Thread: Arnold overtrained

Hell i do at least 24 sets 5 days a week whether I'm on gear or not and I'm 52 years old. I believe it built into ea of us and a lot of this overtraining idea is mental. This is nothing now compared to what i did in the 70's. I did a hell of a lot more sets then i do now. no two people are alike and what's good for one doesn't mean it's good for another. Your body will tell you. Unless I'm cutting i never have days where I'm weaker then others. By 1983 I weighed 341lbs in weight from the weight of 194lbs when i started in 1977. I worked out 6 days a week back then repeating Mon, Tues and Wed exercises tThurs , Fri and Sat.

341you must of been a big muthertrucker do u have a pic?

Id say the juice has a lot to due with it but genetics also come into play

Arnold also flys out of bed after a mere 4-5 hours of sleep, something I have only done during one period of my life. Arnold is just Arnold.

How would we know if he overtrained or not? If the food is there, I believe the muscle will largely be there with the right anabolic support. He didn't use particularly large weights (he wasn't a 500 bencher), and he was an extraordinarily happy person. I believe that last part is very important. He loved doing what he did, and with him being so famous for LYING about what he was doing in order to throw competitors off his trail to success, some of the stories may be BS or they may have been for very short time periods. Lots of pros still do relatively high volume, but lots of them dont push the weights much. Jay Cutler does high volume towards competition time, with lighter weights.

Whatever he did, Arnold was Arnold because he wanted to be Arnold and he loved being Arnold. It worked for him, and to me thats all I need to know. I do what works for me, I dont need to know why my genetics are different than someone elses, they just are what they are and thats what I have to work with and they had what they had to work with. I would love to hear what the truth if is he ever published his memoirs, but I suspect complete honesty will never happen.

Originally Posted by goodguy12

341you must of been a big muthertrucker do u have a pic?

There is a guy near me who is my height and 335. Most people could never match how much food he eats, and the thought of how much toilet paper he goes through is pretty disgusting (approximately 5 rolls a day).

Originally Posted by Mudge

I would love to hear what the truth if is he ever published his memoirs, but I suspect complete honesty will never happen.

me too

Originally Posted by Mudge

There is a guy near me who is my height and 335. Most people could never match how much food he eats, and the thought of how much toilet paper he goes through is pretty disgusting (approximately 5 rolls a day).

Those must be some massive craps. Wow.

No way. Being extremely generous, that means he shits 10 times a day, at half a roll of tp each session

Originally Posted by Flex

it was the boatload of steroids that allowed him to keep from overtraining.

exactly, so he didn't overtrain!

ever heard of john defendis?

Originally Posted by Mudge

the thought of how much toilet paper he goes through is pretty disgusting (approximately 5 rolls a day).

What the hell? Thats not even....what the hell?

I was 25 years old when i started. 6 months later I visited Dr. Robert Kerr. I don't know if any of you have ever heard of him, but he went by Dr. K. I was on gear for 7 years. In those days we did gear 9 weeks on 3 weeks off with testing every three weeks. If test weren't normal he took you off until ok. Only once in the 7 years was i taken off. Gear consisted of (don't remember the dosage) but anadrol, d-bol and test. that's it sports fans. Anandrol for 3 weeks then D-bol and test for 6 weeks. Not what everyone does now, but my liver is fine to date.
anyhow i don't have any pic's as my first wife when i left her for a younger woman after 23 yrs, burnt them all.
Forgot one thing. Back then i ate a min of 4 lbs of beef a day along with 30 whole eggs. I figure I put down by ends day between 8-10k in cal's. I never worried about counting anything as the Dr. said just eat as much Poulty, beef or pork plus as many eggs as you can. I do know that when lifting, I mixed 12 whole eggs in O.J and drank it while i lifted. Shit the next time i bulk think i'll try that as i can Eat my weight in beef. Never had a cholestrol problem back then either. You know what the next time i bulk fuckk worrying about cholestrol and fats IE: Hamburger meat which is my favorite.

Defendis =

Originally Posted by young d

ever heard of john defendis?

ya, he's only been in my sig. since i joined IM

Originally Posted by Flex

me too

Dorian said he wont talk doses used, because he doesn't want kids trying to duplicate that thinking thats all it takes. I wish I knew what he did and how much, but I can completely see his point, its unfortunately the way it goes, and once you get to the top you would have a protocol in place anyway.

Tom Prince said when he retires he will give some examples. How specific did Flex get in his book? I haven't read it...

Originally Posted by Cold Iron

No way. Being extremely generous, that means he shits 10 times a day, at half a roll of tp each session

When I was doing 5400-6500 calories per day I was going after each and every meal. Right now at a mere 4500ish calories per day, I go 4 times a day on the average, sometimes 5. He outweighs me by 80 pounds, and he got there with a damn lot of food, so yes I am quite confident he shits as much as he says he does. Take a look at the back of a dually filled with groceries, for one man, for roughly one week, and you know he takes a lot of shits.

give you a hint, my dosages at the end where 8 x the prescprition. If you really want to see how big I was at one time, but this was 3 years after i stopped lifting, go rent the movie " OVER THE TOP". Look at the person arm wrestling SLY for the title. Then look at my current picture and you'll know my real name. Boy I'M sure GIVING MY INDENTITY AWAY. bUT I'm throwing a B.D. party right now for my brother. So I'm having a few drinks for the first time in 4 months. BAD, BAD PT. (Rick)

I'm guessin thats you on the right, but I really can't tell from this angle and teh beard.

Originally Posted by Mudge

How specific did Flex get in his book? I haven't read it...

