A lot has changed in bodybuilding since the inaugural Mr. Olympia competition in 1965. Training equipment has become more high-tech, supplement science is light-years ahead of where it was then, and bodybuilders no longer drink beer between sets of squats (as a young Arnold Schwarzenegger was known to have done on at least one occasion). But the basic tenets of building the size, shape, and symmetry necessary to win on the Olympia stage haven’t changed substantially. In fact, much of the advice disseminated by Larry Scott, history’s frst Mr. O, is still valid today. Here, we present a question-and-answer session with bodybuilding’s greatest champions, pulled from the archives dating back to when each was at the peak of his career. Their words of wisdom have stood the test of time.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger: Mr. Olympia 1970-75, 1980
Q: Arnold, even though your biceps are huge and thick, I notice they’re also quite high. Is there one exercise you’d recommend for this efect? ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: Oh, there are a number of movements that will build the biceps peak. But if I had to choose just one, I’d say alternate supinating curls. Hold a pair of dumbbells in the standing position, back of the hands facing forward. One arm at a time, as you start curling, rotate the hand so that the palm faces upward. Two inches from the top of the curl, twist your hand so that the little fnger is higher than the thumb, and forcibly tense the biceps. The pain of contraction is incredible. Lower the dumbbell in the exact reverse manner that you curled it. Repeat with the other arm. Alternate 10 reps with each arm. Do fve sets with a minute of rest between sets.
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Courtesy Weider Health & Fitness
Larry Scott: Mr. Olympia 1965-66
Q: Larry, can you suggest an exercise for my deltoids that’s unusual and will give me “cannonball” delts like yours? LARRY SCOTT: If you really want “cannonball” delts, you have to work them until you feel they’re falling of the shoulder girdle. Here’s a really great exercise for making those delts grow! I call it the three-way seated side raise. Grab a pair of dumbbells and sit down on a fat bench with your abs braced. Raise the dumbbells to the side and all the way overhead until they touch; lower and repeat for four reps. Without stopping, raise the dumbbells to the side to shoulder height, then bring them together in front of the body until they touch; keeping the bells on the same level, return them to the sides and then lower them back to the starting position. Do four reps this way. With no rest, raise the dumbbells out to the side to shoulder height for as many reps as you can do—but don’t stop here; do some forced reps by having a training partner assist you for several more reps until you can’t do another no matter what. When you fnish fve sets of this torture-bombing movement—resting no more than 45 seconds to one minute between sets—the delts will be pumped to the maximum, right down to the bone
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Frank Zane: Mr Olympia 1977-79
Q: I have a problem with making my calves look wide when viewed from the front. What can I do to develop them more on the inside and the outside heads? FRANK ZANE: To develop calf width, you must work the soleus muscle, which is a deep muscle underlying the gastrocnemius. This muscle comes into play when the knees are bent while doing calf movements. The soleus is worked especially well with seated calf machine raises. Do six sets of 15 reps, getting a complete stretch on each rep with a heavy weight. Do 15 burns after each set— quick, bouncing reps that are meant to push blood into the muscle. After the six sets of seated calf raises, do six sets of 25 donkey calf raises. Turn the toes in, heels out, bend the knees, and keep the upper inside of the thighs touching throughout the movement. Again, stretch as low as possible and come to a complete extension on each rep. Done three times a week, this program will do wonders for your calves.
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Lee Haney: Mr. Olympia 1984-91
Q: I’ve been on the same basic program for about six months. Would it be OK to mix things up now? LEE HANEY: Not only do I think it would be OK, I think it’s probably necessary. The term for it is “cycling,” and it’s something I employed in my own training. When you train the same way—using the same exercises, set, and rep schemes—for a prolonged period, the body begins to adjust to the stresses it receives. Without new stimulation, the body won’t grow bigger or stronger. Let me explain by using my shoulder training as an example. Throughout the year, I rotated among three deltoid phases. Each stage was designed with a specifc goal in mind. The frst phase was a mass builder. It consisted of basic exercises performed with heavy weights, and rest periods of around one minute. The second phase was designed to carve detail into my shoulders. There were more sets and shorter rest periods (about 35 seconds), which meant using less weight. Finally, Phase 3 was a killer pre-contest workout that I’d turn to only during the eight to 10 weeks before a show—it was simply too intense to perform year-round. It involved dropping the poundage, increasing sets and reps, and reducing the rest period between sets to only the amount necessary to catch my breath. It’s as intense as it gets, but worth every drop of sweat!
