"Minimum rest between sets is a must," said the master. The most important factor is to do only as many exercises as you can fit into the 45 minute time limit. The secret to success is to believe that the course I give will work and it will. Proper weight selection is critical. On your last set or two of each exercise, it's normal to fail at the 6th or 7th rep. 8 sets of 8 is simply an unusual and effective method of overload and muscle confusion. Origins of the Vince Gironda 8×8 Workout. Here's how it works: You will select three or four exercises per muscle group and perform 8 sets of 8 on each exercise. Build muscle, lose fat & stay motivated. While this was happening, he also competed as a bodybuilder himself. There was no way this could be done with heavier weight without form being sacrificed which Gironda was against. His training systems included 15 sets of 4, 3 sets of 12, 6 sets of 6, 10 sets of 10 and 4 exercises in a giant set - one for each "side" of the muscle. He was famous for cutting edge training and dieting methodologies. There was no “one size fits all” diet he recommended. The rest intervals range from 60 seconds to four minutes, depending on the goal. Day 1ChestDecline low cable - crossover (touch hands at waistline) 8 X 8Bench press to neck - 8 X 8Incline Dumbbell Press - (palms facing each other) 8 X 8Wide Grip V-Bar Dips - 8 X 8, BicepsDrag Curl - 8 X 8Preacher curl (top of bench at low pec line) - 8 X 8Incline Dumbbell Curl - 8 X 8, ForearmsZottman Curl - 8 X 8Barbell Wrist Curl - 8 X 8, Day 2ShouldersDumbbell Side Lateral raise seated - 8 X 8Wide Grip upright row - 8 X 8Front to back barbell shoulder press - 8 X 8Dumbbell bent over rear deltoid lateral - 8 X 8, TricepsKneeling rope extension - 8 X 8Lying Tricep Extension - 8 X 82 Dumbbell Tricep Kickback - 8 X 8, Day 3BackSternum Chin up - 8 X 8High bench two dumbbell rowing - 8 X 8Low cable row with 18" high pulley - 8 X 8Medium Grip Lat Pulldown to Chest - 8 X 8, AbsDouble Crunch - (pull in knees and elbows together at same time) 8 X 8Weighted Crunch - 8 X 8Lying Bent Knee Leg Raises - 8 X 8, DAY 4QuadsFront Squat - 8 X 8Hack machine squat - 8 X 8Sissy Squat - 8 X 8Leg Extension - 8 X 8, Hamstrings -Supine Leg Curl - 8 X 8Seated leg Curl machine - 8 X 8, Calves Standing Calf raise - 8 X 20Seated Calf raise - 8 X 20. By the way, to follow these tempo guidelines means you'll have to ditch your training partner. Hardgainer and veteran fitness writer Roger "Rock" Lockridge started training in 1999, and has been featured in numerous publications and fitness sites. One of the reasons the name Vince Gironda is as popular as ever in bodybuilding articles is that the man had ideas that were truly revolutionary and way ahead of their time. Too bad for them! For example, if you normally perform dumbbell flyes with 55 pounds for 8 reps with a 60 - 90 second rest interval, you're going to have to reduce your weight to about 35 pounds to successfully complete 8 sets of 8 with 15-30 second rest intervals. Once adaptation occurs, you must seek out new types of stress to coax your muscles into continued growth. Taking a wide grip of the bar, the lifter would lower it to the bottom of the neck instead of the chest. Vince called it the "honest workout " because of the pure muscle fiber size that can be achieved on it. Rest them on your knees, but don't put them down or re-rack them. Throughout the 50’s and 60’s, Gironda’s reputation grew thanks to the champions previously mentioned winning contests and giving him credit for helping them do so. As a general rule, Vince suggested limiting your total sets to no more than 12-15 per body part. Muscle & Strength, LLC Check your inbox for your welcome email. Another exercise Gironda didn’t like was the flat barbell bench press. With a four or five day split, each muscle group is worked once every five to seven days. Privacy policy. The reason this doesn't constitute overtraining is because you're not exceeding the workout duration that begins having a negative effect on recovery and anabolic hormones. If you're using straps, don't unwrap them. Gironda felt doing them this way would isolate the chest and minimize triceps involvement. The most popular method of training for advanced bodybuilders is to choose between two and four exercises per muscle group and perform three or four sets of 6-12 reps on each exercise.