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Arnold Schwarzenegger's Blueprint
- By Eric Edge
- •
- 06 Apr, 2017
- •
How To Train For Mass
When it comes to bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger knows best. His plan for quality mass and extreme strength isn't complicated. In fact, it's steeped in the fundamentals and old-school exercises that should be at the heart of everyone's program. It's a surefire road to growth, but it's fraught with pain and struggle. If you want to learn bodybuilding from the world's best bodybuilder, you're in the right place.
BASICS ARE BEST
"The biggest mistake being made in bodybuilding today is that people aren't covering basic exercises," says the Austrian Oak. And by basic, Arnold doesn't mean easy. Many contemporary fitness centers are full of people on machines, not in squat racks, and big-box gyms often lack even a single platform. Arnold disapproves: "Today, when I go in the gymnasium, I don't see any of the kids learning about the clean and press, or the snatch, or the upright row from the floor."
"The biggest mistake being made in bodybuilding today is that people aren't covering basic exercises," says the Austrian Oak. And by basic, Arnold doesn't mean easy. Many contemporary fitness centers are full of people on machines, not in squat racks, and big-box gyms often lack even a single platform. Arnold disapproves: "Today, when I go in the gymnasium, I don't see any of the kids learning about the clean and press, or the snatch, or the upright row from the floor."
Schwarzenegger's insistence on the essential lifts is not due to some grandfatherly desire to live in the past. It comes from decades of continued interest and expertise in the industry, and from the hard-earned knowledge that it doesn't take fancy machines or off-the-wall programming to become arguably the best bodybuilder in history. Get back to your bodybuilding roots and experience unbelievable growth.
Building your dream body is about more than what you do in the gym. It's about what you do in your mind—how you visualize your success and envision your legacy. Arnold Schwarzenegger pictured himself as a champion bodybuilder, and he built a blueprint to become just that. Whether you want to shred for a competition or lose weight for life, Arnold's Blueprint to Cut will help you succeed.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions and ideas are not endorsed by Challenge Fitness. Our aim is to inspire you with content from around the world to help you expand your knowledge. Challenge Fitness is not responsible for any injuries or losses incurred by you following the information within these posts. Please always be safe and if you have any doubts concerning any information don't hesitate to speak to us on 02 6584 1122.
More THRIVE Posts....
| Sarah Hunsberger's Leg-Sculpting Workout |
1. Seated Leg Curl - 3 sets, 12 reps
2. Sumo Deadlift - 3 sets, 12 reps
Superset
3. Hip thrust - 3 sets, 12 reps
4. Curtsy Lunge - 3 sets, 12 reps
Giant Set
5. Wide Stance Leg Press with Band - 3 sets, 12 reps
6. Band Abduction - 3 sets, 20 reps
7. Calf Raise - 3 sets, 20 reps
8. Cable Glute Kick Back - 3 sets, 12-15 reps each leg
Superset
9. Single Leg Bridge on Bosu Ball - 3 sets,15 reps each leg
10. Hamstring Curl on Stability Ball - 3 sets, 15 reps
Sometimes, achieving your dream body means keeping a promise you made to yourself.
Just ask NutraBio-sponsored athlete Sarah Hunsberger. Back in high school, she was excited to sign up for her very first gym membership.
"I had been athletically active for years," says Hunsberger. "I competed in swimming, soccer, track, and volleyball, but this was my first experience doing conditioning workouts by myself and not with a team."
Unsure where to begin, Hunsberger started with exercises that fit her comfort zone.
"I'd spend my time there running on the treadmill and trying out different abdominal exercises, because at the time, that's all I really knew how to do," she says.
Then one day, she took a selfie doing a plank and posted it on Instagram with the caption, "This is just the beginning of my fitness." A promise that has since come true.
1. Seated Leg Curl - 3 sets, 12 reps
2. Sumo Deadlift - 3 sets, 12 reps
Superset
3. Hip thrust - 3 sets, 12 reps
4. Curtsy Lunge - 3 sets, 12 reps
Giant Set
5. Wide Stance Leg Press with Band - 3 sets, 12 reps
6. Band Abduction - 3 sets, 20 reps
7. Calf Raise - 3 sets, 20 reps
8. Cable Glute Kick Back - 3 sets, 12-15 reps each leg
Superset
9. Single Leg Bridge on Bosu Ball - 3 sets,15 reps each leg
10. Hamstring Curl on Stability Ball - 3 sets, 15 reps
Sometimes, achieving your dream body means keeping a promise you made to yourself.
