Source: oldschooltrainer.com

Keep to 8X8 and your muscle fiber will plump out, giving you a solid mass of muscle density as a result, promised Vince.

Vince Gironda, aka Iron Guru, was a professional bodybuilder who competed in the 50’s. An author and gym owner, perhaps he is most known for his radical training style. It is similar to German Volume Training ( 1 exercise, 10 sets of 10 reps 60 second rest interval with progression via load increase). Vince had several favorite routines, but his “go to” was 8 sets of 8 with 30 second rest intervals with progression via decrease in rest time (15 seconds) and or load increase. Like German Volume, the weight is kept the same in all sets. You are using a load that allows you to complete say 5 sets of 8 and struggle with the last 3 sets maybe completing 6-7 reps. You keep at it until you can complete 8 reps for all 8 sets and from there, decrease the rest time prior to increasing load.

The overarching idea is that more sets/reps in less time builds muscle density. Fatigue accumulated over multiple bouts carried out in extremely anaerobic conditions with light to moderate weights, could pleasantly surprise you with increases in muscle fiber size that can come about!!! To use this philosophy on a regular basis, it may be best to limit total sets to 12-15 per muscle and make modifications accordingly. 24-32 sets per muscle (3-4 exercises of 8 sets), for a finite time, can be used for a shock. It would be best to limit workout time to 45 minutes and never exceed 60.

Progressively adding weight may be one of the best ways to provide an overload, but it’s not the only way.

The content of this article is every bit as extraordinary now as it was decades ago. Check it out for more specifics on how to construct a routine!

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