Vince Gironda Articles
Vince Gironda Exercises
THREE DAY MAXIMUM ROUTINE
(IronMan Magazine Nov 1973 Vol. 33 No. 1)
This concept allows a complete tissue break-down and insures
results. Simply take the same routine you are taking now,
but work your upper body three days in a row and then switch
to legs and work them three days. This gives a complete
72-hour rest to the opposite area.
Ultra-violet radiation
(IronMan Magazine Nov 1973 Vol. 33 No. 1)
Ultra-violet radiation (sun lamp or sunshine), according
to "Physiology of Strength" by Theodore Hettinger,
M.D., Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute, Datmund, Germany,
doubles strength - as opposed to no radiation while training
on the same course of exercise. the gains are due to radiation
stepping up the output of male hormone.
Increasing Muscle Size
(IronMan Magazine March 1976 Vol. 35 No. 3)
people are under the misconception that any exercise makes
muscles grow larger and stronger. That's not true. Back
in 1925 German scientists discovered that to acquire large
muscles you must increase the intensity of work done within
a given time. That means that it doesn't matter how much
work you do. What counts is how fast you do it. This discovery
has come to be known as the overload principle. Perhaps
the most famous experiment which demonstrates it involves
rats trained to run at different speeds for varying lengths
of time. Rats that ran at 6 meters per minute for 195 miles
had smaller muscles that rats that ran at 26 meters per
minute, but for only 58 miles. In another study all rats
ran the same speed. One group ran for an hour per day for
three months for a total of 35 miles. Another ran at the
same speed for 3 hours a day for six months, a total of
207 miles. When the experiment ended, the size of the muscles
in both the groups remained the same.
The principle of overload also explains why sprinters have
bigger and larger muscles that distance runners. Although
it's more work to run a mile than it is to run 100 yards,
the sprinter is doing more work per second. Consequently,
his muscles will become larger.
A muscle is composed of muscle fibers, the number of which
vary from person to person in the same muscle. The muscle
fibers in the upper arm of one man may number 40,000 while
the calf muscle may contain 1,120,000 fibers. Another person
may have only 946,000 fibers. Heredity controls the number
of muscle fibers present, and it will not change.
It it these muscle fibers which determine how large a muscle
can grow. In 1897 an Italian scientist named Morpurgo showed
that even though exercise had produced a 50 per cent increase
in the size of a muscle, the number of muscle fibers stayed
the same. The reason for the change was the increase in
diameter - about 40 per cent - of the muscle fibers. Thus,
he developed the principle now commonly accepted that strength
development has a definite limitation depending on the number
of muscle fibers present at birth and on the fixed maximum
size to which any muscle fiber may grow. That means that
people who want to grow stronger cannot expect unlimited
development. Heredity has already drawn the line. But, through
proper exercise they may reach their heredity boundaries.
Confirmation of an Experiment
(IronMan Magazine Jan 1976 Vol. 35 No. 2)
(Although I feel this experiment was not carried out as
I would have conducted it (abdominal work should have been
excluded) I still feel that anyone can expect the following
results which I consider minimal.)
Dear Vince:
You mentioned in an article sometime ago that you would
like to hear from people who had duplicated your experiment
with desiccated liver. I carried out the experiment for
two months. The first month I took thirty desiccated liver
tablets each day (10 at each meal). I made the following
gains:
Arm .......... ¼"
Chest ........ ½"
Thigh ........ ½"
Calf ......... 1/8"
The second month I took two 7½ grain liver tablets
as you suggested. At first it was hard to remember to take
the tablets every hour, but by the end of the month I had
gained the following:
Arm .......... 3/8"
Chest ........ ½"
Thigh ........ 3/8"
Calf ......... 5/8"
I used six sets of six reps for each muscle group with
the exception of squats which I worked three sets of fifteen
reps. I followed the same exercise program both months except
the second month I followed each set of squats with dumbbell
pullovers for the chest. I hope the information will prove
useful.
While researching a paper for school I came across some
interesting facts. An article dealing with steroids and
strength building mentioned an experiment conducted in 1953.
The researchers found the optimum protein intake was 18.7
per cent. Some subjects were given up to 40 per cent of
the calories in their diet as protein, but it was concluded
that any amount over 18.7 per cent was wasted. This would
mean that a person eating 3,000 calories would get 561 calories
from protein and at four calories for each gram of protein,
this would work out at 140 grams of protein. These test
subjects were on steroids so perhaps the non-steroid user
would need less because steroids are known to aid nitrogen
retention. This seems to debunk the idea that bodybuilders
need 300-400 grams of protein daily.
Sincerely,
Dave Simmons
Manual for Gym Instructions
(IronMan Magazine Jan 1977 Vol. 36 No. 2)
1.
Develop illusion of width across chest (parallel dips, dip
slide or ped push-ups.)
2. Increase chest measurement by accentuating taper (Terris
Major) with short pull (chest concave, elbows wide) not
lats
3. Bring up arm measurement with peak bicep (Spider bench)
double contraction
4. Pull out middle tricep for corresponding line of measurement
on tape, with pulley push down (elbows firm to body and
thumbs on top of bar.)
5. Bring out dramatic illusion of width by using DB laterals
or shoulder width upright rowing. Laterals are tilted down
(front bell - elbows bent.)
6. Give no abdominal work of any kind or you will stop
all muscle growth.
7. Give forearm work seated on bench (straddle and actually
lay bar on bench each rep (singles).) Thumbs must be under
bar. Forearms and wrists are on top of thighs with wrists
hanging over knees.
8. Reverse BB curls are done with collar width grip and
bar rubs body on the curl and down. Hacks are done in Frog
Squat position, heels together and back under hips. Toes
are wide - 12 inches.
9. Calves are always done with shoes 4" wide and come
up on big toe drawing heel together at top of movement (knees
are unlocked).
Nutrition will not be discussed because nutrition is highly
individualized.
Do not deviate from these exercises because anything other
than this routine will not cause super fast visual results.
Instinctive Training
(IronMan Magazine May 1974 Vol. 33 No. 4)
This is a term invented by so-called Body Building Experts
who do not have the answers and pass the buck to you to
take the blame for your bodybuilding failures. Some have
claimed that I have contradicted myself and I actually do
believe in instinctive training. I state again that you
cannot train instinctively!!!
You must have a working knowledge of anatomy, kinesiology
and nutrition. With this knowledge you are only selecting
variations of exercises and putting them to use. When I
trained Larry Scott he never deviated from any course that
I laid out for him. Every six to nine months he would ask
for a variation on an exercise he was doing to add to his
routine or substitute for one he was doing. He was extremely
methodical and had 100 per cent confidence in what he was
doing was the best there was for the particular portion
of the muscle he wished to bring into prominence. Hundreds
of would-be physique stars with far greater potential than
Larry Scott, have trained in my gym, but none of them took
advantage of my instruction the way Scott did, and as a
result they never achieved much in the physique world.
Remember that you would not need a teacher if you could
devise a workout program from instinct. I
had my teachers; two men taught me to observe, question,
analyze, experiment and study. My teachers were men who
devised a sound muscle building system by trial and error.
We were constantly doing exercises, devising equipment and
poking and prodding each other and asking, "Is that
where you feel it? Is it sore here or here?"
I do not wish to belittle anyone with this article, but
as you know, I have the reputation for being forcefully
frank and honest and I can do no less than speak my mind.
I have been misquoted by some - who report to be experts
and they are only experts in not understanding what my training
methods are about in the first place. Words are worthless
and often nebulous - results are what count!
QUESTION: Science as yet has not proven conclusively whether
instinct is acquired or innate (learned) - or a combination
of both. Every topnotch bodybuilder who has ever come to
me for a program of exercise has over-trained himself. And
this is the basic reason he came to me because he was at
a standstill and could not make any further gains. I learned
this principle 20 years ago by observing a man who came
to me to train him - who was a former weight lifter turned
bodybuilder. He had great enthusiasm, ambition and energy.
But he could not handle any program I put him on until I
cut him down to three sets of eight reps. On this program
he flourished and won every local contest he entered! This
fellow prompted me to write my first magazine article called,
"Train - Don't Strain."
Some of you might remember this fellow - his name was Ralph
Mascaro and he was one of the first really cut up physiques
around at that time.
The lesson to be learned here is if you are not making
gains on your present course, simplify it by cutting down
to one exercise per muscle, cut back your sets and reps
and start using better form. You notice that I did not say
cut down on weight. Just use slower movements and do every
set as if it were the last set you could do!
Instinct is the animal's way of survival. If we still had
this natural faculty in all its ramifications we wouldn't
be eating synthetics and contaminated sprayed foods, etc.
We have over-ridden this instinct of knowing inwardly what
to do for maximum health and strength and let our egos command
us ...the more reps, the bigger muscle tissue, etc. Charles
Atlas demonstrated this pointedly - his early ads made you
want to build a bigger body so the bully wouldn't kick sand
in your face and make off with the girl. This is instinctive
ego (mating) not instinctive training!