Just ask NutraBio-sponsored athlete Sarah Hunsberger. Back in high school, she was excited to sign up for her very first gym membership.
"I had been athletically active for years," says Hunsberger. "I competed in swimming, soccer, track, and volleyball, but this was my first experience doing conditioning workouts by myself and not with a team."
Unsure where to begin, Hunsberger started with exercises that fit her comfort zone.
"I'd spend my time there running on the treadmill and trying out different abdominal exercises, because at the time, that's all I really knew how to do," she says.
Then one day, she took a selfie doing a plank and posted it on Instagram with the caption, "This is just the beginning of my fitness." A promise that has since come true.
Since we're shifting our emphasis from building to shredding, Phase 2 will be different from Phase 1 in a number of crucial ways. In Phase 1 you ended your workouts with FST-7 sets. In Phase 2, you'll start most workouts with them. The concentration needed to accomplish these special sets will help you focus on developing the mind-muscle connection. We'll also be increasing from 3 sets to 4 sets on other exercises, and boosting the reps per set up to 8-12. And we'll be using machines more, so you can get through some new techniques like dropsets more efficiently.
That's not all that changes, though. You'll also do more cardio and ab work, while eating fewer calories. Nothing will be easy from here on out, but the goal is a noble one: to reveal your best-possible physique.
Let's see what you're made of.
| Phase Two Training Split |
Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Quads, Hamstrings, and Calves
Day 3: Shoulders, Rear Delts, and Traps
Day 4: Back
Day 5: Biceps and Triceps
Day 6: Quads, Hamstrings, and Calves
Day 7: Rest
You'll still be utilizing plenty of free weights and compound movements in Phase 2, but the emphasis will shift in some cases to machines so you can quickly add or remove weights to make use of intensity techniques such as dropsets. You'll also be doing more isolation movements to enhance the shape of key muscles.
You should continue to start each workout with two warm-up sets for your first exercise. You'll still pyramid up in volume, too, only now you'll do one extra set to increase your volume. And by increasing your reps, you'll be able to work additional muscle fibers and pump more blood into your muscles, which will help stretch the fascia from the inside out.
That's not all that changes, though. You'll also do more cardio and ab work, while eating fewer calories. Nothing will be easy from here on out, but the goal is a noble one: to reveal your best-possible physique.
Let's see what you're made of.
| Phase Two Training Split |
Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Quads, Hamstrings, and Calves
Day 3: Shoulders, Rear Delts, and Traps
Day 4: Back
Day 5: Biceps and Triceps
Day 6: Quads, Hamstrings, and Calves
Day 7: Rest
You'll still be utilizing plenty of free weights and compound movements in Phase 2, but the emphasis will shift in some cases to machines so you can quickly add or remove weights to make use of intensity techniques such as dropsets. You'll also be doing more isolation movements to enhance the shape of key muscles.
You should continue to start each workout with two warm-up sets for your first exercise. You'll still pyramid up in volume, too, only now you'll do one extra set to increase your volume. And by increasing your reps, you'll be able to work additional muscle fibers and pump more blood into your muscles, which will help stretch the fascia from the inside out.
Yes, it will hurt, but with Hany Rambod guiding you, you can be confident it'll be worth it.
| Hany Rambod's Chest Training Tips |
Flat-bench dumbbell press:
I prefer using dumbbells on the flat bench, because you can get a greater range of motion than you can with a barbell. Bring your hands in closer for a tight contraction, depending on the size of the dumbbells being used.
Close-grip bench press:
Place your hands just inside shoulder width and keep your elbows close to the body. Contract your triceps hard at the top of the movement.
Bench dip:
This version, as opposed to the parallel bars, lets you maintain an upright body position, which puts more stress on the triceps. Make sure the distance between benches allows for a full range of motion.
Remember: Any time you see the words "up to 7 sets" in the programming, that indicates an FST-7 set. For those sets, keep rest time minimal, such as 30-45 seconds, and whenever possible, flex the target muscle for 5-10 seconds during the rest period.
During Phase Two, these sorts of intensity-boosting techniques will only get more important, and you'll start combining movements into FST-7 supersets. For now, just go do the work and start growing!
| Hany Rambod's Chest Training Tips |
Flat-bench dumbbell press:
I prefer using dumbbells on the flat bench, because you can get a greater range of motion than you can with a barbell. Bring your hands in closer for a tight contraction, depending on the size of the dumbbells being used.
Close-grip bench press:
Place your hands just inside shoulder width and keep your elbows close to the body. Contract your triceps hard at the top of the movement.
