Flex F_UK_2018 | Page 98

NATHAN HARMAN QUESTIONS & ANSWERS PREP WHIZZ NATHAN ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS Q My arms have always been quiet big, but I’ve never had a great bicep peak, and really look flat in some of my poses on stage. What exercises can I do to help achieve this? Charles, Worthing A This is a great question that I get asked a lot of the time. Like all body parts, genetics play a major role. Most people will never ever have a huge peak like Phil or Kai. But you can make small adjustments to help as much as possible. Holding contractions for longer periods has certainly helped athletes in the past. I’d recommend around 3-5 seconds. Q My arms are my weakest body part, what do you recommend to try and change this? Chris, London A Firstly I always recommend training a weak body part twice per week. In this case you will hit arms three times in total. Train biceps and triceps together on a Monday, then triceps and back on a Wednesday. Lastly, triceps and chest on a Friday. The reason I split them this way is because back and biceps are pulling muscles and chest, deltoids and triceps are pushing muscles, so you will be pretty fatigued if you use the pushing muscles in the same sessions and same with the pulling groups. As arms are the weaker body part, I would also recommend training them as the first muscle 96 FLEX | FEBRUARY 2018 NATHAN’S BIO Nathan’s passion for nutrition and training first started when he fell in love with cycling, after watching the great Tour de France on TV. At the age of ten, he entered his first competitive cycle race around the old motorcar circuit at Crystal Palace. Despite being diagnosed with diabetes in his teens, Nathan later went on to represent the Great Britain cycling team. At the age of 23, Nathan felt it was time to try his hand at a new sport. Having used weight training to enhance his cycling performance, he found his interest in aesthetics had grown. “I remember looking at Flex magazine for the very first time when I was 14, my cycling coach was a firm believer in resistance training and seemed to own every single copy of the magazine ever printed. I was fixated- I couldn’t believe how the body could look that ripped. It’s astonishing what can be achieved through hard work and dedication. I knew from that day onwards the fitness industry was for me and decided it was time to increase my own knowledge of the human body,” says Nathan. After gaining a whole host of top level qualifications, Nathan went into show prep. 2010 was the first time he prepared someone for a show. “If you knew me back then, I weighed about 12 stone and any bodybuilder I spoke to about prep would look at me like I was a nutcase,” Nathan laughs. “So I came up with a plan- I started working with female competitors and built a very strong team including IFBB PRO Figure and PRO Bikini athletes. “In 2011, I was introduced to Shaun Joseph-Tavernier. We met the week of his IFBB Pro debut. Here he placed 5th in the 202lb class. Unhappy with the outcome, he asked my thoughts on his physique. We started working together and began prepping for the Toronto Pro show. “Just three months later, Shaun hit the stage 22lbs heavier (10kg, 1.8stone). For all his efforts he was awarded 1st place and crowned IFBB Toronto Pro 202lb class winner. It was the first time I had ever worked with a male athlete, and only one year after actually helping any athlete! “I felt incredibly proud of what I’d achieved. First male client, first show, first win and the first time an English man had won a pro show since Dorian Yates some 10 years earlier! We were on the way to Vegas baby- ready for the Olympia. Shaun placed 5th and was awarded rookie of the year 2011. This was an amazing achievement ºfor us both- and the start of many great results.”