ONLY THE STRONG WILL SURVIVE…

So what are the key elements to becoming ?  Strength, speed, flexibility, endurance and stamina right? In order to build endurance and stamina we started the Jungle Run. For strength I found myself returning to Arnold.

If you recall in the I spoke about being in Washington D.C. with my uncle for the summer between eighth grade and freshman year. This is when I was first introduced to Arnold. I was in a Walden’s bookstore when I saw Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder on display. The book was half biography half workouts. I couldn’t put it down.  The other book I bought was Pumping Iron: The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding which also featured Arnold.  I saw the documentary film Pumping Iron a few years later.  Both this book and documentary film lead to the fitness revolution that first began in the 1970s and still continues to this day. If you don’t believe me look at any newsstand. You will find muscle mags with vintage pictures of Arnold on their covers. For me it’s like being in high school all over again.

Strength training is different than the body part exercises or isolation machines. While these body part exercises focus on developing a single muscle, strength training is based on compound movements in order to build brute strength and muscle mass throughout the body. In fact the legends of bodybuilding like Arnold all started out with strength training or powerlifting.

“When I was trying to get bigger in my early days of training, I followed a routine called the Golden Six. I made tremendous gains on this program and so did many others who trained at my gym in Munich. All agreed that this simple system of training produced excellent gains in muscle size…” –Arnold Schwarzenegger

What are the Golden Six?

Workout A

Back Squats 5×5 Chin-Ups or Pull-Ups 5×5 Dips or Bench Press 5×5 Wrist Work (Grip Work)  2×10 Calves 2×15-20