ARNOLD SPECIAL
MOTIVATION
The mind always fails first,
not the body. The secret is
to make your mind work for you,
not against you.”MATTER
Arnold talks about training the biggest “muscle” of all
recurring theme in ll my traning articles isthe importance
Of the mind as it relates to taining, working a muse, devel
‘ping your physique, and achieving your bodybuilding goals
\Withour mastery over the mind you wil never have mastery
lover your body: As Thave std many times, unless you under
stand the power of
the mind in developing your muscles, you will not sue:
ceed. Desire, motivation, and setting goals all start with the mind, as does
visualization — how you imagine your body looking one dag. IF your mind is
not focused oa what you need to doin the gym, you cannot concentrate on
‘working your muscles properly
[Aeays femember that the body does what the mind tells eto do. IF your
‘mind does not want tit heavy weights and:
your body will not doit effectively. You wil
> through intense workouts,
zo through the motions, but
you'll never do the kind of heivy tmining necessary to properly develop
your body. The mind always fils fist, not the body. The secrets to make
your mind work for you, not agains you,
Heres an example to demonstrate what I mean about the power of the
rind. I remember one time when I was in the gym doing squats with
Franco Columbu. Franco, as everyone knows, is one of the strongest
bodybuilders of all time. ‘This particular day he got under 300 pounds,
squatted down, and coulda’ get back up. We had to grab the bar and help
him patie on the ck. On that day 500 pounds for even one rep was appar
ently too heavy for him,
Ac the same moment as we were helping him retack the weight, gtoup
of Telian-American kids from New York came in, “Wows” they said,
‘there's Franco! Hey, Franco! They were great fans, and were looking for
ward to watching him work out — but Franco had just filed in a it and
scemed likely to miss itagain on his next ty
He was obviously feeling a itl humiliated. His ego was taking a beatin
He doesnt often fail with a it well within his lif
apabiltes. Knowing
this, I took him aside and told him, “Franco, these guys think you'te the
king, You can’t fil with thar weighe again or they're going to go home and
tell all thei fiends thar the great Franco Columbu eannot even squat 500
pound” He looked at me with his big eyes, realizing he was on the spot
He went out onto the street and spent litle while psyching himself up,
taking deep breaths and concentrating om the if, He stalked back into the
‘gym, grabbed the bar, and instead of doing the 6 reps he was supposed to
do with the 500 pounds, he did 8!'Then he walked avay eoolly as if it were
nothing,
www.emusclemag.com / MARCH 139MOTIVATION
Probably the biggest difference between
the champions I've known over the years
and the guys who always stay ata beginner's
level is their ability to concentrate, to push
themselves hard exch set, and t0 train with:
out fear. Sue, the champs probably do have
‘more physical talent than the average per-
son, but T have known many bodybuilders
with great genetics who never won competi-
tions because of the weakness of their
‘minds, their inability o concentrate ptoper-
Jy, or their lack of confidence in theit ability
10 reach their goals. On the other hand, 1
have known people with less than ideal
genetic abilicy who went on 0 win major
Uitles through sheet desire, determination
and perseverance
ONE STEP AT A TIME
You can't simply go to the gym and say,
“Someday 1 want to be a pro boxiybuldler” of
“Someday I want to Jook like Arnold” Thae's
‘00 vague. Ie too far down the road, too much
inthe future, That’ a long-term goal. You need
small, daily goals to give your workouts mean
ing and intensity. For instance, if you did 10
chins the lst back workous, you know you need
and 12
the time afier that. If you did bench presses
with 200 pounds for 10 eps last chest workout,
the next chest workout try 205 pounds and see
hhow many reps you can get. Keep working uns
you ean do 205 for 10 reps — and then ada
‘more weight to the bar again, Trying to beat
‘what you did in your previous
‘workout gives each sesion special
meaning, Thats what bodybild
ing is all about. Training, progres
sively — always adding weight to
the bar or doing more reps with
the same weight, or both — i the
‘nly way to keep making improve-
iments. If you do not train pro-
gressively, you are just spinning
your wheels
Fonget sugary junk foods. Rat
the right foods, ake supplements
and practice proper nutiton. Get
‘enough sleep and rest for recovery
and recuperation, Maintain a pos:
tive attitude, and the long-term
goals will take care of themselves.
