I found that we can read the article on-line here:
"Classic Chest" from Flexonline.co.uk
CLASSIC CHESTBorrowing from legends, Rusty Jeffers crafts a pec workout that stands the test of time
BY GREG MERRITT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN HORTON
The schism between that look and today's bigger-is-better philosophy is now so distinct that in 2005 the IFBB instituted amateur "classic bodybuilding" contests to reward the sort of aesthetic physiques that are dwarfed in open shows. What precisely is classic bodybuilding, and how do you train for both shape and size? There's no one better to ask than Rusty Jeffers. Bridging generations, Jeffers first competed in the '70s, and has no intention of slowing down as he combines proven techniques from yesteryear with the science of today.
CLASSIC HISTORY | Although he first flexed in a contest 29 years ago when the ultimate bodybuilding classicist Frank Zane was the reigning Mr. O, Jeffers isn't that old. Born on May 14, 1964, he's 43 — one day younger than Ronnie Coleman. Growing up in Boulder, Colorado, and then Phoenix, Arizona, he started bodybuilding at 12, competed in his first show at 14 and won the Teenage Arizona at 17, 18 and 19. "I didn't even think about competing in the Teenage America back then," he says. "The biggest thing in our lives was the Teen Arizona." In the early '80s, when Jeffers was the best teen bodybuilder in his state, his neighbour was one of the best pro bodybuilders in the world. Casey Viator, himself a former teen physique prodigy, won three pro shows in 1980 and finished third in the 1982 Mr. Olympia. Viator trained Jeffers, and, in exchange, the teenager mowed the bodybuilding legend's lawn.
Over a span of 15 years, Jeffers won southwest city championships: Tucson (1988), Palm Springs (1991), Los Angeles (1999), and San Diego (2003), but he couldn't make a dent in national-level contests. Then, in 2004, he was deemed the second-best super-heavy at the NPC USA Championships and, at 40, he won the overall at the Masters Nationals, thus securing a pro card.
In seven IFBB shows, he has yet to make a posedown, but his controversial eighth-place finish at last year's Masters Pro World, when many thought he should've been battling for the title, has reopened debate about the meaning of bodybuilding: abstract versus classical. His was neither the biggest nor the most ripped physique onstage, but was the best proportioned with the most pleasing shape — if that still matters on a judge's scorecard.
CLASSIC PHILOSOPHY | "I've always strived for quality as well as quantity," Jeffers states. "I've always had to, because I've never been one of the biggest guys. Even as a teenager, I was beating guys a lot bigger than me, because I had better balance. Bill Pearl was one of my favourites, because he was so thick, and yet he had that grace and balance about him. In this day and age, there aren't that many balanced physiques. Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman are the biggest guys you'll see anywhere. They're mammoth. But I'm still impressed with a guy like Francis Benfatto, just because he had such a great shape."
This is the only time I've heard a current pro claim to be influenced by either four-time Mr. Universe Bill Pearl, who last competed in 1971, or Francis Benfatto, who competed at under 200 pounds.
Before, during and after Jeffers' chest routine, he repeatedly demonstrated his respect for bodybuilding's history. Between some sets, he hit a distinctive pose and called out the athlete who made it famous. Bent arms overhead, one hand slightly higher than the other: "Frank Zane, '77 Olympia." Twisting back shot, right arm up with bi flexed, left arm down with tri flexed: "Mike Mentzer, '79 Olympia."
These and other poses he did, like the archer and the one-arm biceps/one arm behind the head, are rarely performed today — outside of his graceful routines, which are virtual classics compilations. "I think posing should draw attention to the artistry of the body," he explains. "If you train for a classic physique, you should do poses that accentuate that artistic look."
