Classic Bodybuilding: Sergio Oliva's Arm-Building Methods

The Upper Arm Training of "The Myth"

Sergio Oliva's massive upper arm development

Sergio Oliva is, I believe, the greatest outright bodybuilder of all time. Here at Integral Strength, he gets the distinction of being the only bodybuilder (I think, at least😏) that I've featured now for a second time in a "Classic Bodybuilding" piece. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Oliva—for most, he really needs no introduction, but I would still recommend that you read this—then check out my previous post/essay on his mass-gaining methods entitled, "The Legendary Mass-Building Method and Workouts of 'The Myth' - and the Story Behind Them." And there's no reason to rehash the same stuff I wrote there, but, just for an introduction to this article, here is what I wrote on "The Myth":

Early Career
Sergio was born and raised in Cuba, and he got his start in Olympic weightlifting where he totaled almost 1,000 pounds in the Middle Heavyweight division (198 lbs) in (what were then) the 3 competitive lifts: the press, the snatch, and the clean and jerk. He spent his first 4 years of training using solely a weightlifting program.

In order to avoid the Communist regime that had taken over the country, Sergio defected from Cuba in 1962, where he settled in Chicago, and began working out at the Duncan YMCA, a legendary training facility for weightlifters and bodybuilders. There, he met the aforementioned Bob Gajda, who told him that he had the genetics to make it in the sport of bodybuilding. Apparently, he was skeptical at first—Olympic weightlifters didn’t think much of bodybuilding at the time; I doubt they still do—but Gajda ultimately convinced him. Under Gajda’s tutelage, he switched from building strength to building muscle. It was a decision that bodybuilding history should always be grateful for!


Sergio’s Advanced Mass-Building Methods
Oliva studied the many and varied training methods of that era’s bodybuilding stars. According to Gene Mozee, he was most influenced by the workouts and techniques of Dave Draper, Larry Scott, and Harold Poole, but he eventually settled upon his own unique methods that incorporated limited exercises per bodypart per workout combined with different rep ranges and, at times, some very heavy poundages.

Sergio’s methods allowed him to reach a massive “in-contest-shape” 230 pounds by 1968. By then, he sported 21-inch arms, a 53-inch chest, 28-inch thighs, and 19-inch calves, all combined together with a 29-inch waist.

During this time, there were no big, lucrative money contracts for bodybuilding stars. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, he labored in a foundry all day, lifted for 2 and a half to 3 hour on training days, and would often take his wife out dancing once the training for the night was over. The man had obviously developed a massive work capacity in addition to massive muscles.

Sergio Loved the Pump
Sergio loved incorporating a limited amount of exercises per bodypart, but sometimes performed up to 20 sets per exercise—he was definitely a bodybuilder who believed in “chasing the pump”, to use a term favored by many classic bodybuilders, and doing so with just one, or at the most two, exercises for whatever bodypart he was working.

Here is what I had to say about him in a ’97 issue of IronMan magazine entitled “Monster Pump”:
Oliva’s favorite way to work out was with high sets and lots of reps. He often employed a form of rest/pause training, in which, for example, if he was working his chest, he’d do a set of bench presses for 6 to 8 reps, pause for a few breaths, perform another set, pause for a few more breaths, crank out another set and so on. That type of fast, localized training gave Oliva a tremendous pump and helped him build one of the most amazing physiques ever.


Arm Training Specifics
Most of the arm-training advice in this particular article comes from an article that Gene Mozee wrote about Oliva's arm training in an old "Muscle Builder/Power" magazine from the '70s. It was a Weider rag, and, originally, Weider published both a "Muscle Builder" and a "Muscle Power" magazine, until he combined them together sometime in the late '60s.

