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Maximum Muscle Building Potential
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Developing Your Maximum Potential
by Vince Gironda
My training methods were instrumental in helping many bodybuilders rise to the next level and become even greater than they'd been before they came to me. Without a doubt my most famous pupil was Larry Scott. He was the perfect student. He usually knew which area he needed to improve, and he would ask me for an exercise for that bodypart and how to perform it. He never argued with me, and he never doubted me. He would simply do the exercise to the best of his ability - which was considerable - until he achieved the development he wanted. Then he'd ask for something else.
Larry Scott was the most dedicated bodybuilder I've ever seen. When he walked into my gym the first time, he weighted a little more than 150 pounds and had less potential than anybody else in the place. He was extremely narrow shouldered. His tremendous dedication and relentless focus on his weak points enabled him to overcome all obstacles. He became the greatest champion of his era.
His success should be an inspiration to all bodybuilders who aren't blessed with great potential but want to achieve maximum development. He showed what you can do with proper training, correct nutrition and the right attitude.
The rumor in those days was that he trained eight hours a day. That's what all of the guys back east thought. In fact, one of the most important things he learned from me was to never train for more than an hour. Nobody can train eight hours a day and build muscle.
Although he never worked out for more than an hour, Larry burned out training partners left and right. Nobody could stay with him. He used very heavy poundages and rested less than 30 seconds between sets. His goal was to do the greatest amount of work in the shortest amount of time.
Great as Scott was, though, my favorite bodybuilder was Steve Reeves. I've never met a man, regardless of how big or well developed he was, who made the indelible impression on me that Reeves did. He gave me such an inferiority complex, I didn't even want to be tin the same room with him. I've never felt that way about any other bodybuilding champion. I was willing to butt heads with all of them when I was competing.
Reeves, unlike Scott, was genetically gifted with great bone structure, height and extraordinary masculine beauty. Back in the 15th century Michelangelo described his ideal for the perfect male physique. Reeves matched that description so closely, you'd thing the artist had been looking at a photograph of the bodybuilder.
That doesn't mean Reeves didn't work at it. He studied the best way to shape every muscle to the look he desired. He had the potential, and he explored it with hard work applied intelligently.
Some people are simply genetically superior in this respect. They gain faster and develop more. They have metabolisms that convert food to muscle tissue more efficiently. They rest better and sleep more deeply, so they recover from their workouts more thoroughly. The do all the right things naturally. They handle stress better than most people do. The late Bob Hoffman, of York Barbell Do. fame, proclaimed, "The first asset to health is tranquility."
Arnold Schwarzenegger had many weak points when he first came to America. He told me that he had never worked rear delts before he came to my gym. I helped him to realize that he needed to improve even though he had already won the NABBA amateur Mr. Universe. Plenty of others were good when they came to me, and I helped them become greater.
The major problem with bodybuilders who came to me from the East Coast was that they didn't know how to choose the right exercises to correct their weaknesses. In fact, they really didn't even recognize their weaknesses.
Almost to a man, they were over-training, and yet at the same time they weren't working hard enough. They trained too slow. I changed their workouts so they focused on their weak spots. I had them in crease the tempo of their workouts so they didn't rest as long between sets. And I educated them on bodybuilding nutrition and supplementation.
They all showed improvement. My success rate was so good that the word spread and I had guys, coming from all over the world to train under my guidance. I still advise and train individuals who want to reach their maximum potential through my mail-order courses and videos. My training methods have stood the test of time. I know that you can develop a great physique without drugs if you train and eat properly.
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