M.E COVER PROFILE
QUICK FACTS
LIVES: Olympus, Pretoria East
TRAINS: Moreleta Planet Fitness
OFF-SEASON WEIGHT: 88kg
CONTEST WEIGHT: 82kg
CONTEST HISTORY:
• 2007 Mr SA Physique 5th place
• 2007 USN Male Model Search 2nd place
• 2008 Mr SA Physique 2nd place
• 2009 IFBB Novice North Gauteng light heavyweight
1st place
• 2010 WBF - Silverstar Classic Men's Fitness 1st place
• 2010 WBF SA Championships Men's Fitness 2 nd place
• 2010 IFBB Gauteng Provincials Men's 65kg-70kg 2nd place
• 2010 Fame SA Championships Men's Fitness Model
1st place (Pro Card)
• 2011 Boksburg Classic Men's under 80kg 2nd place
• 2011 IFBB Gauteng Provincials Men's 70-75kg 1st place
• 2011 IFBB SA Champs Mens 70-75kg 3rd place
• 2013 WBFF Men's Bodybuilding under 80kg 2nd place
• 2013 Rossi Classic Men's 70-80kg 1st place
• 2013 Nabba Gauteng Provincials Men's class 3 2nd place
• Nabba SA Championships Men's Class 3 2nd place
• 2015 Nabba Bloemfontein Men's class 3 1st place
• 2015 Nabba Pretoria Classic Men's class 3 Overall
winner and 1st place
reps when he is not able to perform another
full rep on an exercise. He would often hold
a contraction for a second or two to really
annihilate the muscle.
“Depending on the specific exercise I
am doing I would always hold the muscle
involved at a level of tension for a short
period of time.” He believes most guys who
struggle with their arm development don't
lift properly. “They bounce heavy weights
up and down, use their shoulders or swing
dumbbells around to satisfy their ego.”
According to Jaco iso-holds are effective
for muscular stimulation. “It is only then that
you train your muscles correctly.” He would
only use iso-holds and half reps on the last
set of an exercise though.
Jaco's arm workouts consist of a
combination of compound and isolation
movements but he also changes his
exercises often to shock his muscles and
keep things fresh. “I would add at least two
new movements to my arm training sessions
each week. I prefer to spend more time on
isolation movements when I get closer to
competitions.”
What do you enjoy most about
bodybuilding?
I like the discipline that it takes to be the best
you can be and the feeling you get when you
have reached your goals.
36
Muscle Evolution
“DEPENDING ON THE SPECIFIC
EXERCISE I AM DOING I WOULD ALWAYS HOLD
THE MUSCLE INVOLVED AT A LEVEL OF
TENSION FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.”
What pre-workout products do you use
when you attack arms?
I have learned a lot about pre-workout
nutrition from John Meadows. My favourite
is rice, flour, almond nut butter and whey
isolate. I get hungry just thinking about it! I
also take TNT Napalm before my workout.
What is your current workout split?
Sometimes I train arms together. On other
days I split them up with other body parts.
My routine for the off-season is as follows:
■ DAY 1 – Legs
■ DAY 2 – Chest/shoulders/triceps
■ DAY 3 – Back and biceps
■ DAY 4 – Legs (optional)
■ DAY 5 – Chest/shoulders/triceps (optional)
■ DAY 6 – Back and biceps (optional)
■ DAY 7 – Off
What do you do when you have a bad day
when you train arms?
When I feel my power is down I try to focus
more on half reps and isometric holds in
the last set of an exercise. This gives me a
great pump and pushes me to the edge even
though I am not feeling great.
What is the most valuable trick in your
arms arsenal?
I need to feel my arms burning after each
set. That’s the reason why I do supersets
and sometimes even giant sets. I believe
that it pushes me out of my comfort zone
if I train like this. I like to combine bicep
and tricep movements to really stretch the
muscles. It is also very important to stretch
when the muscle is pumped and filled up
with blood.
Do you train forearms on arms day?
No, I try not to use my lifting straps when I
do other body parts like back, and build my
forearms in that way. If I don’t use straps it
forces my forearms to work harder.
Are you happy with your arms?
As a competitive bodybuilder I always feel I
can do better, but I am very happy with the
progress I have made in the past year.