Muscular Development, Vol 8, No 9, Page 17, September 1971
This Is Jim Manion
By Les Cramer
Coach, Alegheny Mountain Team
How a Physique Man goes from not being able to Place in a contest to Eight Wins in a Row in Nine Months!
SOUNDS IMPOSSIBLE?
I judged Jim in last year's Great Lakes Physique, he tied with Steve Musiek for 7th place. This year he took Mr. Pittsburgh YMCA, Mr. Pittsburgh A.M.A., Mr. New Kensington, Mr. Erie, Mr. Beaver County, Mr. YMCA, etc. And took 10 Best Abs and Most Muscular Awards. If Jim has any weak points it's his calves and lack of size, so he is now doing extra calf work to improve his weakness.
We are all looking for some big secret to success, in bodybuilding or weightlifting. Jim says he has found his, plain and simple. It is his diet! That's right, no change in his lifting routine, just a change in diet.
Jim is now 26, married, with a family to support. He makes his living working in one of the shops in Pittsburgh and still manages to work out six days a week. Dividing his time between the Boys' Club, one of the Local Health Spas, and his Home gym. His wife enjoys preparing his meals as all his foods are eaten raw, saving her time in the kitchen cooking. His breakfast would go something like this: Nuts of all kinds, eight ounces of skim milk blended with raw wheat germ, sunflower seeds, Super Hi-Proteen. He has meat about four times a week, then only fish or chicken, and it is always baked, never fried. He actually lives on vitamins, supplements, and nuts, and raw foods.
One of the main rules he follows is don't eat anything white. This of course, eliminates such foods as bread, spaghetti, cookies, potato chips, cakes, sugar, salt, etc. He never drinks pop, eats candy, hot dogs, or anything that is cooked.
Jim has been entering physique contests for about five years. But never posed much of a threat to anyone until now. He certainly possesses super cuts and you note his workout routine is not done in high reps either. Jim claims the raw wheat germ daily brings out the veins that show thin skin for muscular awards. Jim feels size will not win contests. He is 5'10", 170 lbs. His most impressive measurement is his chest, 46" normal. outside of that he doesn't do any measuring of body parts. I have personally seen Jim beat out men with 19 and 20 inch arms.
Jim realizes he will have to gain some size to compete in big time physique, but right now he is doing what he wants to do, and that is winning contests. He hasn't done much in the way of heavy lifting, but has benched 325 lbs. Jim is not like some bodybuilders when talking training. He is more than glad to tell anyone how he trains, eats, etc., if it will help you to improve your physique. We all wish Jim luck in doing what he dose best, that being winning physique contests.
In Jim's training schedule, compounding means he goes right into the next exercise without rest.
TRAINING SCHEDULE
Mondays and Thursdays - Bench press, 190 x 15, 210 x 13, 230 x 11, 250 x 9, 270 x 7, and 290 x 5. He does five sets of 10 repetition flyes with 45-pound dumbells. These are compounded with five sets of 10 reps in the incline bench press with 150 pounds.
Bent arm pullovers - five sets of eight reps with 80 pounds. Compounded with five sets of flyes doing eight reps with 50 pounds.
Three sets of dips doing 50 reps.
Five sets of eight repetition curls with 100 compounded with five sets of eight reps of concentrated curls using 35.
Dumbell incline curls using 45 pounds compounded with dumbell seated curls using 40 pounds.
Twelve sets of 15 calf raises.
For the abdomen he does between 400 to 500 situps a day along with leg raises.
Tuesdays and Fridays - Squats, 185 x 20, 225 x 15, 240 x 15, 260 x 10, 280 x 5 and 300 x 5.
Leg extensions - six sets of 12 reps with 110.
Leg curls - six sets of 12 reps with 85.
He does six sets of 10 reps close grip bench presses with 190 compounded with six sets of eight reps press-downs with 100.
Eight sets of lying French Presses doing eight reps with from 80 to 100.
Twelve sets of 15 reps calf raises.
Between 400 to 500 situps and leg raises.
Wednesdays and Saturdays - Seven sets of eight reps shoulder shrugs with 300.
Upright rowing is four sets of eight reps with 100.
He does five sets of eight reps with 140 in the press behind neck.
Five sets of eight reps, seated laterals with 30-pound dumbells, compounded with five sets of eight reps with 30 pounds in the front raise.
Five sets of eight reps bent arm pullovers with 175.
Six sets of eight reps one arm rowing movement with 125.
Chinning compounded with five sets of 10 reps in the one arm rowing with 65.
Twelve sets of 15 reps calf raise.
Between 400 to 500 situps and leg raises.
