Author Topic: Frank Calta training info  (Read 9396 times)

Rmj11

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Frank Calta training info
« on: December 24, 2020, 01:37:40 PM »
Anyone got any info on how Frank Calta trained like exercises, sets and reps? I know he did an every other day split but has anyone got any more info at all?


oldtimer1

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2020, 05:49:51 PM »
Mentzer was influenced by him and used the same rotation for recuperation split. This is how Mentzer split his body using Frank Calta's rotation schedule. Monday was thighs, chest and triceps. Tuesday off. Wednesday was Back, delt and bicep. Thursday off. Friday he was back to thighs, chest and triceps. Weekends were off. Monday was the rotation. Monday now was back, delts and bicep. Tuesday off. Wednesday was thighs, chest and triceps. Thursday off. Friday was back, delts and biceps. Calta used more sets than Mentzer. I know I have a couple of Calta articles in my old Ironman magazines but I have so many it would be a chore to find them. I know Calta did more sets than Mentzer. I think three sets per exercise but my memory is fuzzy on that.

Humble Narcissist

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #3 on: December 27, 2020, 02:58:42 AM »
Mentzer was influenced by him and used the same rotation for recuperation split. This is how Mentzer split his body using Frank Calta's rotation schedule. Monday was thighs, chest and triceps. Tuesday off. Wednesday was Back, delt and bicep. Thursday off. Friday he was back to thighs, chest and triceps. Weekends were off. Monday was the rotation. Monday now was back, delts and bicep. Tuesday off. Wednesday was thighs, chest and triceps. Thursday off. Friday was back, delts and biceps. Calta used more sets than Mentzer. I know I have a couple of Calta articles in my old Ironman magazines but I have so many it would be a chore to find them. I know Calta did more sets than Mentzer. I think three sets per exercise but my memory is fuzzy on that.
If Calta did 3 sets per exercise then he probably did the same amount as Mentzer.  Mentzer just counted the 1st 2 sets as warmups.


Rmj11

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #5 on: December 27, 2020, 07:05:36 AM »
If Calta did 3 sets per exercise then he probably did the same amount as Mentzer.  Mentzer just counted the 1st 2 sets as warmups.

In the article it says he kept the weight the same on all sets.

Humble Narcissist

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #6 on: December 27, 2020, 02:45:37 PM »
In the article it says he kept the weight the same on all sets.
Yes, but Mentzer warmed up to his top set.

oldtimer1

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #7 on: December 27, 2020, 03:56:40 PM »
If Calta did 3 sets per exercise then he probably did the same amount as Mentzer.  Mentzer just counted the 1st 2 sets as warmups.

Not exactly. He changed his workouts so many times. He won the Mr. America doing a whole body routine three days a week using a mix of Nautilus and free weights. He used two work sets and sometimes one work set. From there he trained for the Universe training four days a week. Monday was Thighs, chest and triceps. Tuesday was back, delts and biceps. Wednesday was off. Thursday was thighs, chest and triceps. Friday was back, delt and biceps. He did this for many years. Sets were two work sets or one work set depending on the exercise.  His last change was using Calta's rotation training three days a week. Those workouts he described and recommended after he retired were nothing he every did and they were convenient to train clients. Train a client for 25 minutes then tell him I will see you in 5 to 7 days. He did train pure Nautilus when he was down with Arthur Jones for a brief period but his training always consisted of a mix of Nautilus and mainly conventional weights.  Toward the end of his real training life he was seen using more sets.  He rarely trained for over a decade of the last years of his life and it showed.  I might own the most complete collection of everything he ever wrote when he was a competitive bodybuilder.


If a trainer is using free weight and training with HIT warm ups a necessary. He might use something like this.

Barbell bench press 1 x 10 135lbs
                             1 x 4   225lbs
                             1 x 2   275lbs
                             1 x  8  315lbs (That 8 rep is the failure set and the real work set.)
This person could legitimately say they did one work set for the flat barbell bench.

His next exercise could be the Incline bench
                             1 x 6 135lbs
                             1 x 4 225lbs
                             1 x 7 275lbs (That 7 reps were to failure. The one and only work set)

Next up could be flies 1 x 14 65lbs ( No warm up necessary because of the prior exercise)

Last up could be weighted dips 1 x 6 body weight
                                              1 x 10 45lbs (This is the work set to failure)
                             

Humble Narcissist

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #8 on: December 28, 2020, 08:45:25 AM »
Not exactly but pretty close.  It is sad what became of the Mentzer brothers.  They died at the age I am at right now but looked like 90 year old men the way they moved.  If they would have dumped that training philosophy and did Pilates or something like that they would have been better off.

pkaz

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #9 on: December 30, 2020, 10:02:46 PM »
I met Frank years ago in Florida. He had his rotation for recuperation thing going, which i tried and liked. When i was young and had plenty of energy. Mon was upper body, Tues was off, Wed was arms and legs, Thurs was off and Fri was Mondays program. Sat and Sun off except for cardio and some light sets for week body parts.

And do not believe any magazine articles bs. It was 3 to 4 exercises a body part, 4 to 5 sets an exercise and 6 to 10 rep sets. With plenty of rest between sets. Frank pushed heavy weights.. 

