Most every major muscle magazine has an article about a workout program or routine used by a former or current Mr. Olympia. While these articles are quite informative and instructional, the workout principles in these articles may not be applicable for your bodybuilding program. If you're a natural bodybuilder, then there are huge differences in the manner that you should workout as compared to the way the top professional bodybuilders workout. Why is this? Well, I'll tell you three reasons.
First, you need to realize that the top-level professional bodybuilders are a genetic anomaly and were born with the propensity to develop large muscles easily while having little bodyfat. They are probably in the top 1% of the population with respect to being able to build massive muscles. Most of us don't have anywhere near that capability. But, don't get discouraged, all of us can increase our muscle mass to our genetic potential if we train and eat properly. The point is that most of us can't reach "Mr. Olympia size and proportion" because our genetics are different than theirs.
We know that the more successful bodybuilders are mesomorphs. Mesomorphs are able to add muscle easily and maintain a low level of bodyfat. The top-level professional bodybuilders are what I would term as "super-mesomorphs".
Second, Mr. Olympia and his top-level professional bodybuilding counterparts are in the "full-time" business of building muscle. It's their job and profession. Every facet of their lives is devoted to building and sculpting muscle to look symmetrical, massive and defined on the posing stage. This means they usually train 2-4 hours per day in the gym, eat 6 - 8 meals of day, and ingest 5,000 to 10,000 calories per day. Because of this regimen, most of their day is devoted to eating and training. The average natural bodybuilder or recreational bodybuilder usually has a full-time or part-time job and cannot devote large quantities of time to this regimen.
Third, top-level professional bodybuilders are taking performance enhancing drugs. While this is illegal and potentially dangerous to long-term health, the reality is that if these men want to compete and win at this level, performance enhancing drugs are "a necessary evil". The use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone greatly improves recovery and muscle building. Since these men can recover easier and quicker than non-drug users, then they can train longer, harder and more often.
When you analyze the three reasons above, you understand that the routines used by top-level professional bodybuilders are geared to their drug usage, unique genetics and lifestyle. Their routines are usually split routines, with 3-4 exercises per bodypart and 4-6 sets per exercise. For most recreational and natural bodybuilders, this exercise regimen would eventually result in a plateau in muscle building and strength progress and most likely overtraining.
When you read articles about Mr. Olympia's routine, consider the differences that I've mentioned and gear their workouts to your workload capacity and recovery ability. Your workouts should be intense, but short. Strive to train smarter, not longer. Learn to stimulate the muscles to grow without overtraining them. If you do, then you'll get the results you want.
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About the Author:Jeffry Robinson is a NSCA Certified Personal Trainer specializing in muscle building, fat loss and fitness consulting. With over 40 years of bodybuilding experience and his in-depth knowledge of physiology, anatomy and muscle building principles, he has developed new and revolutionary information products for bodybuilders. For bodybuilding articles and free bodybuilding reports, visit his website.
