CHAPTER 86

Classic Routines of the Superstars

“It’s interesting to note that in spite of all the new selectorized weight-stack machines, the pulleys, cams and air-pressure apparatus, virtually every successful bodybuilder agrees: nothing builds huge muscles faster than rugged workouts with free weights. And it was in the golden era of bodybuilding, from the ’50s to the ’70s, that all the principles of training were invented.”

– Editorial in MuscleMag International

Having looked at the training routines for many of the current champs, I thought it might be interesting to show you how some of the champs from the past trained. As there are virtually thousands of workouts to choose from I’ve selected what I call a “best bodyparts” routine from some of the greatest bodybuilding superstars in the history of the sport. Enjoy.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

Chest

When it comes to the most famous bodybuilders of all time, Arnold Schwarzenegger definitely ranks number one. In fact Arnold’s name seems to get mentioned more often than all the rest combined. What separates Arnold from the rest is that he became just as successful in movies and politics as he did on the Olympia stage. It’s safe to say that the sport of body-building wouldn’t be where it is now without Arnold’s popularity. Not bad for a 19-year-old who got off a plane in Los Angeles in 1968 with nothing but a great body – and ambition to spare.

Even by today’s standards Arnold’s chest was one of the greatest of all time. From sternum to ribcage to pec-delt tie-in, Arnold’s chest was and still is the envy of millions. Given that he trained during the 1960s and 1970s, it’s not surprising that he relied heavily on barbells and dumbells to build those two slabs of beef. At that time, few machines were available with the exceptions of the Universal multi-station and the cable crossover. By today’s standards Arnold’s chest routine may seem outdated, but look at the results. How many current Mr. Olympia competitors could have compared side chest shots with Arnold at his best? Not many, I assure you.

A typical chest day would see Arnold and his good friend Franco Columbu starting out with 4 or 5 sets of flat barbell presses for 8 to 10 reps. Most of his sets were carried to positive failure, but occasionally he’d have Franco give him one or two forced reps.

After flat presses Arnold moved on to incline barbell presses for 5 quality sets to failure of 8 to 10 reps per set.

With his two primary mass-builders complete, Arnold’s third exercise was flat dumbell flyes. For those who question the training intensity of the “old guys” of the sport, rent Pumping Iron and take a look at Arnold doing flat flyes. If that doesn’t inspire you, please change sports!

To finish off his 58-inch chest, Arnold did 5 sets of standing cable crossovers. Again the reps were carried to positive failure and performed in a slow and controlled manner.

SCHWARZENEGGER’S CHEST WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Flat Barbell Presses	5	8-10
Incline Barbell Presses	5	8-10
Flat Dumbell Flyes	5	8-10
Cable Crossovers	5	8-10

Arnold displays his still-envied chest in this side-chest shot.
Photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger

Few people would disagree that the best legs of all time belonged to Tom Platz.
Photo of Tom Platz

TOM PLATZ

Legs

Given the thousands of bodybuilders who have made it to the national or pro level of the sport it’s bold to claim that one bodybuilder or another had the best-ever version of any particular bodypart. I say Arnold had the best chest; others counter with Serge Nubret or Lou Ferrigno. Yates’ back gets top marks from many, but guys like Haney, Coleman and Cutler are right there as well. For shoulders Oliva was considered king, but how about Christian and Dillett? For every best there is a counter best.

When it comes to legs, however, few will argue that the best belonged to Tom Platz. Even among today’s top pros, no one has the same degree of leg size, completion and separation as Tom’s legs from the early 1980s. In many respects Tom’s legs actually held him back as he could never bring his upper body up to the level of those 30+ inch monsters.

One writer from the 1980s said watching Tom Platz train legs was like watching a freight train careening out of control. How does 600-pound squats for 20 reps grab you?

During his heyday Tom had three different leg workouts that he rotated. On the first leg workout he’d do squats and hack squats. The second he’d do all hack squats. Finally for his third leg workout he’d do high-rep squats. Then close to a competition he’d add in leg extensions on day two.

Although Tom’s hamstrings were also among the best of all time, his hamstring workout usually consisted of just one exercise: lying leg curls (remember there weren’t many seated or standing leg curls available in the ’70s and early ’80s).