Early in Oliva's career, even though he was winning competitions, and even though his arms were massive, he knew that he wasn't going to be able to win a "top" contest—such as the Mr. Olympia—if he didn't bring out more separation and density to compliment the size of his arms. Here is what Mozee wrote about Oliva's arm training development at this time of his career (from the aforementioned article) here:

Sergio was criticized at the time because his physique lacked separation, even though he was in top shape without an ounce of fat. "So unanimous was the criticism that I had to completely reassess my development," he said. "It was then that I realized I had to discard many of the training techniques I had been using and find new ones that would be more effective."

He started studying the training methods of other elite bodybuilders and reading everything he could find on arm training, seeking the answer to the problem of increasing shape, separation and definition. He eventually incorporated many of those ideas into his own unique system.

"Most bodybuilders think that just the biceps and triceps form the total upper arm," Sergio stated. "Not true -- the brachialis underlies the biceps and inserts near the elbow. This muscle is essential, for without its full development the elbow area looks weak and underdeveloped."

Sergio went on to explain that the brachialis is brought into use during curling and reverse curling movements. "It can be especially developed by the reverse curl -- an exercise that I have always included in my workouts. Look at any of my arm poses and you can clearly see the brachialis development.

"You should consider the upper arms as being composed of three major muscles -- the biceps, triceps and brachialis," Sergio continued, "and each must be fully developed if you want the acme of arm development. That is how I got my arms up over 21 inches.

Sergio used two particular techniques to the fullest to do this -- supersets and super-concentration. It is one thing to perform supersets -- and quite another to perform them with the utmost concentration. He favored supersets because they are a time saver that enabled him to get more into -- and out of -- his workouts. "They make it possible to attack my arms more fiercely, giving them a saturation that forces them to grow larger and more defined more rapidly."

Sergio considers concentration to be the "true key to success in bodybuilding." "I am convinced that without concentration you can't develop your body to its fullest. He further stated that without concentration your physique will be incomplete and not symmetrical. "Therefore, I work hard and force every rep of every set, all the while concentrating to the limit of my capabilities. I keep my mind focused directly on the actual movement of the weight -- on the exact muscle I want to work and on the correctness of my form in doing that."

Sergio credits the combination of supersets and maximum concentration with adding a lot of his size, shape and separation. "I can't stress the importance of concentration too much," he said. "Keep a constant reminder in your gym or locker with a sign that says "CONCENTRATE!" If you're preoccupied with other things your workout will be partially wasted, and talk after the workout -- not during it."


Sergio trained his arms 2x weekly. The following is the exact routine he used to bring his arms to a massive, and shapely, 21 inches:

Sergio Oliva's Advanced Arm Blast

Superset 1:
Standing BB Curls, 5x8
Reverse BB Curls, 5x15.

Superset 2:
Scott Curls, 5x8
Standing BB Extensions, 5x8.

Superset 3:
Lying BB Extensions, 5x8
Standing DB Extensions, 5x8.

Superset 4:
Seated DB Curls, 5x8-10
DB Concentration Curls, 5x10.

Superset 5:
Pressdowns, 5x10
Reverse Pressdowns, 5x10.



Finally, here are the tips that Mozee offered (if you're "brave" enough to put this program to work for your arm mass!):
This program is of course only for advanced men, and even they should break into it gradually. It is definitely not for beginning or intermediate bodybuilders.

Use strict form on all the exercises so the target muscle gets maximum benefit from the movement. Keep your body movements to a minimum at all times.

If you're a very advanced trainee don't stop after five supersets of the Scott curls and standing extensions in superset 2. Instead, decrease the weight on both exercises by about 20% and do three more supersets, increasing the reps to 10. Also, do them a bit faster than the first five supersets.

Handle as heavy a weight as possible on all exercises, but don't sacrifice form for poundage. Always strive for a complete range of motion on every movement.

For superset 4 keep your body perfectly still on both exercises and use very strict form. Concentrate intensely on the action of the biceps, and cramp and tense them at the top of the curling movement.

On the pressdowns always make sure that your body is solidly planted, that only the triceps work and that you apply equal pressure with both arms.

If you want maximum gains, concentrate on every rep of every set of every exercise completely.