down more muscle fibers and gives better blood flow.

Do you find that many bodybuilders wanting to grow their arms focus too much on their biceps? What else should they be doing?

In my younger days, I thought that training my biceps was the way to get bigger arms. In one way this worked as it did help me develop bigger arms but then I missed out, because I had weaker triceps. Now I say focus on balancing the full arm out, by working both triceps and biceps.

These days, I always start my arm day by training triceps and then biceps because the triceps are actually the bigger group of muscles. Also, I always try to vary and adjust the training every time I do arms, to make sure I activate all parts of the muscle so that my body doesn’t get used to moving the same load in the same way all of the time.

How many days do you train arms per week?

If you want to improve your arms, train them twice each week with three biceps and three triceps exercises. I only train biceps now once per week because I used to over train them and I feel that they are more over developed than my triceps. Also, I don’t want them to get any bigger as I need them to stay in proportion to my body. I train my triceps twice per week, one session is along with my biceps and then the other is paired with a chest session.

Do you make time for recovery?

Hany holds me accountable for making sure I get the right amount of sleep and rest. Quality muscle is made in the kitchen and while sleeping, because this is how your body recovers and is able to repair the muscle tissue that you have torn while in the gym. In the past, I never really took rest days as I thought that to get big, I had to go to the gym and train every day. Hany has taught me to listen to my body and rest when needed.

I try to get six to eight hours of sleep during the night and if I don’t, I will try to take a nap during the day. I take at least one rest day during the week where I’ll only do cardio if needed. I also make sure I get a sports massage at least once per week to help with my recovery, and I like to add epsom salt to baths.

How important to you is protein for muscle growth?

I believe protein is one of the most important things required to build muscle. Hany taught me that real food is always better than shakes or bars, but the reason he tells me to have at least a shake after my training is because it’s a quick acting protein source and digests faster to help my recovery.

My favorite protein is chicken, salmon, and steak [bison]. Usually, I eat five meals and take one shake each day and that equates to around 260 to 280 grams of protein. Currently I’m on a bulk, and so Hany has put me on at least six meals per day, with a shake. This comes to around 3,000 to 3,500 calories per day, and I also myself two cheat meals each week. These are cheat meals, not cheat days.

Andrei Deiu’ Complete Arm Workout

Andrei Deiu’ has worked hard to develop his killer bod. During his early teen years, his weight began to spiral out of control due to bad lifestyle choices such as playing video games into the late hours, and eating too much junk food. As it turned out, making positive changes to his physique — including feeling comfortable in his clothes — was also advantageous for his mental health, and he says that feeling has given him the confidence he needs, in order to continue with his bodybuilding career. In 2002, Deiu’ aims to gain his Olympia qualification and then complete on the show itself, hoping to improve on last year’s impressive seventh-place finish in the men’s physique category.

Andrei Deiu’s Triceps Workout

Triceps Cable Rope Extension: 4 working sets, 10-12 reps

• • Increase weight each set. The final set will comprise of a triple dropset in weight.

Skull Crusher: 4 working sets, 10-12 reps

• • Increase weight each set.
  • Make sure to squeeze and hold.

Weighted Triceps Dip superset with Diamond-Grip Pushup: 3 working sets, 10-12 sets (dips)

• • Increase weight each set.
  • Perform pushups until failure.

Andrei Deiu’s Biceps Workout

Dumbbell Curl (palms facing out): 4 working sets, 8-10 reps

• • Increase weight every set.

Hammer Curl: 4 working sets, 5-7 reps

• • Increase weight every set.

Cable rope curl: 4 working sets, 10-12 reps

• • Increase weight every set
  • On the final set, do a triple dropset in weight.

Spider curl: 3 working sets, 10-12 reps

• • Increase weight every set.

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If you’re reading this article right now, then there’s a good chance you’re at least somewhat familiar with bodybuilding. You likely also know that the top title in the world of bodybuilding is Mr. Olympia. The 16 men that have held that title since 1965 have done more than won a bodybuilding contest — they became the number one representative of the sport. As such, there is a responsibility to promote the sport and living a fitness-based lifestyle to the masses.

The first major example of this that people can refer to is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Aside from winning the titles and training in Gold’s Gym, the Austrian Oak promoted the sport in prisons, public gatherings, and guest posed at contests with the goal of inspiring anyone and everyone that was in his presence.

A more recent example is Jay Cutler. His pursuit and eventual capture of the top championship in the sport inspired a generation of fans to become athletes and competitors. Among them is the 2021 Arnold Classic champion, Nick Walker. Other stars that have praised the example of Cutler include Regan Grimes and Sergio Oliva Jr.

