How hard do The Pro's train ?

wukillabee · Aug 1, 2012

I think people are too busy asking and thinking about the wrong questions. This stuff isn't rocket science and no one sure way about doing it. As others pointed out in this thread already, so many different styles for so many amazing physiques over the years. Now ask yourself a real question, what do they all have in common? They figured out exactly what "Training Style" works best for "Their Genetics" and stuck with it. Like the old saying, if it ain't broke don't try to fix it. First as an "individual" u must find what specific exercises work best for you. Now you must figure out how to construct these specific exercises to work best with your genetics to continually grow and improve. If you keep hitting a wall, obviously that style of routine is not working for you. You know the specific exercises work so that's not the issue, it's how you are performing them in your workout split, style of intensity, etc.

To me working out is the fun part of this lifestyle! Always pushing yourself in the gym! The hard part and what I want to be able to master one day is the diet aspect, that to me is what makes or breaks physiques especially the non genetic elite ones like the most of us. Just my opinion from my observations over the years.

wukillabee · Aug 1, 2012

turbobusa said:
Trained around many pros and trained with some over the years.
Some trained hard and were very strong. Some trained very light and with not much intensity. Not sure why people think a pro trains any harder than an
amateur national guy. I trained with a pro bber in phoenix in 91 for a bit.
I absolutely buried him every workout. You know what he was the finished product and I was intensity and strength. He looked great and I looked
like well ---me. No where near his league as far as bbing.
I will say this I've been around plenty pros training over the years and
John Meadows training on his videos puts many many too shame .
John is not a pro but should be and will be. All pros do not train like that .
The more successful one's train hard and smart.
What did Lee haney say stimulate don't anililate? I think at the point of the game when they turn pro consistancy is a big factor.
Thanks, T

Exactly! Train smart as to what works for u, not what works for Phil Heath or whoever. Even if u where identical twins to Phil Heath, ate exactly the same, same gear, same workouts, I bet you two would still look much different in the overall result. Everyone is an individual so train like one. All about working smarter, not harder. Proven time and time again like explained above.

stb1041 · Aug 1, 2012

AlphaMaleDawg said:
They train exactly the same as we do. All those work outs they do for the cameras is exactly that, for the cameras.

Agree with this for the most part. The 2 gyms I primarily lift at have several pros. The pros at one gym actually talk shit on how the pro at the other gym trains. After seeing training videos of them on youtube, MD, or Flex, I expected that they'd train like that every day. My mind was blown when I started seeing them train on a daily basis and how different it was...sorta disappointing :/

jp2007 · Aug 1, 2012

dave1 said:
with the amount of gear they use, most can build monster thighs by just squating down on the toilet (which they do alot of)

This is laughable

Androh · Aug 1, 2012

I've personally seen Marcus Haley train, and it is almost laughable. No disrespect to the guy, some people say he is nice, but his training is absurdly lackadaisical.

Ocean cool · Aug 1, 2012

I saw phil several times in youtube or some short clips where he was training without much effort.

IndianaJones · Aug 1, 2012

Watch a Stan Efferding video.... answered.

AlphaMaleDawg · Aug 1, 2012

stb1041 said:
Agree with this for the most part. The 2 gyms I primarily lift at have several pros. The pros at one gym actually talk shit on how the pro at the other gym trains. After seeing training videos of them on youtube, MD, or Flex, I expected that they'd train like that every day. My mind was blown when I started seeing them train on a daily basis and how different it was...sorta disappointing :/

Androh said:
I've personally seen Marcus Haley train, and it is almost laughable. No disrespect to the guy, some people say he is nice, but his training is absurdly lackadaisical.

bodybuilding = all drugs and genetics

PitbullTank · Aug 1, 2012

Bout 10 years ago I use to watch paul baker train...I woudnt say he did anything crazy except for tha weight was just rediculous...seemed like he coulda tooken a nap mid workout... I think I remember him doing seated BB military presses w 405 for about 8 reps....I remember my buddy would make fun of him tho bc at tha golds it was a 2 story place and paul would b dripping sweat and breathing hard just walking up the 1 flight...he was about 330 lbs tho if I remember...str8 beast

I watched vince taylor a bunch of times too...JJB, those 100 rep leg press sets he would do... I watched him do one... I belive it was 3 plates a side for 100... Was insane... His wife dwarfed 95% of tha guys at that golds too... He worked out HARD, and so did she...

nikehotel · Aug 1, 2012

I used to work at a gym in the early 90s, metroflex type of place, couple pros, bb and powerlifters. Both ran the spectrum of killing it and just volume. I was most impressed with Dorian Yates, and the ultimate warrior, both were huge, worked crazy hard with high weight. Warrior was nuts, heck he owned his own gym when he trained at mine.

