I have been in the fitness industry for quite some time. I started in the business running Fitness and Wellness Programs in large corporations like Manulife, Eaton Credit, Ford, and Sun Life. About 8-9 years ago I became a fan of Fitness Competitions. I watched a friend of mine compete and really got the itch to try it. However, the gymnastic elements scared me off. Then I saw an advertisement for a NEW category (at the time) Fitness Model.

Hmmm now that seemed a challenge but do-able so I began to train for my first competition in 2003. I have loved every bit of it and never looked back!

What gets you motivated?

For the most part I am self motivated when it comes to training. I have always liked athletics. At a young age I started in soccer and played right up to the College level. (OCAA) As well, I was a National Lifeguard. So the fact I got involved in Fitness and Bodybuilding I don’t think was a huge surprise to my friends and family. It was more of a transition from high school and college sports.

If I ever feel I am lacking some motivation or need a kick in the pants I will try something new, do a few sessions with another Fitness Trainer or pick up one of the leading Fitness/Bodybuilding magazines.

What workout routine has worked best for you?

I tend to switch up my workout routines about ever 8wks. I have done 5 days splits in the past. But currently and doing a three day split with 2 other circuit days.

• Monday: Chest/Shoulder/Triceps
• Tuesday: Lower body
• Wednesday: Bootcamp
• Thursday: Back/Biceps
• Friday: Cardio only
• Saturday: Circuit
• Sunday: Day off

If you have to pick only 3 exercises, what would they be and why?

If I could only pick 3 strength moves I would choose: Push ups, Pull ups, and Squats. That way I would hit my whole body. With all the gadgets out there right now, people forget sometimes about the basic moves that WORK!

What is your diet like?

My diet is 90% clean. When I first started competing like many others, I struggled getting balance after a very strict eating regiment. Infact TOO strict. I learn’t the hard way. I had some periods of rebounding (putting on weight fast post show) but I have learn’t from those rookie mistakes and really try to eat clean all year. I also have Hypothyroid so I really have to keep on top of it to keep fit so diet is really important to me.

Sample Diet:

• Meal 1:Egg whites omelet
• Meal 2: Protein shake with tbsp almond butter
• Meal 3: A large salad with a 4 oz.chicken breast
• Meal 4: ¼ cup of nuts or sometimes ¼ c oats with scoop of protein pre- weight workout
• Meal 5: 4 oz steak or Fish green veggies and or a salad
• Meal 6: 6-8 egg whites and sometimes I munch on celery, cucumbers in the evening…

If I am not preparing for a show or shoot I would have a carb up /cheat meal. (whatever you want to call it) every week or every other depending how I feel.

When trying to cut down do you prefer to use HIIT or just normal cardio?

I find HITT (interval training) works best to lean me out. So I tend to mostly do that style. However, I have done steady state cardio in the past with success but found I had to spend more time doing it. SO I really do encourage some Interval cardio sessions for better results and time management.

What is your supplementation like?

• Omega 3’s
• Multi-vitamin
• Calcium magnesium
• Vitamin C
• BCAA’s

Favorite Bodybuilders?

One of my favorite bodybuilders is Andre Rzazewski. I have trained with Andre in the past. And not only is he a top notch trainer but he is great bodybuilder that stays in shape year round. As for female favorites I am a big fan of classy ladies like Maggie Diubaldo. I am also a fan of Monica Brant. What great longevity she has had the sport and industry.

Favorite Quote?

Be the best version of yourself!

If you want to lose body fat with good speed, it’s not rocket science to assume you need a high enough calorie deficit, but that creates a problem. Here are some ways to keep your carbs and fat loss firing on all cylinders.

My Contest Prep Advice

One of the mantras I seem to recite daily to unsuspecting clients is the need to make sure they’re not just ready on time, but ready early. Being able to peak well for a contest is, first and foremost, overall condition and body composition. However, once you are in your best shape, you can improve your success by being in position to have options due to resuming a higher level of food intake. Unfortunately, many at that point are rushing to just be ready and even then may have misjudged by a couple of pounds. If there’s one common disappointment on contest day, it’s that after months of time and work, “I just didn’t quite look as lean as I thought I would at that weight.” Being ready early is the obvious answer, but I’m sure I need to convince a few readers on this point.

I recently read a comment by a competitor on my forum who said you don’t want to be too lean too soon;that peaking early isn’t a good thing.

Contest Peaking

Peaking early is a great thing! The only time someone starts loosing muscle or looking stringy isn’t if they peaked early, but if they dieted incorrectly or don’t know how to make that transition. Also, if a competitor is competing too long – too many shows in a year – it can get harder to maintain size, but it can be done. The answer is to manage your diet well and that starts with day one.

Losing Fat With Good Speed

If you want to lose body fat with good speed, it’s not rocket science to assume you need a high enough calorie deficit, but that creates a problem. The greater the deficit, the faster and sooner your metabolism shrinks. We want to lose at a strong pace, but we don’t want the ramifications of a crashing met rate. This need to be aggressive but have a way of controlling the process sets the table perfectly to sell you the same old ketogenic diet used by many. Eat no starchy carbs at all but every three days have one meal with carbs. Or maybe once a week binge on carbs for a day or even a weekend after going keto all week. This allows for the fastest fat loss possible but the carb breaks should keep the metabolism surging, right? Not on my watch. Let me explain.

Despite the fact that the carbs do what they can to rescue the metabolism from the trauma of the zero-carb diet, you would need the Jaws of Life to actually do it. Nothing strips muscle from you faster or depresses your metabolism further than ketogenic dieting. One of the greatest challenges of this tired, old diet is that not only does your met rate slow but you become so highly insulin sensitive that you can end up storing more new fat at your carb-up periods.

The Research

Studies show that the hormone responsible for converting glucose directly to fat can become many, many times more sensitive to carbs leaving you with up to 10 times the fat regain every time you consume more carbs than you can use at that meal! Complicating this is the peaking process when your body is still not able to assimilate carbs well and you can miss a chance to fill up well; but instead make it easier to spill over.

Carbs are not your enemy; as a matter of fact, they are both what stimulate your metabolism the most and spare muscle the best. The goal is to use the right amount to accomplish both.

The Same Conundrum

We’re back to the same conundrum. We need to limit carbs to get lean enough soon enough, but we need carbs to spare muscle and keep our metabolism high. Decide first what level of carbs you would need for consistent fat loss. With some past experience, or just intuitively knowing if your metabolism is fast or slow, pick that happy medium where if you started at that carbohydrate and calorie level you know you would lose a pound or two per week.

Now, don’t be in denial. As your body gets leaner and you get closer to that tripwire we call your metabolic set point, your metabolism will slow down.

Your body is more efficient and leaner and you just don’t need as many calories – it’s normal. Keep in mind also that your body is designed to monitor fat levels in fat cells and when they get too low; your body will start conserving energy. We need to circumvent other mechanisms that can slow fat loss knowing that we all will deal with some of these natural slowdowns.

Cardio Factor

Start early and start aggressively. First, let’s get cardio out of the way. I realize most people aren’t doing much during the off-season, so don’t go from zero to warp speed instantly. Build your intensity slowly, but start the pattern of using some baseline days where you keep steady-state levels strong.