Success Over Adversity
(IronMan Magazine May 1978 Vol. 37 No. 4)
By Herbert Gibbons - As Told to Vince Gironda
Herbert
Gibbons has certainly developed an outstanding physique
which enabled him to compete in the Mr. Universe in London,
quite an accomplishment for a man with so little promise
previously. His case is ample proof that adversity need
not keep you from accomplishment. Photo courtesy author.
Herbert Gibbons
c-o Herbert Gibbons Health Centre
3rd Floor
Lenburn House
cnr Moffat St. - Union Ave.,
Salisbury,
Rhodesia.
Vince Gironda
Vince's Gym
11262 Ventura Boulevard
North Hollywood, California 91604
Dear Vince:
Firstly, many thanks for your two letters I received. Being
a gym owner myself, I appreciate how difficult it is to
be able to sit down and write letters to people. Anyway,
also thanks for the three books you sent. They have been
a tremendous help over the past few months in the gym and
particularly in my own training. Since I have received your
book on arms, I am employing it to improve my own for this
year's Mr. Universe in London, to which I have again been
invited by Oscar Heidenstam.
Vince, you ask me for my life story in the gym so you could
have it to publish in the "Iron Man." Well, it
would be a tremendous honor for me if you could do this
and it would show many our cause towards helping the fight
against Communism.
Going back to 1957,1 started weight training in Northern
Rhodesia in a small town called Livingstone, where we found
it very difficult to train, because of the extreme heat
and humidity, and as we sweated so much we used to drink
a lot of water between exercises. The man I owe much gratitude
to during my early days of training was Dave Hughes who
himself was an outstanding bodybuilder, despite a late start
at weight training at the age of 28. He was also an ardent
follower of Vince Gironda theories and Systems which he
followed through the "Iron Man" etc.
After having placed in and won a few small contests, and
also having won numerous weightlifting titles, I opened
up my own gym in 1960, in Bulawayo in Rhodesia. My gym then
was a small wood and iron building that was very old, and
on numerous occasions when someone dropped a heavy weight,
it went right through the wooden floor. However, although
it was a rough and ready gym, it was great training with
chaps who in later years to come returned to my present
my gym.
In 1965, I moved to Salisbury Rhodesia and opened up another
gym where I still operate today. Moving to a bigger city
and also going into gym business full-time, I had to build
better and more equipment. As I am by trade an engineering
fitter, I was able to build all my own conventional equipment.
My first three years in gym business in Sallabury were
very hard going to establish myself and at times I had to
take on other employment to get by. Also in 1965, the Communist
terrorists started attacking Rhodesia and I joined the police
anti-terrorist unit to help in the fight against this threat.
This took up a lot of time through the years up to the
present where we are still fighting Communism and terrorism
on our borders not only fighting the terrorists, but also
neighboring countries who have already been taken over by
the Communists.
Despite the terror war, we in Rhodesia have carried on
our daily lives in a country that is still one of the peaceful
countries in the world today, free of big crime, drugs,
etc.!
Through the gymnasium, I have helped hundreds of men get
fit for army service as almost every man in Rhodesia is
dedicated to fighting Communism, and we have many men from
all countries - British, American (ex Vietnam soldiers)
in our Rhodesian Army fighting the Communist threat.
As my gym membership grew, I moved into larger premises
in 1966 where I still operate my present gymnasium, which
I have equipped with virtually all selectorized equipment
which I have personally built during the last eight years,
plus the conventional barbell, dumbbells and other equipment.
Through the years of training, I have personally trained
on most of Vince Gironda's theories and systems which I
studied through the "Iron Man" and some years
ago, when Vince brought out his series of books. Using his
methods only, I have instructed others in my gym.
I have also done well in physique contests - in 1973 I
placed second to Reg Park in the Mr. Southern Africa, I
won the 1973 Tall Man Mr. Republic of R.S.A. and was invited
to enter the Professional Mr. Universe in London in 1974
and 1975 and have been once again invited this year to compete.
Therefore, I feel without the help of Vince Gironda through
his letter and books, I would not have achieved these few
successes at the age of 43 years. My wife Wendy has been
a tremendous help through the years of building up the gym,
instructing our lady members and keeping the records of
the membership and accounts, etc.
My three children, Sharon 23 years, keeps in shape at a
gymnasium in Johannesburg where she lives, Audrey 21 years
of age, my second daughter, keeps fit through diet and playing
tennis. My son, Ernest, 19 years of age, also trains in
the gym, time allowing as he is doing his national service
in the army. There are hundreds of fathers and sons of all
races fighting together on the Rhodesian borders. Our fight
in Rhodesia may be a long war, but we will win through against
the scourge of communism and I hope that through the kindness
of the "Iron Man" publishers, publishing my lifestyle
in the gym etc., this will serve to show readers in America
and elsewhere the true situation in Rhodesia and not the
trumped up stories by biased news media around the world.
Intensity Training
(Musclemag Magazine February 1985)
How much intensity do you recommend your
advanced pupils use in their training? This has got to be
the most asked question of all. I would like to know your
opinion.
Intensity, once you are past the beginners stage, must
be over 85 percent. Anything less is a waste of time. 100
percent effort only works for the genetically gifted bodybuilder
on steroids. Exactly how much intensity you should use,
allowing for your being in top health would be somewhere
around 85.90 percent, depending on workout length and frequency.
Obviously a 4 hour long workout cannot be completed using
maximum intensity on every exercise. Try to get the feel
of your body's feedback system. Most muscles need 72 hours
to fully recuperate. Better to undertrain than overtrain.
Bodybuilding for Women
(Musclemag Magazine February 1985)
I had to write to you Mr Gironda because
I have seen your book at my local booksellers where I live
but I did not buy it because I saw that you recommended
weight training exercises, and I am just not convinced that
weight training is the right way to shape my body. I am
31 years old, healthy and slightly fat. Is weight training
better than racquet sports for shaping my body?
There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can shape up
a women's figure faster or better than bodybuilding with
weights.
Not swimming, dancing, running, cycling, aerobics, tennis,
squash, athletics, hiking ... nothing does it like weights.
I have no axe to grind. I do not have a vested interest
in weights. I do not sell them. They are, after all, mere
lumps of iron. I would be just as happy telling you that
jogging would shape you up, or that the way to a super body
was through free standing exercises, aerobics or cheerleading
even, but I would not be telling the truth. Weight training
is the answer. Go back to that store and buy my book.
Isolation!
(Musclemag Magazine February 1985)
Do you go by the feel of an exercise or do
you go for the pump or a certain weight for reps or what?
I have trouble isolating certain muscle groups like lats,
rear delts, upper pecs, lower triceps, outside of the calf
and if I use heavy weights I just don't feel like I'm working
these areas. How do you use heavy weights and still isolate
muscle groups?
Would it be better to use less weight and
feel it in the muscle more or is the weight more important?
You cannot always get the exact feel you want. Don't just
work for heavy weights. Try moderate weights for a while
using perfect form. For the lats do a variety of pull downs,
concentrating on the stretch. Rear delts: give the Incline
bench lateral raise (body facing bench) a try. Upper pec
are worked well with dumbbell incline bench set at a shallow
30° angle. Single arm triceps extensions work the lower
triceps and the outside calf is worked best with standing
calf raise putting stress over the big toe.
Ask Vince
(Musclemag Magazine February 1985)
I've always been interested in what you have
written Mr. Gironda, but also I am aware that some things
you say are radical to say the least. Some might say your
ideas border on being 'strange'. I mean you do not like
the squat or the bench press. These are the two basic moves
in bodybuilding. You seldom recommend any shoulder pressing
or regular barbell curls. Why are you different from everyone
else?
I do not set out to be different from everybody else. It's
just that my practical experience in training champion bodybuilders
(and I mean training them, not just claiming to train them)
extends 'to a longer' period of time than anyone else .
. . it is reasonable, I believe, to understand that I may
have picked up a thing or two.. .I am not a great believer
in the exercises you mention because I have found superior
substitutions, better movements. Exercises that give more
shape, more development and quicker than other methods.
You don't have to buy my book to find out everything I believe.
Get it free from your local library.
Do I Have It?
(Musclemag Magazine February 1985)
How do you tell if you have a good potential
for bodybuilding?
Good potential for bodybuilding Is not just a matter of
physical genetics. Your mind must be of the right framework
to advance your progress in spite of set backs.
Potential shows itself within the first year of training.
In fact some really 'genetically gifted' bodybuilders even
win local and state contests within the first year of training.
Oxygen Loading
(Musclemag Magazine February 1985)
In your "Unleashing the Wild Physique"
book, which feel is definitely the best book ever written
on bodybuilding, you talk about "Oxygen Loading".
Do you really believe this helps build a better body?
Sure I do, otherwise I wouldn't have written about its
importance. Your muscles greatly benefit from Oxygen loading
because by doing it you are paying back the debt created
by the last set of exercise.
Without it you could outrun your cardiovascular system.
Oxygen Loading is particularly important in peak contraction
movements and for any type of delayed activity (such as
forced or aided reps) during a set. I would like to see
everyone using my oxygen loading principle.
Slow 'n Fast Muscle
(Musclemag Magazine February 1985)
What do you recommend when one muscle group
grows slower than the rest of the body? Everything is growing
but my arms. Should I do more sets and / or exercises for
this area or more forced reps and harderwork or should I
train the area more often or a combination of all three?