Bench dip:
This version, as opposed to the parallel bars, lets you maintain an upright body position, which puts more stress on the triceps. Make sure the distance between benches allows for a full range of motion.
Remember: Any time you see the words "up to 7 sets" in the programming, that indicates an FST-7 set. For those sets, keep rest time minimal, such as 30-45 seconds, and whenever possible, flex the target muscle for 5-10 seconds during the rest period.
During Phase Two, these sorts of intensity-boosting techniques will only get more important, and you'll start combining movements into FST-7 supersets. For now, just go do the work and start growing!
FST-7 stands for "fascia stretch training"—the "7" stands for the number of sets you do at the end of a workout. The goal of FST-7 is to expand and create microscopic tears in the connective sheath surrounding the muscle fibers called the fascia. These tears are achieved by flooding the muscle with blood while you work toward the most epic pump of your life!
The purpose of this particular workout is to widen the lats. If you're posing on stage, you want them to look 3-D, even from the back. Wide lats also provide that all-important V-taper. In this workout, we're doing 5 base exercises to help you build strength, and then following them with FST-7 sets that will volumize the muscle.
Jeremy will show you the intensity; I'll give you the cues. Put them together when you do the workout on your own, and you'll see and feel insane results!
If you haven't seen my FST-7 chest-and-biceps workout, make sure to check that out as well! You can implement both workouts into your normal training split. Just make sure to give yourself enough recovery time between workouts.
The purpose of this particular workout is to widen the lats. If you're posing on stage, you want them to look 3-D, even from the back. Wide lats also provide that all-important V-taper. In this workout, we're doing 5 base exercises to help you build strength, and then following them with FST-7 sets that will volumize the muscle.
Jeremy will show you the intensity; I'll give you the cues. Put them together when you do the workout on your own, and you'll see and feel insane results!
If you haven't seen my FST-7 chest-and-biceps workout, make sure to check that out as well! You can implement both workouts into your normal training split. Just make sure to give yourself enough recovery time between workouts.
Watch and learn from Hany Rambod, one of the best coaches in fitness, as he takes Men's Physique Olympia champion Jeremy Buendia through a brutal FST-7 chest-and-biceps workout!
My nickname in the fitness industry is "the Pro Creator." I've coached my athletes to 13 Olympia titles and transformed their bodies from impressive to legendary. Today, you get to see me train 2014 men's physique Olympia champion Jeremy Buendia through one of my incredibly challenging—but incredibly effective—muscle-building FST-7 workouts.
This chest-and-biceps workout isn't easy. It's going to hurt, but Jeremy is a living, breathing example that FST-7 can help you substantially change the shape and size of your muscles. Come with us and stretch your limits.
Before we get into the workout, let's talk a little bit about what FST-7 is and what makes it different from your usual bodybuilding workout. FST-7 stands for fascia stretch training, and the "7" stands for the number of sets you do at the end of a workout.
The goal of FST-7 is to expand and create microscopic tears in the fascia—a connective sheath surrounding the muscle fibers—around a target muscle group by increasing the volume of that muscle. This is achieved by flooding the muscle with blood by working toward an incredibly epic pump. Stretching the fascia will give you room to grow for the long haul.
Heavy weights will get you thicker, denser muscles, but that round, full look comes from training for the pump. With those aspects in mind, this workout is designed so you do heavier work first, then follow it with 7 lighter sets that will bring a lot of blood and nutrients to your muscles. That blood means a lot of stretching and growth.
My nickname in the fitness industry is "the Pro Creator." I've coached my athletes to 13 Olympia titles and transformed their bodies from impressive to legendary. Today, you get to see me train 2014 men's physique Olympia champion Jeremy Buendia through one of my incredibly challenging—but incredibly effective—muscle-building FST-7 workouts.
This chest-and-biceps workout isn't easy. It's going to hurt, but Jeremy is a living, breathing example that FST-7 can help you substantially change the shape and size of your muscles. Come with us and stretch your limits.
Before we get into the workout, let's talk a little bit about what FST-7 is and what makes it different from your usual bodybuilding workout. FST-7 stands for fascia stretch training, and the "7" stands for the number of sets you do at the end of a workout.
The goal of FST-7 is to expand and create microscopic tears in the fascia—a connective sheath surrounding the muscle fibers—around a target muscle group by increasing the volume of that muscle. This is achieved by flooding the muscle with blood by working toward an incredibly epic pump. Stretching the fascia will give you room to grow for the long haul.