Tused to visualize myself becom-
jing more and more like Reg Park,
who was my bodybuilding idol
when T started eaining. Although
1 as tall and skinny without any
to try for 11 the next time you train
Joan Bi
Maintain a positive attitude and
the long-term goals will take
muscle mass or size (while Reg was ma
beyond belie), I helieved that one day wa
bbe huge too. I could imagine it happening e
‘ime I trained at the gym and everynight in bs
jnst before I fll asleep, The mote I focusel
this image and worked and grew the maw
saw the real possibilty of being like him. I
convinced that you become what you ti
about most. Dwell on acgative thoughts ai
you fai, Dwell on positive thoughts and yx
‘succeed,
Experts used to say a man couldn't clean at
jerk more than 500 pounds Several lifters ca
lose. In fact, atone time the record was 4997
pounds, less than half a pound under the maa
500 burret. Thea Vasily Alexcev of the fra
Soviet Union lited $01 pounds at the 1570 Wis
‘Weighting Championships in Columbus, Oi
care of themselves.”
Within one week both Serge Redding
[Belgium and Ken Patera of the USA also if
‘more than 500 pounds. Why? Because oaa’
‘Alexeev had eliminated the mental 500-pous)
barter, they knew the it wes possible.
You should see regular progress when yu
work out, If you dont, there is a probla
somewhere. Find out what itis and correct
‘You should also be constantly evaluating yout
physique for its weak points. Ate your cakes
‘00 small for your thighs? Is your chest too bi
for your shoulders and arms? Are your lovee
pees two big for your upper pees? Ate yout
‘waist and hips too wide? Ts your back too sha
low? Is it wide but nor thick, or thiel but at
wide? Do your biceps lack peak? Are you fig
buroo smooth, or ur but need more massa
Size? AIL these kinds of questions are impoe
‘aot, Remember, wou are trying to build the pes
ect physique, where every pat isin proportion
and balance. Symmetry is your ultimate geal
‘with musculatty and mass a close second.Mach as been written
‘al spoken about the
poner of positive thinking,
AL successful athletes, enter-
sus, artists, business people,
foeor, educators, musicians and
pukcans have this power in abun-
line: One of the main reasons they are
‘uns isthae they are excited about what
uy ae doing, They never think of failing —
‘al of theie great sense of accomplishment.
lune for what they are doing also contributes
iba success. They have passion.
Thear some people lamenting, “Oh, T anit
Je 20 pounds and develop good abs" or “I
‘atin 25 pounds and get the mass I need 10
‘insoch and such a contest” I would hate £0
fe ts weak-minded, t9 have so litle confi-
exe in my abilty to achieve my goals. I ean
pnorlose 20 pounds in a few weeks because I
Jor Ijusthave to adjust my diet and traning
tnd have the confidence to do it. I have a0.
huts When T did the movie Stay Hungry, I
Jad w lose almost 30 pounds to get down t0
210 foray part. Then when I decided to com
forthe 1975 Me. Olympia in Soath Aftica,
Thad to take my bodyweight back up to 230. 1
aie these changes within the same year. Many
ssl could not do it, but I never had any
habs: I simply had faith in my ability to con-
‘nay body
dying is all about achievement. Ie
Jina ficing reality and overcoming adversity.
