The "Arnold-era" training methodology

[gib]

Train with the basics, using heavy (but not excessively heavy) weights.

Eg - For chest, do benches, (inclines and declines), any sometimes finish off with flys. No need to pec machines, bench machines, cable crossovers, etc.
For bis, simply do dumbbell curls. Again, no need for the fancy machines.
For legs do squats. Don’t be afraid to do full motion squats. Go heavy and use good form.
Just do all the basics - Pulldowns, deadlifts, bent over rows, flys, seated presses, etc. In general, no need for all the “refining” and “isolation” exercises.

Reps.

Keep it in generally in the 8-12 rep range, occasionally going as high as 20 reps to finish off with a huge pump, and occasionally going as low as 5 reps to test strength.
Don’t take lots of time between sets. Eg - rather than sit around for 5 mins between heavy squats, aim to be doing your next set as soon as you buddy is done with his. Work for a pump in a muscle, and keep training the muscle once its pumped. Go for the “burn”. Lactic acid is a good kind of pain, that means growth will come.
Train generally for 45 minutes, with the occasional workout pushed to the max for 1.5 hours of intense training until you know you will be damn sore the next morning.

Diet.

Cut out all sugars, soft-drinks, sweets/snacks, “health bars” saturated in fructose, Gatorade, etc. Eat egg whites (including also some whole eggs), fish, chicken, but also don’t be afraid of “real” meat from cows. Moderate carbs (veggies, rice, oatmeal). Avoid fried food. Avoid manufactured and processed foods. Drink lots of full cream milk. Eat 4-5 times a day.

Supplements.

Take dbols spread throughout the day. Aim for 50-100mg a day, and don’t be afraid to do 8-12 week cycles. No need for GH, insulin, etc. Not even any need for testosterone (despite what “experts might tell you” as the more chemical test you take the more your own shuts down. No need for any of the supplements that you see advertising in magazines. Dbol is all you need (also fine to try Anadrol occasionally, or Winstrol).

Don’t be a gym faggott.

Don’t wear gloves when you train or other fag gym gear. (Wrist straps are OK to use though for some exercizes)
Don’t walk around with a belt bag filled with supplements, drink powders, mixing up drinks before and after workout, etc. When you train, just drink water as needed.
Don’t train with an ipod.
Don’t ever sit around chatting or reading the paper in between sets.
Don’t get on a step machine of treadmill and kid yourself that that you are working out or burning fat. If you need to lose fat, adjust your diet, or do more reps and more sets.

Lifestyle.

Get lots of pussy. Fuck 2 or 3 times a day if you can.
Get sunlight on your skin. Not from a tanning salon either. Lie on the beach and get some REAL sun on you.
Alcohol and pot in moderation is OK. Coke only very occasionally for special occasions. Avoid all types of painkillers, opiates, etc. Avoid GBH.
Take naps during the day if you can.
Have fun – (Zyzz had the right idea in this regard until he sadly died!).

[POTA]

I'm pretty sure the training is more or less the same. They used plenty of machines. They certainly used pec decks and crossover machines. The biggest difference is they didn't have hammer strength machines. They pyramided their sets. For bis, they didn't just do dumbbell curls. They did barbell curls, preacher curls, concentration curls, cable curls, etc.

[gib]

Sure they did a few other things, especially for cameras and photoshoots. But the foundation muscle and mass was all built doing the basics. A point often forgotten by the guys in the gym these days who think they are doing a "workout" and then wonder why they are not growing.

[Garb316HHH]

Lifestyle part, me likey

[jedibrat]

Don’t train with an ipod.

I was with you whole way up until here.

[DK II]

Great post.

DKII approved.

[JasonH]

Train with the basics, using heavy (but not excessively heavy) weights.

Eg - For chest, do benches, (inclines and declines), any sometimes finish off with flys. No need to pec machines, bench machines, cable crossovers, etc.
For bis, simply do dumbbell curls. Again, no need for the fancy machines.
For legs do squats. Don’t be afraid to do full motion squats. Go heavy and use good form.
Just do all the basics - Pulldowns, deadlifts, bent over rows, flys, seated presses, etc. In general, no need for all the “refining” and “isolation” exercises.

