What We Know About Successful Bodybuilders

The following statements are true for nearly every successful bodybuilder I’ve ever met.
They are consistent.
Every successful bodybuilder I’ve ever met has been training for an extended period of time. They have
remained consistent for 5, 10, 15 and even 20 years. They rarely miss workouts, or scheduled meals for that matter.
They are strong.
While most of these bodybuilders will tell you, I don’t train for strength, they are inhumanly strong. Pound for pound, most of them give me a run for the money in the strength department. I have never met a weak, successful bodybuilder.
They evolve their training.
Each of these athletes has a very distinctive form of training that suits them, and only them. They have meticulously evolved their training over the years to fit their specific needs and weaknesses.
They embrace the hard
exercises.
One of the questions I ask most top bodybuilders is, what are your top 3 exercises for mass? 90% of them respond with squats, deadlifts and the bench press. Some prefer front squats over squats, and many prefer incline bench presses over bench presses. Each of these lifts is hard, and is certainly not avoided.
They don’t guess.
When it comes to meal plans, top bodybuilders don’t guess. You don’t hear them say “I think I am eating X amount of calories or Y grams of protein.” They know exactly what goes into their bodies.
They supplement heavily.
I know this sounds like a sales pitch, but it’s the truth. I swear I’m not trying to sell you a thing. While each of these athletes will be the first to tell you that food supplements aren’t magic pills and powders, at least 95% of the bodybuilders I’ve met use 4-10 different supplements a day, or more.
Someone is likely to call BS on this, but I assure you it’s a reality. These guys take every small advantage they can get. If you don’t believe me, go ask a top natural pro yourself.
They eat frequently.
Yes, they eat frequently. I understand that as of late intermittent fasting has become an extremely popular option in the muscle building world. I’m certainly not trying to bash the fasting community by revealing the truth about how these guys eat. It is what it is.
99% of the successful bodybuilders I’ve met eat 5, 6, 7 or 8 times a day. The only bodybuilder I’ve personally met who doesn’t eat this often is Layne Norton. I believe he eats 3-4 times a day.
They are gray.
Gray? Yes, gray. Nearly every top bodybuilder knows that there are few black and white answers in the world of muscle building and nutrition. What works for one guy might not work for another. They understand that most questions have gray answers, not black or white solutions.

Arnold Schwarzenegger training full body split

Heavy movements stimulate the deep-lying muscle fibers that lighter movements never reach. The objective is to use fewer exercises, employ heavier weights and train your whole body in one workout. I gained most of my weight and massiveness on a program of 10 exercises that I performed three times a week. After I reached a satisfactory bodyweight, I changed over to the more advanced split system and began training six days a week.”
“If you need to put on 20 pounds or more, the following program is for you.”
Gain-Weight Routine

Books by Arnold

Squats 5 x 8,8,6,6,6
Bench Presses 5 x 8,8,6,6,6
Incline Presses 5 x 8,8,6,6,6
Wide-Grip Chins 5 x 8-10
Bent-Over Rows 5 x 8,8,6,6,6
Behind-the-Neck-Presses 5 x 8,8,6,6,6
Barbell Curls 5 x 8,8,6,6,6
Lying Triceps Extensions 5 x 8,8,6,6,6
Deadlifts 5 x 3-5 (building up to one max set)
Machine Calf Raises 5 x 10-15
“The above program will build tremendous size and power, but it’s too rugged for the beginning bodybuilder. Here’s a more appropriate version for the novice.”
Beginner Routine

Bent-knee Situps 1 x 15-25
Squats 3 x 10
Bench Presses 3 x 8-10
Bent-Over Rows 3 x 8-10
Military Presses 3 x 8-10
Barbell Curls 3 x 8-10
Deadlifts 2 x 10
Machine Calf Raises 3 x 15-20
Bent-leg Leg Raises 1 x 15-25
“During the first week of training do only one set of each exercise and rest for two to three minutes between exercises. Do two sets for the second week and increase to three sets for the fourth week. If the reps are easy when you hit the top number in the listed range, add weight to the bar – five to 10 pounds is sufficient. Increase the weight whenever possible, but use correct form at all times without straining. Beginners can make continuous progress for at least three months on this program.”
“If you’re a bodybuilder who works long hours or has limited time to train for some other reason, try the following routine.”
Abbreviated Mass Routine
Squats 5 x 6-8