You may have to change exercises to find more workable
movements. Experiment with Tri.sets. That is performing
3 bicep exercises, one after the other. Then repeat the
whole cycle again. Perform 4 cycles of three different biceps
exercises and 4 cycles of three different triceps exercises.
Work to increase weight load slightly each workout and gradually
decrease rest time between exercises to zero. Growth comes
from a training frequency per muscle group of 2 or 3 times
a week. No less no more.
An Insight Into Gironda
(Musclemag Magazine April 1985)
by Bob Green
'From an open letter : Inside a highly specialized Vince
Gironda course'
Day One
A note on my desk
I arrived home on a Friday after a week of garnering interviews,
or at least trying to get them. On my desk was a note that
Vince Gironda had called Wednesday. Before I even had the
chance to finish reading all my mail, the 'ol ESP went off
and so did the phone - it was Vince.
Needless to say, he was very enthusiastic and really wanted
to get something across. "Green", he started immediately,
"I want to do something I've never done before. I'd
like you to write it up in the magazines. Send it to Kennedy.
It'll give the readers a DIRECT INSIGHT into the "kinds"
of instruction I would give an ADVANCED GUY ... a champion,
for instance."
"I want to show folks some of the things I do and/or
suggest to people in my private, personalized programs.
The same kind Makkawy and Roy Duval have been doing since
last year. Look at the results these guys are getting and
they're already contest winners!"
"Well, I've just been contacted by another one. A
guy whose placed in the top three at the NABBA Mr. Universe
- IAN LAWRENCE. The guy's gotta be one of the top 3 or 4
guys in the world for solid muscular mass! Zero Fat!!! I
mean...the guy is a phenomenon and he wants me to train
him.
"I want to write it up as an OPEN LETTER. First we'll
send him the beginning or first installment of a private
course, then we'll do an article in "open letter-style"
to ILLUSTRATE the main points and the direction I would
go with a guy who is truly advanced."
I admit - he had me going. I'd seen some shots in Iron
Man a couple of years ago on Ian Lawrence of Scotland. Truly
massive. One of the most impressive, indeed. But so are
Makkawy and Roy Duval and I'd seen their recent improvement
under Vince's guidance. Sure, I'd love to do it.
Day Two
I got to Vince's in the morning and he quickly produced
a detailed, 5-page letter and several 8 x 10's of Ian. Chris
Lund shots taken during a contest, but close-up. As I perused
them in wonderment, Vince eased back in his chair and started
right In
VINCE ... "The guy is such a GENETIC SUPERIOR, yet
he did something with it. But he's not winning the Universe!
Why? He's already incredible. The shows are just getting
that tough. I started working on a few things: Outer delt
/ Anterior Aspect of Lateral Head, Outer or lateral aspect
of the Biceps, tricep improvement...in his letter, you'll
notice he complains about a nagging Triceps problem; probably
concentrate on the Outer Tricep profile first. (Author's
note: meanwhile, this guy's arm is around the 19" category
with a high, full peaked biceps!)
"Most of all ... I have to get him to concentrate
on the WIDE aspect of the Pectoral; to provide an unbroken
line (shadow) under his pecs and delts to create more of
the illusion of width.
"Posing and general appearance are so very, very important
when you're a top-caliber physique competitor. EVERY LITTLE
THING IS IMPORTANT.
Look at how many guys with incredible development that
are losing contests THEY SHOULD HAVE WON.
"I perceived this with Roy Duval. Other than two factors
(a problem with dieting and a different APPROACH to training),
it HAD TO BE HIS PRESENTATION. You will see a "new"
Roy Duval in the next world championships. Improved posing
with charisma and arrogance."
BOB GREEN ... "Charisma means so much. Some that don't
have it naturally (and so many don't; that indefinable element).
But I agree that it can be developed ... to an extent at
least... I mean, at least for their performance. Is that
why you included the word "arrogance"? To get
Roy and some of these others to project more confidence,
strength, etc.?
"I've been going back to contests lately and I've
seen some shows where guys like Robby Robinson, Roy Callender,
Casey Viator and a few others -should have won hands down.
They were so much more well-developed. They just simply
should have won. I know that the aforementioned gentlemen,
since they've greatly improved their presentations, have
won more and more contests. Aren't you working with Dennis
Tinerino on this, too? It shows.
~They're scaring the pants off the lesser-developed athletes
who've been getting by with slightly superior 'acts'."
VINCE... "That's what I'm getting at. Sure, I can
make some training observations that will enhance outer
deltoid, outer triceps, more upper lat width, etc. But there's
more!
"Now this guy (Ian), his diet isn't all that bad.
In fact, it's pretty good. He complains of Low Pecs, this
and that and then right into an energy problem towards the
end of the week. He needs liver tabs and a couple of other
supplements. Like Glandulars. They're great!
"The one supplement he IS taking has changed in the
nature of its usefulness: it has become COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE.
You'll notice the slight puffiness in the abs, even though
they stand out. These things can be corrected in a decent
amount of time. The hard thing will be his posing. As you
know, I've been working with Makkawy. You saw him pose a
few months ago when he came down with Bob
Kennedy and Chris Lund. Ken Wheeler arranged for Makkawy
to get over here.
"His posing is becoming masterful. He has new "stage
presence" which I had to teach him in two weeks before
his last show. He is now even better! He rocked 'em in Atlantic
City last year.
"Very few could hit poses that COMPLIMENTED their
physique while DE-EMPHASIZING THEIR WEAK POINTS. Grimek,
Ross, Sandow... I worked very hard in this area. I was lucky
to have BOTH an athletic back-ground AND a show business
one. It makes a difference. I think too many physique competitors
and promoters forget that the contest they're in or doing
is also a 'show'; . a performance. Personally, I practiced
posing a 1/2 hour every day!
"No amount of development will overshadow a real pro
that has SIMILAR development and KNOWS HOW TO MOVE - HOW
TO DISPLAY, TANTALIZE AND CONFOUND THE AUDIENCE. Remember,
too, that the judges (in a large way) are the audience.
"Once you learn to develop the various aspects (inner,
lower, outer contour, belly, etc.) of your weak points...
you may still find that genetic structure has dealt you
some (relative) limitations.
All can be overcome and improved.
"The next thing you do, if you want to compete, is
to tailor your poses to fit your physique. Then learn how
to present it in a dramatic and entertaining way.
"If Ian would work on his posing and bring up the
few developmental aspects he needs, he could place higher."
The following is an open letter from Vince Gironda to one
of his top-flight students and the latest of many to seek
his help - Ian Lawrence of Scotland:
Dear Ian,
Thank you for writing. I thoroughly enjoy working with
professional attitudes as displayed by your in-depth letter
and the background you sent me.
Most of the time I have been commissioned to work with
movie stars, entertainers and television personalities.
All the while working with championship bodybuilders to
be in this category. This is my first love. Personally,
I work all aspects, but to work with a dedicated athlete
of your obvious calibre...ahhh, this is truly "get
up for".
It seems that the "new breed" of bodybuilders
has suddenly re-discovered this "laboratory of thought
and application" called my gym, Roy Duval, Mohamed
Makkawy most recently and others, who have come to me "quietly"
before major contests. The latter individuals because they
were in trouble - not finely tuned enough, but were either
under contract to someone or trained at another gym.
I must commend you on the incredible amount of mass you've
developed. Moreover, your absence of bodyfat makes it all
the more impressive. I can't think of anybody, off-hand
and now competing, who is bigger. You are right up there
with the top two or three guys in the world.
First of all, I think we have a classic case here of "bigger
is not always better." Obviously! or you would've won
the Universe a long time ago. You are the Farnese Hercules
incarnate. But like this type of physique, you may have
a tendency to be somewhat "blocky" in certain
shots. SO DON'T POINT THAT UP!!!!
You're on the right track with your training: the Double
Split, the number of reps you do etc., but some modification
should be done with your back training.
The thing that HAS to be worked on immediately is your
posing. Then, maybe some aspects of your overall appearance.
For example: your Most Muscular shot is BASIC CRUDE! it
will only make your waist look wider and your physique blockier
to the judges AND the audience. The leg shouldn't be pointed
straight out, but bent (slightly) into a serpentine "S"
and the hands fixed slightly BEHIND the waist - while the
body is twisted a bit at an angle to DIMINISH waist size.
The idea behind posing is to create effect and illusion.
Also, NEVER LOOK THE CAMERA STRAIGHT IN THE EYE. The same
goes for the audience. Look just above them or a little
off to the side. lift the head a little more. Learn to be
more dramatic. Your posing should be approached like a PERFORMANCE.
Contests are shows. It's showbiz, Ian, whether you like
it or not. Promoters today are just starting to pick up
on this again.
Be dramatic, heroic..even slightly arrogant in some of
your side and three-quarter poses. Tilting the chin up creates
better lighting for the face and the upper tie-in of the
TOP of your body. For instance, on a three-quarter shot,
the head looks up at a slight tilt and then over the shoulder
- DRAMATICALLY - and it SLENDERIZES the Sternocleido Mastoids
of the neck to make your shoulders appear broader. I repeat:
what's going on up there on stage IS drama. Play it up.
