Flex Magazine

Features in this issue include...

THE GIFT (PHIL HEATH)

BY JOE WUEBBEN PHOTOGRAPHS BY PAVEL YTHJALL

You’d be hard-pressed to find a bodybuilder, past or present, who’s managed to positively alter his physique from his pro debut to five years later more dramatically than Phil Heath, your new Mr. Olympia. At every contest in his career, Heath has managed to show judges and fans alike something new, whether it’s turning formerly weak body parts into strengths or making already standout body parts that much better. We all know where Heath managed this transformation from a youngster with untapped potential to undisputed best in the world: the gym. But exactly how he did it is something only he can comment on. In this exclusive FLEX interview, less than two weeks after his Olympia win and fresh off his victory at the Sheru Classic in India, we sought to find the answer to the one question on every bodybuilder’s mind: How did he do it?

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TRAINING DAY: SHOULDERS WITH MIKE LIBERATORE

BY SEAN ANDROS // PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAVEL YTHJALL

The rich get richer, the strong get stronger, and Mike -Liberatore’s shoulders keep getting bigger. While it’s easy to be jealous of his genetically gifted delts, those gifts are useless without the work ethic to make them what they are today. Liberatore learned early 
in his bodybuilding career that even his above-average shoulders would quickly become sub-par if he didn’t work them hard. So he did.

In fact, he worked them so hard, Liberatore now faces the challenge of bringing his chest and back up to match some of the best delts in the game. In 2011, he knocked on the door of a top-three finish more than once. 
In 2012, he’s gunning to bring a whole new package that will take him to 
the Olympia stage. Follow along as Liberatore explains how he built his colossal shoulders and how he continues to make them better. This is training day.

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SUPER HEAVY COMPETITION JUAN MOREL

BY JOE WUEBBEN // PHOTOGRAPHS BY PAVEL YTHJAL

Perhaps it’s just human nature. A guy finishes in second place enough times that he expects to be the runner-up indefinitely. For Juan Morel, it took exactly three second-place trophies—in the heavyweight division at both the 2010 NPC North Americans and Nationals, and as a super-heavy at the NPC USA earlier this year—to believe he would once again be relegated to odd man out at the 2011 North Americans. Which is why, when he was announced as the winner of the super-heavyweight division, and shortly thereafter as the overall champion, he asked himself one simple question: “Who, me?” Yes, Juan, you.

“It was shocking,” says 29-year-old Morel. “When they were calling the placings—fifth, fourth, third—and they got 
to second, I couldn’t believe it when they didn’t say my name. 
It didn’t hit me until 
a couple of days later that I was actually an IFBB pro.”

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