1ST SET
RETRO ATHLETE
BY GREG MERRITT
CHRIS
CORMIER
FLEX FACT
Cormier received
his nickname
because of his facial
resemblance to
boxer Evander “Real
Deal” Holyfield.
HOW THE LEGENDARY
“REAL DEAL” CAPPED
OFF THE TOP OF HIS X.
THE DEBATE about the
greatest bodybuilder to never
win the Mr. Olympia rages on, with
Flex Wheeler and Kevin Levrone
the elite of many candidates.
But when it comes to the best
bodybuilder to never win the
Mr. Olympia or Arnold Classic,
there’s no argument. Chris
Cormier wasn’t just a perennial
Mr. O contender from 1994–2004,
including two third-place finishes;
he was second in the AC a
demoralizing six straight years
from 2000–2005 (and third in
1999). This close-but-no-win
record will likely never be broken
in any pro contest. By the way,
here are the victors those six
years: Ronnie Coleman, Flex
Wheeler, Jay Cutler (thrice),
Dexter Jackson. Finishing second
to that quartet could hardly be
considered “losses”—for more
than a decade, “Real Deal”
displayed arguably the best-ever
X-frame, capped off by his
legendary set of shoulders.
CORMIER
ON SHOULDER
TRAINING
“Go slow. I
recommend a count
of four on the way
up and three on the
way down.”
5
3
“I use neoprene
sleeves to protect
my elbows during
shoulder workouts.”
48
FLEX | MARCH ’18
5
“On laterals, grip
the dumbbell on the
outer sides of the
handles with the
pinkie sides of your
hands against the
inner plates. This
will better secure
your grip as you go
thumbs-down on
the way up.”