Another thing: the mustache doesn't compliment your marvelously
broad grin. In person I'm sure it's fine and we all like
to see a smile once in awhile, but onstage, with the lighting,
the mustache makes your smile look like a wide grin on a
Cheshire cat. You may want to ditch the mustache...just
for the next contest.
Your hairstyle is another item. Remember, I'm only making
these observations to help you. Your general appearance
has a bearing on the outcome of your next contest. Either
style your hair differently or let it get slightly longer.
Find a competent hair stylist that will shape your cut to
fit your head shape, hairline.
I cannot over-emphasize how important these (seemingly)
little things are. They all add up to winning. Please send
me some more photos to further help your posing.
Vince Gironda
Illusion
(Musclemag Magazine April 1985)
Would you explain to me exactly what your
creating an illusion'' technique is all about? I just don't
understand any of it. I have skim read your writing for
many years but I still don't understand what you are all
about Vince. Keep it simple and explain... please.
Few people have ideal proportions to begin with. Hold it!
Let me rephrase that.
Only two perfect frames exist in bodybuilding. Cory Everson
and Sergio Oliva. The rest of us have to make do with a
less than perfect inheritance. If you are around the norm
you will have shoulders that are too narrow, biceps that
are too short, hips that are too wide etc., etc. My methods
of "creating an illusion" are designed to make
an average person as near to an Oliva or an Everson as is
humanly possible.
In other words, putting muscle where it counts. It's all
in my book "Unleashing the Wild ,Physique" (you
can get a copy at your local library) but basically I believe
in adding to shoulder width, pectoral width and lat width,
while decreasing the waist and hips as much as possible.
Using exercises that build overall (random) mass will not
improve your appearance. In fact if your choice of exercises
are like most bodybuilders you will end up with a bunched-up
look that will only impress a set of scales! You sure won't
look like any "wild physique."
Time to workout
(Musclemag Magazine March 1979 Vol. 4 Issue 1)
I need your advice. I am presently one of
the top competitors on my college's gymnastic team.
I practice very hard, year round. I also
have been bodybuilding for three years now and I enjoy it
as much as gymnastics. My problem is this: Our gymnastics
team practices from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. weeknights.
I have classes that begin at 8:00 in the morning. I usually
do my bodybuilding workouts from 1:00 to 2:00 Monday, Wednesday,
~and Friday afternoons. My afternoon workouts take a lot
of energy, and when it comes to gymnastic practice I'm pooped.
I don't want to give up bodybuilding or gymnastics because
I enjoy both very much, so I'm left with the problem of
when to do my body work.
I've thought of doing my bodybuilding after
gymnastic practice, but this wouldn't give me enough sleep
(only 6 hours). I'm also afraid that I'm over-working my
muscles and not reaching my full potential. Can you think
of a solution to this problem? I'm anxious to hear from
you.
As to finding the time to work out is concerned, you will
have to decide this for yourself! One thing I will suggest
is to take 3 Argintine Beef Liver capsules and 3 Amino Acid
tablets every three hours, also 6 phosphorous free molusk
and egg shell calcium tablets 3 times a day at meals.
Problem between the ears
(Musclemag Magazine March 1986 Vol. 11 No. 2)
I
have very narrow shoulders, no lat development, and my tibialis
anticus (in front of my shins) is way underdeveloped. I
am really worried about this problem (my tibialis). My legs
are so-so but I have huge thigh biceps. They are humongous.
That's it, but my main problem is my tibialis.
Your problem is not your tibialis my friend. I strongly
suspect from your letter that your problem is between the
ears.
After admitting that your physique is "narrow shouldered,
no lat development with humongous thigh biceps". Why
would you be so concerned with a Mickey mouse muscle like
the tibialis anticus?
Your physique sounds like a mess, but the tibialis is not
your problem!
I suggest you embark on an all round routine of wide grip
parallel bar dips, upright rows, lateral raise, wide grip
chins, front squats (heels on 2" block) calf raise,
crunches, incline dumbbell curls and triceps extensions.
Five sets of eight. Split your routine in two and train
three days on, one day off, doing only half the routine
each workout... and for God's sake, forget the tibialis'.
Cycling and bodybuilding
(Musclemag Magazine March 1986 Vol. 11 No. 2)
This past summer I got very interested in
bicycling. Would you help me with a program concentrating
on improving my performance in bicycling and yet maintain
or improve my upper body? I don't know how without over
training.
I am 5'9", 160 lbs., at 39 years of
age. I have been into bodybuilding for many years. I weighed
190 lbs. about a year ago. I now like the leaner look. I
have all your books and read every bit of advice you give
in all the muscle mags.
You are asking a very difficult question, because you do
not give enough information about your present training.
Right now you should decide whether you want to really
excel at building a great body or at improving your performance
in bicycling? If you want both yet fear you are overtraining,
then cut back on the cycling and the bodybuilding. Perform
three sets of eight on the following. Wide grip parallel
bar dips, dumbbell lateral raise, seated pulley rows, leg
press, thigh curls, calf raise (higher reps) body drag curls,
triceps curls, crunches (higher reps).
Train each body part twice weekly (two workouts a week
if you train the whole body in one session, or four workouts
a week (recommended) if you split your routine.
Vince Eccentric?
(Musclemag Magazine February 1987)
Friends of mine said that they visited your
gym, which they like, but they said you are a little eccentric.
When she asked your opinion about some bread she had bought,
you threw it across the gym in disgust because it didn't
fit your nutritional standards. . . and then they said when
a person brought a radio into the gym to play heavy rock
music, you kicked it of the bench.
So?
Gain muscle - lose fat
(Musclemag Magazine October 1988)
Is it possible to simultaneously gain muscle
and lose fat, while retaining the same bodyweight? I want
to lose fat without losing weight.
Of course it's possible. That's the whole idea of bodybuilding,
to lose fat while gaining muscle. You may lose 10 pounds
of fat and replace it with 10 pounds of muscle, so your
weight gain will be zero but your body will look totally
different. The secret to gaining muscle while losing fat
is to train as I suggest in my courses, with little rest
between sets as possible and working for a maximum pump
in the minimum amount of sets.
Your diet should be high in protein and nutritious food.
Eat 6 small meals a day as opposed to 3 large ones. Take
amino's with your meals and in between meals to keep you
in positive nitrogen balance and to keep your blood sugar
levels elevated.
Confusion
(Musclemag Magazine May 1991)
Vince, help! I have a problem. I'm 5'10"
tall and weigh 203 pounds. I've been training for three
good years, three times per week, faithfully. I am well
pleased with my general shape (apart from my short thighs,
but there is nothing I can do about that). I have reasonably
good cuts, but I am short of muscle size and definition
on the lat, intercostal tie-in.
I do lots of bench (47" chest) and have
good lat size ('V' shape), but it all falls away under my
arms and side chest area when I do a front lat spread. I
am male - white, and 26 years old. Please help.
Stop right there. I don't need to know your life story
- or your color. What you are trying to tell me - I think
is that you lack that highly prized muscle group known as
the serratus. I call them the 'jewels of the chest."
You're right in thinking that without them the lat spread
looks all wrong. Ask Bob Kennedy. He will agree 100%. He
says that their visual prominence, or otherwise, is a good
indicator to overall body definition and fat levels. He
also says (quite rightly) that the serratus above all, add
that finishing touch of quality to a physique.
To build them you must include Gironda dips to your workouts,
twice weekly. Do you know what they are? No? Well they are
dips that are wide enough to enable you to get a good stretching
action at the bottom of the movement, and a contraction
at the top. They are best done on a V-shaped dipping bar
- but not necessarily so. Just make sure that the bars are
at least 32 inches apart. Be sure to mentally tense the
serratus hard on each rep. Use a weight if you are strong
enough, but aim for 8 sets of 8 reps. Drop your chin to
your chest with the upper back rounded. Elbows must be straight
out to the sides.
Two others you should include later are the straight, single-arm
pulldown to the side and dumbbell pullovers. Pullovers can
be done over a bench to get maximum stretch. Again, make
sure that you tense the serratus at the top of the movement.
That's how to build them. To show them - diet!
Gironda Explains His Opposition to Running
(IronMan Magazine March 1976 Vol. 35 No. 3)
In
response to request to elaborate on problems of running
in conjunction with bodybuilding: after thirty years in
the gym business a man does not have to be very smart to
learn a few basic truths. Observation of repetitious failures
of successes in bodybuilding problems finally becomes startlingly
clear.
Even animals learn through repetition without any outside
influence. The first article I ever wrote for a physique
magazine was concerning overtraining (Train, Don't Strain).
Top men from all over the country who consult me on their
training problems are all, down to the last man, overtraining!
Too many sets, too many reps, too many different exercises.
I teach them to simplify their routines and if you can absorb
this - train harder. (Train over your head). Get more work
done in the shortest period of time, and stay within the
confines of your own personal blood sugar levels. Blood
sugar level drop and losing your pump go hand in hand. When
this occurs you drop into a catabolic state (overtonis,
hormone loss, capillary shrinkage, flaccid muscle tissue
and a smooth appearance). At this point you have over-trained;
this happens because the central nervous system, stimulating
capillaries to expand, suddenly stops the process so you
do not rupture the capillaries. At this point there is a
definite muscle tissue loss, which is followed by general
weakness and lassitude (Negative Nitrogen Balance).
