58 MUSCLE & FITNESS JUNE 2016N IS FOR NONCHALANCE
“I see guys in the gym all the time
who put on an act about going to
war against the weights. They stalk
all about or they shout or make
a big commotion to get ready for
every lift. I’ve never wasted any of
my valuable energy on that stuff. I’m
the opposite. I’m very nonchalant
the whole time I’m in the gym.
Between sets, I’m probably joking
with Franco [Columbu]. During the
set, I’m always focused, but before
and after the set I’m not trying to
increase stress. Instead, I want to
keep stress as low as possible so
I can save energy for the next set.”O IS FOR OVERTRAINING
“Most of the time overtraining is just
another word for under-resting or
undereating. Of course, overtraining
is a real thing, and, of course, youIS FOR MENTAL
PICTURES
“While you’re doing
an exercise, if you
concentrate and visualise
your muscles growing
while commanding them to
grow, the results will come
much faster. The mental
picture you form of what
you want to be and what
you want to accomplish
can greatly aid your
progress toward attaining
those goals. I focused all of
my mental concentration
on accomplishing my goal
whenever I was at the
gym. Every repetition of
every set was done with
intense concentration.
I visualised each exercise,
completed each repetition
and set as bringing me
closer to my goal.”need to beware of it. However, if
your gains stall, I recommend you
first look at the things you’re doing
outside of the gym to recover from
your workouts. It’s more likely the
problem lies there and not with
what you do inside the gym.”P IS FOR PARTNER
“From my earliest days of training
in Austria, I always had a training
partner. Usually, I trained with two
partners. That way there was
always at least one person there
to encourage me and spot me
and watch my form. It’s important
to have partners who can keepup with you and push you. I liked
training with Franco because he
was so strong, and the camaraderie
kept the workouts fun.”Q IS FOR QUADS
“Building up my legs was hard
because I have long leg muscles.
The long-legged bodybuilder has
to use a wider variety of exercises.
And you have to keep varying
your routine so your muscles
are constantly surprised by
the demands you’re putting on
them. I also think legs respond
best to a few more reps, not
8–10 per set, more like 12–15.”M
ARNIE’S ALPHABET