The Golden Era of Bodybuilding

Gone are the days of symmetry , small waists and the spectacular art of posing. The perspective of Bodybuilding has changed into something less appealing and more toxic to health , sacrificing their health just for the size and more vascularity.
Welcome to the age of Mass monsters and bubble gut bonanzas.

Old school Bodybuilding

The bodybuilders of the 60's , 70's and 80's were much ahead of their time. Despite lacking the improved levels of nutrition and scientific advancements in work out equipment, they still were able to build an astonishing physique with just the primitive equipment and nutrition available back then.

Researchers are still spending a considerable amount of time figuring out the workout routines , nutrition of the old school bodybuilders and only now are we able to understand the science behind it.

Given below are the key takeaways and lessons from each old school bodybuilder which would benefit you in your fitness journey . 

Arnold Schwarzenegger

If you look at the samples of Arnold’s routines that we’re able to get our hands on these days, it’s clear that high volume work was the lifeblood of his training.

Straight from Arnold’s Modern Encyclopedia Of Bodybuilding, here are two examples of the split he followed.

Training Split 1 

Day 1 – Chest and Back

Day 2 – Shoulders and Arms

Day 3 – Legs and Lower Back

Day 4 – Chest and Back

Day 5 – Shoulders and arms

Day 6 -- Legs and Lower back

Day 7 -- Rest

Training Split 2

Day 1 – Chest, Back and Legs

Day 2 – Shoulders and Arms

Day 3 – Chest, Back and Legs

Day 4 – Shoulders and Arms

Day 5 – Chest, Back and Legs

Day 6 – Shoulders and Arms

Day 7 -- Rest

Takeaway: High training volume, and the frequency in which you hit each muscle is a major key to driving muscle growth. If you’re not growing and you feel your recovery, nutrition, and stress is in check, start by assessing your training volume and frequency. 

Robby Robinson

From the day Robby started training (around age 12) up until he finally made the move to Venice Beach, California, he trained his entire body, everyday, 6 days per week. He stuck to the traditional compound movements of squats, bench press, military press, deadlifts, rows, and so forth. Often for 6-7 sets of 10, pushing the envelope on weight as much as he could.

No matter how you look at it, that’s a lot of years hammering away at the basic movements, and getting really fucking strong.

The Black Prince’s takeaway: If you’re new to the lifting scene, begin by training your entire body, every day, at least 4 times per week. Spend time getting really fucking good at the big compound movements, and watch the mass pile on.

Franco Columbu

Possessing arguably the greatest nickname of the Golden Era aside, before Franco stepped on a bodybuilding stage, he was a Strongest Man competitor, and it clearly shows in his physique.

As such, Franco was a huge proponent of building a sound base of strength before focusing on adding crazy amounts of muscle. This is a line of thinking that’s influenced much of programming over the years.

 Takeaway: Get strong like bull before shifting your focus to muscle growth. Strength feeds muscle, before muscle can feed strength.