Add a couple of other sessions per week where you build up to interval levels, which in reality end up being mini-leg workouts forcing you not to do them more than once or twice per week. Both are important and starting them early will peel off more body fat, will allow slightly higher levels of food, and will build a stronger metabolism for the duration.

Possible Carb Rotations

I’ll outline three possible carb rotation patterns that can help you get going. If I want to keep carbs steady I may choose that happy medium amount that allows for a strong pace, but will still include one higher-carb day to give a nice bump to glycogen levels and thus signal my endocrine system that I’m not starving. Good things happen to the metabolism when that is achieved, but… if you go too far, you can actually store body fat and fill your glycogen levels so completely that it takes days to even start losing body fat again. Those that mistake carb increases for justified binges; bad idea. With a slower metabolism, I actually use this one-day method myself. When someone has a faster metabolism and guarding muscle is even more important, it may take two increases per week to keep the pace in check. Still having two to three days of lower carbs/lower food is necessary to work through glycogen and into higher levels of body fat, but the additional carb-increase day can be a needed buffer. Keep in mind, however, that the goal is still to be losing, so don’t let the higher days rise more than perhaps a doubling of carbs and sometimes not even that high.

For those who really struggle to lose – the unfortunate who got the short straw metabolically – all is not lost. It may take longer, especially at the end, so make sure you stay leaner all year and start sooner. Even so, you may need to drop carbs virtually into ketogenic levels, but not for the sustained typical time frames.

You may need to eat zero starch one day, then up a little each day for three to four days, and then repeat. Your higher days rescue you and your metabolism, but digging deeper into the lower amounts is necessary. If you went too low and stayed there, you’re simply getting the worst of ketogenic dieting as described. The incremental, small upward movement is a good idea even in the most aggressive plans.

Conclusion

As I started this article, you want to plan the end of the off-season to have you at the right body composition and with enough time to take all guesswork out of the picture. Once you’ve missed being lean enough for a show or two, you’ll never forget how necessary it is to start early and plan for the normal metabolic slowdown at the end. Don’t drop carbs out completely – use them to keep your muscle and keep your metabolism – but know your body type and get a purposeful, determined start.

Cycling carbs on one of these patterns can help you sustain a strong pace and keep your muscle. Winning isn’t just what happens on contest day; contests are won months before the national anthem is sung and the curtain goes up!

Author: Joe Klemczewski
References: www.perfectpeaking.com

I’ve always been into sports mainly to stay in shape for the military. When I got assigned to Japan I started focusing more on strength training and less on cardio and aerobic activities and I started noticing gains in my size and was very happy. One day I was asked had I ever considered bodybuilding, I was told that I had what it takes to do really well in the sport. From there I began doing research, the different exercises, nutrition, contest prep, etc! A year later I entered my first competition where I won the overall title of Mr. Northern Japan and haven’t looked back since! For me Being 100% Natural and competing 100% Natural has always been my belief and something that I am extremely proud of. It takes a lot more work, dedication, and time but is more gratifying than what others seem to achieve overnight with the help of performance enhancing products. Using performance enhancing drugs for sports, in my opinion, is an easy way out of working hard…a quick “HIGH” if you may. Not to mention what long term effects that they may have on your body, those are risks I’m not willing or ever want to take. I’m happy with my past accomplishments and those I have “YET” to accomplish naturally!

I’ve competed in different organizations, some drug tested others not, but I have always stood proud and represented all the “NATURAL MONSTERS” out there. I will continue to be 100% drug free and represent all the Natural competitors and organizations very well!

Where does your motivation come from?

My motivation comes from that next Competition! I always feel as though I’m going in as the “underdog,” so I train as if I have something to prove, every single time I step into the gym I make it count, cause I know there’s someone out there who doesn’t want to be beat. So I know they’re giving it all they got.

I picture that guy, his drive, his goal and I’m training to destroy that!!

What workout routine has worked best for you?

Sample Routine

Monday: Chest

• Flat Bench: 3 heavy sets, 10 reps/1 burn-out set, 25 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 sets, 12-15 reps
• Cable Crossovers: 3 sets, 12-15 reps
• Pushups: 3 sets to failure

Tuesday: Back

• Pullups: 3 sets to failure
• Barbell Rows: 3 heavy sets, 1 burn-out set, 25 reps
• Seated Rows: 3 sets, 12-15 reps
• One-Arm Dumbbell Rows: 3 sets, 12-15 reps

Wednesday: Shoulders

• Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets, 15 reps
• Dumbbell Side Raises: 3 sets, 15 reps
• Rear Delt Raises: 3 sets, 15 reps
• Smith Machine Shrugs: 3 sets, 12-15 reps
• Cable Upright Rows: 3 sets, 15 reps

Thursday: Arms

• Dumbbell Curls: 3 sets, 10 reps each arm
• Barbell Curls: 3 sets, 12-15 reps
• Cable Curls: 3 sets, 15 reps each arm
• V-Bar Pushdowns: 3 sets, 12-15 reps
• Close-Grip Bench: 3 heavy sets, 10 reps, 25 reps
• Overhead Tricep Extensions: 3 sets, 15-20 reps

Friday: Legs

• Leg Press: 4 sets 12-15 reps
• Walking Lunges: 3 sets, 20 yards each
• Leg Extensions: 3 sets, 20-25 reps
• Standing Leg Curls: 3 sets, 12-15 reps
• Lying Leg Curls: 3 sets, 12-15 reps
• Stiff-Leg Deadlifts: 3 sets, 15-20 reps
• Seated Calf Raises: 4 sets, 15-20 reps
• Standing Calf Raises: 4 sets, 15-20 reps

If you have to pick only 3 exercises, what would they be and why?

1. Leg Extensions – Gives me that quad definition others lack
2. Bent over rows – Brings out the X-Mas tree effect in my Back
3. Dumbbell overhead press – For shoulder separation and mass

What is your diet like?

Sample Diet:

• Meal 1: Oatmeal, 1/4 cup of raisins, 8 egg whites
• Meal 2: 6 oz of turkey, Protein drink
• Meal 3: Steak, 1/2 cup of veggies, 1/2 cup of rice
• Meal 4: ½ cup of mixed Nuts, Protein drink
• Meal 5: Baked chicken, Baked potato
• Meal 6: Protein drink

They say that the pre and post-workout meals are the most vital meals for the day, what do yours consist of?

• Pre-workout – 52 grams of protein about 45 mins to an hour before hitting the gym.
• Post- Workout- Creatine/Glutamine/BCAAs with chicken breast and veggies.

When trying to cut down do you prefer to use HIIT or just normal cardio?

Normal Cardio – I love the treadmill, nice steady walk at an incline does the trick for me and it helps with my overall leg definition!!

What is your supplementation like?

• Creatine -Size and Strength- 6 weeks on 6 weeks off
• Glutamine – Recovery
• Fish oil – Essential Fats and Joints
• Multi Vitamin – Overall health
• Protein- Key to any Bodybuilder
• BCAAs – Muscle Preservation

Favorite Bodybuilders?

Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray, Lee Lebrada, Flex Wheeler, Dexter Jackson

Favorite Quote?

“Bodybuilding is an Art.. I paint for 20 weeks using weights and nutrition as my brush… I display my portrait on Stage.. MASTERPIECE!!!” –Mr. Wolfe

Bodyspace: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/wolfe4life/

Stretching the tape at an incredible 58″, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s chest had it all: size, shape, balance and definition. When he hit a side chest pose, his pecs arched so high that a glass of water could rest atop them.