PLATZ’S LEG WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Squats	8–10	5–35
Hack Squats	5–8	10–15
Lying Leg Curls	6–8	10–15

Photos of Sergio Oliva

Sergio believed in training opposing muscles together – his superior chest and back were proof that this practice worked.

SERGIO OLIVA

Chest and Back

He was nicknamed “The Myth,” and for good reason. Most competitors didn’t believe that he was for real. Pound for pound the Cuban-born Oliva carried as much muscle as any bodybuilder in history – past or present. But what made Oliva’s physique so devastating was that in this age of 35- and even 40-inch midsections, Oliva’s waist was down in the 28-inch range. When you combined this with his over-55-inch chest and two of the largest sets of delts and arms in history, the end result was nothing short of frightening. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger was taken aback the first time he saw Oliva in person.

Oliva was a firm believer that since the body’s opposing muscles evolved to function together they should be trained together. For this reason he often trained chest and back together in a superset fashion. A typical Oliva chest-and-back day would look something like this:

OLIVA’S CHEST-AND-BACK WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Wide-Grip Chins (superset with)      Flat Bench Presses	4–5	8–10
Narrow-Grip Chins (superset with)      Incline Barbell Presses	3–4	6–8
Wide-Grip Rows (superset with)      Narrow-Grip Rows	3–4	6–8
Deadlifts (superset with)      Good Mornings	3–4	6–8
T-Bar Rows (superset with) Machine Pullovers	3–4	6–8

MIKE CHRISTIAN

Shoulders

Although Lee Haney dominated bodybuilding for most of the 1980s, it wasn’t a complete walk in the park for the big Georgian. One of his fiercest competitors was Mike Christian. While Haney had the edge in most muscle groups, as far as shoulders went, mighty Mike held his own and then some.

Mike is the first to admit that his shoulders always responded quickly to training. In fact he often went long stretches without even training them as they received adequate stimulation from just doing his chest and back workouts.

When he did train them, Mike liked to alternate a heavy day with a light day. He was also more partial to free weights, primarily using barbells and dumbells for most of his shoulder exercises. The only exception was the reverse pec-deck for his rear deltoids.

CHRISTIAN’S SHOULDER WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Behind-the-Neck Barbell Presses	4	10–12
Side Dumbell Raises	4	10–12
Front Dumbell Raises	4	10–12
Reverse Pec-Deck	4	10–12

Mike’s shoulders responded well to training and he used this genetically gifted bodypart to his advantage.
Photo of Mike Christian

Flex flexes one of his greatest assets: his back.
Photo of Flex Wheeler

FLEX WHEELER

Back

According to many bodybuilding fans, bodybuilding reached its zenith in the early to mid-1990s with Flex Wheeler. At his best (around 1993) Flex carried about 230 pounds on his near-flawless physique. Many believed he combined the best of both worlds: massive size along with shape and proportions. No part of the Wheeler physique was underdeveloped or overpowering. It was perfect balance all around.

It’s not surprising that a physique this proportioned was built with great variety. Flex was a firm believer in rotating his exercises on a regular basis and his back training was no different. Flex was one of the few guys in the 1990s who could hold his own in back shots with six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates. Here’s a typical back workout for Flex:

WHEELER’S BACK WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Wide-Grip Front Pulldowns	5–6	10
One-Arm Dumbell Rows	5–6	10
Close-Grip Pulldowns	5–6	10

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

Calves

It’s hard to believe that a guy who became famous for his calves had at one time totally neglected them. But repeated goading from Reg Park and Joe Weider (and a desire to be the absolute best in the sport) convinced Arnold to get serious about his calf training. Once Arnold decided to start blasting his calves it was all-out war. Typically he’d pick four exercises and do 5 or 6 sets of higher reps of each exercise. Within five years Arnold’s calves had become full-blown cows, and to this day few bodybuilders sport the same calf development as did the Austrian Oak.

