“There once was an ideal that was bodybuilding, and it represented all that men aspired to be. It had nothing to do with skin-popping sinew, shocking vascularity, painted on tans or onstage gyrations […] Rather, this version of bodybuilding was about vigorous strength, building inner confidence and, not least, the development of heroic proportions.”
-Shawn Perine, Flex Magazine
After deciding to spend the next 30 days getting swole, I was a bit disappointed to find that modern bodybuilders are… pretty damn gross looking.
Fortunately, I live in the internet age. After a whole two seconds of Googling, I managed to find several websites dedicated to building classical physiques.
Once I found the body type I wanted (V Taper, Big Biceps and Triceps, abs…), I researched the accompanying workouts and put together a comprehensive exercise schedule… Which looks like this:
Monday and Thursday
- Squats – 5 sets of 8
- Leg extensions – 5 sets of 12
- Leg curls – 5 sets of 10
- Calf raises – 5 sets of 15
- Bench press – 5 sets of 8
- Dumbbell flys – 5 sets of 10
- Situps – 200
- Leg raises – 200
- Wrist Curls – 5 sets of 15
Wednesday and Saturday
- Rotisseries – 3 sets
- Push-ups – 100
- Kettlebell swings – 100
- Sit-ups -100
- Leg raises – 100
Tuesday and Friday
- Behind the neck press – 5 sets of 8
- Lateral raises – 5 sets of 10
- Behind the neck chin-ups – 6 sets of 10
- Row with the bar – 5 sets of 12
- Barbell curls – 5 sets of 8
- Inclined dumbbell curls – 5 sets of 8
- Standing French press – 5 sets of 10
- Skull crushers – 5 sets of 12
- Leg raises – 100
- Bicycles – 100
- Wrist curls – 5 sets of 15
While I’m excited to start following this schedule, I am also well aware of how easy it is for me to get side-tracked and quit. As such, I’ve begun to devise a series of mental workouts to keep me focused.
Stay tuned for my next post, where I’ll discuss: the benefits of being cocky; the importance of getting psyched up; and the awesomeness of 80’s action movies.