When he crunched into a most-muscular shot, they split into four discernible masses right and left upper and lower pecs each raked with myriad striations and crisscrossed by snaking veins. Supporting this sinewy armor plate was a rib cage that seemed to have been designed more for a silverback gorilla than a man. Over the past 30 years, bodybuilding fans have witnessed tremendous growth in their sport not only in the number of participants and ever-increasing popularity with the public, but in the size of its competitors, as well. Backs have become broader, thighs more massive and sweeping, triceps thicker and more striated. As with disciplines ranging from technology to medicine to architecture, the passage of time has brought to bodybuilding new levels of excellence in both practice and form.

With highly refined training techniques and dietary principles, IFBB pros can now, develop physiques that, 30 years ago, would have been unfathomable to most bodybuilders.

In large part, the majesty of Arnold’s chest along with, that of his vaunted arms, propelled him to seven Mr. Olympia titles (1970-75 and 1980). Yet, as familiar as we may be with the voluminous photographic documentation of his mighty torso, one question remains as pertinent now as it, was during his competitive heyday: How did he build it; what was the exact workout Arnold Schwarzenegger used to develop what is arguably the best chest of all time?

The Evolution

To better appreciate Arnold’s ultimate chest-blasting routine, the one he devised in response to the greatest challenge of his bodybuilding life, it-is helpful to take a brief look at his bodybuilding roots and the routine he first employed to build the raw mass from which he would later sculpt his masterpiece. From the beginning Arnold valued the importance of a massive sculpted chest. It is not insignificant to note that his primary source of inspiration at the time was pictures of Reg Park he had clipped from the pages of MUSCLE BUILDER magazine (the forebear to MUSCLE & FITNESS). Winner of three Mr. Universe titles over a span of 14 years (1951; ’58 and ’65), Park was the prototype for the giants we see onstage today.

“He had both a huge rib cage and enormous pectorals, and every time I saw his famous side chest shot, I knew that I wanted to soon be as good in the same pose,” recalls Arnold. Park stood 6’2″ and weighed 230 pounds. His unprecedented size; particularly that of his tree-trunk thick upper torso, gave young Arnold a lofty goal to shoot for.

Ever the diligent student, Arnold analyzed his idol’s chest development the way a, geneticist might examine a string of nucleotides and determined that there were three distinct features that, when viewed as a whole, accounted for Park’s pectoral prosperity.

First, the muscles themselves were just plain large: thick, wide and high.

Second, his pectoralis major (the lower portion) and pectoralis minor (the upper portion) groups were balanced with one another in a way that gave his chest a proportionate squared-off look rather than the rounded sagging appearance typical of those who focused too heavily on flat benches and not enough on inclines. Finally, supporting Park’s pecs was a voluminous rib cage, the biggest in the sport at the time.

With the Park template clearly etched in his mind’s eye, Arnold developed a basic routine that enabled him to pack on as much quality mass as possible without too much concern for detail.

Arnold worked hard and he worked heavy, hitting his chest three days a week and would often work his back on the same day, relishing the feel of a fully pumped upper body at the end of the workout. (Schwarzenegger employed a six-days-on/one-day-off double-split routine throughout much of his professional career.)

The results of this no-nonsense routine were quick and dramatic. After five years on this regimen, Arnold’s chest swelled from a sunken 39” to a whopping 58” a 19″ gain!

Reg Park And Arnold Schwarzenegger

By the early 1970s, Arnold had developed the largest muscular chest the world had ever seen, but he knew from firsthand experience that bigger wasn’t always better. It was in 1968 that huge but relatively smooth Arnold had lost the Mr. Universe title to polished and defined Frank Zane, some 60 pounds lighter.

That defeat was an early lesson that the quality of one’s muscle development is as important as the quantity when it comes to competitive bodybuilding.

If the challenge Zane presented, in 1968 was an eye-opener for Arnold, the battle he would face in 1972 would cause him to rethink his training game plan and, in the process, design the ultimate chest workout.

The Revolution

When Joe Weider recited to two-time defending Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger the names of the athletes scheduled to challenge him in the 1972 competition, it sounded like a roll call for a bodybuilding hall of fame: Sergio Oliva, Franco Columbu, Frank Zane and Serge Nubret. Arnold knew it would be by far his toughest challenge to date and realized that he would have to take his physique to a new level to remain the king of the hill.

“After talking things over with Joe,” Arnold recounts, “I decided that what I needed was a workout program that would allow me to work each muscle group to the limit to force growth and definition to improve simultaneously.”

Remembering the tremendous results he experienced from training his chest and back together, and armed with a higher education of Weider principles such as supersets and super flushing, the 25-year-old had an epiphany: He would train his chest and back together as one giant superset!

Advantages

As Arnold explains it, there are several advantages to alternating chest and back exercises.

• It saves time and the workout goes much faster.
• You can handle heavier poundages for more mass power.
• You get a greater pump and a continuous flushing effect of both areas for the entire workout. You keep the pump longer.
• Greater muscle density results because you are able to work to the absolute limit of your physical capacity.

“One of the most important reasons why a chest-back superset program works so well is the fact that most chest exercises are pushing movements, while all back exercises are pulling exercises. The chest muscles are resting during the last exercise and the lats are resting during the chest movement. While each muscle is alternately resting and working, it stay’s fully flushed and pumped up…. When the chest and upper back are pumped simultaneously, there is an indescribable feeling of growth stimulation and massiveness.”

The Exercise’s

Here’s a synopsis, complete with some of Arnold’s thoughts about each of the pec exercises he used in this training regimen and how he employed them.

Exercise 1: Barbell Bench Presses

Arnold would first warm up for this favored exercise with 135 pounds for a quick 30-40 reps to get the blood flowing and the joints loose. Then he would immediately head for a chinning bar, knocking out 15 wide-grip behind-the-neck chins before heading back to the bench, adding a pair of 45s to the bar and pumping out 20 more reps. After a second set of chins, he’d load the bar with 275, perform 15 more reps and then jump back to the chinning bar. And so it went, with weight/rep combinations of 315 for 12, 365 for eight and 405 for six, all superset with chins, all done without rest. Arnold always consciously took very deep breaths while doing this and all of his chest exercises.

“In addition to massing up the pectorals, the heavy breathing also encourages rib cage expansion.”

Exercise 2: Incline Barbell Presses

“This movement is unsurpassed as a builder of the upper pecs.” With his pecs now fully warmed up, he would jump right to 225 pounds for an initial 15 reps; again concentrating on deep breathing as well as flexing his pecs throughout the movement. Alternating each set with T-bar rows, he would progress in 20-pound increments as follows: 245 x 12, 265 x 12, 285 x 10 and 305 x 10.

By this point, Arnold’s pecs and lats would be flushed with blood.

Exercise 3: Flat Dumbbell Flyes

“Here is a great exercise to shape up the outer sections of the pectorals and that, when performed correctly, also opens up the rib box and helps to deepen the chest.”