Bench Presses 5 x 6-8
Wide-Grip Chins
or Pulldowns 5 x 8-10
Behind-the-Neck-Presses 5 x 6-8
Barbell Curls 5 x 6-8
Lying Triceps Extensions 5 x 6-8
Deadlifts 5 x 3-5 (building up to one max set)
“Although this version is somewhat shorter, some people gain faster on fewer exercises – probably because they’re able to recuperate better and they don’t become exhausted from their training.”
- “Rest for two minutes between sets of squats and deadlifts, but for most other exercises keep your rest to no more than 1 1/2 minutes.”
- “Use these programs three days a week with at least a day of rest between workouts. For example, train on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”
Of course there was more to the article than that, but that sums it up.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Old School Bodybuilding Workout

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Old School Bodybuilding Workout
Arnold is probably the most famous bodybuilder of all time, he won Mr. Olympia
seven times (1970-1975, 1980) and brought bodybuilding into the national spotlight
in the movie “Pumpin Iron”.
Arnold’s Top Form Measurements
Arms 22 inches
Chest 57 inches
Waist 34 inches
Thighes 28.5 inches
Calves 20 inches
Weight 235 pounds
Height 6’2″
Arnold was from the old “No Pain No Gain” school of bodybuilding and his
routines consisted of high sets and reps, mostly not to failure. He trained
each muscle group three times each week (except calves, forearms & abs
which he trained every day), using a six day split routine.
There was very little rest between sets, and he usually increased weight each
and every set. Although he experimented with high reps at times, he usually
preferred a rep range of about 6 to 10.
The following is a typical Arnold routine, but be aware that Arnold’s routine
changed constantly. At times he trained twice a day, while at other times
once a day was enough. There were periods when he did lots supersets
and giant sets. Arnold tried every thing, and picked what worked best for
him at that particular time. By mixing things up he challenged his strength
and endurance and the training variety helped keep him fresh and motivated!
Remember this is a very advanced bodybuilding routine and should not be used
by beginners or intermediates, and even advanced bodybuilder’s should only
take what they think will work best for them and adapt it to their own
bodybuilding philosophy.
Arnold’s Workout Routine
Mon, Wed, Fri
Chest:
Bench press 5 x 6-10
Flat bench flyes 5 x 6-10
Incline bench press 6 x 6-10
Cable crossovers 6 x 10-12
Dips (body weight) 5 x failure
Dumbell pullovers 5 x 10-12.
Back:
Wide-grip chins (to front) 6 x failure
T-bar rows 5 x 6-10
Seated pulley rows 6 x 6-10
One-arm dumbell rows 5 x 6-10
Straight-leg deadlifts 6 x 15
Legs:
Squats 6 x 8-12
Leg press 6 x 8-12
Leg extensions 6 x 12-15
Leg curls 6 x 10-12
Barbell lunges 5 x 15
Calves:
Standing calf raises 10 x 10
Seated calf raises 8 x 15
Oneplegged calf raises (holding dumbells) 6×12
Forearms:
Wrist curls (forearms on knees) – 4 sets, 10 reps
Reverse barbell curls – 4 sets, 8 reps
Wright roller machine – to failure
Abs:
1/2 hour of a variety of nonspecific abdominal exercises, done virtually nonstop.
Tues, Thurs, Sat
Biceps:
Barbell curls 6 x 6-10
Seated dumbell curls 6 x 6-10
Dumbell concentration curls 6 x 6-10
Triceps:
Close-grip bench presses 6 x 6-10
Pushdowns 6 x 6-10
French press (barbell) 6 x 6-10
One-arm triceps extensions (dumbell) 6 x 6-10
Shoulders:
Seated barbell presses 6 x 6-10
Lateral raises (standing) 6 x 6-10
Rear-delt lateral raises 5 x 6-10
Cable lateral raises 5 x 10-12
Calves , Forearms & Abs:
Same as Monday, Wednesday, Friday workout
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