Since 1965, MILLIONS of people have lifted weights seriously enough to call themselves bodybuilders.
And yet only 16 guys have EVER earned the sports ultimate prize: being crowned Mr. Olympia.
16 winners since 1965. And they say winning the Stanley Cup is a tall order.
However, while all these Mr. Os are incredibly well-built (duh), dedicated, consistent, focused, and exceptionally gifted genetically, none followed identical (or even very similar) training systems.
Sure there were important training elements they all shared. They all lifted weights, used at least SOME of the “classic” exercises, and hit every major muscle group at least once a week.
But after that things start fragmenting.
Ronnie Coleman’s brutally heavy and high-volume workouts didn’t look a thing like Lee Haney’s “stimulate, don’t annihilate” system.
Nor did Ronnie or Lee’s training resemble the intense but brief approach favored by Dorian Yates.
Yet those three guys have over 20 Mr. O titles between them.
So their systems clearly worked. And each man would likely say their preferred method was probably the best “for them.”
But are they right?
If a young Lee Haney had trained exactly the same way as Dorian Yates or Ronnie Coleman, would he have achieved even better results?
I’d say it’s possible… had young Lee believed that Ronnie or Dorian’s way was the BEST way.
And therein lies the rub. The best training system EVER, if such a beast exists, would be inferior if you didn’t believe in it fully and commit accordingly.
On the other hand, a sound but just okay plan will deliver solid results if you believe in it 100% and attack it with focus and intensity.
And if you also have the gift of elite genetics, time, and a great “supplement” program, those solid results could be near Olympia worthy.
What you do matters.
Once the basics are down, how you choose to do it matters more.
Arnold and Sergio Oliva were the worlds top bodybuilders but trained totally differently.
8x Mr Olympia Lee Haney never took a set to failure. The next Mr O, Dorian Yates, trained beyond failure.
Training & exercise is very important but there’s no ONE best way for everybody.
— Bryan Krahn (@BryanKrahn) May 6, 2021
Choose wisely.
– Coach Bryan