Classic Bodybuilding: Paul Grant's Mass-Building Methods

Classic Bodybuilding: 
The Wisdom of Paul Grant’s Muscle-Building Methods

Paul Grant, seen here in the '70s, was a Golden Age bodybuilder from Wales, with some excellent training wisdom.

Paul Grant, the “Welsh Dragon,” is a bodybuilder that may not be that well-known, but he had some fantastic muscle-building wisdom that more and more bodybuilders need to know about these days.  “Wisdom” isn’t always a word that can be associated with bodybuilders - or bodybuilding in general, to be honest - which is unfortunate, since there have always been at least some bodybuilders throughout the history of the “iron game” that have some wise thoughts, words, and ways of life.  And Paul Grant was one such man.

I first saw Paul Grant as a kid in the ‘80s when I watched the bodybuilding “documentary” Pumping Iron.  (I put the word “documentary” in quotes because it was more akin to modern reality television - scripted and set up by the filmmakers, but it had very little truth to it, other than the competitions themselves.)  Grant didn’t appear much in the film, other than when he placed 3rd in the IFBB Mr. Universe (won by Ken Waller), and was obviously displeased with the result, in which he clearly showed his displeasure (much to my delight watching it as a young man).

Even though he was from Wales - hence his nickname - he lived and trained at Gold’s Gym in California in the ‘70s, and was good friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger, in addition to working for Weider.

Grant had some true wisdom - as I mentioned - when it came to building muscle.  In fact, I think that some of his thoughts and ideas about muscle-building can be well used by the modern bodybuilder.  And I hope that you feel the same way as I do after you read this essay.

Grant followed what he called a 3-step plan for building muscle: exercise, diet, and rest - but it’s his thoughts on how to utilize these three steps that are the most important.  Grant said, “Getting massive is easy… provided that you train and eat correctly.  As far as the serious bodybuilder is concerned, he should only add dense muscularity… always strive for quality muscle.”  When it came to “quality muscle,” Grant did NOT believe in just adding bulk.  He thought that a bodybuilder should only add muscle mass while staying lean, and that there was no reason that he should “bulk up,” which just made it harder for the lifter to get lean later on when he needed to.

Grant claimed that by using his principles of mass-building, he was able to gain upward of 118 pounds of muscle in 7 years.

Back to his 3-step plan.  Grant said, “gaining weight and muscle size means that you must show a steady profit from training.  As in business, showing a profit depends upon spending a little less than you earn.”  He believed that the physical energy expended through serious mass training must be offset by the amount of quality muscle-building food, and the amount of quality rest and sleep that you are able to get.  “If you expend more energy than can be replaced through rest and diet, you will show no profit from your workout, and you will fail to gain.”

Grant believed that the first key was to make sure your diet was on point.  He believed in what he called “live foods," foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and muscle-building proteins that should be eaten in large quantities, with only a minimum amount of carbohydrates.  He recommended:

• Fresh fruit

• Fresh veggies

• Lean meats

• Poultry

• Seafood

• Cheese

• Eggs

• Milk

He believed that you should eat more food than you expended during your training, which meant you stayed in a slight caloric surplus.

The 2nd key(s) that Grant focused on was sleep and rest.  This is where I believe you can see Grant’s wisdom beginning to shine through.  Grant believed that people don’t relax enough, and they live constant, hectic lifestyles.  God only knows what he would think about today’s world of incessant distractions through constant interaction with cell phones, social media, and the way that modern people have to constantly be on the go, and constantly checking their various media accounts.  He believed that such a pace depletes a person of nervous and physical energy, resulting in perpetual fatigue.  He said that training under such conditions is more exhausting than beneficial, and that your exercise would be a total waste of time if it doesn’t take less out of you than what you can replace not just with good nutrition, but with excellent rest and sleep.

Grant believed that it was paramount for bodybuilding success that one learned to slow down and not live such a hectic lifestyle.  He recommended that one goes to bed a little earlier than he even thinks that he needs to do, and makes sure that he gets a minimum of 8 hours of sleep.  He said that you need to go to sleep early enough that you can get up and prepare for the day without rushing around.  You don’t want to rush around upon waking, but make sure that you have time to take care of your morning hygiene routine, and then have time for a nice, leisurely breakfast.

You should also take the time, he said, to make sure you rest as much as possible, taking two or - even better - three rest periods where you do little more than relax.  He thought that it was a good idea to have leisure time that allowed you to read, or to simply sit and be with your thoughts.  Although he never mentioned it, I would add that you should have a daily meditation and/or prayer routine that allows for further relaxation and rejuvenation.

The 3rd key to his program, of course, was his training program.  He believed that one truly didn’t need anything more than a 3-days-per-week, full-body program in order to gain muscle mass.  Here is the program that he said allowed him to gain the aforementioned 118 pounds of pure muscle over 7 years.

Paul Grant’s Mass-Building Program

Warm-up: Bent-knee sit-ups: 1 set of 25 reps

1. Squats: 5x5

2. Bench Press: 5x5

3. Dumbbell Pullovers: 5x10

4. Behind-the-Neck Press: 5x5

5. Barbell Rows: 5x5

6. Lying Triceps Extensions: 5x5

7. Barbell Curls: 5x5

8. Calf Raises: 5x20

Warmd-down: Bent-knee sit-ups: 1 set of 25

As you can see, there is nothing “special” about this, other than the fact that it requires hard work and dedication.  All of the sets listed are “straight” sets where you should attempt to get 5 sets of 5 with the same weight over all 5 sets.  If you manage 5 sets of 5 reps with the same weight, add weight at the next session.

Grant wasn’t that well-known after his brief “heyday” in the ‘70s, which is a real shame, because he had some great training advice, and an absolutely fantastic physique to go along with it.  Grant struggled with kidney issues from the time he was only 30 years old, and had trouble seeing from that point forward.  He died in 2003, 20 years ago, at the age of 60.  I hope this brief essay does just a little bit to remember the Welsh Dragon in all of his physique glory.

Most of the information in this article, and all of the quotes, comes from a February, 1976 issue of "Muscle Builder & Power" written by the great Gene Mozee.