‘he human body was never designed for a
sedan lifestyle, Lewas created to hunt saber-
othe tigers andl walk forty miles a day: When
‘sehive no physical outets, tensions build up
shia us. The body resets to minor frustra-
fo such as romebody cutting us ofF in tra
fc In life-and-death situations the “fight or
{igh” mechanism is tipped, adrenaline floods
‘nrsystem, and ovr blood pressure skyrockets
acs in general and bodybuilding in partic=
share us an outlet for these tensions and sat-
ip body’s need for strenuous activity
Whether you tain with weights to become
Mor Ms Olympia, or just to shed some body-
fi, build muscle and have twice the ysable
stgngih of the average person on the street,
tibet is a noble cause. Do not let anyone tell
nan different. Your competition is yourself,
sot other people. You must constantly better
ouelé. You mast always strive to improve
urself mentally, physically and intellectually.
Saceess in bodybuilding can teach you t0
Ieoume successful in anything you want in life
Thave peoved that point well enough. You can
Iateitalif you wantit badly enough. You have
the power within your mind — a force thae will
Jecyou accomplish anything you put your mind
to f you trust, Lear to love the challenge of
accomplishment and your life will tke on a
whole new meaning, Every day becomes a
news adventure rather than a dull rou-
fine, a chance for a new opportani-
‘an opportunity for change and growth, Seize
the moment Live in the present and just doit
Do not merely ead these words, Make them
‘genera philosophy of life, way of living, and
success will be yours because you will be using
the power of your mind to its fullest potential
Thea nothing ean stop youd
See eee
personal life and career will soar.) ARNOLD SPECIAL
WHEE
LagIreal
zed early on that you
cannot achieve full pec
development with one
exercise.”
OLYMPIA’S
CHEST-TRAINING
GUIDE
How Arnold built a superhuge chest
turing my competitive days
my chest was one of my best
bodyparts. People always told
me how impressed they were
with the size, thickness and
fullness of my pectorals, They probably
thought I always had a huge chest. It was-
n't so.
‘When I started training, my pecs were
thin and my rib cage was small. My chest
Jater became one of my best muscle
oups only because [ made it that way
Long before I began competing I decided
that was the kind of chest I wanted. My
chest development was the realization of
planned goal
hharel work and commitment,
and the result of years of
[realized early in life the importance of
visualization and of setting goals, You visu
alize how you want something to be, then
set a goal to achieve it, You devise a plan
to reach that goal, and then work like hell
to get there, no matter what obstacles
stand in the way, That was the story of my
chest_ development
physique and all my physique titles were
the result of visualization and goal settin
My first bodybuilding idol was thre
time Mr, Universe Reg Park. He had a
In fact, my entire
huge rib cage and enormously thick, fully
developed pectorals. They were so mas-
sive! When I saw magazine photographs
fof him doing a side chest pose, I knew
hhad to one day have a chest like his.
Notice I did not say T wanted to have a
chest like Reg’s. No. I had to have a chest
like his, 1 needed a chest lke his. [usted
for it— and I was willing to do whatever it
took to develop such a chest.
Tread all | could about Reg’s chest triin-
ing, I cut out photos of him and put them
‘on my bedroom wall. [visualized my chest
becoming like his. Tel He in bed thinking,
about it every night before going to sleep.