A master of technique, Arnold perfected this difficult movement as no one else ever had. He often described the motion of the flye as “hugging a tree.” Lying back on a flat bench, with arms slightly bent, he would take a huge breath and slowly lower the dumbbells out and away from his torso, so low that they would practically touch-the floor. Then, with a mighty exhalation, he would raise them back through the same arc, all the time squeezing his pecs. What set Arnold’s technique apart from that of nearly everyone else was his form at the top of the movement. As the tension on his pecs would begin to decrease near the movement’s end, he would stop his motion, with the dumbbells remaining 10-12″ apart. He realized that anything beyond that was wasted movement having no impact on his pecs.

Nevertheless, by employing the Weider Peak Contraction Training Principle, he would forcibly contract this pecs at this point before lowering the weights again. He would start with 65-pound dumbbells for, 15 reps, then jump to 75s for 12, followed by three sets of 10 with 85s. Each set of flyes would be superset with barbell rows.

Exercise 4: Parallel Bar Dips

Dips, Arnold felt they carved a clean line at the bottom edge of his pectoralis major like no other exercise.

With an 80-pound dumbbell strapped to his waist, he would prop himself up on dipping bars and then slowly lower himself to a point where his hands nearly touched his armpits. Lie then exploded back up, all the time making sure to synchronize his breathing to the pace of the movement and inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up. He’d blast out 15 reps and then perform a set of close-grip chins for each superset.

“By the time I get to the fifth set, the pecs and lats are totally engorged with blood and I have such a colossal pump that the muscles feel like they are going to burst through the skin!”

Exercise 5: Stiff-Arm Pullovers

With the, chest-back supersets out of the way, Arnold would complete the lifting portion of his workout with pullovers to stretch his pecs, lats and rib cage simultaneously. This exercise was always a staple of Arnold’s training and the one he considers most responsible for the overwhelming size of his rib box. Lying across a flat bench, he would grab a dumbbell of what he considered medium weight with both hands and extend it to arms’ length, keeping a slight bend in his elbows. From here, he would lower the weight in an arc down past his head while inhaling very deeply through his mouth, all the while making sure to keep his hips down, thus ensuring the greatest possible stretch. Despite a nearly incapacitating level of fatigue by this point, he would still manage to force out five, sets of 15 to 20 reps with a 90-pound dumbbell. Between sets, he would pause for about 30 seconds, during which time he would walk around the gym taking deep breaths while forcing his chest to its maximum point of expansion.

“You will not believe the ache in the sternum that this movement will produce! It literally pulls your chest apart and forces it into new growth.”

Exercise 6: Iso-Tension Contractions

No matter what the bodypart, Arnold would always finish up his workout with an intense session of posing and flexing.

“I’ pose my chest by doing the side chest pose where the rib cage is fully expanded with the sucked in. I do this from waist both sides. Then I squeeze and crimp the pecs as hard as I can from all angles to bring out the height, thickness and shape. This not only gives me better control of these muscles, but it also brings out all the veins and muscular striations, which improves the definition.”

Celebration

Finally, after a solid hour of this nonstop self-inflicted torture, Arnold would be drenched in sweat as if he had come in from a rainstorm. His chest and back muscles would throb and ache. His breathing would be labored. To anyone else, this condition would prompt an immediate visit to the nearest emergency room. To the Austrian Oak, it was reason to celebrate.

“As I head for the shower, I feel exhausted but exhilarated, like a boxer who has just gone 15 rounds with the heavyweight champion and beaten him with a knockout in the final round!”

Of course, for this “boxer,” the opening bell would sound again in exactly 47 hours, at which time it was back for another 15 rounds. Yet, as unfathomably grueling as this routine might appear to the rest of us, the reward in performing it was, for Arnold, great indeed. After all, not everyone can lay claim to the title “The World’s Greatest Chest.” It is fair to caution that although the routine outlined in this feature was used with great success by Arnold throughout the early to mid-’70s (as evinced by his 1972-75 Olympia form), it may prove too rigorous for most bodybuilders.

Of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t “most” bodybuilders, was he?

Arnolds All Out Chest-Back Workout

• Bench presses * 1 30-45
• Bench presses 5 20-6
• Wide-grip behind-the-neck chins 5 15-8
• Incline barbell presses 5 10-15
• T-bar rows 5 10-15
• Flat-bench dumbbell flyes 5 10-15
• Wide-grip barbell rows 5 10-15 (performed standing on a block for better range of motion)
• Dips 5 15
• Close-grip chins 5 12
• Stiff-arm pullovers 5 15-20
• Iso-tension contractions (finishing exercise)

* Performed as a warm-up.

Note:

Arnold took absolutely no rest between sets and exercises of the four supersets.

Early Chest

This is the chest routine Arnold Schwarzenegger used three times a week at the start of his bodybuilding career. Although science has provided little evidence that one can actually alter the size of a thorax after puberty, Arnold believes otherwise. “I am convinced,” he says, “that I could effectively expand the rib cage by performing dumbbell pullovers.” Hard to argue with the evidence!

Exercise Sets/Reps

• Bench presses 5 6-10
• Incline bench presses 5 6-10
• Flat-bench flyes 5 6-10
• Dips 5 6-10
• Dumbbell pullovers 5 6-10

Doint The Double Split

No, it has nothing to do with the gasp-inducing tendon-stretching pose performed by people such as Phil Hill, Flex Wheeler and Ronnie Coleman on a bodybuilding stage. “Double split” refers to a type of training routine that has pretty much gone the way of baggy posing trunks and kettle bells. Specifically, a double-split routine is one in which the body is split into several groups, each to be trained in separate workouts, with two workouts performed each day (usually one in the morning and one in the evening) amounting to double the training performed in a normal split routine.

In the 1970s, it was all the rage, with some athletes, such as Roy Callender, not leaving the gym at all during the day, instead performing all-out workouts lasting up to eight hours!

Today, it is de rigueur for bodybuilders at all levels to employ some kind of split routine in a training regimen, but it is very rare indeed to find anyone who performs true double splits (as opposed to returning to the gym during the evening to touch up on calves or abs or perform some cardio). The amount of work a double-split routine requires is generally considered excessive and a sure-fire path to overtraining. Yet, for Arnold Schwarzenegger and most of his Gold’s Gym peers of the ’70s, it was the only way to train.

Arnold preferred a two-day split, going six days on and one day off, which means he trained his whole body within two consecutive days, three times per week. That schedule is presented here.

Considering the time and energy investment required for such a program, it’s little wonder that the double split is such a rarity these days. But if you should have the urge to try this act of masochism, you might just find yourself starting to develop a physique reminiscent of Denny Gable, Franco Columbu or Robby Robinson, or maybe even that of Arnold himself.

Arnold’s Double Split

• Day 1 Chest, back (Morning) Thighs, calves, abs (Evening)
• Day 2 Shoulders, arms (Morning) Calves, abs (Evening)
• Day 3 Chest, back (Morning) Thighs, calves, abs (Evening)
• Day 4 Shoulders, arms (Morning) Calves, abs (Evening)
• Day 5 Chest, back (Morning) Thighs, calves, abs (Evening)
• Day 6 Shoulders, arms (Morning) Calves, abs (Evening)
• Day 7 Rest

Chest Be Careful

The all-out chest-back workout should be performed only by experienced bodybuilders. Occasionally, even top-level bodybuilders attempting to keep up with Arnold have lost consciousness or, in at least one instance, their lunch. Amateur and intermediate-level bodybuilders interested in utilizing the principles set forth in this regimen are strongly advised to modify the routine to suit their particular level of expertise.