Abdominal work also produces central nervous system shock
and the aforementioned condition if not fully understood
by the trainer. Needless to say, running also produces the
same state. At this point I am presenting an article from
a jogging and running magazine (now out of print) called
"Fitness for Living", November, December, 1968
issue. The article explains what makes muscle tissue grow
and what does not. Also, I am including a page from my newest
booklet on 'Overtonis' (Vince's 6-Week Bulk Course).
Increasing Muscle Size:
Many people are under the misconception that any exercise
makes muscles grow larger and stronger. That's not true.
Back in 1925 German scientists discovered that to acquire
large muscles you must increase the intensity of work done
within a given time. That means that it doesn't matter how
much work you do. What counts is how fast you do it. This
discovery has come to be known as the overload principle.
Perhaps the most famous experiment which demonstrates it
involves rats trained to run at different speeds for varying
lengths of time. Rats that ran at 6 meters per minute for
195 miles had smaller muscles that rats that ran at 26 meters
per minute, but for only 58 miles. In another study all
rats ran the same speed. One group ran for an hour per day
for three months for a total of 35 miles. Another ran at
the same speed for 3 hours a day for six months, a total
of 207 miles. When the experiment ended, the size of the
muscles in both the groups remained the same.
The principle of overload also explains why sprinters have
bigger and larger muscles that distance runners. Although
it's more work to run a mile than it is to run 100 yards,
the sprinter is doing more work per second. Consequently,
his muscles will become larger.
A muscle is composed of muscle fibers, the number of which
vary from person to person in the same muscle. The muscle
fibers in the upper arm of one man may number 40,000 while
the calf muscle may contain 1,120,000 fibers. Another person
may have only 946,000 fibers. Heredity controls the number
of muscle fibers present, and it will not change.
It it these muscle fibers which determine how large a muscle
can grow. In 1897 an Italian scientist named Morpurgo showed
that even though exercise had produced a 50 per cent increase
in the size of a muscle, the number of muscle fibers stayed
the same. The reason for the change was the increase in
diameter - about 40 per cent - of the muscle fibers. Thus,
he developed the principle now commonly accepted that strength
development has a definite limitation depending on the number
of muscle fibers present at birth and on the fixed maximum
size to which any muscle fiber may grow. That means that
people who want to grow stronger cannot expect unlimited
development. Heredity has already drawn the line. But, through
proper exercise they may reach their heredity boundaries.
The Bodybuilder's Greatest Pitfall: Overtonis:
Overtonis is a condition caused by too many sets, too many
different exercise combinations - in short, overwork, which
causes muscle tissue loss, hormone depletion, weakness and
a smoothed-out appearance, inability to produce a pumping
effect and a general lassitude or weakness.
Overtonis produces a stringy appearance with no healthy
round look apparent in a properly worked muscle.
Overtonis is caused by male hormone loss.
Overtonis causes the central nervous system to cease pumping
blood into capillaries which might otherwise rupture. To
achieve a maximum pump exercise until you notice pump loss.
At this point, check back the number of sets, tempo and
repetitions required to achieve this effect. This is your
personal exercise requirement level.
The Bodybuilder's Greatest Pitfall: Overtonis
(IronMan Magazine March 1976 Vol. 35 No. 3)
Overtonis is a condition caused by too many sets, too many
different exercise combinations - in short, overwork, which
causes muscle tissue loss, hormone depletion, weakness and
a smoothed-out appearance, inability to produce a pumping
effect and a general lassitude or weakness.
Overtonis produces a stringy appearance with no healthy
round look apparent in a properly worked muscle.
Overtonis is caused by male hormone loss.
Overtonis causes the central nervous system to cease pumping
blood into capillaries which might otherwise rupture. To
achieve a maximum pump exercise until you notice pump loss.
At this point, check back the number of sets, tempo and
repetitions required to achieve this effect. This is your
personal exercise requirement level.
Energy Leaks
(IronMan Magazine Nov 1973 Vol. 33 No. 1)
Energy leaks are both physical and mental. Physical energy
leaks are drinking, smoking, missing meals, loss of sleep,
drugs, white sugar, coffee, tea, refined foods and carbohydrate
drinks. Mental energy leaks are hate, anxiety, tension and
ego. I have always maintained that tranquility is the first
asset to good health. Emotional stress, which is present
at competitive athletic games, can drain your calcium stores.
Metabolic studies provide evidence that emotional stress
exerts an adverse effect upon the retention of both nitrogen
(protein) and calcium. Did you know that corn picked and
cooked soon after, is considered a green, non-starchy vegetable.
Once the corn has aged a day or two it becomes a starchy
vegetable. Can you imagine what happens to food that is
froze, shipped, oxidized, etc.?
Overtonis
(IronMan Magazine Jan 1976 Vol. 35 No. 2)
Overtonis is a condition caused by too many sets, too many
different exercise combinations - in short - overwork, which
causes muscle tissue loss, hormone depletion, weakness and
a smoothed-out appearance, inability to produce a pumping
effect and general lassitude or weakness.
Overtonis produces a stringy appearance with no healthy
round look apparent in a properly worked muscle.
Overtonis is caused by male hormone loss.
Overtonis causes the central nervous system to cease pumping
blood into capillaries which might otherwise rupture. To
achieve a maximum pump exercise until you notice pump loss.
At this point, check back the number of sets, time, tempo
and repetitions required to achieve this effect. This is
your personal exercise level.
Stress
(IronMan Magazine Jan 1977 Vol. 36 No. 2)
Stress can be described as anything painful which upsets
our equilibrium (workouts you do not enjoy).
Stress asks for Fight or Flight - we do neither - so exercise.
The heart beat quickens and the blood pressure rises. Hormones
pour into the blood alerting various organs sending sugar
to the muscles. The digestive system turns off so attention
can be directed to the threat. Red cells flow into arteries
to help the body take in additional oxygen. The body is
getting ready to release the pressure you are under by Fight
or Flight. But unlike our caveman ancestors, we can no longer
indulge in Fight or Flight, so again I say: EXERCISE - and
HARD!
no one can avoid stress no mater how metaphysical he tries
to be and stress is the bodybuilder's number one enemy!
Stop driving yourself through workouts that are too long!
Bodybuilding for Men Over 40
By Vince Gironda
The most famous bodybuilding trainer in the world reveals
special training advice for more mature bodybuilders. He
demonstrated the validity of his training techniques by
placing second in the NABBA Pro Mr. Universe contest against
the world?s best at the age of 42!
Fifty years of experience in the gym business gave Vince
an insight into building muscle that few men in the world
possess. His training advice has been used successfully
by hundreds of bodybuilding stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Larry Scott, Don Howorth, Reg Lewis, Chris Dickerson, Frank
Zane and Sergio Olivia. Vince pioneered many of the concepts
that have subsequently been proven to be the most effective
for muscle growth and definition.
This is being written for men who consider themselves "older
men," who are confused by the so-called physical culture
writers who are themselves confused.
These writers?self proclaimed experts?are advising older
men to use lighter weights and high repetition programs.
This is not only a waste of time and energy, it is also
detrimental. The real secret is to know how muscle is developed
and to train accordingly. This is what I am about to reveal
to you.
To begin with, it is important to understand the correct
time of the day to train. That is, the time of day when
you blood sugar level is at its highest. Men under 40 years
of age function more efficiently in the evening. Mature
men reach this efficiency time of day in the early hours.
I personally find myself most energetic at 6:00 o?clock
in the morning. My most serious training has always been
done at this hour, yet when I was in my twenties I trained
at 10 o?clock at night. World famous fitness expert Jack
LaLanne also trains before 6:00 am, and bodybuilding superstar
Bill Pearl always trained at the same early hour in the
morning.
Early morning training insures me of a high-energy level
the rest of the day. Science claims that breakfast is the
most important meal of the day. Because the blood sugar
drops three hours after any meal, it needs to be refurbished
every three hours in order to maintain a constant nitrogen
balance. It is important to know that 90% of any protein
ingested is utilized after training (up to 1 to 2 hours),
so it is recommended to consume more protein at this time.
The right approach to your training routine is simply to
set in motion the right mental attitude. You must have a
clear image of what you wish to feel and see from the workout.
This means you must constantly take a visual inventory of
your physique. You should stand in front of a mirror and
analyze your development?drawing a positive thought form
of any body part that you wish to improve.
This visual inventory procedure may require a few poses,
which enable you to make a mind-to-muscle contact. This
is done by isolating the muscle and developing a control,
which is very important to establishing a strengthened nerve
impulse to a given muscle. Actually, you must realize that
nerve impulses are established to send stronger and more
efficient electrical charges before the muscle can be developed.
The larger the muscle the stronger the nerve charge. Think
of this process as charging your storage battery?the stronger
the charge, the harder the contraction.
THE EXERCISE PROGRAM
Any exercise program should be designed to create an illusion,
because we all have faults in our conformation. The first
illusion to create?which all of the modern-day bodybuilders
seem to lack?is shoulder width. As far as I am concerned,
the average lay person has always admired broad shoulders
above all else. This has always proclaimed a man as an athlete
who has broad shoulders.