Humble Narcissist

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #10 on: December 31, 2020, 03:23:05 AM »
I met Frank years ago in Florida. He had his rotation for recuperation thing going, which i tried and liked. When i was young and had plenty of energy. Mon was upper body, Tues was off, Wed was arms and legs, Thurs was off and Fri was Mondays program. Sat and Sun off except for cardio and some light sets for week body parts.

And do not believe any magazine articles bs. It was 3 to 4 exercises a body part, 4 to 5 sets an exercise and 6 to 10 rep sets. With plenty of rest between sets. Frank pushed heavy weights..
Who writes these articles? ???  To be fair, bodybuilders change their routines throughout their lives.

IroNat

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #11 on: December 31, 2020, 04:30:09 AM »
Not exactly but pretty close.  It is sad what became of the Mentzer brothers.  They died at the age I am at right now but looked like 90 year old men the way they moved.  If they would have dumped that training philosophy and did Pilates or something like that they would have been better off.

Smoking and drugs.

Mentzer was a meth head.

Rmj11

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #12 on: December 31, 2020, 08:09:43 AM »
I met Frank years ago in Florida. He had his rotation for recuperation thing going, which i tried and liked. When i was young and had plenty of energy. Mon was upper body, Tues was off, Wed was arms and legs, Thurs was off and Fri was Mondays program. Sat and Sun off except for cardio and some light sets for week body parts.

And do not believe any magazine articles bs. It was 3 to 4 exercises a body part, 4 to 5 sets an exercise and 6 to 10 rep sets. With plenty of rest between sets. Frank pushed heavy weights..

Did he use straight sets or did he pyramid up the weight each set? Thanks.

IroNat

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #13 on: December 31, 2020, 11:37:48 AM »
Did he use straight sets or did he pyramid up the weight each set? Thanks.

Yes.

pkaz

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #14 on: December 31, 2020, 10:23:57 PM »
Did he use straight sets or did he pyramid up the weight each set? Thanks.

Start light on the first set of the first exercise and work up in weight. After that. He would push the weights for 6 to 8 reps. Push and push harder...   

Humble Narcissist

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #15 on: January 01, 2021, 03:10:32 AM »
Smoking and drugs.

Mentzer was a meth head.
I think he gave up meth in the 80's.  He smoked like a chimney and drank a lot up until the end.

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #16 on: February 15, 2021, 12:47:36 PM »
I read about Franks Rotation for Recuperation in MM International sometime in the early 1980's
I used this split in high school and made pretty good gains.  I think I remember reading that the Vranicar brothers used it as well. I've also seen other types of rotating splits such as breaking the body up into three sections and working out 4 or 5 days a week

At the moment I'm working out three days a week and splitting the body up doing a chest/back/traps on Saturday, Quads/Hams/Lowerback/Hams on Sunday and Delts, Bi's, Tri's, Forearms on Wednesday

The Chest/Back day is basically a an upper body day without direct arm work
On Wednesday I always alternate some type of vertical press (DB or BB) with chin up variation  and usually also do close grip bench and dips for triceps so it's basically another upper body day but with arm work.

This is all I have time for at the moment

Here is a cool video on Calta's routine


Humble Narcissist

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #17 on: February 15, 2021, 12:55:10 PM »
Vranicar brothers.  That's a name I haven't heard in quite awhile.

IroNat

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #18 on: February 15, 2021, 01:59:39 PM »

wes

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #19 on: May 24, 2021, 12:11:02 PM »
Mentzer won the America training 5-6 days a week with plenty of sets.....don`t believe otherwise

Humble Narcissist

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #20 on: June 03, 2021, 10:55:36 AM »
Mentzer won the America training 5-6 days a week with plenty of sets.....don`t believe otherwise
It wasn't until he was long retired and not even training anymore that he advocated 1 set to failure.

pellius

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #21 on: October 17, 2021, 02:41:48 AM »
It wasn't until he was long retired and not even training anymore that he advocated 1 set to failure.

I'm not sure how he trained in real life but he definitely advocated the one set to failure during the articles he wrote and in his books during 1979-1980. That's when I first heard about it and started following those principles.

Humble Narcissist

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #22 on: October 17, 2021, 02:44:09 AM »
I'm not sure how he trained in real life but he definitely advocated the one set to failure during the articles he wrote and in his books during 1979-1980. That's when I first heard about it and started following those principles.
Are you sure?  I didn't see him advocate 1 set training until Dorian's time.

pellius

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #23 on: October 17, 2021, 02:48:38 AM »
Are you sure?  I didn't see him advocate 1 set training until Dorian's time.

Positive. Note the dates on his first instructional courses, which I bought in 1979. And just to be clear it was one work set per exercise not one set per body part. Also, his articles in Muscle and Fitness describe his journey meeting Casey Viator at the teenage Mr. America and consequently hooking up with Arthur Jones.

Humble Narcissist

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Re: Frank Calta training info
« Reply #24 on: October 17, 2021, 02:52:28 AM »
Positive. Note the dates on his first instructional courses, which I bought in 1979. And just to be clear it was one work set per exercise not one set per body part. Also, his articles in Muscle and Fitness describe his journey meeting Casey Viator at the teenage Mr. America and consequently hooking up with Arthur Jones.
That's right, it was 1 set per bodypart in the 90's.  His last program was 3 sets per workout (total body) every week or even 2 or 3 weeks.