1 dreamt about it. Every sep of every set
Drought me closer to the goal. I could feel
it every time I trained. Every chest work
‘out was bringi
having a massive chest like Reg Park's
That awareness kept my enthusiasm high
and my attitude positive
Tike taining chest with basic compound
movements — bench presses, incline press:
es, dips and pullovers ~ that allow me to
use heavy weights, These were the type of
exercises that Reg Park used mostly in his
chest routine, so naturally | followed his
example
g me that much nearer to
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1 realized early in my caseés that to
have complete chest development with
pecs that were massive, thick and fully
developed in every section, I had to do
a vatiety of exercises that worked. the
upper, middle, lower, inner and outer
areas of the pecs. You cannot ac
full pec development with a sing
1 did lots of pullovers to enlarge and
expand the rib cage. 4 shallow rib c
‘makes your torso look thin, The rib cage
lends size to the entire upper body
because you actually enlarge the skele
tal structure and “pull out” the sternum,
or chest bone, when you do pullovers
A large sib cage lays a foundation on
which to build a massive chest, wide
shoulders and upper-body depth. 1
always included pullovers in my rou-
tine, Many people argue that pullovers
do not expand the rb cage, but I great-
ly increased both the size of my rib
‘cage and my overall chest expansion
through doing them. Pullovers also
develop the serratus, those finger-like
muscles that frame the chest ~ a must
forany competitive boxlybuilder. The fist,
in Austria, and later when I moved to
‘Munich, Germany, consisted ofthe fol-
lowing:
See
Te ee eee}
Gor eee
Per eet
eer)
Eva
Cee |
eee
chest routine I followed when training,
‘The bench presses were for middle and
lower pec development ancl overall chest
mass and power. The incline presses were
for upper pec development. The weighted
dips were for lower and outer pec mass.
The dumbell flyes were for outer and
inner pecs. The pullovers expanded my
rib cage and gave my pees a good stretch,
Often I did bent-arm pullovers with so
much weight that someone had to sit on
my thighs to prevent me from pulling my
body over instead of the bar. [also used
heavy dumbell pullovers to stretch and
expand my rib cage.
‘On each exercise I strove t0 use the
‘most weight.I could. I followed the pyra-
mid principle ~ staring light and adding
pounclages each set, so my last set would
‘be my heaviest. Sometimes I did more sets
of bec pees 8 10st wor
ny siengh, 1 dd get deal
dsbouibuling
PACKING
The bod press lvort
sve and hiked
det edi Seneca
benching hog waspsts and singles to increase and test my
Ieeching power. [ eventually worked up
ba 440-pound single, which give me
peter strength fo use heavier weights in
In everyday chest training. This meant
lnee size, thicknes
ompetiive bodybuilders who lack pec
fckness do. not look good when they
lise their arms overhead or do double
Hzeps poses, Their pecs seem to disappear
Ls look I really dislike. I was determined.
Ja my pecs would stay thick and not flat
Jenout even when my arms were up, so 1
ied to develop the thickest, most massive
jecs possible, Only by regularly doing
Jkavy benches, incline presses and weight-
ka dips could I achieve this objective.
IMy basic chest routine didn't ch
Inch from the time I was 16 until I won
iy second Mr, Universe tile in 1968. 1
sight occ avy incline
Jumbell pressing instead of using a bar-
til, but L always stuck to the basie move
ents to keep adding mass and size to my
jes. My training was always geared 10
Seveloping more mass. In fact, my basic
jnining progeam dlcn't change much over
ay entire career. The only exercise Tadded
and mass
jonally have done
to my chest workouts was the cable eross-
over, I stared including crossovers in my
precontest routine when I moved to
California in 1968 after Frank Zane defea
‘ed me for the IFBB Mr. Universe ttle in
Miami, Posi
TThe cable crossovers that I added to my
precontest preparations helped to bring out
chest striations and cuts and to inerease
the cleavage between the pecs. This was
the first time I had really worked at build
ing quality into my chest instead of just
pure mass, For the following year my chest
routine consisted mainly of the following
eee
en eee
Sree eee ke
ee eee Co
Cross-bench dumbell pullovers
eo
Td pretty much stopped doing the bent
arm pullover at this point because I felt
that this new program would give me the
combination of a full rib cag
thick, full pecs that I desired.
Without a doubt my chest d
e and huge,
velopment
major factor in my winning contests.
Because my chest was so good, many
people might have expected me to stick
with the chest routine that had developed
it to that level, Basically, I did just that for
the next three years, but after my Fourth
Mr, Olympia win in 1973 1 was beginning
to notice that my lower chest was getting
100 big — at least too big to be in propor
tion to my upper pecs. It was time for a
reevaluation of my routine and a change
to improve my upper pecs.