CLASSIC TRAINING | Jeffers' love of classic bodybuilding is reflected in his offseason chest routine. Don't take this to mean he does only light sculpting exercises to chisel in details instead of pack on mass. The opposite is true, as he again invokes Pearl to praise a technique from half a century ago: "I like to do the old Bill Pearl routine — five sets of five in the bench press superset with five sets of five in the pullover. As soon as I get the fifth rep of benches, I turn around and start the [EZ-curl bar] pullovers off the opposite end of the bench. Bench presses work your front delts and triceps with your pecs, and the pullovers work even more: lats, delts, pecs, abs, ribcage [serratus and intercostals] and even arms. The combination really ties your upper body together, and it's great for anyone who wants to put on size. I build most of my upper body strength with these five-rep supersets." He follows them with heavy, weighted dips and lighter incline presses.
His precontest routine emphasises machines and isolation lifts, such as Smith machine incline presses and incline flyes. Of the latter, he says, "To keep constant stress, I don't
usually bring the dumbbells together at the top. With flyes, you're trying to get more of a stretch. Use the tool for its job and work the stretch, not the contraction."
A unique exercise he does precontest to etch his inner pecs is the bent-over cable crossover. He performs this exercise by holding handles attached to opposing crossover cables set in their lowest positions. Standing with his feet far apart and his back parallel to the floor, he brings his hands together (or crosses them over slightly) just above the floor.
Offseason or precontest, Jeffers stays busy between sets of chest work, pumping out reps of rotator cuff rotations and side laterals with giant rubber bands, and biceps curls with dumbbells or a barbell. These are concessions to his age, as well as a means of enhancing his physique. "My first shoulder operation was in 1995 and I've had two since then, so, for the past five years or so, I've been using rubber bands between almost every chest exercise. It helps to keep the shoulders warm, so there's less chance of injury. I do curls between sets for chest to keep the biceps tendon that goes under the shoulder warm. I also think that doing some shoulder and biceps work with chest helps to tie my upper body together." He seems to do an entire biceps routine along with his chest workout, but he's just trying to keep his arms pumped. He trains bi's with tri's on a separate day.
CLASSIC FUTURE | If Rusty Jeffers never wins a pro bodybuilding show, he won't be any less content. He and wife Francy run a residential appraisal business in Phoenix as they raise their daughter Casey (named after Casey Viator).
He never planned to make a career of bodybuilding, and, although the classics will never truly go out of style, he knows it's unlikely the most aesthetic physiques will ever again be the most popular. That's never deterred Jeffers. If he's still going strong three years from now, he'll accomplish the rare feat of competing in five different decades, persevering from the Zane era to the Coleman era and beyond.
Jeffers' longevity in bodybuilding says as much about his passion for the sport as it does about his training and nutrition programme. He is keeping alive the methods of the past while learning new lessons today, striving always to make more of himself but never at the expense of balance and aesthetics. That's classic bodybuilding. Long live the classics.
CLASSIC DESIGN Follow these rules to build a classic physique.
#1 Forget the scalesUse mirrors and photos to measure your progress instead of an increasingly greater bodyweight.
#2 Prioritise proportionsTrain your weakest areas first and/or more and your strongest areas last and/or less, and reassess strengths and weaknesses regularly to continuously work towards symmetrical development.
#3 Limit bodyfatDon't allow yourself to bulk up too much, because it stretches out your waist and carries you away from your ideal shape. Standing 5'9", Jeffers competes at 235 and weighs only 15 pounds more in the offseason.
#4 Work the XTo accentuate an X-shaped silhouette, emphasise building up your side delts, outer lats and outer quads and avoid exercises that work your obliques (such as side bends) and hip flexors (such as leg adductions).
#5 Build size with synergistic liftsJeffers focuses his offseason routines on compound basics such as the low-rep bench presses and pullovers he supersets for chest. This creates a flowing physique with strong muscle tie-ins, instead of a collection of bodyparts. Like Jeffers, you might also want to do some light sets for neighbouring muscles between sets for the targeted bodypart.
#6 Accentuate absIf there's one area that distinguishes a classic physique, it's the abdominals. As Jeffers does year-round, train your abs at least twice weekly, eat clean and do cardio. This will help you attain maximum abdominal definition and minimum
waist size.
Published: November 2007