For example, where Arnold might specify five supersets of a pair of exercises, consider performing two or three, with increased rest between supersets, to avoid overtraining and possible injury. As strength and stamina grow, the volume and speed of the workout can be slowly increased.

Author: Shawn Perine
References:
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/
http://www.flexonline.com/
COPYRIGHT 2010 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2010 Gale Group

A creeping darkness envelops the stage while an anxious throng of people await, transfixed on the precipice before them. Moments pass and time stretches ever thinner, pulled inexorably apart by the tightening grip of anticipation. Suddenly, almost imperceptibly, a stirring echoes faintly from the emptiness.

From far above, a light pierces through the black like a lightning bolt, illuminating a shrouded figure that has come to a stop, front and center. At first glance, the vision seems impossible. It has arms, legs, a head, a torso, but could it be human? How? Every muscle bulges in staggering detail, each blown up to grotesque proportion. Thick bands of sinew and tendon struggle to hold the pieces together, as if sewn and stapled in place by Dr. Frankenstein himself. Paper-thin skin covers the creature, which looks to be nothing short of 300 pounds.

Monsters such as these are built within the deep confines of iron dungeons across the globe, from Texas to Transylvania and every recess in between. They are crafted repetition by brutal repetition, set by searing set, with primitive instruments of torture barbells, dumbbells and plates.

They are fueled by uncommon means, with an insatiable appetite for meat and energy, and they are intensely driven by a voracious quest for size. It is not a haphazard journey from mere mortal to bodybuilding behemoth. Although most of us can only dream to attain the freakish wicked mass of a competitive pro, we all can traverse the primal path they have pursued, undertaking the same nutritional strategies that build such beasts.

Is it crazy to want to? No matter. To be big and we mean scary big requires a touch of madness.

Back To The Lab

Piecing together a mad mass plan is almost frighteningly simple, at least in concept: first, you have to eat the right amount of food at particular times of day; second, you have to eat the right types of food at specific times of day. Doing one or the other isn’t enough. Look no further than the hardgainer who carefully chooses the right foods for his diet, but never packs away enough of them in one sitting; or the guy who goes overboard in his weight-gain quest, eating everything in sight until his belly becomes his biggest bodypart. In contrast, an ideal mass-building plan, one that allows you to grow without turning into a slobbering ogre, requires a more methodical approach, which is outlined in the following nine “experiments.”

Try them for yourself, noting the effects each step has on your physique. In the end, you’ll have assembled a full-blown muscle-building nutrition program.

Experiment #1 | Multiply your meals.

You won’t be able to maximize growth by eating only three, four or even five meals a day. Instead, you need to ramp up to six or seven (see “Monster Mass Meal Plan” sidebar on page 98). The benefits are multifaceted. Smaller meals are absorbed more readily by your body, which means you actually get far more of the amino acids, vitamins and minerals from your food than you do when you eat fewer larger meals per day.

More frequent meals help increase testosterone and insulin levels hormones that promote growth while driving down cortisol levels, a growth-inhibiting hormone that is released during training and in response to other stresses.

Experiment #2 | Get your protein intake up to par.

Protein is made up of amino acids, the basic components of muscle tissue. Thus, you need to have plenty of amino acids available so that your body can build muscle at its maximal rate. It’s key, then, that you take this advice to heart (if you’ve been reading Simplyshredded.com for a while, you know that we’ve stressed this many times): you need to consume at least a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day. If you weight 180 pounds, you need at least 180 grams (g) of protein in your daily diet. That’s 26-30 g of protein per meal, equivalent to about five ounces (precooked weight) of chicken breast or a cup of lowfat cottage cheese.

It’s easy math, but so many monster wannabes fall short on protein intake, and their results suffer dramatically.

Experiment #3 | Manipulate your protein intake for key times of the day.

Follow the “1 g per pound rule” for two or three weeks. At that point, if you’re still not seeing gains, adjust your protein consumption at two critical times: after training and in the middle of the night. After workouts, bump up your protein intake to 40-60 g, preferably using a fast-acting whey protein source; at midnight (set the alarm if you hit the sack early), guzzle a 30-40 g protein shake. The late-night feeding will help keep you in an anabolic state overnight. Otherwise, it’s a long fast for your body from one meal to the next.

Experiment #4 | Crank up your carbohydrates.

Carbs work with protein, creating a hormonal environment conducive to growth. They help the process of transporting amino acids from food into your muscles so they can be made into new muscle tissue or used to repair tissue damaged during training, and they are stored in your muscles as glycogen, a powerful energy source. Start with 2 g of carbs per pound of bodyweight each day. But, unlike protein, split this over your first five or six meals of the day, dropping carbs from your last meal or two of the day. Thus, a 180-pounder should eat 60-72 g of carbs at each of his first five or six daily meals, with minimal carbs after that.

Experiment #5 | Adjust your carbs at key points of the day.

Follow the “2 g per pound rule” for two or three weeks. Then, if your results are lagging, bump up your carb intake at two critical junctures: the first meal of the day and after training. By the fifth week, if you haven’t seen improvements, boost your carb intake to a total of 2 1/2 g per pound of body weight daily. Increasing carbs at breakfast, when they’re coupled with protein, helps put a stop to the protein breakdown that occurs during the last two or three hours of sleep and kick-starts your metabolism. (Contrary to common misconceptions, an elevated metabolism actually increases muscle growth.)

Boost your carb intake at breakfast and after your workouts by 50%. For example, if you were eating 60 g at breakfast, increase it to 90 g.

Experiment#6 | Focus your fat consumption.

A common mistake among those trying to gain lean mass is in not distinguishing between good and bad fats. The truth is not all fats are created equal. Healthy fats monounsaturated fats, omega 3s and 6s can be a huge boost to body builders who are trying to gain quality size. Emphasize the following foods in your diet: avocados, salmon and other fatty fish, nuts and seeds, and healthy oils, such as canola and olive. Reduce other fats, while continuing to consume those contained in lean red meat, chicken breast, turkey breast and whole eggs (including the yolk), because you do need some saturated fat and cholesterol for muscle growth.

Experiment #7 | Be a fiber fanatic.

Consuming a ton of fiber won’t help you get huge in and of itself, but it will help you better process the foods you do eat. The digestive systems of hardgainers on mass diets often have trouble handling all the additional calories. Fiber can help you get the most out of your nutrition program. Vegetables, beans, oatmeal and brown rice are all high in fiber, and they’re good sources of complex carbs. Including these foods at most meals (except before and after workouts) will help you put on size.

As a rule, strive to take in up to six servings of vegetables a day, such as broccoli, spinach, carrots and asparagus. You should be able to easily consume two or three servings with a meal.

Experiment #8 | Hydrate.

Even if we’re always carrying gallon jugs of water around the gym, most of us are usually in a constant state of mild dehydration. Many people just don’t drink enough water, period. If you want to get big, you need to stay hydrated, because doing so pumps your muscles full of fluids, increasing strength, performance and, ultimately, progress; this will also assist your digestive system in processing food. Strive to drink a gallon of water a day. In addition to water itself, other fluids help keep your body hydrated, including green tea, sports drinks, milk, sparkling water and Crystal Light, as well as other diet drinks.

Experiment  #9 | Size up your supplement regimen.

