Certain countries have earned reputations for certain things. For example, a used jock strap would be hailed as haute couture if the label said, "Made in France." Subtitle White Chicks in Italian and incoherent drivel becomes Felliniesque. And any training technique or apparatus worth a damn must have been developed in Eastern Europe or the former Soviet Union, within secret compounds lorded over by Bond-villain types wearing black turtlenecks.
One might assume, then, that Alexander Fedorov would have enjoyed the advantage of training according to revolutionary principles in facilities far superior to those of his Western counterparts. After all, some bodybuilding aficionados see him as The Next Huge Thing, perhaps even a Mr. Olympia-in-waiting, pointing to the 2003 Grand Prix of Russia as proof. Competing there as an amateur, Alexander pushed Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler hard before finishing third. . . . Fast forward to 2005 .