Reps.

Keep it in generally in the 8-12 rep range, occasionally going as high as 20 reps to finish off with a huge pump, and occasionally going as low as 5 reps to test strength.
Don’t take lots of time between sets. Eg - rather than sit around for 5 mins between heavy squats, aim to be doing your next set as soon as you buddy is done with his. Work for a pump in a muscle, and keep training the muscle once its pumped. Go for the “burn”. Lactic acid is a good kind of pain, that means growth will come.
Train generally for 45 minutes, with the occasional workout pushed to the max for 1.5 hours of intense training until you know you will be damn sore the next morning.

Diet.

Cut out all sugars, soft-drinks, sweets/snacks, “health bars” saturated in fructose, Gatorade, etc. Eat egg whites (including also some whole eggs), fish, chicken, but also don’t be afraid of “real” meat from cows. Moderate carbs (veggies, rice, oatmeal). Avoid fried food. Avoid manufactured and processed foods. Drink lots of full cream milk. Eat 4-5 times a day.

Supplements.

Take dbols spread throughout the day. Aim for 50-100mg a day, and don’t be afraid to do 8-12 week cycles. No need for GH, insulin, etc. Not even any need for testosterone (despite what “experts might tell you” as the more chemical test you take the more your own shuts down. No need for any of the supplements that you see advertising in magazines. Dbol is all you need (also fine to try Anadrol occasionally, or Winstrol).

Don’t be a gym faggott.

Don’t wear gloves when you train or other fag gym gear. (Wrist straps are OK to use though for some exercizes)
Don’t walk around with a belt bag filled with supplements, drink powders, mixing up drinks before and after workout, etc. When you train, just drink water as needed.
Don’t train with an ipod.
Don’t ever sit around chatting or reading the paper in between sets.
Don’t get on a step machine of treadmill and kid yourself that that you are working out or burning fat. If you need to lose fat, adjust your diet, or do more reps and more sets.

Lifestyle.

Get lots of pussy. Fuck 2 or 3 times a day if you can.
Get sunlight on your skin. Not from a tanning salon either. Lie on the beach and get some REAL sun on you.
Alcohol and pot in moderation is OK. Coke only very occasionally for special occasions. Avoid all types of painkillers, opiates, etc. Avoid GBH.
Take naps during the day if you can.
Have fun – (Zyzz had the right idea in this regard until he sadly died!).

Good post - nice read.

Only points I disagree on are the dumbell curls (barbell curls are superior IMO) and I usually wear an IPod (the music in my gym is shite)

[local hero]

you forget to mention that they more or less lived in the gym back then too,,,, 6 days a week, with 2 hr double splits.....

[POTA]

Sure they did a few other things, especially for cameras and photoshoots. But the foundation muscle and mass was all built doing the basics. A point often forgotten by the guys in the gym these days who think they are doing a "workout" and then wonder why they are not growing.

I still think it's disingenuous to say they only did one or two basic exercises per body part. Their routines were hardly different than they are today.
For chest, usually 4 or more of the following: flat/incline bench, flat/incline dumbbell presses, flyes, crossovers, dips, pullovers, etc
For back, the same: deads, barbell rows, t-bar rows, one arm dumbbell rows, seated cable rows, pulldowns, chins, etc

Beginners now still very much do all the "foundation" exercises. At my university, the other kids will do dumbbell curls with horrible form for a set or two, then they'll immediately jump over to bench for a couple weak sets, then they'll do some sort of odd-looking lateral raise for delts. I see this in every gym I go to. Most people just don't know how to develop solid routines to which their bodies respond. It's always been this way.

[Hulkotron]

All-you-can-eat Dianabol buffet.

[Board_SHERIF]

what about liver support supps for dbol ? and much does dbol go $$ for now in NA ? does it not just bulk you ?