A lot of guys make one of two mistakes when it comes to supplementing for muscle gains; they either overrely on supplements or they underrely on supplements (or don’t use them at all). Avoid either error by following the guidelines in the “Monster Mass Supplement Regimen” sidebar.

The Mad Scientist

Whether you take on these experiments piece by piece to create your own formula for growth or use the guidelines set out in the “Monster Mass Eight-Week Plan,” the changes will help you avoid the horrors associated with working your ass off in the gym but having nothing to show for it. Nutrition can make or break you, and it’s often the difference between living your bodybuilding dreams and watching those dreams turn to a nightmarish skin-and-bones reality. Like those monsters who step out onto pro bodybuilding stages, you, too, can scare up additional muscle mass, but only if you’re ready and willing to fight for it every step of the way.

Monster Mass Supplement Regimen

Growth of gigantic proportions can be achieved with food alone, but you can make your journey easier with the help of supplements, as suggested in experiment #9. Here are some of the proven basics to help lay the foundation for extreme growth.

Protein Shakes

These provide one of the easiest ways to assist your muscle-building program. It can be challenging (and expensive) for young bodybuilders to get in all the protein they need from whole-food protein sources. To supplement your whole-food intake, drink up to three protein shakes a day pre- and postworkout and before bed are great times to rely on a protein-powder concoction.

Dosage:

Down a protein shake 25 g of whey protein and 50 g of simple carbs before you work out and then another after. Before bed, use a product that has about 25 g of casein protein.

Creatine

This supplement boasts numerous benefits for health, recovery and muscle building. When taken before workouts, it helps drive nutrients and fluids into your muscles, helping you to lift more weight or get extra reps. Ultimately, this effect helps build more strength and muscle mass.

Dosage:

Take 3-5 g of creatine before and after your workouts, for up to 10 g per day.

Glutamine

The most prevalent amino acid in the body, glutamine promotes a healthy immune system response for better recovery from training. It also enhances digestion and protects muscle mass from breaking down, which is likely to occur when your body perceives a glutamine shortage.

Dosage:

Take 5-10 g of glutamine first thing in the moming, before and after training, and before bed.

Arginine

This helps promote a pump the full muscular sensation you get when your target muscles are engorged with blood and fluids by “opening up” your circulatory system. The influx of fluids delivers nutrients to muscles and helps encourage growth.

Dosage:

Take 3-5 g of arginine about 30 minutes before you work out and two more doses at other times of the day.

BCAA’s

The branched-chain amino acids are leucine, isoleucine and valine. These key aminos not only specifically support muscle growth, but they also help maintain muscle mass during a dieting phase.

Dosage:

Take doses of 5-10 g of BCAAs on an empty stomach in the morning, as well as before and after workouts.

Multivitamin/Multimineral pack or pill

Think of these as insurance policies the demands of a bodybuilding lifestyle can cause shortages in specific vitamins or minerals. A good multi will contain vitamins C, D and E, as well as a range of vitamin Bs and minerals.

Dosage:

Take a multivitamin/multimineral pack or pill once or twice a day with food. Look for brands that provide 100% of the daily value of C, D, E, most Bs, zinc, copper and chromium.

Monster Mass Meal Plan

Breakfast

• 1 cup of oatmeal
• 4 whole eggs
• 2-3 slices of low-fat breakfast meat
• 1 piece of fruit

Midmorning

• 2 ounces of nuts (your choice)
• 1 ounce of dried fruit

Lunch

• 6 ounces of chicken breast
• 2 slices of whole-grain bread
• Vegetable side dish (low-fat coleslaw, salad or steamed vegetable)

Preworkout

• 25 g of whey protein shake
• 50 g of simple carbs

Postworkout

• 25 g of whey protein shake
• 50 g of simple carbs

Dinner

• 8 ounces of lean steak
• Small baked potato or small portion of steamed rice (white or brown)
• Salad with olive oil and avocado

Bedtime

• 25 g of casein protein shake

Monster Mass 8 Week Plan

Here’s a week-by-week checklist of the core nutrition and supplement strategies you should include daily while you’re on the Monster Mass program. Every two weeks, you’ll make a significant change in either the amount of food that you are consuming or in the addition of new supplements (those differences are in bold type). Staggering the addition of different supplements this way allows your body time to respond to them. Most bodybuilders see better results from this strategy than they do from including all supplements from day one of a program.

As your body begins to accommodate to the plan, providing new stimulation (in the form of supplements) every two weeks will help prevent you from plateauing and help you keep growing for a longer period of time.

Week One

• Eat at least six meals per day
• Include a protein shake (25 g of whey and 50 g of simple carbs) before and after your workouts
• Drink a 25 g casein protein shake before bedtime
• Drink a gallon of water throughout the day
• Take a multivitamin/multimineral pack with breakfast

Week Two

• Continue to eat at least six meals a day
• Include a protein shake (25 g of whey and 50 g of simple carbs) before and after your workouts
• Drink a 25 g casein protein shake before bedtime
• Drink a gallon of water throughout the day
• Take a multivitamin/multimineral pack twice daily

Week Three

• Make adjustments in your carbohydrate consumption if necessary (see experiment #4)
• Eat at least six meals per day
• Include a protein shake (25 g of whey and 50 g of simple carbs) before and after your workouts
• Drink a 25 g casein protein shake before bedtime
• Take a multivitamin/multimineral pack or pill twice daily
• Drink a gallon of water throughout the day
• Take a 3-5 g dose of creatine before your workouts

Week Four

• Consume the same amount of carbohydrates as in week three
• Eat at least six meals per day
• Include a protein shake (25 g of whey and 50 g of simple carbs) before and after your workouts
• Drink a 25 g casein protein shake before bedtime
• Take a multivitamin/multimineral pack or pill twice daily
• Drink a gallon of water throughout the day
• Take a 3-5 g dose of creatine before and after your workouts

Week Five

• Make adjustments in carbohydrate consumption if necessary
• Eat at least six meals per day
• Include a protein shake (25 g of whey and 50 g of simple carbs) before and after your workouts
• Drink a 25 g casein protein shake before bedtime
• Take a multivitamin/multimineral pack or pill twice daily
• Drink a gallon of water throughout the day
• Take a 3-5 g dose of creatine before and after your workouts
• Take one or two doses (3-5 g each) of arginine daily
• Take up to three doses (5-10 g each) of glutamine daily

Week Six

• Consume the same amount of carbohydrates as in week five
• Eat at least six meals per day
• Include a protein shake (25 g of whey and 50 g of simple carbs) before and after your workouts
• Drink a 25 g casein protein shake before bedtime
• Take a multivitamin/multimineral pack or pill twice daily
• Drink a gallon of water throughout the day
• Take a 3-5 g dose of creatine before and after your workouts
• Take up to three doses (3-5 g each) of arginine daily
• Take up to four doses (5-10 g each) of glutamine daily

Weeks Seven and Eight

• Consume the same amount of carbohydrates as in week five
• Eat at least six meals per day
• Include a protein shake (25 g of whey and 50 g of simple carbs) before and after your workouts
• Drink a 25 g casein protein shake before bedtime
• Take a multivitamin/multimineral pack or pill twice daily
• Drink a gallon of water throughout the day
• Take a 3-5 g dose of creatine before and after your workouts
• Take up to three doses (3-5 g each) of arginine daily
• Take up to four doses (5-10 g each) of glutamine daily
• Take three doses (5-10 g each) of BCAAs daily

Beyond Eight Weeks

If you are continuing to make progress on your Monster Mass plan and want to keep going and growing, stay with it for as long as it works. Visually monitor your bodyfat stores. If you appear to be adding more bodyfat than muscle mass, then that may mean your body is telling you that this mass-building phase has come to its end. At this time, begin to experiment with bodyfat reduction. (After following a calorie-cutting diet, you may be surprised to see how much real muscle mass you’ll have packed on via the Monster Mass program.)