While Schwarzenegger and Cutler had roots in the United States, bodybuilding is certainly an international sport. British superstar Dorian Yates was the most dominant competitor of the 1990’s. The six-time Mr. Olympia stayed to himself, but the example he set inspired a full crop of stars to emerge from the United Kingdom, including current pros James Hollingshead, Nathan De Asha, and Samson Dauda. The fact that many contests nowadays include at least one British competitor can be directly connected to the impact that The Shadow had on the sport.

Our Current Champion

The role of Mr. Olympia may have a greater magnifying glass on it than ever before. Fans are able to see and connect with their favorite athletes more than ever thanks to social media, YouTube, and other outlets that are used for promotion. That also means that the expectations and desire to see them is greater as well. So, fans want to see our current Mr. Olympia, Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay, post content, engage with fans online, and travel more to represent the sport, especially since he isn’t based in the United States like the last few champions.

Clearly, the pandemic has caused a major issue with traveling, so Elssbiay has no control over that. However, he has been very active in representing bodybuilding and fitness in Egypt. Look no further for evidence than the moment he arrived back home with the Sandow Trophy in his possession. He’s greeted like the hero he should be, with crowds, escorts, and even government officials expressing their praise and support for the accomplishment of winning the world title of his sport.

Then, there are the appearances he makes, such as the 2021 KO Pro show in Egypt. When he opted to guest pose onstage, mere weeks after winning the title, you know that there was at least a few kids or young adults in the crowd that saw Mr. Olympia in supreme form and conceived the dream of being in his position one day themselves. “He is from our country and he did it, so I can too,” may have been the thought process, as it should have been. Elssbiay’s influence on fitness can be seen and felt in the entire Middle East. This is because the fans feel the genuine connection between themselves and their champion.

This may not be seen on Instagram or livestreamed on YouTube as frequently as someone like Brandon Curry or Jay Cutler posts, and that could bother some fans. As a matter of fact, there have been several people in recent weeks that have been critical of the champion’s absence or lack of participation in these outlets. Anyone that has engaged with him since he second consecutive victory in Orlando last October will tell you that he’s committed to his role in the sport. The issue may be that what he’s doing isn’t taking place online or in the United States, where many of the biggest media outlets reside. Because of this, his engagement may not be as obvious. However, like Yates, we may see his impact a decade from now if the sport sees a massive increase in Egyptian competitors that say that Elssbiay inspired them to get into the sport.

Big Ramy clearly understands that wherever he goes, he is associated with professional bodybuilding, the Olympia, and the IFBB Pro League. While his efforts may not be measured in likes or clicks, it’s clear to everyone that is paying attention that he has proven to be a very successful champion, both onstage and off.

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Bryan Danielson is still very much in his prime at 40. Having signed with All Elite Wrestling in 2021, the multiple-time WWE champion hasn’t missed a beat and is turning out some of the greatest performances of his career against the likes of Kenny Omega and “Hangman” Adam Page.”

Muscle & Fitness sat down with the high-flyer to find out how the “American Dragon” trains for those lengthy, physical matches, and soon learned that he’s got plenty of gas left in the tank.

AEW’s “Marathon Man” occupies a special place in the hearts of millions of pro wrestling fans around the world. Having started his career by training at “Mr WrestleMania” himself; Shawn Michaels’ Texas Wrestling Academy, the underdog from Aberdeen, WA, made his own unforgettable mark on the “Show of Shows” storied history when he defeated Triple H, and advanced to a world championship win over Randy Orton and Batista in the main event of WrestleMania XXX. In the years that have followed, Danielson has kept us on the edge of our seat. There was of course, a heart-breaking temporary retirement for the “YES” man in 2015 due to medical reasons relating to a history of concussions, but our man bounced back in 2018 and worked his way back up the card, culminating in one more WrestleMania main event against champion Roman Reigns, and Edge.

Bryan Danielson is AEW’s Marathon Man

When news broke that Bryan Danielson was AEW bound, many observers felt that the star would be able to cash-in on his hard-earned fame while taking it easier in the ring, but those critics failed to take into account just how much this man loves to wrestle at the very highest level. Case in point? On the Sept. 22, 2021 edition of AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam, The American Dragon wrestled to a nerve-jangling 30-minute draw with Kenny Omega. On Dec. 15, he took things even further by taking AEW Champion, Adam Page, to a 60-minute draw. Danielson says he didn’t know ahead of joining the company that he would get those opportunities, but he says that he was very much hoping that they would come.

“A lot of the world, right now, is transforming into short attention span type stuff,” he says. “I’m trying, in my own personal life, to expand my attention span. One of the things that has always interested me in wrestling, is the long form, right? You know, I’ve been doing short form for so long with WWE. The TV matches are usually around three minutes but very rarely much longer than 10. I’ve been very interested in long-form story telling for a while.”

