https://www.muscleandfitness.com/flexonline/training/kevin-levrones-training-philosophies/The list of things that make Kevin Levrone unique among bodybuilding icons could fill this article. Here are five:
Some years he trained for only four months.
Both of his parents died of cancer before his first contest.
He won 19 open pro shows in the 1990s—more than anyone else.
He was the founder and lead singer of the rock band Fulblown.
He holds the record for most Mr. Olympia runnerup finishes without a Mr. O victory:
~HIGHER SETS
In 1994, FLEX published a Levrone article that included his “favorite triceps workout.” If you’re drinking a protein shake now, swallow, or you’ll likely spray your whey. OK, here we go. That workout was made up of five exercises—four of which were types of pushdowns—and a total of 28 sets! He must’ve spent an hour at a cable station just to plow through his initial 24 sets of pushdowns. This was a bit of an anomaly. It was a year after he tore his pec benching heavy, and he was experimenting with higher reps (12 to 15 per set) and extreme volume. Still, even a more typical Levrone triceps routine, like the one included here, features 16 sets. And he did a similar quantity of higher-than-average volume for other body parts, including a matching 16 sets for biceps.
~HEAVY METAL
“I was a heavy lifter from the start,” Levrone remembers. “Strength just came natural to me.” He had been hitting the iron seriously for only a year, but in 1990, at 220, he could bench press 465. While benching 550 in February 1993, he tore his right pec, but even that curtailed him only temporarily. Like pancakes and syrup, he and heavy metal just go together. You can watch a YouTube video of him incline pressing 455 for four strict reps (after doing 495-pound benches) only 12 days before the 1998 Mr. Olympia. Those are Ronnie Coleman-ish numbers, but at his largest the eight-time Mr. O outweighed the four-time almost-Mr. O by about 50 pounds. With his stupendous triceps and capacious deltoids, Levrone was a pressing machine. But he didn’t stop there. Every exercise was a strength challenge—hack squats, pulldowns, shrugs, everything. He passed his tests over and over again. Get stronger and get bigger.
LEVRONE’S TRICEPS ROUTINE
Close-grip Bench Press | SETS: 4 | REPS: 6–8
Lying Triceps Extension | SETS: 4 | REPS: 6–8
Rope Pushdown | SETS: 4 | REPS: 6–8
One-arm Dumbbell Extension | SETS: 4 | REPS: 6–8