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Ronnie Coleman: Mr. Olympia 1998-2005
How can I bring up a lagging muscle without cutting back on the training of dominant muscles?RONNIE COLEMAN: Negative terms such as “cutting back” are not in my vocabulary. If I need to bring up a muscle or a muscle group, I work it harder, regardless of how hard I’m training everything else. I fnd a way to reach deep down inside myself to force lagging muscles to grow faster, whether by using more weight, more intensity, or more reps with the same weight. I do whatever it takes to go above and beyond. When I want to whip a lagging muscle into shape, I think in terms of two goals: more strength and more hardness. To build more strength, I have to concentrate on using more weight; more weight requires harder work; harder work takes me beyond the level of my previous workout, which pushes the muscle to further growth. In short, an increase in size results only from my commitment to increase my strength. Hardness, on the other hand, is built by repetitions. Just as steel is hardened by intense heat, so a muscle is hardened by pressurizing it with blood. Higher reps mean a harder muscle. That’s the reason most of my reps are in the 12–15 range. A huge muscle is worthless if it isn’t ripped and steel-hard.
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Dorian Yates: Mr. Olympia 1992-97
Q: Dorian, throughout your bodybuilding career, you used Hammer Strength equipment. What do you like about these machines? DORIAN YATES: It’s true that I incorporated Hammer Strength exercises into my Mr. Olympia training routines, and I still use them now. I started in early ’94. I’m actually not a big fan of machines in general—I usually prefer free weights. However, Hammer Strength machines are well designed. The equipment follows the motion of the muscles being trained; it’s like a cross between free weights and machines. For instance, during the bench press, your hands are brought down across your body so that your pecs are contracted at the top of the movement. With most other machines, you’re simply pushing in a straight line, as if you were pressing a barbell. I also found that Hammer Strength machines helped me work around some of my injuries. I had some minor shoulder irritation that was worsened by benching with free weights. With Hammer Strength equipment, I could get around it. I didn’t have to worry about balancing the weight or getting it into position before starting a set—I could focus on working the muscles alone.
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Jay Cutler: Mr. Olympia 2009-10
Q: What exercise can I do to build the biggest possible triceps? JAY CUTLER: Looking at pictures early on, I realized that gymnasts who work on the rings always have big triceps. Putting the triceps in a locked-out position seems to be the best way to produce growth, so I favor dips as a great mass builder for the triceps. When doing them, I like to keep my feet forward, in front of my body, rather than behind. When you bring your legs back, you’re hitting more of the chest because it causes you to lean forward. To hit the triceps, you want to stay as upright as possible. Keeping your feet forward helps this.
A lot has changed in bodybuilding since the inaugural Mr. Olympia competition in 1965. Training equipment has become more high-tech, supplement science is light-years ahead of where it was then, and bodybuilders no longer drink beer between sets of squats (as a young Arnold Schwarzenegger was known to have done on at least one occasion). But the basic tenets of building the size, shape, and symmetry necessary to win on the Olympia stage haven’t changed substantially. In fact, much of the advice disseminated by Larry Scott, history’s frst Mr. O, is still valid today. Here, we present a question-and-answer session with bodybuilding’s greatest champions, pulled from the archives dating back to when each was at the peak of his career. Their words of wisdom have stood the test of time.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Mr. Olympia 1970-75, 1980
Q: Arnold, even though your biceps are huge and thick, I notice they’re also quite high. Is there one exercise you’d recommend for this efect?
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: Oh, there are a number of movements that will build the biceps peak. But if I had to choose just one, I’d say alternate supinating curls. Hold a pair of dumbbells in the standing position, back of the hands facing forward. One arm at a time, as you start curling, rotate the hand so that the palm faces upward. Two inches from the top of the curl, twist your hand so that the little fnger is higher than the thumb, and forcibly tense the biceps. The pain of contraction is incredible. Lower the dumbbell in the exact reverse manner that you curled it. Repeat with the other arm. Alternate 10 reps with each arm. Do fve sets with a minute of rest between sets.
Larry Scott: Mr. Olympia 1965-66
Q: Larry, can you suggest an exercise for my deltoids that’s unusual and will give me “cannonball” delts like yours?
LARRY SCOTT: If you really want “cannonball” delts, you have to work them until you feel they’re falling of the shoulder girdle. Here’s a really great exercise for making those delts grow! I call it the three-way seated side raise. Grab a pair of dumbbells and sit down on a fat bench with your abs braced. Raise the dumbbells to the side and all the way overhead until they touch; lower and repeat for four reps. Without stopping, raise the dumbbells to the side to shoulder height, then bring them together in front of the body until they touch; keeping the bells on the same level, return them to the sides and then lower them back to the starting position. Do four reps this way. With no rest, raise the dumbbells out to the side to shoulder height for as many reps as you can do—but don’t stop here; do some forced reps by having a training partner assist you for several more reps until you can’t do another no matter what. When you fnish fve sets of this torture-bombing movement—resting no more than 45 seconds to one minute between sets—the delts will be pumped to the maximum, right down to the bone
Frank Zane: Mr Olympia 1977-79
Q: I have a problem with making my calves look wide when viewed from the front. What can I do to develop them more on the inside and the outside heads?