PECS?The first exercise I am about to describe creates
an illusion of width across the chest by creating a shadow
and/or line under the pecs and continuing until it seems
to merge with the shadow under the deltoid. This exercise
is:
V-Bar Parallel Dips. Until you develop the look described
above, you will not be able to appear to have pecs. This
movement is performed by using a 32" wide parallel
bar and holding your body in a crescent shape position (chest
concave), with the elbows wide in order to fully engage
the pectoral muscles. The head is facing the floor, looking
at the pointed toes, and dipping down as far as you can
stretch. The bottom of the stretch is the most important
aspect of the movement. The first 8 to 10 inches is 100%
pectoral engagement, providing the elbows are wide. If the
elbows are facing back to any degree the value of the exercise
is diminished by 80%.
UPPER BACK?The next exercise to employ is for width across
the upper back. You may be surprised to learn at this point
that I am not suggesting latissimus dorsi work. Why? Because
long lats destroy a dramatic taper which we are trying to
achieve. The teres major, however, does just the opposite
by producing a wide shoulder and back appearance.
Seated Horizontal Pulley Rowing. Teres major muscles are
engaged by a horizontal pull to the chest with the chest
concave, or chest up (chest up produces more back width).
In my gym, I had a special piece of equipment, which I designed
with a horizontal pull. The pulley is 16 inches off the
floor and you site and pull a 24" wide handle back
to your chest with the legs slightly bent. It is important
to always touch the chest at the bottom of the sternum to
insure maximum contraction. Also, remember to keep the elbows
up away from the body. Last but not least, you should have
a picture in your mind of the anatomy of the teres and upper
back. Study a good anatomy chart of the upper back for a
better understanding.
DELTOIDS?This is the next body part in line to produce
the cosmetic look we wish to achieve. The lateral head of
the deltoid is the portion of this three-headed muscle,
which gives the maximum-width look we are striving for.
Presses of any kind develop the thickness or front deltoid,
not the width of the delts. The posterior (rear) delt also
contributes to thickness only of the delts. You can work
these strands at a later date to round out the deltoid,
but not at this stage.
Upright Rowing Motion. This exercise develops the deltoids
faster than any exercise I know. The width of the grip is
shoulders-width?any narrower grip causes the trapezius to
be brought into play and will develop them and not the deltoids.
The bar is across the upper thighs at the start and the
elbows are not locked out, they are pointed outwards. As
the bar is pulled up, pull it away from the body (about
10-inches). When you reach the height of the mid-pectoral,
the elbows stop at the height of the top of your head?the
elbows are also forward, not out to the sides. At this position,
the upper arms should be in the same position as the lateral
raise with dumbbells. Actually, this exercise is a duplicate
of the lateral raise. However, it is superior to the lateral
raise for deltoid development.
TRICEPS?The exercise for this muscle is a compound movement
(two exercises on a given muscle). The name of this combination
is referred to as
Barbell Pullover and Press. Lie down on a flat bench with
the top of your head off the end of the bench. Take a slightly
narrower than shoulders-width overhand grip and begin with
the arms extended over the chest. From this position, with
elbows parallel to the body, lower the bar down and back
under the bottom of the head; without pausing, pull the
bar upwards and forward to the starting position. Perform
8 reps, then without stopping, lower the bar to the base
of the neck and do 8 presses with the elbows always under
the bar.
BICEPS?Here is a great biceps developer that builds this
muscle rapidly. It is also a compound movement.
Preacher Stand Curls and Barbell Body Drag. The proper
stance using the Preacher Stand is: the left leg is place
next to the post, holding the Preacher Stand, and the right
leg is back for support.
- Elbows are placed 3" below top of stand and are
shoulder-width. Hands are shoulder width.
- Begin curl by letting the barbell roll down to the first
joint of the fingers.
- Start curl by closing hand on bar and then curl hand and
wrist.
- Start the barbell moving up and as curl nears completion,
the forearms should cover the upper arm.
- At the top of the movement, the bar should be pulled back
until it touches base of neck and front deltoids.
- After completing this set, select a barbell 40% lighter
and with a wide grip curl up touching the body all the way
up to the neck and back down the same way (barbell body
drag).
Now for forearms. Sit on a bench and lay forearms on top
of thighs with the wrists breaking over end of knees.
THIGHS?The following exercise builds shape and size to
the mid and lower portions of the thighs:
Hack Slide. This exercise is performed with the heels about
16" to 18" apart, with the toes wider and upward.
The heels should be positioned well back under the hips
to produce maximum thigh stress and to create development
above the knee and middle thigh areas. Never lock out at
the top of the movement. This is an incomplete burn type
of movement and builds muscle tissue faster than any other
thigh exercise I know. Steve Reeves? thighs were the type
of shape and development produced by this exercise. If you
feel you need leg biceps development, after every set of
hack slides, step outside the platform to the sides, toes
very wide, and do 4 to 6 more reps without resting. This
was Larry Scott?s method of working his thighs.
CALVES?This muscle has more fibers (1,120,000) than any
other muscle in the human body. The upper arm has only 40,000
fibers. So this indicates to me that more work is needed.
I have experimented with heavy weights and low reps (10
reps) and received no success. This experiment lasted one
year. I found 20 reps to be the answer, with all the weight
you can handle. Also, you may work stubborn calves on off-days,
providing you use no weight?pump only!
Calf Raises. You must rise on your toes with the feet placed
on a 4" block. Most of the weight is on the first two
toes: big toe and second toe. If you wish to develop the
diamond peak of the calves, the knees must be slightly out
of lock. As you rise, there is a pressure at the heels.
You must also remember that calves are a stretch muscle,
so make an effort to touch the floor on each rep. I have
observed the men with good calf development have this full
range of movement, and those that don?t have shown a marked
lack of development. Get good use out of the calf machine.
SETS and REPS for men over 40?I particularly advise beginning
this program with three sets only. You may add a fourth
set later only if you feel that you are honestly doing the
exercises to the best of your ability. Train three times
a week with at least a day of rest between workouts.
Beware of adding sets and weight. This usually indicates
sloppier form and is an excuse to justify it. Rather than
to raise the weight, I advise doing three sets of 8 reps,
and increasing the reps as you improve to 12. Never raise
the reps until you have completed three workouts at the
number of reps you are using at the time. This is the system
that I taught at my gym for fifty years with great success.
On compound movement or burn movements, the second exercise
is less than the first movement, such as 8 reps on the Preacher
Curls and 6 on the Body Drag; or 8 reps on the Hack Slide
for the thighs, and 6 reps on the leg biceps (feet wide
outside of the platform). Calves, of course, are always
20 reps. Prior to a contest, I raised the count to 30 reps.
Basics?
(Musclemag Oct'84)
I am from the school of basics when it comes
to bodybuilding. I have been training since my teens in
the mid sixties alwayss using heavy weights and basic exercises.
My system has always been Press Behind Neck, Squats, Bench
Press, Rowing and barbell curls. I perform eight sets of
five reps for all exercises and my workouts take about 3
hours. I do have some fair size but I do not really look
impressive. Any suggestions?
For someone who has been training for around twenty years
you better have gotten something from your training. Your
routine stinks! And the worst thing is that you take three
hours to do it. Limited routines such as yours are OK for
short periods but to do the same basics for twenty years!!!
Where have you been?
Get more variety in your training and increase the reps
to 8-10. I suggest you split a routine based on working
each muscle group with three different exercises at least,
maybe four. If you want shape and impressiveness then I
suggest you use specific isolation exercises. Kill your
love affair with the basics. After twenty years it's about
time.
Letter from Vince to Musclemag
(Musclemag Volumne 2 issue 1)
Dear Sirs,
I think many readers would be interested in these thoughts
of mine about bodybuilding.
To begin with, I feel that rules are made to be challenged,
questioned, changed or completely broken.
There is no 'absolute' right way - or wrong way - to work
out! Too many bodybuilders, unquestioningly, slave away
year in and year out , with exercises and concepts they
never bother to analyze or explain. They don't even seem
to notice that they are not getting results! They seem to
think that some morning they will wake up, look into the
mirror, and Lo! They will have attained the body-beautiful!
I, personally, get bored and disgusted when I see no results.
So, I change my thinking and try to look at the concept
obliquely and see if I have overlooked, or did not see,
a side of the problem that
I had not seen before.
In short, I try things that are not logical to me by actually
doing the thing physically. In doing it physically, I sometimes
find a logic that I could not have ever seen unless I experienced
the thing physically.
When I experiment with a new exercise I don't do it for
one week - or two - or three - and expect to feel or see
any difference ... I give it a chance and let it become
a habit pattern. In short, I give it nine months. Experience
has shown me that any less than nine months does not let
me pass through all the phases that are necessary to finally
formulate an opinion. Performed longer than nine months
the exercise becomes confusing and boring. If the new concept,
or exercise, is of any value it will be born in nine months.
What I am trying to be is flexible in my thinking, and also
give new concepts a fair and working chance. My penchant
is to get away from the usual and experiment with the unusual.