First I dropped the heavy dips. My
big enough and would
‘get plenty of work from bench presses.
Second, | changed the sequence of my
exercises, I now started my routine with
the incline presses to give my upper pecs
priority. I believe in the priosity principle.
Itonly makes sense to train a weak point
first, when your stren
centration are at their high
For incline presses I used either a bar
bell or the Smith machine and did slightly
higher reps. While I still believe that low
lower pecs wer
h, energy andl con-
st levels
www.emusclemag.com/ MARCH 145,WUC e aE wat),
CHEST
pi nO EE on tobe cca)
Ee re ore a
reps 6 to 8) and heavy weights are
‘great for mass and size, more moderate
reps give better muscle quality ancl mus-
clarity, My new chest routine went like
this;
ee ee
ey
Scr
Gee eC
Cena se ees
(optional) - 5x 40-42 reps
Cece
Be recr Liens
(precontest only)
This new routine gave my chest better
balance. I still had the size, mass anel
thickness, but _my upper pecs were
thicker and more developed. My lower
ees no longer dominated. I had better
‘chest shape and a more top-heavy look
instead of a droopy, overdevelopextook-
ing lower chest,
Another method I began using by
1973 was supersetting chest and back
during the off-season, I really liked the
feeling of having pumped pecs and lats
at the same time. By working a pulling
muscle immediately after @ pushing
exercise, I got fuller all-round develop-
ment. Supersetting chest and buck gave
me better tie-ins between front and
back for a more aesthetically pleasing
shape. This method also allowed me to
shorten my workouts— because I could
Lee ee td
Geen hhc CL tent a eta
Test less between sets — and to incre
intensity, When supersetting, my offsea-
son routine usually went as follows:
Cee eer)
rey
Bench presses ~ 5 x 6-20
Ree
Boe
Sea
Coes Ree)
‘Thar rows ~ 5 x 10-45 reps
eres
ST eee Cees
Wide-grip barbell rows - 5 x 10.15
ed
eee}
Ce eee ed
Sn eee ee)
So
enn
By training chest ewice a week I was
to experience new growth as a result of
better recovery and the stimulating effe
of the supersetting
le
So far T have told you about exercises,
sets and reps, but not exercise form. There
is no completely right or wrong way to do
an exercise. Whichever method allows you
to place the tension and overioad squarely
on the working muscle is the right method
for you. You have 10 know your bod
understand how it reacts to a certain exal
cise, and then refine each movement ove
lime so that you get the most musclebuil
ing action from it
AVOIDING LOCKOUT
When you're doing bench presses, try #
keep the reps smooth and strict Do ex
fone with concentration and control. It
to make my pecs do most of the work,
my mind is very much involved when j
bench press. I've found that stopping th
bar about an inch or two fiom lockout 4
80 that there is always a bit of bend in thi
elbows at the top of the movement 4
keeps more constant tension on the pecs
Bring the bar down to the lower peal
and then finish with the bar over thy
throat or even the eyes for better pec
involvement. Dont just push the bar straight
up and down. Keep your chest high and
your ribeage expanded. Don't let you
ribcage collapse and your chest lattes
out, of your delts will take over and ge
‘most of the overload. IF you want more
Outer pec involvement, use a wider grip.
narrower grip works more middle and
inner pe
A very effective method I've found fer
working the outer pecs is this: When per
forming dumbell flyes, stop when the
dumbells are about 12 to 15 inches apar
at the top. This way you alwayss keep ten
sion on the outer pecs. If you need more
inner pec development, however, come:
all the way up until the dumbells meet
‘Then pause to tense and squeeze your ches!
ses, Keep your
chest expanded and high throughout the
movement.