On Jan. 5, Danielson narrowly missed out on dethroning Page in a pulse-pounding rematch, but not without displaying a highly physical performance that saw both men get busted open, proving once again that Danielson can’t get enough of the physicality that pro wrestling provides. “I really like very physical matches,” says the pro wrestling icon. “There’s something about it that makes you feel very alive.”

How Bryan Danielson Trains for Success

Still, there must have been some nervousness ahead of coming to a new territory and feeling like there was a lot still to prove? “The first one, against Kenny Omega, there was a little bit of nervousness there,” shares Danielson. “It was just because, in my own mind, I had put it on a pedestal because this was my first match outside of WWE in over 10 years. This was kind of a statement, as far as what I want the next three years of my career to be. Also, I’d been looking forward to wrestling Kenny for a long time. The reality is that I was a little bit nervous before, but then once the music started playing and I went out there, it was just pure joy.”

Physically, Danielson has kept himself in shape for the entirety of his in-ring career, experimenting with different body compositions as far as his weight and muscle mass is concerned. He uses jiujitsu and kickboxing as great ways to condition and replicate the requirements needed for pro wrestling. “I’m very lucky in the sense that cardio has always been one of my strengths,” he says. “It’s always been very difficult for me to put on muscle but cardio vascularly, I never get tired. I can recall twice in my entire career in which I was tired [laughs]. And both of those are because I put on too much muscle. One example was in 2003 when I got up to 210-pounds and I looked great, but I did a 40-minute match with Paul London, it was two-out-of-three falls, and 30 minutes in I was like, ‘My legs are tired! What is this?’”

Leading into the 60-minute match, Danielson undertook two workout sessions per day, where the first sessions was comprised of HIIT-style weight training, and then later in the day he would do 60 minutes of steady-state cardio. “If you feel like you’re out of shape wrestling, and you want to get in shape wrestling, I feel like burpees are one of the fastest ways to do it. Because they engage a lot of what you use while wrestling,” he adds.

Wrestling with Hydration

How does one prepare for a marathon wrestling match and make sure that they’ve taken in enough water without fear of needing the bathroom halfway through the bout? “I’ve done some long matches, I did one that was 76-minutes (at the Greatest Royal Rumble in 2018), and I’ve never felt the need to go to the bathroom,” says Danielson. “But I was concerned about hydration in the 60-minute match. I didn’t have any coffee that day (because of the diuretic effect). I focused on super-hydrating before 4 p.m., and then after that, just drinking a little bit here and there when I was thirsty. That’s kind of my hydration strategy on wrestling days. I also do zero-calorie electrolytes.”

Food for Fighting

As relates to nutrition, Danielson is very much in favor of a plant heavy diet, but while he was completely vegan at one stage, he says that these days he doesn’t allow himself to stress too much if he feels like eating off-plan. “What I do really focus on is nutrient density,” says the grappler, explaining that he has undertaken tests to find out which foods work best for him. “For me, sweet potato, arugula, and oats are super-food for me.” The wrestling great has also found that intermittent fasting works well for him, with one of the added benefits being better quality sleep.

How Bryan Danielson Stays Headstrong

Despite Danielson’s elite conditioning, wrestling those marathon matches still brings plenty of challenges. “To me, the biggest one is mentally,” says Danielson. “How do we, in this era of short attention spans, keep people’s attention for a full hour?”

So, if AEW booking required it, would he say “YES!” to more than an hour? “After the match, backstage, the trainer was like ‘are you tired?’” shares Danielson. “I was like, ‘Hell no! I’m not tired’ and then I dropped and did five burpees just to prove it [laughs].” For our man, going for longer is limited more by the confines of television, and the requirement for other matches to fit on the card, rather than his own physical ability. “I’d be interested to know, how long, cardiovascular-wise I could go, before it’s like, ‘OK, that’s it! I’m done!’” he says. “

A Family Affair

Famously, Bryan Danielson is married to fellow wrestling superstar Brie Bella, but what does she think of her husband’s desire to give fans the best performance that he can, given the toll it might take on his body? “The last match with ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, in which I was a bloody mess, she was a little perturbed by that one,” says the American Dragon, while laughing mischievously. “But she knows that also, I am very conscious of my health.”

Of course, the wrestling boot will be on the other foot when Brie, along with twin sister Nikki enter WWE’s Royal Rumble later this month, and Danielson is thrilled that his wife will get a chance to enter the ring once again. “I’m very excited,” he shares. “Mostly, I’m excited because Brie is excited, right? Whenever you love somebody, and they are doing something that makes them happy, or makes them excited, you are excited and happy for them.”