He started at age 19.

This is why IMO genetics get "overrated" and roids simply don't get enough "credit" in pro BB...

"My 18 years on steroids started with a handfull of little blue pills. I started taking them every single day, figuring that since i was only 140 measly pounds, anything would help. I began to notice somthing major was happening with my body, and not all of it good.
First of all, my skin started expanding all over, as if someone had stuck a hose in my mouth and pumped me full or air. If fact, my skin became so stretched in certain areas that it had faint lines where it looked like the tissue had torn open-the skin's natural reaction to packing on 20lbs within a matter of 3 weeks. Soon my entire body began to look like a pregnant woman's stomach after a tough 9 months.
I developed huge stretch marks all over my chest and thihs. They grew so big that they almost touched. And when i work up in the morning, I noteiced my biceps bulging before i even flexed.
I was constantly hungry-no matter how much i ate, it was never enough. My body was expanding so much that i was becoming a human garbage diposal of junk food. Across the street from Copleand's was a McDonald's that i'm certain i kept in business, b/c for lunch i'd order three big macs, two large fries, two shakes and a coke. Two hours later, i'd be straving again. I'd have Levetta (his gf) stop by with an afternoon snack, but we're not talking an apple or a bag of chips. I could eat an entire pizza at three oclock and then be ravenous again two hours later.
My face got so fat, puffy and pmiply that people i knew started stopping me on the street to say "Man, what's wrong with you"? You look like someone ejected you with a big grease gun".
One night, i went to the gym, and one of the bodybuilders wanted to talk to me in the locker room. "Flex, try this new stuff", he said, handing me a new streroid called Deca-Durabolin. There was only one hitch: This wasn't a handy little pill-it came in a vial, with a big, scary needle in a separate package. Did i mention that as a little kid i'd throw a tantrum when my grandma wanted to take me to the Dr.'s to get a booster shots. I wasn't any more courageous when it came to needles now, but this time i fugred i had a good reason for freaking out.
You see, the needles back then that went with steroids weren't little, like the ones that diabetics use to give themselves insulin shots. Needles actually come in sizes: the higher the number, the thinner and smaller they are (which means they're less scart). To put this in perspective, diabetics use a 27 gauge; my first steroid needle was a 15. For those not versed in the medical arts, it basically looked like a harpoon...
That's how i began taking the shots, which i TOOK WEEKLY FOR ALMOST TWO DECADES. (I ALSO CONTINUED THE PILLS EVERY DAY).
Of course, my steroid use escalated as time went on, which just seemed...well, natural. I was a pro BB-everyone knew i was doing steroids, and no one considered it a big deal.
I went from 140 to 170lbs in a few weeks. Over the next several months, I kept going-until i was THREE HUNDRED POUNDS."

That's why IMO steroid use is "underrated" in pro BB's. Flex wasn't by any means a mesomorph. He was a very skinny kid. He ABUSED steroids for years (rarely coming off) which gave him the size, but of course it was due to his genetic muscle shape/bone structure etc., that his physique looked awesome.

It's a pretty good book. He doesn't get into tiny little details abuse use, but he certainly doesn't hold much back. You should check it out...

Even though it's a shitty picture, IMO the best physique ever...

and this of course.....

awesome post flex! flex wheeler is my 2nd favourite BB'er ever (no prizes for guessing who my favourite is)

i think in terms of physique he (flex) is unmatched, i can't believe he never won the olympia

untouchable

Originally Posted by young d

untouchable

hmmm...I'm sorry, but please tell me again what year Flex won the Mr. Olympia?

Originally Posted by Flex

I had a discussion recently with someone that said something to the idea of "due to his genetics, Arnold was able to do that many sets w/o overtraining and grow".

I thought it was pretty ridiculous. IMO, sure, good muscle building genetics allowed him to grow all that muscle, but it was the boatload of steroids that allowed him to keep from overtraining.

If that weren't so, then how come guys today don't do 30 sets/muscle group, considering how much more info we have about training, and ESPECIALLY considering how much MORE juice they're on (thus an even better recovery ability) and they STILL don't do it.


any thoughts??

yup...people are idiots. most people have no concept of how the endocrine system or CNS works. they simply talk out of their asses. if they knew that testosterone was a neuromodulator they would know that supraphysiological doses of test can keep a person from overtraining very easily.

Originally Posted by Tough Old Man

give you a hint, my dosages at the end where 8 x the prescprition. If you really want to see how big I was at one time, but this was 3 years after i stopped lifting, go rent the movie " OVER THE TOP". Look at the person arm wrestling SLY for the title. Then look at my current picture and you'll know my real name. Boy I'M sure GIVING MY INDENTITY AWAY. bUT I'm throwing a B.D. party right now for my brother. So I'm having a few drinks for the first time in 4 months. BAD, BAD PT. (Rick)

u got a chance to act with stallone?

Originally Posted by Tough Old Man

give you a hint, my dosages at the end where 8 x the prescprition. If you really want to see how big I was at one time, but this was 3 years after i stopped lifting, go rent the movie " OVER THE TOP". Look at the person arm wrestling SLY for the title. Then look at my current picture and you'll know my real name. Boy I'M sure GIVING MY INDENTITY AWAY. bUT I'm throwing a B.D. party right now for my brother. So I'm having a few drinks for the first time in 4 months. BAD, BAD PT. (Rick)

No way! I loved that movie when I was a kid!

i believe your body gets used to over training after a while. My friend has been over training since our high school days. He still overtrains regularly, however he still is a big mo fo.

What happened to all of Flex's stretch marks?