FRANK ZANE: To develop calf width, you must work the soleus muscle, which is a deep muscle underlying the gastrocnemius. This muscle comes into play when the knees are bent while doing calf movements. The soleus is worked especially well with seated calf machine raises. Do six sets of 15 reps, getting a complete stretch on each rep with a heavy weight. Do 15 burns after each set— quick, bouncing reps that are meant to push blood into the muscle. After the six sets of seated calf raises, do six sets of 25 donkey calf raises. Turn the toes in, heels out, bend the knees, and keep the upper inside of the thighs touching throughout the movement. Again, stretch as low as possible and come to a complete extension on each rep. Done three times a week, this program will do wonders for your calves.
Lee Haney: Mr. Olympia 1984-91
Q: I’ve been on the same basic program for about six months. Would it be OK to mix things up now?
LEE HANEY: Not only do I think it would be OK, I think it’s probably necessary. The term for it is “cycling,” and it’s something I employed in my own training. When you train the same way—using the same exercises, set, and rep schemes—for a prolonged period, the body begins to adjust to the stresses it receives. Without new stimulation, the body won’t grow bigger or stronger. Let me explain by using my shoulder training as an example. Throughout the year, I rotated among three deltoid phases. Each stage was designed with a specifc goal in mind. The frst phase was a mass builder. It consisted of basic exercises performed with heavy weights, and rest periods of around one minute. The second phase was designed to carve detail into my shoulders. There were more sets and shorter rest periods (about 35 seconds), which meant using less weight. Finally, Phase 3 was a killer pre-contest workout that I’d turn to only during the eight to 10 weeks before a show—it was simply too intense to perform year-round. It involved dropping the poundage, increasing sets and reps, and reducing the rest period between sets to only the amount necessary to catch my breath. It’s as intense as it gets, but worth every drop of sweat!
Ronnie Coleman: Mr. Olympia 1998-2005
How can I bring up a lagging muscle without cutting back on the training of dominant muscles?
RONNIE COLEMAN: Negative terms such as “cutting back” are not in my vocabulary. If I need to bring up a muscle or a muscle group, I work it harder, regardless of how hard I’m training everything else. I fnd a way to reach deep down inside myself to force lagging muscles to grow faster, whether by using more weight, more intensity, or more reps with the same weight. I do whatever it takes to go above and beyond. When I want to whip a lagging muscle into shape, I think in terms of two goals: more strength and more hardness. To build more strength, I have to concentrate on using more weight; more weight requires harder work; harder work takes me beyond the level of my previous workout, which pushes the muscle to further growth. In short, an increase in size results only from my commitment to increase my strength. Hardness, on the other hand, is built by repetitions. Just as steel is hardened by intense heat, so a muscle is hardened by pressurizing it with blood. Higher reps mean a harder muscle. That’s the reason most of my reps are in the 12–15 range. A huge muscle is worthless if it isn’t ripped and steel-hard.
Dorian Yates: Mr. Olympia 1992-97
Q: Dorian, throughout your bodybuilding career, you used Hammer Strength equipment. What do you like about these machines?
DORIAN YATES: It’s true that I incorporated Hammer Strength exercises into my Mr. Olympia training routines, and I still use them now. I started in early ’94. I’m actually not a big fan of machines in general—I usually prefer free weights. However, Hammer Strength machines are well designed. The equipment follows the motion of the muscles being trained; it’s like a cross between free weights and machines. For instance, during the bench press, your hands are brought down across your body so that your pecs are contracted at the top of the movement. With most other machines, you’re simply pushing in a straight line, as if you were pressing a barbell. I also found that Hammer Strength machines helped me work around some of my injuries. I had some minor shoulder irritation that was worsened by benching with free weights. With Hammer Strength equipment, I could get around it. I didn’t have to worry about balancing the weight or getting it into position before starting a set—I could focus on working the muscles alone.
Jay Cutler: Mr. Olympia 2009-10
Q: What exercise can I do to build the biggest possible triceps?
JAY CUTLER: Looking at pictures early on, I realized that gymnasts who work on the rings always have big triceps. Putting the triceps in a locked-out position seems to be the best way to produce growth, so I favor dips as a great mass builder for the triceps. When doing them, I like to keep my feet forward, in front of my body, rather than behind. When you bring your legs back, you’re hitting more of the chest because it causes you to lean forward. To hit the triceps, you want to stay as upright as possible. Keeping your feet forward helps this.