Heavy weights will get you thicker, denser muscles, but that round, full look comes from training for the pump. With those aspects in mind, this workout is designed so you do heavier work first, then follow it with 7 lighter sets that will bring a lot of blood and nutrients to your muscles. That blood means a lot of stretching and growth.
Barbell Squat - 5 sets, 8 reps
Leg Press - 5 sets, 12 reps
Bodyweight Walking Lunge - 4 sets, 20 reps (Double reps, with an extra down-and-up on each rep)
Romanian Deadlift with Dumbbells - 4 sets, 15 reps
Leg Extensions - 4 sets, 15-20 reps
Seated Leg Curl - 4 sets, 15-20 reps
Superset - 4 sets
Seated Calf Raise - 20 reps
Donkey Calf Raises - Failure
Leg Press - 5 sets, 12 reps
Bodyweight Walking Lunge - 4 sets, 20 reps (Double reps, with an extra down-and-up on each rep)
Romanian Deadlift with Dumbbells - 4 sets, 15 reps
Leg Extensions - 4 sets, 15-20 reps
Seated Leg Curl - 4 sets, 15-20 reps
Superset - 4 sets
Seated Calf Raise - 20 reps
Donkey Calf Raises - Failure
Lat Pulldown - 3 sets of 12-14 reps
Pull-up - 3 sets of 12-14 reps
Cable Upright Row - 3 sets of 12-14 reps
Hyperextension - 3 sets of 12-14 reps
Incline Dumbbell Curl - 3 sets of 12-14 reps
Close-Grip Barbell Curl - 3 sets of 12-14 reps
Pull-up - 3 sets of 12-14 reps
Cable Upright Row - 3 sets of 12-14 reps
Hyperextension - 3 sets of 12-14 reps
Incline Dumbbell Curl - 3 sets of 12-14 reps
Close-Grip Barbell Curl - 3 sets of 12-14 reps
Reverse overhead press on machine 4x12
Superset with plate press 4x10
Seated lateral raises 4x12
Superset with plate laterals 4x10
Face pull 4x12
Superset with bent over plate fly 4x10
Seated reverse fly 4x12
Superset with front raise 4x10
Ab roll out 4x15
Cable crunch 4x15
Incline sit up with oblique twist 4x12
Superset with plate press 4x10
Seated lateral raises 4x12
Superset with plate laterals 4x10
Face pull 4x12
Superset with bent over plate fly 4x10
Seated reverse fly 4x12
Superset with front raise 4x10
Ab roll out 4x15
Cable crunch 4x15
Incline sit up with oblique twist 4x12
When she was in middle school, Vanetza heard something no child should. "I'll never forget," now 28-year-old Vanetza tearfully recalls. "Someone said they would kill themselves if they looked like me—if they had a sister as beautiful as mine and were are fat and ugly as me."
As far back as Vanetza can remember, she was always the heavy one. She felt fat and unattractive, and constant comparisons to friends and family led to self-blame. Pair that with moving from Haiti to the U.S. in high school and having to catch up on reading comprehension from a third-grade level, and you have Vanetza's tough situation, which led her to eat more.
It wasn't until after she became an officer after military college that Vanetza was moved to start her weight-loss journey. "I became comfortable and was depressed and sad," Vanetza says. "I was always moving and didn't have my family or my sister nearby. I just started to eat."
Food might have provided temporary relief, but when her weight topped the scales at over 200 pounds, she was left feeling like a fake. "I wasn't setting examples as a solider and felt like I was a hypocrite. I was telling them about the standards but not meeting them myself."
This is Vanetza's story.
As far back as Vanetza can remember, she was always the heavy one. She felt fat and unattractive, and constant comparisons to friends and family led to self-blame. Pair that with moving from Haiti to the U.S. in high school and having to catch up on reading comprehension from a third-grade level, and you have Vanetza's tough situation, which led her to eat more.
It wasn't until after she became an officer after military college that Vanetza was moved to start her weight-loss journey. "I became comfortable and was depressed and sad," Vanetza says. "I was always moving and didn't have my family or my sister nearby. I just started to eat."
Food might have provided temporary relief, but when her weight topped the scales at over 200 pounds, she was left feeling like a fake. "I wasn't setting examples as a solider and felt like I was a hypocrite. I was telling them about the standards but not meeting them myself."
This is Vanetza's story.
The last time Joe Batic felt comfortable with his shirt off, he was four years old. "That was the last time I looked back at photos and didn't have a gut," he says. For Joe, weight has always been an issue. Back in fourth grade, when most kids were more concerned with what toy came in their Happy Meal, Joe was already embarking on his weight-loss journey.
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