Ready for New Challenges

“I feel better at 40 than I did at 30,” says Danielson, looking lean, athletic, and muscular. The pro wrestler is 10 pounds lighter than he weighed towards the end of his run with WWE, and is perhaps in the best shape of his career, anticipating some mouth-watering dream matches in AEW. “I’m super excited, and it’s crazy because it seems like AEW keeps adding people to the roster on a weekly basis. But there’s a lot of matches that I’m really looking forward to,” says Danielson. “I’d really love to wrestle Derby Allen. I’d really love to wrestle Sammy Guevara, Daniel Garcia, MJF, there’s all these people, and then there’s like the big one, and I have wrestled him before, but it would be CM Punk. That would be really cool.

I’d love to wrestle Moxley in this [AEW] scenario, versus the WWE scenario, you know what I mean? Where we are a little bit freer and more unleashed, because I think he’s fantastic. There’s one more that would just be supercool for the fans, and for the kid inside of me, and that would be Sting.” Take our money now! Catch Bryan Danielson on AEW including Dynamite every Wednesday on TBS, and Rampage each Friday on TNT. For more info visit allelitewrestling.com.

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The post Bryan Danielson Remains in Prime Wrestling Shape as AEW’s ‘Marathon Man’ appeared first on Virility Meds.

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There’s no doubt that January is one of the busiest months of the year, so if you are battling a bulging belly, not to mention a stressful inbox, as you return to work following a relaxed holiday season, you may be finding it tough to make time for the gym and stick to your new year’s resolutions. If you can relate to this scenario, there’s help at hand, because Chris Hemsworth has teamed-up with his long-time personal trainer Luke Zocchi, to offer M&F readers a killer New Year’s 10-minute bodyweight circuit workout, and the best part? All you need is some space and your own post-Christmas bodyweight.

According to research carried out by CouponCabin, 4% of New Year’s resolutioners quit by the end of January, and while this is the busiest month for gym sign-ups, around 80% will quit by May.

Hemsworth, now 38, is renowned for his dedication to staying in shape, and often resorts to late-night gym sessions following an intense day of filming, but as work threatens to derail all our healthy intentions, being able to pull a fast and effective session out of the bag is crucial for staying consistently active.

Bodyweight workouts are convenient because they can be executed in just a few minutes, and they can be made fun too (honestly!), as you experiment with varying the intensity of each movement, away from the prying eyes of other gym goers. Of course, a hilarious workout partner like Chris Hemsworth will also make each session feel like it’s being completed that bit faster.

In the workout below, Luke Zocchi has designed a circuit so that each exercise feels more difficult, but as you will see, slowing down the mighty Thor is no mean feat. This 10 minute bodyweight circuit is suitable for athletes of all levels, so if you feel like you want to make things a little more challenging, you can slash the rest time and keep on moving. Or, if you are just starting out on your fitness journey, reduce the exercise time or increase the rest interval. You can also take the load off some of these moves with your hands or feet, as Zocchi illustrates.

You can make yourself more accountable by finding a likeminded buddy who wants to workout alongside you. So, whether training alone or with a friend, crank up your workout playlist for motivation and let’s go!

New Year’s 10-Minute Bodyweight Circuit Workout

Round 1

5 Exercises for 2 Rounds. 20 Seconds of rest between each exercise.

Mountain Climber Switch: 40 seconds.

“You’ve got 40 seconds here mare,” so don’t go too hard advises Zocchi.

Squat: 40 seconds

“Go nice and low on those squats,” says Zocchi.

Plank Shoulder Tap: 40 seconds

You could also modify this exercise to a knee tap. “Mix it up a bit,” says Hemsworth.

Reverse Lunge: 40 seconds

Alternate legs. Place your hands on your knee if you need support or assistance.

Bicycle Situp: 40 seconds

“The slower you do this, the harder it is,” shares Zocchi.

“That’s one round down, we are going to do another round, but are going to challenge ourselves a bit more,” says Zocchi. “Now are going to do mountain climber runs.”

Round 2

Take about 20 seconds rest between each exercise.

Mountain Climber, Running: 40 seconds

Knee to same-side elbow, or crossbody knee to elbow.

Prisoner Squat: 40 seconds

Hands above head, on hips, or straight out depending on your preference. (Or in a backstroke motion like Chris Hemsworth!)

Plank Windmill: 40 seconds

Challenge yourself further by adding a knee touch to the mix.

Reverse Lunge + High Knee: 40 seconds

Try to raise your knee as high as possible, in a controlled manner.

Russian Twist: 40 seconds

You can make this more challenging by lifting your feet off the floor. “The further back [you] lean, the harder it is,” says Zocchi. “It’s that core.” Finish strong.

If you would like to see more of Hemsworth and Zocchi’s workout videos and fitness guides, you can sign up for a 4-week trial of the Centr app to kickstart the new year, for free. Within the trial there is currently a chance to win a lifetime membership.

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