By Giles Thomas

Well, the frikkin’ snow has all but melted, but it’s still bloody freezing out there so you’d probably think that it’s been pretty quiet on the UK bodybuilding scene, eh? – Wrrooonnggg! The year really has started with a bang.

• Most recent biggie news is concerning the highly discussed man of the moment in UK bodybuilding, Neil Hill! Finally, after years and years of working his endless magic, my old mate from deepest Wales is gaining worldwide recognition! Firstly, at the end of last year he was signed by major yank supp firm Gaspari to become the official trainer of Team Gaspari. Gaspari Nutrition said this: “Neil will continue to lead Flex Lewis as well as Shavis Higa who, under Neil’s direction, recently turned pro at the Nationals. Neil is also working with Will Hamilton, who will be going to the NPC USA stage this year.”
• Then, most recently, Neil was also snapped up by American magazine MD. Here’s what they had to say: “In 2002, Neil turned pro in the UK and won the light-heavyweight and overall class at the Welsh Championship. He was known for his extreme condition and balanced physique. Neil has been involved in the sport for the last 21 years. For the past 16 years, Neil has owned his own gym in Tenby, West Wales called The Dungeon. As a personal trainer and nutritionist, Neil has had great success internationally in turning amateurs in Europe into pros and bringing athletes in top condition to the stage! This includes Flex Lewis and, most recently, Zack Khan. And most recently in the United States 2009 National Welterweight Champion Shavis Higa. Neil is also working with Hidetada Yamagishi (ninth place at the 2009 Olympia) as he prepares for the 2010 Phoenix Pro in February. I am proud to have Neil as a monthly columnist in MD and for him to be part of Team MD’s all-star bodybuilding training gurus along with Hany Rambod, George Farah, Charles Glass and Oscar Ardon.”
• Fair play, if anyone deserves this success it’s Neil, he’s one of the most decent folk I’ve met in all my years in the sport certainly. I just hope he remembers his buddy Tiger now that he’s famous, I’m sure he will, us Welshies do tend to stick together you know.
• Next up, and something I think we’re nearly all looking forward too, is the second annual Bodypower Expo! – It will take place on 22-23 May at the NEC in Birmingham, and there will be lots more info on this for next issue, but so far we are assured that current numero uno Mr Olympia Jay Cutler will be there as well as ‘The Gift’, IFBB pro Phil Hill, Flex Lewis AND multiple-World’s Strongest Man Marius Pudzianowski, and British UFC superstar Dan Hardy… can’t flippin’ wait!

Foundations of Your Future Physique: Chin-ups

By Darrell Thomas

Choosing the right exercises from which to build your training program as a beginner is so important to future success that it simply cannot be overstated. In the last few issues we have been emphasising how important it is to establish solid physical foundations at the start of your bodybuilding career, and the fact that you can only do this effectively using basic compound movements. Amongst these is an age-old gem called chin-ups.
In this column we have already looked at a few exercises that beginners can use to lay the foundations of an impressive future physique, including the power clean, bent-over barbell rows and, most recently, the upright row. Today we are going to talk about chin-ups, without doubt one of the most comprehensive and productive upper body exercises in existence.

King of Kings
To achieve the physical magnitude and muscular development typical of a bodybuilder, you need to eat right and move heavy weights that hit the major muscle groups, because these are the ones that allow you to make huge gains in strength and muscle size. This is done with compound exercises, also known as basic or multiarticular movements, which involve various joints and thus implicate numerous muscles. This, in fact, is precisely what allows you to move considerable loads with these exercises, as a number of muscles work synergistically in the action. These exercises include the bench press, military press, power clean, all kind of rowing movements, the various types of squats, leg press, parallel dips and, of course, chin-ups.
The more muscles involved in an action the greater potential it has to stimulate growth, as more muscle are affected and more weight can be lifted, and this in turn produces a deeper and more anabolic hormonal response. As such, beginners should stick almost exclusively with basic exercises until they have gained such strength and size that some isolation movement would then become appropriate.
Amongst all the compound exercises available to the beginner, chin-ups stand out as being very difficult, and equally effective. 

Diamond in the Rough
Chin-ups are an absolute diamond in the rough for building overall strength and size. They are amongst he best of the compound exercises that involved numerous joints and affect various muscle groups simultaneously. 

Balanced Salads

Many people underestimate the nutritional value and significance that salads can play in a balanced diet, simply because they are often seen as a mix of low-calorie vegetables and as an accompaniment to other dishes. However, a salad can actually be a nutritious, varied and protein-rich dish in its own right. A harmonious mix of vegetables, preferably in-season, along with the moderate addition of condiments and dressings and combined with a few extra ingredients of different nutritional value can turn a simple salad into an exceptional meal, from both gastronomic and dietary points of view.
Creating a nutritionally balanced salad is simply achieved by combining various different ingredients. Make it colourful and you can be reasonably sure of getting plenty of antioxidants, as foods rich in these tend to be brightly pigmented. You’ll find betacarotene in orange vegetables, like carrots, and yellow ones, like corn; licopene presents as a red colour, as in tomatoes, and the deep purple of beetroot indicates anthocyanins, just to name a few examples. Vegetables also contain all the vitamins and are rich in minerals like potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and, although less so, calcium and iron.
With just a little imagination you can make nutritious and tasty salads that both enrich your diet and liven it up. They can be high-energy dishes if you add rice, pasta or potatoes, or another source of carbohydrate, and you can make them protein-rich by adding lean meat such as chicken or turkey, eggs, or seafood, such as tuna and prawns.
As far as fats go, to keep the salad excellently heart healthy dress it with extra virgin olive oil, which is high in monounsaturated fat and known to improve your cholesterol balance. You could also add avocado, which is also rich in monounsaturated fat, or nuts and seeds, for example, walnuts or sesame seeds.
If you want to make a salad that is light in calories and easy to digest, then it would basically consist of vegetables – green leafies and other varieties – and perhaps some diced fruit.
To cut a long story short, salads don’t have to be boring and bland, with a little imagination you can create a balanced dish that also completely satisfies any specific nutritional requirements you might have.