Written by Juan Morel
29 May 2015

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Q&A with Juan Morel

Diesel Delivers

 

 

Before he jetted off to compete at the Arnold Classic Brazil this weekend (May 29-31) fast rising Juan Morel took time out to answer a few training questions.

 Squats Build Mega Quads

 I can’t believe how much you have grown these past 18 months particularly in the quads. How did you manage to get your quads to grow so much?

 I started squatting a lot differently, using a wider stance that didn’t bother my knees so much. The other major change was doing more volume on the leg presses, keeping the reps higher and pretty much chasing the pump instead of worrying about loading it up with all the plates it can hold. I also started doing a lot more front squats. Pretty much taking the ego out of my training helped my legs respond so well these past 18 months. You can see me on YouTube squatting 700 pounds, but it was more of a powerlifting style squat. Now I keep the bar high on my traps, which puts all the stress on the quads.

 I squat in most leg workouts, but I have to start with it as my first quad exercise or else I can’t do them. By the time I’ve performed leg extensions and three different types of presses, my left knee gets too inflamed and there is no way I can squat without feeling like there’s broken glass in there!

 My legs just need time to be a really good body part. Every year since I started bodybuilding in 2007, my legs have made good gains— but my upper body just grew at a much faster rate. In 2007 I stepped onstage at a bodyweight of 192 pounds, and at my last show I was onstage at over 260. I am growing steadily— it’s just a matter of getting it all in the right proportions by choosing what to focus on more in my training.

 

Higher Reps for Big-ass Arms

 I’m disappointed with my arm progressWould you recommend a sole day for arms and if so, what would the split be?

 I don’t think you need to need to give your arms a whole training day. They are a small muscle group and you should be able to pair biceps up with something like chest or shoulders, and the same thing for triceps. What I do recommend is to use fairly high volume for them, as in 20 sets each for biceps and triceps. And forget about low reps like six to eight— that doesn’t do much for arms. You need to push a lot of blood in there and get them pumped. Do 12-15 reps per set. I think most guys are afraid to do “too much” for arms and they also think high reps aren’t good for growth when the truth is, a lot of bodybuilders, myself included, see the best results from going higher with reps. Do this and I bet you start noticing a difference in about a month.

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Diesel Fuel Better Than Carbs During Training

 Do you ever use carb drinks during training? Is it important to drink carbs and BCAAs while training to keep from losing muscle mass?

 No, I do not. Sometimes, and this is very rare and only if it’s super hot and humid out, I might drink an ice-cold Gatorade. I’m just against having anything during training. I barely drink water while I train, maybe a few sips as needed. I just go in and train and after that I eat and drink plenty. It works for me. I also train for about two to three hours at a time. To some that’s way too much, but I love it. I get in a zone and time just flies by.

 As far as needing to take in aminos and carbs during training to keep from going catabolic and losing size, I don’t believe that you are able to lose any muscle that quickly. If that were the case, anybody who trained and didn’t drink those nutrients during his workouts would never make any gains. I don’t know what the percentage is, but plenty of guys just drink water and still manage to keep getting bigger.

 

Increasing Strength If You Reach a Plateau

 Do you have any advice on how to increase strength in the incline and flat bench press when you reach a plateau?
For strength, I would just start doing very low reps, like three to five, for a few weeks. That’s a rep range that will help you get stronger, but really won’t do anything to help your chest grow. But that should bring up your strength on those certain lifts if that’s your main concern right now. I haven’t trained for strength in a while, so I can’t go into full detail. I keep my reps more in the 8-15 range. If getting your chest to grow is what you really want, I suggest a rep range like that most of the time. It seems like a lot of guys who consider themselves bodybuilders really have a powerlifting mentality and care more about the weights they use.

 To learn how Juan did in the Arnold Classic Brazil (May 29-31) stay tuned to Musculardevelopment.com for constant updates, play-by-plays, video previews, wraps ups and interviews.

 

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