I would enjoy it very much if Harley would chime in here and describe the workouts that he goes through with IFBB pro Craig Richardson.
Harley, would you tell us how many days a week you guys train together and what a typical Chest and Biceps workout would look like?
Also, what type of cardio and duration??? Maybe, Craig will come on board here?
Thanks in advance!
Dear Wild Willie,
Thanks for the interest in Craig Richardson. For political, legal and other reasons, I will have to do all the posting on behalf of Craig but trust me that these are Craig's honest responses unless otherwise stated. We have trained together for the past 11 years and routinely handle all of these matters for him but will check with him should I be unsure of anything myself.
We have recently changed our program so that we train in the following manner:
Day 1- Saturday- Back and Triceps
Day 2- Sunday- Chest and Biceps
Day 3 (either Tuesday or Wednesday)- Quads
Day 4 (either Wednesday or Thursday)- Shoulders/Traps and Hamstrings.
A typical chest workout for Craig might look like this:
1) Dumbell Inclines- 2 warm up sets and then 180 lbs, 180 lbs, 160 lbs and then 130 lbs.
The most important aspect of our training is that ALL sets are done to FAILURE. There is NO counting of reps. The range is anywhere between 6-9.
2) Any plate loaded machine that will hit either upper or lower pecs. Craig will again complete 4 sets with anywhere from 4 to 5 plates on each side.
3) Cable Cross Overs or Pec Dec to conclude the chest area. Again 4 sets to failure on each and every set.
This may not seem like a great many sets but trust me, 12 sets with maximun weight at a very good form, all to failure should blow up anyone's chest.
As far as Biceps, a typical workout would look like this:
1) Standing Alternate Dumbell Curls- 2 warm up sets and then 65 pounds for 4 sets.
2) Pin Loaded Preacher Curl Machine for 4 sets.
3) Standing Barbell Curls- 120 pounds for 4 sets.
We alternate some of this with 2 particularly great exercises:
a) Standing Curls using the cable cross over machine. Standing in the middle of the cables, each hand is outstretched with a handle in it and curls are performed as the fist bends towards and touches the ear.
b) Rope Curls- a rope is attached to the bottom of a cable machine and each hand holds one side of the rope and curls up. Picture the rope upside down from when you would do triceps. What a great pump!!!
As far as Craig's cardio, he ONLY does cardio when starting his 12 week contest diet. He will do 45 minutes per day, every day but on days we train quads. He hates doing cardio but I love when he does it because I bribe him to do it at the gym after our workout so I get a "cardio partner."
I hope this is what you were seeking. Feel free to ask any follow up questions or let me know if I can make this less confusing.
Sincerely,
Harley