SCHWARZENEGGER’S CALF WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Donkey Calf Raises	5-6	15-20
Standing Calf Raises	5-6	12-15
Seated Calf Raises	5-6	12-15
Toe Presses on Leg Press Machine	5-6	12-15

The Oak had a set of calves still largely unrivaled in the sport.
Photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger

SERGE NUBRET

Chest

Serge Nubret, born in Guadeloupe in the French West Indies, won just about every top bodybuilding contest. If not for a combination of Arnold Schwarzenegger and politics, Serge Nubret may well have been the dominant bodybuilder of the 1970s. Odds are he would have won the Mr. Olympia if not for Arnold’s presence.

Realizing that he probably could never beat Arnold, and having had a falling out with the IFBB, Serge started competing in rival organizations during the late ’70s and early ’80s. While his lower body was never his strong point, his upper body is considered one of the greatest of all time. With one of the greatest waist/chest differentials in history, it’s safe to say that few bodybuilders looked as good as Serge did just standing there.

Serge’s training style was as unique as it was effective. In a time of high-volume training Serge took things to the extreme. He routinely did 20 to 30 sets for his muscle groups and used weights that most modern bodybuilders would consider warmup weights. But the results speak for themselves.

Other than perhaps his abdominals, Serge’s chest was his greatest asset. From collarbone to lower ribcage, Serge’s chest resembled two oversized balloons. Perhaps the most amazing thing about Serge’s chest was how he built it. Believe it or not, he used just one exercise throughout his long training career: the flat barbell press. During a typical workout Serge would use from 185 to 225 pounds and do 20 sets of 15 to 20 reps. That was it. If you’ve been doing multiple-exercise chest workouts using heavy weight without seeing results, why not give Serge’s workout a try?

NUBRET’S CHEST WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Flat Barbell Presses	20	15-20

Serge followed a unique training style and possessed one of the greatest upper bodies of all time.
Photo of Serge Nubret by Chris Lund

MOHAMMED MAKKAWY

Abdominals

When you weigh 170 to 175 pounds at your best and you’re competing against guys weighing 240 and 250 pounds, you quickly realize that you need to present the judges with a complete package if you hope to have any chance of winning. Such a complete package was Egypt’s Mohammed Makkawy. During the early 1980s, this near-perfect example of humanity won numerous Grand Prix events, including victories over future eight-time Mr. Olympia winner Lee Haney.

Mohammed won these contests by playing his own game, not by trying to match mass with the 240-pounders. Once he figured out that nothing less than perfect proportions would beat Haney and company, he modified his training to accomplish this goal. At the center of his great physique was a small, tight, rock-hard set of abdominals. Mohammed never believed that diet alone would bring out the abs, so he treated them like any other muscle.

During a typical ab workout he would do various combinations of crunches, leg raises and twists, to bring out his upper and lower abs and obliques.

MAKKAWY’S AB WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Hanging Leg Raises	4-5	15-20
Bench Leg Raises	4-5	15-20
Crunches	4-5	15-20
Stick Twists	4-5	40-50

Because he weighed less than most of his opponents, Mohammed focused on perfecting his proportions.
Photo of Mohammed Makkawy by Roger Shelley

ROBBY ROBINSON

Biceps

Robby Robinson is one of the true legends of the sport, having won pro contests in three decades. Robby first got inspired to compete after seeing pictures of Sergio Oliva competing at the 1967 Mr. Olympia. From his first major win at the 1975 Mr. America to his win at the 50-and-over Masters Mr. Olympia in 1997, Robby Robinson has served as a role model for millions of bodybuilders the world over.

While Robby could be criticized for having calves a tad too small to be proportionate with the rest of his physique, they never held him back in competition. As for his upper body, Robby’s was one of the greatest ever. The centerpiece of Robby’s awe-inspiring physique was his pair of arms. In short, they were perfect. His biceps resembled two baseballs and his triceps had that beefy horseshoe look. Unlike some bodybuilders with one arm slighter bigger or higher peaked than the other (Arnold being the best example), Robby’s arms were like mirror images of one another.

Robby usually began his biceps workout with standing barbell curls. After a couple of light warmup sets Robby would blast out 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps.

Another favorite Robinson exercise was preacher curls. While on occassion he’d substitute dumbells, more often than not he’d use the barbell. As with standing curls he typically did 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps.