Keep reading Simplyshredded.com for all our muscle-building and bodyfat-reducing programs. Remember, the best way to continue to make progress is to alternate between growth and bodyfat-reducing phases. Your muscle mass will grow better when you change the stimulus that you provide it every two to three months than if you stay on one type of program indefinitely.

Author: Chris Aceto
Websites: Procardnutrition.com & Flexonline.com
COPYRIGHT 2010 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2010 Gale, Cengage Learning

I am from Lagos, Nigeria and played soccer, track, & gymnastics growing up. At the age of 12, I saw the movie “Pumping Iron” and was amazed at how the human physique could be transformed in such a way. I wanted to look like those bodybuilders in the movie but as an athlete I wanted to represent my country at the Olympics. So when I started looking into representing my country in the Olympics, all I found was Olympic weightlifting. I started to train as a weightlifter at the age of 13. Excelled at it and represented my country in numerous competitions and won 2 gold medals and a bronze medal in the 1994 Commonwealth Games. In 1996, I represented my country in the Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

After the 1996 Olympics, I accomplished the goal I had set for myself at 13 years of age, so I decided to enter the world of bodybuilding since that was my dream.

Where does your motivation come from?

My motivation comes from living in a country where we grow up with very little and no motivation or support from family and friends. I wanted to prove to people there that you can dream BIG and achieve great success.

“I believe a healthy body is a healthy mind. My goal as a trainer is to encourage young athletes to stay natural without the use of performing enhancement drugs.”

What workout routine has worked best for you?

Sample Routine:

Monday: Back & Shoulders

• Lat pulldown 12×4
• Bent over rows 12×4
• Pull overs 8×4
• Deadlifts 6×4
• Shoulder press 12×4
• Front raises 15×4
• Lateral raises 15×4
• Rear delt 15×4

Tuesday Hamstrings & Calves

• Seated leg curls 12×4
• Standing single leg curl 12×4
• Stiff leg deadlift 12×4
• Donkey calf raises 15×4
• Standing calf raises 12×4
• Seated calf raises 12×4

Wednesday Chest & Traps

• Dumbbells flat bench press 8×4
• Incline hammer chest press 12×4
• Chest dips 15×4,
• Machine flys 15×4
• Standing barbell shrugs 12×4
• Dumbbell seated shrugs 8×4
• Upright rows 12×4

Thursday Quads & Glutes

• Squats 8×4
• Lunges 12×4
• Extensions 15×4
• Step ups 12×4
• Glute kicks 15×6

Friday Biceps & Triceps

• Standing barbell curls 12×4
• Preacher curls 12×4
• Concentration curls 12×4
• High pulley curls 15×4
• Bench dips 15×4
• Tricep pulldowns 15×4
• Tricep extensions 12×4
• Tricep kickbacks 12×4

If you have to pick only 3 exercises, what would they be and why?

1. Squats: I feel it is the “King” of all exercises because it works quads, back, glutes, and all your stabilizer muscles involved
2. Deadlift: I feel it is the “Queen” of all exercises because it works your back, glutes, quads and all your stabilizer muscles and it is a conditioning exercise
3. Donkey Raises: Genetically I have small calves and have to work extremely hard to get them where they are so it is a must exercise for me.

What is your diet like?

Sample Diet:

• Meal 1: 6 egg whites, 4 whole grain bread with peanut butter
• Meal 2: 2 servings of ProLab NLarge 2
• Meal 3: Chicken breast, vegetables, white rice
• Meal 4: 2 servings of ProLab NLarge 2
• Meal 5: White fish, vegetables, white rice
• Meal 6: 1 servings of ProLab NLarge 2

When trying to cut down do you prefer to use HIIT or just normal cardio?

I do not do cardio because I still do Olympic lifting movements which is very explosive, and these lifts burn a huge amount of calories.

Supplementation?

Since I am a sponsored ProLab athlete, I take NLarge 2, Lean Mass Complex, Amino Gel Caps, Cuts II, ThermoFire, Glutamine, Beta Alanine Extreme and Creatine, which I really like their products.

Favorite Bodybuilders?

Mohamed Makkawy, Leo Labrada, Frank Zane

Favorite Quote?

“Impossible is an opinion, not a fact”

Website: www.mojifitness.com

mrZhasni is the famous creator of all the motivational bodybuilding video clips which are being spread all over then net at lightning speeds. With over 7100 subscribers on Youtube, mrZhasni is definitely making some quality videos. His videos range from bodybuilding motivational clips to compilations of the best scenes ever recorded on the big screen.

“We challenge our minds and bodies to acheive the impossible. We stand alone in the circle and lean on no one. We will be judged by our work over a period of years, not one single act. I will not fail. I will live in a warehouse of steal. I will not lie around waiting to win.” -Animal

“There is no secret routine, there is no magical number of reps and sets. What there is, is confidence, belief, hard work on a consistant basis, and a desire to succeed. This is what I mean when I say accept your limits and when the time is right, you will push right through your limits time and time again, mentally and physically.” – Steve Justa

Gallery

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Back in the early 1960s, when Arnold Schwarzenegger began his competitive bodybuilding career, his calves were virtually nonexistent. At the time, calf development was not top priority in the sport, especially in Europe. Consequently, he, like most of his fellow Austrian bodybuilders, neglected to train them.

Then, in 1966,19-year-old Schwarzenegger entered his first international competition, the Mr. Universe, and he learned the hard way that there’s more to bodybuilding than training the upper body. America’s Chet Yorton also competed in that show and handed The Oak his first major defeat. Yorton’s physique exemplified the emerging ideal of a holistic approach to bodybuilding one in which no bodypart is favored over another.

True to his principles, Yorton had developed a sterling pair of diamond-shaped calves atop which could be found the rest of his equally chiseled physique.

Lesson Learned

The hypercompetitive Schwarzenegger didn’t like to lose and decided then and there that his calves would never hold back his bodybuilding aspirations again.

He dedicated himself to building the biggest, most impressive pair of calves around, whatever it took. He cut all of his training sweatpants at the knees to constantly remind him they needed his attention, as they did their best to detract from what was otherwise a world-class physique.

Reg Park Inspiration

He looked to his earliest childhood inspiration, the great Reg Park, for guidance in developing his calves. Park’s advice? Go heavy and hard. Don’t think of your calf training as something to be tacked onto the end of a workout here or there. Train them as you would any other bodypart that, Park said, was the key to getting them to develop like any other bodypart. Ever the diligent pupil, Schwarzenegger got right to work, hitting his calves with 500-pound standing calf raises, donkey raises and seated calf raises six days a week. The calf muscle was unlike other bodyparts, he reasoned, in that it was more stubborn, less apt to grow. But that didn’t mean it wouldn’t grow, just that he would have to be more persistent than ever.

The formula of heavy/hard/frequently worked like a charm.

