Let’s take a look at the training routines of some of the top names from the golden era of bodybuilding. Each of these champions had a standout body part—can you spot any similarities in their routines? Arnold Schwarzenegger – Arm Routine 1. Cheat Barbell Curl 6 x 6 2. Seated Dumbbell Curl 6 x 6…
Competitive bodybuilding today seems to be experiencing a bipolar disorder. At the professional level, it’s all about size—the bigger, the better. At the amateur level, it’s all about definition—the more shredded, the better. The result? Pros walking around with distended bellies and amateurs looking like walking skeletons. This extreme approach is unrealistic, unattractive, and unappealing,…
Legendary bodybuilders like Tom Platz and Robby Robinson built their incredible physiques by lifting heavy for high reps. That was one of the secrets to success back in the day—select a heavy weight and keep lifting it rep after rep until you absolutely can’t lift it anymore. As the Iron Guru, Vince Gironda, once said:…
I hate to break the news, but in strength training, there’s really nothing new under the sun. Take the popular “10 sets of 10 reps” method. Most modern-day lifters were introduced to this system by Charles Poliquin in the July 1996 issue of Muscle Media 2000, but anyone familiar with Vince “The Iron Guru” Gironda…
Every year, many professional bodybuilders take an extended leave from training. They do this for a few reasons. The rigors of training and dieting to peak for a competition can take a toll both mentally and physically, so it’s beneficial to rest before going on the hunt again. A layoff gives the body time to…
Yesterday, I introduced a one-week strategy to get as lean as possible using a structured diet and supplementation plan. But nutrition alone won’t cut it—you need to train the right way too. During this week, your goal is to overtrain strategically by training six out of seven days. These won’t be long sessions, but they’ll…
Do you want to get lean but don’t have much time? Here’s a strategy that works before a wedding, anniversary, birthday, vacation, speaking engagement, photo shoot, competition, reunion, hot date—you name it. It takes a week of serious discipline, though. Can you do it? If you’ve got the will, I’ve got the way. The Plan:…
The old-school way to perform donkey calf raises was to have someone sit on your back. These days, there are dedicated machines for this purpose. Regardless of which version you choose, donkey calf raises impose an incredible stretch on the fascia—so take full advantage by lowering your heels as far as possible. This exercise is…
Dutch exercise physiologist Dr. Jan Voss was one of the early researchers of muscle fiber types. As part of his research, Voss performed numerous muscle biopsies on himself and observed that the color of his gastrocnemius muscle tissue would change from week to week. Sometimes, there was a predominance of red (slow-twitch) fibers; other times,…
A popular bodybuilding technique is the 21-rep system, or simply “21s.” To give you a glimpse of how it works, here’s an excerpt from Robert Kennedy’s book Reps!: This is a method which was popular on the West Coast bodybuilding scene in the fifties and sixties. Let’s use the barbell curl as an example. Begin…