I feel that I have no magical secrets other than an open-minded
philosophy, or formula of thinking, that works with any
problem or question.
If the old, worn patterns do not work ... throw them out!
If they are partially successful, use your intuition and
intelligence to improve on them and keep creating. The old
cliche about necessity being the mother of invention applies
just as much to bodybuilding as to anything else.
Some of the old routines and exercise combinations should
be dead and buried --- Only those who still promote them
haven't bothered to try anything new themselves.
What could be more creative than changing, developing, renewing
and altering your body?
Yours very sincerely,
Vince Gironda,
California.
Muscle Confusion for Faster Progress
(Musclemag Vol2 issue 1)
Considering the fact that each muscle gets used to a workout
by the third training session, I have found a better form
of progression is to change the workout rather than increasing
the weight, this way the body cannot adjust to routine and
has to increase strength and muscle size to handle the unaccustomed
work it is asked to do! As I mentioned before, the body
adjusts to routine very quickly and in bodybuilding, this
should be avoided. In short, keep the muscles confused.
I tell my students that if you do not see changes in each
workout, you should ask questions and I will find the reason
changes are not occurring, (i.e. overwork, nutritional,
not forcing reps, etc.)
Tension
(Musclemag Vol 2 issue 1)
People living in isolated areas of the world on food without
pesticides, stabilizers, bleaches and preservatives, food
grown in soil with no chemical fertilizers added, will never
refer to nervous tension in the abdominal region. They relate
to the stomach only when hungry.
Blueprint
(Musclemag Vol 2 issue 1)
Designing a workout program for a student requires that
I locate all of the weak points of each muscle he will be
working on and prescribe the exercise to develop the underdeveloped
area of that specific muscle. The next step is to design
a program to work each muscle within the confines of the
student's own personal recuperative processes, because overwork
produces over-tonis or tissue loss. This condition is often
evident in bodybuilders who overwork the abdominal area,
resulting in a bloated and smoothed out appearance.
Bodybuilding for Women
(Musclemag Vol 2 issue 1)
Why does everyone, including the people who supposedly
teach and train women in health clubs and spas, consider
women to be somehow different in the way they react to exercise?
They are not! Women are, however, leg creatures. For millions
of years, women were the pack animals while men carried
only their spears and clubs when the family or tribe was
on the move. The men had to be unburdened and able to move
fast in case of trouble. The men developed strength in the
arms and shoulders. The women developed legs and hips. Leg
work, by the way, enhances upper body development by 15
per cent. So a woman who is working on bust improvement
must not exclude leg work if she wants maximum gains in
the bustline.
ENDURANCE TESTS
(Musclemag Vol 2 issue 1)
In training you can't expect the best gains if you have
trouble getting through your workout; so I'm sure you are
interested in endurance in relation to your training. Desiccated
liver is very important when it comes to obtaining increased
endurance levels.
Benjamin H. Ershoff, Ph.D, performed an experiment with
rats in order to test an anti-fatigue diet. He had an idea
that there is something in liver that might produce energy.
He used 3 gr0vps of rats feeding them for 12 weeks as much
as they wanted of 3 different diets:
Group I - ate - basic diet. fortified with 9 synthetic and
2 natural vitamins.
Group 2 - ate the same diet with added B complex.
Group 3 - ate the same diet, but instead of B, 10% desiccated
liver was added.
The outcome: Group 1 had little growth while group 2 experienced
a little higher rate of growth. The third group grew about
15 per cent more than group one.
Another test was given for fatigue. The rats were placed
into a drum of water from which they could not escape. They
had to keep swimming or drown.
Group 1 lasted about 13 minutes. For group 2 there was little
difference. But group 3 lasted much longer, most still swimming
at the end of a 2 hour period. The rats that had received
desiccated liver could swim almost 10 times as long as the
others, without becoming exhausted.
3-DAY MAXIMUM ROUTINE
(Musclemag Vol 2 issue 1)
This concept allows a complete tissue break-down and insures
results. Simply take the same workout you are taking now,
but work your upper body three days in a row and then switch
to legs and work them 3 days. This gives a complete 72 hour
rest to the opposite area.
WEIGHT GAINING HINT
(Musclemag Vol 2 issue 1)
Do not miss a workout unless necessary. Your whole body-building
program is based on regular habits. Keeping on a set schedule
will insure continued gains and fewer losses.
3 SETS OF MAXIMUM
(Musclemag Vol 2 issue 1)
One of my concepts for Body Building, 3 sets of 8 reps
maximum, is backed up by De Larme and Watkins' book "Progressive
Resistance Exercise." My experience has shown me that
most bodybuilders overwork, causing muscle tissue loss.
As a matter of fact, Gary Westfall and Charlie Carpenter
(Key Club members) are employing this system and both are
now sporting 17.1/2" arms!
Sets and Reps
(Musclemag Vol 2 issue 1)
I read a great deal of your articles in "Iron
Man" and "Muscle Mag" and I believe your
training programs.
My only question is this:
I do not understand the scheme of sets and
reps, especially the so-called 10-8-6 system.
Could you explain it to me?
I also do not understand why you advocate "no squatting"
as I find these very beneficial. Thank you very much.
P.S. I am 28 years old, 6', 195 lbs., and work as a N.Y.City
fireman.
My 10-8-6-15 routine calls for 10 reps with 60 percent
of your maximum in the exercise performed for the number
of reps required and 8 reps for the second set 75 percent
of maximum, and 6 reps maximum for the third set.
The fourth set is a flushing set to pump capillaries with
blood and you do fifteen reps with about 35 percent of your
maximum. O.K.?
I advocate NO squatting, but I do advocate leg work! (Hack
slide or Sissy squats). I have seen too many physiques destroyed
by Deep Knee Bends.
Squats and Deadlifts
(Musclemag Vol 2 issue 1)
Is it possible to gain muscular bulk without
doing heavy squats and deadlifts? It is uncomfortable for
me to do these two exercises because I have hemorrhoids
and weak knees. When I push squats and deadlifts my thighs
begin to get larger, but so do my hemorrhoids, so this is
no good.
I understand that you don't even have squat racks in your
gym, so will the above course help me to gain bulk without
squatting?
I have a small bone structure, if this makes any difference.
1 - 15 percent extra gains can be acquired in the upper
body by including leg work. But not squats as they spread
and develop glutes and upper thigh disproportionately. Please
stick to Hack Slide and Sissy Squats only! The hyperextension
for lower back is superior to deadlifts!
2 - Bone structures means nothing.
3 - As to your question as to whether you will gain or not,
write me in 90 days and let me know how much you have gained.
Vince and Nick
My name is Roman Footnick. I started at Vince's when I
was very young (around 13 maybe). My dad lived in L.A. and
mom in Houston, so my training consisted of INTENSE summers
and every holiday school break for years. During the school
year training was sporadic due to sports, but when I was
17 I decided I would compete. By 18 I had won a few local
bodybuilding and powerlifting contests (Nick liked how I
was stronger than I looked). More importantly I won texas
state and lone star state championships at 18 qualifying
me for nationals. I did the NPC teen nationals and placed
fourth, and felt great about it. It was during this time
period that I learned how pharmaceutical BB was for real.
Vince and Nick always told me, but after meeting the other
teens and learning what they were doing, and moving to Venice,
training with pros and learning what they were doing, and
finally meeting with Joe Weider and learning how little
"Pros" earn (while knowing how much they spend
to be a pro) I decided to no longer pursue hard core bodybuilding
(competition).
I've been personal training since I was 16, and now help
manage a gym here in Houston as well as teach martial arts.
I earned my masters in science, and a license to practice
acupuncture and Asian medicine as well. I still train -
but its not my life, rather it just adds more joy to my
life (barring injury).
To say Vince and Nick influenced my life would be a massive
understatement. Unfortunately, I sometimes feel I didn't
take full advantage of their expertise and wisdom. They
would harp on at me about getting on that old, rickety,
wooden bench and bench pressing more than I should "they
just tear pecs"...It did. Or "squats will make
your ass big"...they were right again. How 'bout "those
guys ('80s-'90s bodybuilders) are just tits and asses...you
don't want that"...I thought I did-but turns out I
didn't.
Being so young I was very naive about the drug usage (by
everyone). They (Vince and Nick) would go on and on about
this body builder, that athlete, or this actor being on
steroids or gh. I specifically remember not wanting to believe
Franco (still today my BB/PL idol) ever took anything. I
kept telling Nick I could be like Franco (we're both short
and stocky - but strong)...and he would laugh and say "Franco's
so wide he can barely fit through the door",or "he's
as wide as he is tall" as if it was a bad thing. Of
course, he would also tell me all those guys (even the Scotts
and Pearls) used drugs. I think I was 16 when I overheard
Vince say he wasn't going to allow any steroid users in
his gym-don't know for sure if it happened-nothing seemed
to change from my perspective.
I picked up a few "tricks" in all those years
of training at Vince's. But the most important exercise
I picked up from Vince's was...research, experimentation,
and creative thinking. That's what Vince was all about.
I think that's why he seemed so bitter at times, he KNEW
what to do but science, medicine, or whatever could not
keep up with his findings and theories.