Make sure you get a full stretch on flyes
Goas low as possible. Keep the arms heat
to take stress off the elbows, Lower the
bells in such a way that your elbows are
pullled back in line with your shoulders,
‘This style will put a stronger pull on the
pectorals. Don't just lower the bells to your
sides. Also, don't let your wrists turn or
‘wis. Keep them parallel at all times,
Imagine you are hugging a large tree
when doing dumbell flyes, You want to
make a large circle with the bells, Don't let
your hands move in close to your body
because then you get into a pressing action
instead ofa flye action,
When doing incline presses keep the
angle low — no more than 25 to 30 degrees
A steep angle involves too much front del:
toid. As with bench presses, keep your chest
arched and expanded and finish with the
bar over your eyes for better pec isolation,Watch the bar as it comes off your ches
and make sure you lift it over your head
Not just straight up over the chest. If you
need more outer, upper pecs, use a wides
grip,
A trick I use to get more rib-cage expan
sion on cross-bench dumbell pullovers s
to drop my hips at the bottom of the
‘movement when the dumbell is complete:
ly behind my head. By doing this, I give
my rib cage and lats extra stretch and put
more stress on the semmatus,
Dips are a fantastic compound move
‘ment. They work the pees, serratus, dels
and triceps hard, 1 like to dip with extra
resistance. Using a special belt, you can
dip with extra weights attached. Lower
your body as far as possible to get maxi:
‘mom stretch on the pecs, but come up.
only three-quarters. You don't have to
4 \f you lose the
I feel of the muscle
because you're cheating
too much or your range
reevaluate your training
technique.”
come up to full lockout when dipping for
pecdevelopment. When dipping for triceps
development you should come up to lock-
but not when dipping for pecs
For crossovers, use moderate weights and
‘concentrate on full range of motion. Hold
in the fully contracted position for a count
of wo or three to bring out the muscular
ty in your chest. Don’t stand upright. Bend
forward at the waist so that you can better
isolate your pecs,
Most of all, never lose sight of what
you're tying to accomplish when you train
chest, no matter which exercise you're
doing. Pot all the overload and tension on
the working muscle. If you lose the feel of
the muscle because you're cheating t00
‘much of your range of motion is too limit.
ed, or because you're bouncing the bar
and using momentum, you should reeval-
uate your taining technique, Use good,
strict form, and go for a full ringe of
motion, Never let ego get in the way of
properly training your muscles
‘You should have one power chest work:
ut aweek in which you go for very heavy
eights on bench presses, incline presses
and dips. Use good form, but pile on theTRAIN THE ANGLES
You can achieve overall chest development
‘oniyby constructing workouts that ht ll
aspects ofthe chest over a period of time
‘Overall Mass Fat bench and dumbell presses.
‘Mido and nner Pees: Nerrower-gip bench
presses:
‘Overall Mass and Outer Pecs: Wide grip bench
presses
Upper Pees: Incline presses; ncine yes
‘Outer and inner Pees: lat yes
Lower and Outer Pee Mass: Weighted ps
Ribcage Expansion: Pullovers
[Chost Stations, Cuts: Cable crossovers
‘weight and pyramid down to 3, 2 or even
1 rep. A good power chest workout might
look like this: 1x 20 (warmup), 1 x
10/8/6/6/4/2/1. Make sure you're always
well warmed up before you attempt any
really heavy weights, and always have a
spotter standing by so that you don't get
stuck with a heavy weight on your chest.
Shock the muscles once in a while with
“supersetting or stipping the bar. The latter
technique is very effective on exercise
such as bench pressing because your train-
ing partners can strip plates from the bar
as you do a set. This stripping allows you
to extend the set while greatly increasing
intensity and really blasting those pecs.
Forced reps and controlled cheating are
also very effective for overloading the mus-
cle,
If you're using my chest development
asa model of the chest you want, I'm flat-
tered. However, if you're going to follow
my exercise routines, modify them for your
own needs. Then you should be able t
develop the kind of chest you'll be proud
Of. Be patient and realize that Rome was-
‘nt built in a day. You can do it, You just
hhave to want it badly enough.
www.emusclemag.com/ MARCH 149