IFBB Pro Bodybuilder Rob Youells is training to see his fitness career come full circle in 2016. “I’d love to compete in the New York Pro,” says Youells, 42. “A lot of the pros in the area—Jon DeLaRosa, Marco Rivera, Juan Morel—we’re like a family. I came up with them, and to jump onstage with them would be awesome.”
Youells places maximum emphasis on a workout’s first exercise, doing six to eight sets, then a series of dropsets. The next week, an alternate angle is used to target the same body part. “I start with a different point of flexion to allow for more healing time.”
Youells also uses rest-pauses, forced reps, and giant sets to trigger growth. A bodybuilder since 2003, Youells tailors moves to avoid injury. “French presses feel great, but if I lean my elbows too far back on skull crushers, my shoulder aches for days,” says Youells.
Squats and curls get modified, too. “When squatting, I’ll take a wide grip, or I’ll front-squat instead,” adds Youells. “I started getting tendonitis from barbell curls. Now I use an EZ-bar or dumbbells and have no issues.”
As for nutrition, Youells urges that carbs are not the enemy. “I did zero-carb days when I was younger, and I would get leaner but lose muscle volume.” As you can tell from the workout shot above, Youells’ engine doesn’t stop. “When I’m excelling at something, I put more effort into it. That’s what has always motivated me.”
Youells’ Stats
Age: 42
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 245
Residence: West New York, NJ
Sponsor: Health Works Nutrition
DID YOU KNOW? Youells is the drummer for Generation Kill, and making an album with the rapper DMC.
After the sixth set, remove half of the weight. Then, perform four dropsets, lowering the weight after each dropset. Switch between wide, regular, and close hand grips. Reach failure at 10-14 reps on the last dropset.