A Vince Workout
The real problem with writing a Vince workout is so much
is lost in the translation. Side Laterals to Vince took
on a whole new meaning, as did pretty much every other exercise
performed at Vince's. He, Nick, or other members were quick
to bark orders commanding you to perform a movement with
a certain, precise style. It was this ?style? (for lack
of a better word) that would make Vince?s hack squat a multi
exercise station. I am hoping that most people on this forum
understand what I mean, and already know many of Vince?s
?rules? for the exercises I am about mention.
I was asked to provide a ?Vince? routine. Also mentioned
is people?s misconception of Vince?s hatred toward squats
and bench presses. So in order to satisfy the squatters
below is a sample leg workout from many years ago. Keep
in mind there were no routines or typical workouts at Vince?s.
Day One: Quads, Hams, Calves
Leg Extensions 8x15
Hack Squat (a) 8x15
Hack Squat (b) 8x15
Leg Curl 8x15
Calf Raises 8x20
There was VERY LITTLE REST ? EVER. I?m talking 15 ? 20
seconds break, ?take 10 deep breaths?GO!?.
All of these were performed in a very strict manner ? Vince
Style. I am not going to go into great detail about each
exercise, but briefly put:
Leg Extensions were performed while basically performing
a sit up motion coordinated with the flexion and extension
of the knee.
Hack Squat (a) was performed with the feet together, toes
out, heels all the way to the back of sleds platform, and
the knees bent way over the feet upon descent.
Hack Squat (b) was performed with the feet together, toes
straight forward, and toes nearly hanging off the front
of the platform.
Leg Curls were performed in a similar coordinated fashion
as Leg Ext?rocking upper body up and down while performing
Leg Curls.
Calf Raises had to be performed with your SHOES OFF, and
very strictly. If you are using a ton of weight - you?re
doing them wrong.
They (Vince and Nick) liked higher reps for legs, at least
my legs. Those eight sets were built over time, starting
with one each and each workout building. But I gotta tell
ya, for some reason I can not come close to doing that workout
any more. There was something special at Vince?s Gym that
could make me like a machine and keep going.
Some of you may find it interesting that while they used
high volume training in his gym, they also openly advocated
Mentzer?s Heavy Duty back in the day. They said it was sound
training, but for most people its better for them to handle
more volume. Maybe they meant safety, but in my opinion
they were probably referring to creating the ?illusion?
of a perfect body.
Please remember this was performed after years of training
and under guidance.
That workout was/is brutal. Like I said I?ve tried going
back to it and I can?t seem to do it without utilizing major
drop-sets. Those days of training like that was when I was
19 years old and in excellent shape (my waist was 27? and
my thighs were 28?). 8 x 8 is not for the novice. And yes,
like I said, it was months before I could work up to that
volume. The main part was focus and drive to just get it
done. I think those leg workouts lasted at most 35 minutes.
I often tried to do too much too soon (because I always
figured more is better) but I would try to stop myself as
I matured, otherwise he would yell at me for overtraining.
I was actually sent home one day because I just kept training
(I was about 15 or so).
A sample beginner workout was more like:
One set each between 8 to 12 reps
Leg Extension
Leg Curl
Hack Squat
Pull Downs
Decline Fly (with those low pulleys Vince had)
Side Laterals
Scott Curl
Tri Pushdown
That?s what I started with more or less. And still, that
is more or less what I start my clients with as well.
Vince performed this as a circuit. Each workout the volume
increased by performing the circuit one more additional
time. I know he really liked two-a-days with this as well.
Really the importance of Vince?s training wasn?t in the
?routines? so much as it was in the way an exercise was
performed. They (Vince and Nick) were VERY specific about
the way an exercise was to be done in their gym.
Today, I perform very few sets per workout, but the sets
I perform are done with precision. I think Vince would still
approve of my current training, yet still have many suggestions
to make it better.
At Vince's I was often instructed to do routines consisting
of three sets per exercise and between two and three exercises
per bodypart. The first set was light and used to get perfect
form. The second set was heavy and to failure, and then
the third was a no rest, drop set. The emphasis was on form
and failure. Reps were moderate between 8 - 15.
Vince was very specific about a muscle needing 72 hours
of rest. But he also had most of the beginners (including
me) workout day after day using a circuit routine.
Impress Girls
"[...] we went over to Studio-City to train at Vince's
Gym. I opened my wallet, which didn't have much money, in
front of Vince and gave him 14 Dollars for both me and my
friend to train for the day.
We had a great workout, using the same equipment that all
my childhood heroes got huge on, such as Don Howorth, Bill
McArdle, and of course, Larry Scott.
After the workout and after changing in the locker room
fittingly titled Larry Scott's dressing room, I remember
showing Vince a couple of poses and asking if he thought
I had what it takes to impress the California girls. Vince
replied, pointing to his backside, "you need more back
here". I said, "Vince, I do my best to build my
butt, but I don't squat anymore because I know from you
that it makes the hips wider." Vince replied "no
you idiot. I'm referring to your wallet. It needs to be
fatter if you want to impress the girls. They want money."
I miss Vince
I was a good friend of Vince and worked out at Vinces Gym
the last few years that it was around. Vince never took
to liking too many people; but I was a skinny smart-ass
who would stick up against Vince's gruff and after awhile
he took me under his wing. He taught me so many things in
the next few years about lifting, nutrition and life. I
always said I was the last student of his; when he closed
his gym I remained very close to him and his wife. It was
somewhat sad how the whole closing and his life ended; at
the end I was helping him and his wife so much because there
were so many problems, mostly financial.
When he closed his gym he gave me his front sign from the
gym and several lat-pulldowns, and other signs -- like the
mens locker room sign and the gym hours signs. He also had
a penchant for war memorabilia, etc and gave me some old
civil war cannon balls. He always promised me old pics of
his, but we never ever got to cleaning out his old garage
once everything got hauled out of the gym.
I miss him; he (or his son) would work me out hard; then
we would sit out in the back of the gym and hear his life
stories. For those couple of years, he really was the father
I never had -- I know that sounds trite -- but, we had a
bond that wasnt common for Vince. I miss him greatly.
There are so many stories over those couple of years. Most
newcomers (including me, initially) were not well received.
Once, there was a photographer and writer from a large muscle
mag. They were from Canada and had traveled to talk to Vince.
They came in and out of the gym for two days until they
finally found him behind his desk. I can still remember
when they introduced themselves to him and how he stood
up and yelled out some gruff and threw them out of the gym
after they asked for a photograph. Five minutes later, the
photographer came back - practically in tears - yelling
at Vince that he had travelled so many miles and how he
admired Vince. It made no difference and Vince just walked
out to the back. I met up with him a few minutes after and
found him smoking his pipe under our old oak. "Damn
reporters -- once they start asking you how you're doing
you can consider yourself dead." That was enough to
keep me quiet on the subject. Vince either hated you or
loved you -- there was nowhere in between -- but if you
were "in", he was an incredibly loyal and intimate
friend. A real gentleman with integrity (when his mood suited
him) that just are very rare these days.
Frequency
It is correct about beginners training everday. Vince felt
that they (beginners) had the drive, excitement, and fresh
recovery abilities that allowed such punishment.
Once a trainee was more "advanced" there was
no set training frequency - it was as varied as the workouts.
The days of the week are arbitrary to the body, and I can't
recall any workouts that were set to a fixed frequency.
So frequency of training depended on your recovery abilities,
passion, and progress.
I specifically remember Nick barking at me because I was
having a bad day (the kind were everything feels heavy)
and accused me of having overtonis. He literally kicked
me out and called my dad to come pick me up. I didn't go
back for a little less than a week.
At Vince's constant improvement was just expected. I guess
they (Vince and Nick) figured that since you started training
as much as possible until progress slowed - then logically
you should begin limiting the frequency to allow full recovery
and growth to take place as you improve. Since you mentioned
you are drug free, I will mention that Nick often scolded
me for my desire to train like the pro's - basically stating
that the drugs significantly improved their recovery abilities.
Rep Speed
Simply put, use the muscle not momentum. Vince or Nick
would be quick to point out when I was cheating myself by
using momentum instead of focusing on using the muscle to
perform the movement. This also means don't "explode"
at any part of a movement.
Usually I was aiming at completing a perfect 8 reps, but
sometimes they would yell at me to keep going by doing "burns"
- which consist of performing quick, short range of motion
reps (focusing on the contraction part of the rep). Otherwise
I performed reps in a very strict and focused manner.
Quick note: I remember Nick talking about one of the real
old school guys (sorry I can't remember his name - but I
think he called him "pumper" or something like
that, cause he only tried to get a pump) who would show
up at Vince's and use light weight, fast reps, and no real
form. According to Nick the guy was huge. His point was...different
strokes for different folks.
8 x 8
I hope you guys understand Vince (as far as I know) never
really started anybody out doing the 8 x 8 routines. Rather
he started people (from the advanced athlete to the overweight
actor) by doing more of a one set "circuit" style
of training. And in doing so they (Vince or Nick) would
endlessly critique your form on every movement or exercise.
From there they would increase the trainees' work load gradually
and steadily. I know Vince (or his fans) talked a lot about
the 8 x 8 routines, but remember that