Soon his calves began responding to the stresses placed upon them, just like his renowned chest and biceps had before. They grew and grew, so fast in fact that rumors of a visit to a plastic surgeon specializing in implants began to surface. Schwarzenegger just laughed them off and continued plugging away.

20″ Wonders

By the time of his 1973 Mr. Olympia victory, Schwarzenegger’s calves were stretching the tape at a prodigious 20″ and were considered the best of his day. Even today, his calves would stand out in an Olympia lineup. From the front, they added a diamondlike dimension to his lower legs. From the side, his soleus streaked down his leg in deeply etched vertical lines that shot from his knee to his ankle. From the rear, when flexed, his gastrocnemius bunched up like a squirming snake trapped under his skin.

Yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger did indeed manage to transform peg legs into pillars and, by following the calf-training routine included here, you might just do the same.

Arnold’s Routine

Note:

Schwarzenegger is a big believer in the benefits of volume training. This routine requires being in the gym six days a week.

Author: Shawn Perine
References:
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/
http://www.flexonline.com/
COPYRIGHT 2010 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2010 Gale Group

Bobby Rosen from Simplyshredded.com interviews Team Universe competitor Christian Coronato.

How did you get started with bodybuilding?

I started working out when I was young. My pops brought my brother and I to the gym when I was about 13, he was probably 15 at the time. He was much more into it than I was. I remember faking being sick and sit in the locker room. It’s not that I didn’t like being active, it’s just that I had no interest in lifting weights. I trained on and off for the next few years, including high school. I didn’t get really serious about it until I hit college. I wasn’t a school person, and I didn’t like where I was at, so instead of turning to drugs and partying, I turned to gym. In the four years of school, I probably missed a month of training, if that. I went 7 days a week, it was my outlet. I left HS at 140lbs; I began eating and eating and eating. I left college at 190. I wasn’t shredded by any means, but I had a good structure. I used to go to the food store, pick up a case of the cheapest burgers I could find, grille up 6 of them, and eat them plain with no buns post workout. My drink of choice was a no name brand weight gainer. It worked. Once I got out of college I decided to clean up a bit, and started being a bit more health aware, or so I thought. My GF had the owner of the gym approach me in the summer of 2008 and asked if I wanted to do a show. At first I was very hesitant, as it was not something I ever considered, but then I agreed. I did my first show only 8 weeks later.

I hated it the whole time, and swore I wouldn’t do another. But my coach talked me into doing the NPC Gold’s Classic a week later, and I won the overall Novice. I was hooked since then.

Where does your motivation come from?

Everyone and everything around me. I feed off of other people’s energy. I love to hear success stories, and motivational stories. It helps keep me grounded.

What workout routine has worked best for you?

I have been training 7 days a week for as long as I can remember. I like the feeling of being in the gym.

• Shoulders
• Back
• Chest
• Hams/Calves
• Arms
• Quads
• Repeat.

I think I will be switching it up and doing a 5 day routine, and try to benefit from some more rest and recovery time.

Shoulders

• DB – 2 x 15, 3 x 10-6
• BB Front Delt / DB Side Delt – 3 x 10-6 / 10-6
• Reverse Pec Dec – 3 x 10-6
• HS Press – 3 x 8
• DB Shrugs – 3 x 8
• Power Squat Shrugs – 3 x 8

Back / Calves

• HS Pulldown – 3 x 10-6
• Wide Pulldown – 3 x 10-6
• T Bar Row – 3 x 10-6
• DL – 2 x 15, 3 x 5, 1 x 1
• BOR – 3 x 8
• Seated Calf – 5 x 10
• Standing Calf – 5 x 10

Chest

• Flat Bench – 2 x 15, 3 x 8, 1 x 2
• Incline DB – 3 x 8
• Pec Dec – 3 x 8
• Incline Flyes – 3 x 10
• Incline HS – 3 x 10

Arms

• HS Curls – 2 x 15, 3 x 10-6
• Wide BB Curls – 2 x 10
• Close BB Curls – 2 x 10
• Pin Wheel Curls – 3 x 10-6
• Cable Curls – 3 x 10-6
• Pushdowns – 3 x 10
• CGBP – 3 x 10
• Standing Skullcrushers – 3 x 10
• Kickbacks – 3 x 10
• Forearm Circuit x 3

Legs

• Seated Leg Curl – 4 x 10
• Standing Leg Curl – 4 x 10
• One Leg DB SLDL – 4 x 10/10
• Extensions – 3 x 10-6
• Leg Press – 3 x 10-6
• Hack Squat – 3 x 10-6
• Lunges – 3 sets
• Squat – 2 x 15, 2 x 8

If you have to pick only 3 exercises, what would they be and why?

Deadlift is number one for sure. There is nothing more energizing than picking up raw dead weight off the floor. Plus it helps overall body growth. The Second would be Incline bench. Upper chest is something many people lack because they are flat bench advocates. I try to incorporate incline movements as much as I can.

The last I like would be the machine hack squat. The feeling of racking up and slamming down is unmatched.

What is your diet like?

Right now, off-season this is what I’m currently eating:

• Meal 1: 6 whole eggs, 1 piece Ezekiel bread, ¾ cup oats, ½ cup veg
• Meal 2: 4oz steak, 4oz chicken, 6oz potatoes, ¼ cup nuts
• Meal 3: 4oz steak, 4oz chicken, 6oz potatoes, ¼ cup nuts
• Meal 4: 4oz steak, 4oz chicken, 6oz potatoes, ¼ cup nuts
• Meal 5: 2 Scoops Sport Pharma Carb Max, 2 Scoops Universal Nutrition Ultra Iso Whey
• Meal 6: 2 cups Greek yogurt with mixed fruit added in.

They say that the pre and post-workout meals are the most vital meals for the day, what do yours consist of?

About an 1 – 1.5 hours before hand I have a dense meal of 4oz steak, 4oz chicken, 6oz potatoes, ¼ cup nuts, then about 30 mins before training I’ll have a pre workout drink that consists of Universal Nutrition Shock Therapy mixed with EAA Nitro. EAA Nitro gives me the extra amino acids as well as 40 extra grams of fast carbs. Post workout I have a shake consisting of 50 grams of protein and 50 grams of carbs. Then about an hour later I’ll have my 2 cups of Greek yogurt. I workout late at night, so that is my last meal before bed as well.

When trying to cut down do you prefer to use HIIT or just normal cardio?

I actually just recently got into some HIIT cardio. I did it for my entire contest prep leading into Team Universe. I paired that with normal cardio in the AM and I came in at the best shape in my life. I will def continue to use both of them.

What is your supplementation like?

Currently my supplementation is pretty basic.

From the Animal Pak line, I have Pak, Nitro, and Omega. From the Universal Nutrition line I have Shock Therapy, EAA Nitro, 100% Beef Aminos, Ultra Whey Pro, and ZMA Pro. From the SportPharma line I have Beta Alanine, Carb Max, and Joint-V.

Favorite Bodybuilders?

There are so many out there. I am a big fan of Troy Alves physique. He looks unreal.

Favorite Quote?

I am the man responsible for who I am. When I look in the mirror each day, I stare my creator in the eyes. I am responsible for what I have and will become, I am accountable for what I will or will not accomplish. I believe in myself, I bow to no man and my only critic of any consequence has walked every mile of this journey in my size thirteen’s.