Jizzmo · Aug 1, 2012

im constantly asking myself if the pros who train like pu$$ies would look any different if they were killing it at the gym every day.

i mean all the videos of phil heath ive seen just show him pumping light weights. i wonder if he'd carry more muscle if he was really pushing hard...

Shelby · Aug 1, 2012

1. You can push hard with light to moderate weights

2. You can injure yourself and end your career pretty quickly with heavy weights and sloppy form (yes you can injure yourself with light weights too, but it's not as common).

If you were Mr. Olympia, would you want to flirt with injury and possibly end your reign as champion? Or would you want to do everything you could to remain injury free and progress at a little slower of a rate?

tri-terror · Aug 1, 2012

Jay has commented on this very subject.
He said yeah many of you guys do Moe weight than Mr Olympia but he basically said what Shelby did, its all about staying healthy. He sure as shit trained a lot "harder" before he turned pro, and maybe in the earlier pro years.

I love Dorian, probably my favorite after Arnold. Love his training style. But he is a prime example of what happens when you constantly push the envelope. His injuries probably kept him from winning another couple of Os.
But on the good side, look how massive he was and how hard he looked. I'm convinced it was because he trained hard and heavy.

anab0lic · Aug 1, 2012

AlphaMaleDawg said:
bodybuilding = all drugs and genetics

HOW you train does also make a significant difference to how you will look on said drugs with whatever genetics you got.... I actually look better on half the drugs I was taking with more effective training techniques.

desibaba · Aug 1, 2012

PitbullTank said:
Bout 10 years ago I use to watch paul baker train...I woudnt say he did anything crazy except for tha weight was just rediculous...seemed like he coulda tooken a nap mid workout... I think I remember him doing seated BB military presses w 405 for about 8 reps....I remember my buddy would make fun of him tho bc at tha golds it was a 2 story place and paul would b dripping sweat and breathing hard just walking up the 1 flight...he was about 330 lbs tho if I remember...str8 beast

I watched vince taylor a bunch of times too...JJB, those 100 rep leg press sets he would do... I watched him do one... I belive it was 3 plates a side for 100... Was insane... His wife dwarfed 95% of tha guys at that golds too... He worked out HARD, and so did she...

I have seen Paul Baker work out at the Gold's Gym of Sunrise (which is now shut down). He could almost take a nap like you said. Used mainly machines. Jimmy Mentis used to train at the same place and he was a beast for the most part. I also saw Charles Kemp back in the day in the same Golds and he never trained with any intensity at all. Not to turn this into a racial debate but it seems like a lot of the black pros seem to grow no matter what they do while guys like Branch and Jay have to put in the extra effort. But look at someone like Ronnie. Great genetics plus great work ethic. No one came even remotely close to him back in 2003.

way8lifter · Aug 2, 2012

IndianaJones said:
Watch a Stan Efferding video.... answered.

yeah! I live about 10 miles from his gym ..I keep thinking about training there for a few months...just to watch him

PitbullTank · Aug 2, 2012

desibaba said:
I have seen Paul Baker work out at the Gold's Gym of Sunrise (which is now shut down). He could almost take a nap like you said. Used mainly machines. Jimmy Mentis used to train at the same place and he was a beast for the most part. I also saw Charles Kemp back in the day in the same Golds and he never trained with any intensity at all. Not to turn this into a racial debate but it seems like a lot of the black pros seem to grow no matter what they do while guys like Branch and Jay have to put in the extra effort. But look at someone like Ronnie. Great genetics plus great work ethic. No one came even remotely close to him back in 2003.

Yea man, it was tha sunrise golds that closed I use to goto... my cousin was a trainer, joey V if u remember back then...italian guy, nga pro, biut 240lbs shred 5'10".... I saw a few other pros he trained w but didn't remember their names, was long time ago...that golds waz tha shit! I learned how to lift weights there...