He was big, with big arms, but, idk, he was never ripped, he was never ripped as Arnold, he had fat chubby cheeks
Bill Pearl was one of my favorites. His "20-Months-to-a-Champion's Physique" series in IronMan changed my training life significantly.
I stopped training to failure, "Train; Don't Strain!", rhymes just like Haney's "Stimulate; don't annihilate!"
He claimed that it was pointless to adopt a training style or philosophy, unless you can use it for the rest of your life.
As for his not being ripped, remember he came from the era where being super-ripped wasn't cool. Some competitors actually got MARKED DOWN for that, because it didn't look healthy.
Then, there's the rumor that Weider kept Schwarzenegger from competing at the 1971 NABBA Universe, for fear that a loss to Pearl (who retired after that show) would damage the Oak's marketability. Pearl beat every other top bodybuilder who competed at that show, including 3-time Mr. O, Sergio Oliva.
