HOW ARNOLD BUILT HIS SHOULDERS AND ARMS

by David Robson And Bill Geiger 
Last updated: Oct 31, 2014

Few bodybuilders are made in the mold of Arnold Schwarzenegger anymore. Sure, everyone wants to be the next Arnold, but who could conceivably duplicate the mind-numbing training volume and frequency he achieved? He didn't just train shoulders and arms for 60-plus sets—he did it three times a week with incredible intensity!

That's one reason "The Oak" stood out among his peers. Where others would call it quits, Arnold took pleasure in his own pain. The barometer of a good workout was quite simply how much it hurt. The more, the better.

ARNOLD DIDN'T JUST TRAIN SHOULDERS AND ARMS FOR 60-PLUS SETS—HE DID IT THREE TIMES A WEEK WITH INCREDIBLE INTENSITY!

While this kind of volume can't be sustained long-term, it certainly can flip your personal anabolic switch—provided you can learn to love a bone-crushing delt-and-arms workout.

Here's a blueprint of how Arnold trained these body parts!

HOW ARNOLD BUILT HIS LEGS AND ABS

by David Robson And Bill Geiger 
Last updated: Oct 31, 2014

If you've ever done a grueling leg workout—lots of heavy sets of all the most challenging thigh movements—you know it takes several days to recover. Even walking up a flight of stairs can be test of iron will. But for one professional bodybuilder whom we know as The Austrian Oak, the task was made three times as difficult as he completed his high-volume leg workout on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. A monster front-and-rear-thigh crusher that included up to 46 sets—not counting calves and abs, which were also done in the same workout—that would cripple mere mortals.

Today, many would consider Arnold's approach bordering on—if not spilling considerably over—the threshold of overtraining, but legs weren't his strongest suit, and his 6'2" frame made building leg mass more difficult. Who could argue with this take-no-prisoners approach that earned Arnold seven Mr. Olympia titles and acclaim as the best bodybuilder of all time?

In this exclusive third installment examining Arnold's training and techniques, we'll focus on his thigh and ab workouts.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER'S CHEST AND BACK WORKOUT

by David Robson And Bill Geiger 
Last updated: Oct 31, 2014

It was more than three decades ago that Arnold Schwarzenegger last trained for a competition (1980 to be exact), but even today many young bodybuilders point to The Oak as their biggest source of inspiration.

Though the black-and-white images have long faded on the walls of hardcore Southern California gyms, the training philosophies that built the world's greatest bodybuilder live on. In this, the second exclusive installment exploring Arnold's training, we focus on his chest and back workout.

"THOUGH THE BLACK-AND-WHITE IMAGES HAVE LONG FADED ON THE WALLS OF HARDCORE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GYMS, THE TRAINING PHILOSOPHIES THAT BUILT THE WORLD'S GREATEST BODYBUILDER LIVE ON."

Arnold paired chest with back, which are antagonist muscle groups; while one contracts, the other is stretched.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER'S 8 BEST TRAINING PRINCIPLES

by David Robson And Bill Geiger 
Last updated: Oct 31, 2014

A massive number of memorable quotes can be attributed to Arnold Schwarzenegger or many of the characters he's portrayed, but none speaks to his passion for bodybuilding quite like this one: "The worst thing I can be is the same as everybody else."

Arnold had no interest in being ordinary, and his lifetime achievements bear that out. But to succeed in the gym and take his physique to heights no man had ever reached, Arnold had to be even more than extraordinary. He had to consistently commit to the bodybuilding lifestyle in action, thought, and vision.

"ARNOLD HAD ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST IN BEING ORDINARY, AND HIS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENTS BEAR THAT OUT."

Through interviews and articles he wrote for Joe Weider after coming to America in 1968, Arnold made clear that his formula for success had less to do with "secrets" and more to do with hard work, sweat, and an all-consuming drive to build muscle and achieve greatness. The most important ingredient for success, Arnold wrote, is self-confidence.

WHAT TRAINING TECHNIQUE PRODUCES THE CRAZIEST MUSCLE GROWTH?

My entire adult life has been dedicated to finding the holy grail of muscle growth. I've read thousands of research papers and countless books on the topic, and I've spent over a decade slaving in the lab trying to scope out new techniques—and classic ones—that bodybuilders can add to their toolbox. So I can think of a few candidates off the top of my head.

But here's a surprise: Out of all the papers I've read, the most extreme growth response was from a study I saw all the way back in high school. The author of that paper was Dr. Jose Antonio, a man who played a large part in inspiring me to pursue a career researching hypertrophy.

Through a unique approach to stretching, Dr. Antonio induced jaw-dropping levels of growth in animals, and my lab at the University of Tampa has recently striven to—you guessed it!—optimize this technique for bodybuilders.

Get ready to stretch both your mind and your muscles!

THE SWOLLEST QUAIL IN THE NEST

When muscles grow, they do so through one of two mechanisms: either by making existing muscle fibers bigger, or through the addition of new muscle fibers.2 Dr. Antonio's research was primarily centered on the second method, which is known as hyperplasia.1

THE 16 BEST MUSCLE-BUILDING TIPS

If you're reading this, you're probably eager to add some muscle to your frame. Whether you're coming off a sharp cut or just want to stack some mass on your body, it helps to have a stockpile of great gains-related tips in your arsenal. Below, you'll find an incredible assortment of muscle-building advice from some of the best athletes on BodySpace.

Implement one or more of these strategies into your routine and watch your muscles grow!

1

 FOCUS ON MORE FOOD

You probably know that clean nutrition is a major player in the fitness game, at least if you want a body that shows off your hard work. When it comes to building mass, however, you have to eat to grow. You simply can't be shy about ingesting adequate calories.

JAMES PULIDO

Need help figuring out how many calories to eat? MuscleTech athlete and Superman fan James Pulido has your answer: "A good rule of thumb is to multiply your body weight in pounds by about 20," he says. "So a 180-pound male would need to eat 3,600 calories per day on workout days to build muscle."

(Note that multiplying your bodyweight by 20 results in a high calorie estimate specific to building mass. Many maintenance calorie estimates are closer to body weight multiplied by 15. If the result of multiplying your bodyweight by 20 seems incredibly high given what you know about your body, you can err on the conservative side and multiply by 16-18.)

As a starting point for calorie composition, Pulido recommends dividing up your macro split by taking in close to 1.5 grams of protein and at least 2 grams of carbs per pound of body weight. The rest of your daily allowance, which should account for 15-35 percent of your total calorie intake, should go toward dietary fat. "Fats are important for hormone balance, including testosterone production, which is critical for building muscle mass," Pulido says.

Important Exercise Missing From Your Workout

BY GEOFF NEUPERT, YESTERDAY

I don’t know if you’ve noticed this or not, but in order for a workout to be any good these days, it has to be “intense.” Or “killer.”

But what if all this intensity isn’t necessarily the best thing for us? What if it’s actually getting in your way, robbing you of the results you’re so desperately looking for?