Reimagining a Classic Bodybuilding Method for Strength and Power When I first started lifting—not to mention reading bodybuilding magazines—in the mid to late ‘80s, most bodybuilders trained the same way. By and large, although there were exceptions, mind you, so I don’t mean this as an entirely blanket statement, the majority of bodybuilders trained on either a 6-on, 1-off split, or a 3-on, 1-off split. The body was split 3 ways. Typically, one followed either a push (chest, shoulders, triceps)/pull (back and biceps)/legs split or an “antagonistic” split where you trained your chest and back one day, your shoulders, bis and tris the 2nd day, and, finally, your legs on the 3rd day. Although this seems as if it’s a lot of volume, especially if you’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid of “high-intensity” training, it was actually less work than bodybuilders from previous eras. Arnold, for instance, trained on a 6-on, 1-off split, but he trained each muscle group three times per w
Occasional All-Day Training Challenges for New Gains in Size and Strength In his book The Education of a Bodybuilder , Arnold Schwarzenegger discussed the fact that, on occasion, he and a training partner would take some weights into the woods and do endless sets of squats or other exercises. He said the first time they did this bit of insanity, he did something like 55 sets of high-rep squats with 250 pounds, and couldn’t walk correctly for over a week. He said it became a regular part of his training at the time. Eventually, it turned into several workout partners, women who would come along for some lovemaking, grilled meats for an all-night barbecue, and an endless amount of beer and/or wine-drinking. If I remember correctly, they would even swim naked in lakes and carry on as if they were gladiators or Vikings from centuries ago. When I read that as a teenager, crazy as I might have thought it to be, it also sounded like pure bodybuilding Valhalla—weights, wine and wome