In the world of bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger, often regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, stands as an iconic figure. His unparalleled physique and relentless dedication to training have inspired generations of fitness enthusiasts. In this article, we delve into the “Arnie Bible” of strength techniques, exploring the methods and principles that propelled Schwarzenegger to the pinnacle of physical excellence. From classic exercises to advanced training strategies, we uncover the key insights from Arnold’s legendary approach to building strength and muscle mass.
If you’re confused when your mates use the gym words “Negatives”, “Partials” or “Flushing”, I’m here to help boost your bodybuilding/hypertrophy training vocabulary. Here’s a list of the old-school intensity techniques used in strength training and bodybuilding/hypertrophy training, reminiscent of the Arnie-day era.
1.The Shocking Principle
This principle focuses on continuously changing the stress placed on the muscles. Methods include adding more weight, increasing reps/sets, speeding up the movements, shortening rest times, trying new exercises, and altering exercise sequences.
2. Forced Reps
A training partner supplies a little extra help so you can lift the concentric at the end of your set. The purpose of this is to stimulate a greater number of muscle fibers. You can also use your own body to help, for example, use your legs with a push press. Another way you can perform forced reps is to rest/pause and then continue the set, however if you rest too long you end up using the same muscle fibres rather than stimulating new ones.
3. Partial Reps
Continue pushing out partial range reps when you are too tired to complete full reps (at the end of a hard set).
4. Isolation Training
This technique targets specific weaknesses by focusing on particular muscle groups. For instance, opting for pec flies over bench presses emphasizes the pecs, rather than engaging the triceps and deltoids. Further isolation can be achieved with incline dumbbell flies to target the upper pecs. For meticulous detail, incline cable crossovers can be performed to target the inner area of the upper pecs.
5. Negative Reps
Negative reps put more stress on passive structures (ligaments, tendons). The weight is lowered slowly and with control. You can use the Cheating Method to put more stress on the negatives.
6. Cheating Method
Deliberately use other muscle groups to help lift a concentric in co-operation with the target muscle. For example, when starting to fail with a barbell curl, start using your shoulders and back (slightly) to assist another 4-5 reps. This is essentially a forced rep (as mentioned above). Cheating is used to make the exercise harder, not easier! It is a way of doing forced reps without a training partner, just make sure the extra effort is just enough and not excessive so that the target muscles are still being forced to contract to the max.
7. Heavy-Duty Method
This refers to different approaches where you extend your sets following your regular reps with forced reps, negatives, forced negatives, partial reps to exhaustion.
8. Power Sets – For Max Strength and Power
Keep adding weight so your sets reduce from 6 reps to 4, 3, 2 reps and then finish with 2 sets at 1 rep (as an example). Bench, squat, deadlift are common exercises to perform power sets (for max lifts to finish).
9. Staggered Sets
Doing several sets per targeted body part with heightened intensity interspersed between other exercises is an effective strategy. For instance, if you’re focusing on improving calf development, you might alternate sets of calf exercises with sets for other body parts, such as bench presses or back exercises. This approach ensures dedicated attention to lagging muscle groups while maintaining overall workout intensity.
10. Priority Principle
Prioritizing weak or lagging areas can be achieved through various methods:
- Target a specific body part, like calves, right after a rest day when you’re fresh and energized.
- Initiate your workout with exercises for the lagging body part instead of leaving them for the end when fatigue sets in.
- Modify your training program to incorporate additional intensity training specifically for the lagging body part.
11. Super-Sets
Perform exercises consecutively without rest. Tri-sets involve three exercises performed back-to-back with no rest, intensifying the workout. Super-setting within the same muscle group targets it extensively, maximizing fiber engagement. Alternatively, super-setting two muscle groups, like opposing ones, allows for active rest, enhancing overall work capacity in the set timeframe.
12. Stripping Method
Reduce the weight upon reaching failure to extend the set and engage additional muscle fibers. Quick weight reduction prevents exhausted fibers from recovering, ensuring continued recruitment of fresher muscle fibers.
13. Pre-Exhaust Principle
The total bodybuilding effect occurs when you fully stimulate and innervate as many muscle fibers as possible. Planning your training to pre-exhaust and fatigue the major muscles first allows for comprehensive activation. For instance, in a Bench press targeting the pecs, front deltoids, and triceps, pre-exhausting the pecs first ensures all three muscle groups fatigue simultaneously during the Bench exercise, maximizing overall muscle engagement.
14. I Go / You Go
This is training with a partner and immediately doing your set after theirs has finished, never putting the weight down. If you are aiming for hypertrophy and going to failure each set, the number of reps will get shorter each time. This is more appropriate for small muscles, such as biceps, deltoids and calves and not so good for bigger compound exercises like squats and bent-over rows that require more rest and are too demanding on the central nervous system.
15. Flushing Method
Holding a relatively light weight steady at various points. For example for deltoid lateral raises, after your muscles have fatigued with your normal set, hold the arms out at various heights and perform an isometric hold.
16. Multi-Exercise Sets
This technique involves performing a different exercise for each set within the same muscle group. For instance, you might start with overhead barbell military press, followed by single arm dumbbell overhead press, then seated incline overhead press, and so on. Resting between sets allows for optimal recovery and performance.
17. One-And-A-Half Method
Do a complete rep, then a half rep and repeat.
18. The Plantoon System
Perform a sequence of half reps in the lower range of motion (e.g., dumbbell curl from the start position to elbows flexed at 90 degrees), followed by a series of reps in the upper range of motion (e.g., dumbbell curl from 90 degrees elbow flexion to full flexion), and finally, complete a series of full reps.
19. Speed Training
Explode the weight up rather than lifting at a constant speed. This recruits maximal amounts of fast-twitch fibers, which are larger and stronger than slow-twitch fibers. Speed training induces constant failure as there’s always a limit to acceleration. Best suited for exercises engaging large muscle groups like speed deadlifts, squats, and bench presses.
These are some weight training methods for gaining muscle mass and bodybuilding purposes. If your goal is strength rather than bodybuilding, you may be interested in strength training intensity methods such as Contrast and Reactive Methods, Relaxed-Overcome-By-Dynamic Work, Isometrics, Eccentrics, Plyometrics, Lactic Acid Tolerance Training, Repetition Work and a comprehensive array of Assistance Lifts to focus on your weak areas. These can be found in another post.
In conclusion, the Arnie-inspired techniques outlined here offer a comprehensive toolkit for enhancing strength and muscle development. By incorporating these old-school methods into your training regimen, you can push past plateaus, stimulate muscle growth, and achieve greater overall gains. From intensity techniques to pre-exhaustion strategies, each method serves to challenge the body in unique ways, promoting adaptation and progression. Whether you’re a seasoned lifter or just starting out, experimenting with these techniques can take your strength training to the next level, helping you sculpt a physique worthy of the Arnie legacy.