To finish off those great guns of his, Robby did 4 sets of one-arm dumbell concentration curls. Every rep was performed in a slow and deliberate manner with no bouncing or jerking. As this was his last exercise, he did slightly higher reps – usually in the 8-to-12 range.

Photo of Robby Robinson by Ralph DeHaan

A true bodybuilding legend, Robby Robinson had an impressive upper body.
Photo of Robby Robinson by Alex Ardenti

ROBINSON’S BICEPS WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Standing Barbell Curls	4	6-8
Preacher Curls	4	6-8
Concentration Curls	4	8-12

DORIAN YATES

Back

If Arnold owned the 1970s and Lee Haney dominated the 1980s, then the 1990s were surely the era of “The Shadow” – England’s Dorian Yates. Dorian didn’t fit the mold of the typical champion bodybuilder. Not only did he live far away from the sandy beaches of California, his training style was also unique for the time. Borrowing heavily on the writings of Dr. Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer, Dorian averaged about 6 to 8 sets per muscle group. At the time, the vast majority of bodybuilders followed the high-volume approach to training and it wasn’t uncommon to see bodybuilders slaving away in the gym for two, three or more hours every day. While Mentzer had some success on the competitive stage, it was Yates with his six straight Mr. Olympia wins that influenced a whole generation of bodybuilders.

Of all the parts that made up his solid 260-pound body his back stood out the most. He was probably the first bodybuilder to demonstrate that white athletes could develop a back just as thick and detailed as black athletes. In fact, for most of his Mr. Olympia years, Dorian’s back was the standard by which all others were measured.

Many consider the 1990s to have been dominated by Dorian Yates, “The Shadow,” from England.
Photo of Dorian Yates

YATES’ BACK WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Reverse-Grip Pulldowns	3	8-15
Reverse-Grip Barbell Rows	2	8-12
Seated Cable Rows	2	8-12
Back Extensions or Deadlifts	2	8-12

LOU FERRIGNO

Chest

Not counting Arnold Schwarzenegger, the most famous bodybuilder of the 1970s was Lou Ferrigno. Standing 6'5" and weighing around 270 in contest condition, Lou was by far the largest bodybuilder competing at the time. With wins at the Mr. America and Mr. Universe and a starring role in the 1975 groundbreaking documentary Pumping Iron, big Lou was set to inherit Arnold’s Mr. Olympia title. But then Hollywood came calling. Lou was cast as the Marvel comics super-hero The Incredible Hulk, and every week millions tuned in to see mild-mannered David Banner turn into the hulking green socially conscious monster. When Lou (playing the Hulk) hit those famous most-muscular growls, his upper body would explode into a series of bulges, bumps and striations. At the center of this eruption was Lou’s 60-inch chest.

As expected of someone who idolized Sergio and Arnold, Lou’s chest routines were primarily done with barbells and dumbells. He didn’t add in cables until close to contest time. A typical chest workout from Lou’s Incredible Hulk days would look like this:

FERRIGNO’S SHOULDER WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Flat Barbell or Dumbell Presses	4	8-10
Flat or Incline Flyes	4	8-10
Flat or Incline Presses	4	8-10
Cable Crossovers	4	8-10

Lou idolized Arnold and Sergio and performed his chest training mostly with barbell and dumbell moves.
Photo of Lou Ferrigno

The most famous set of biceps in the history of bodybuilding.
Photos of Arnold Schwarzenegger by Art Zeller

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

Biceps

It only makes sense to end this chapter with perhaps the most famous set of biceps in bodybuilding history. Today’s champions may be popular and their routines may be followed, but Arnold’s biceps routines are probably still the most popular in the world. The photo on the cover of his autobiography Education of a Bodybuilder has yet to be duplicated.

Although he varied his exercises on a regular basis, Arnold always included a couple of barbell and dumbell exercises in his biceps workouts. He also tended to divide his training into nine months of mass building and three months of pre-contest refining. A typical Schwarzenegger off-season workout would look like this:

SCHWARZENEGGER’S BICEPS WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Standing Barbell Curls	4-5	8-10
Preacher Curls	4-5	8-10
Standing Alternate Dumbell Curls	4-5	8-10
Standing Bent-Over Concentration Curls	4-5	8-10

Photo of Henrick Jensen by Alex Ardenti