SipesSeminar-18

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1 Chuck Sipes Super Seminar

GAINING MUSCULAR SIZE & STRENGTHfor

A CHAMPIONSHIP PHYSIQUE

"Chuck Sipes Super-Seminar"

by

Dennis B. Weis

The "Yukon Hercules"

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Copyright 2001

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or byany means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or by any information storage orretrieval system, except as may be permitted by 1976 Copyright Act or in writing by the Author.


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About Dennis B. Weis, a.k.a. Yukon Hercules

Dennis B. Weis is a Ketchikan, Alaska-based power/bodybuilder. He is a hard-hitting, uncompromising freelance professional writer and investigative research con-sultant in the fields of bodybuilding, nutrition, physiology, and powerlifting.

Dennis was first published over two decades ago (1976) in the pages of IronMan magazine. Since that time he has become known to almost every mainstreambodybuilding/physique magazine's readership throughout the United States andEurope. The magazines that publish his articles include and are not limited to Body-building Monthly(U.K. publication), Exercise For Men Only, Hardgainer (Nicosia, Cy-prus, publication), Iron Man, Muscle & Fitness, Muscle Magazine Int'l, and NaturalBodybuilding & Fitness.

You have undoubtedly read dozens of his 100+ feature-length articles in manyof the popular worldwide magazines -- under his own name and under the names ofcertain top physique stars and powerlifting personalities.

The credentials of this prolific writer extend beyond the scope of just writing arti-

cles, for he is the author of three critically acclaimed best-selling books: Mass!(1986),Raw Muscle (1989), and his newest release, Anabolic Muscle Mass: The Secrets ofAnabolic Reinforcement Without Steroids.

In recognition of his writing accomplishments, he has received Meritorious Ser-vice Awards relating to all published works as a magazine consultant and publishedbook author. In addition to these honors, he has performed Barnes & Noble andWaldenbooks autograph parties and window displays for his books. He has also beena featured guest on various radio talk shows around the country, where he shares hisknowledge and experience regarding such issues as bodybuilding and the super-fitness lifestyle.

During the past two decades he has established a small but dynamic one-manbusiness to service male and female bodybuilders, fitness buffs, and powerlifting en-thusiasts of all types with very personal (one to one or mail order), and highly profes-sional instruction on all phases of physical excellence.

He has coached literally hundreds of select clients, one of the most notable be-ing a personal training advisor to the 1983 Miss Minnesota winner. One of the trainingtools he uses as a personal trainer is the revolutionary and famous Samra R.E.S.T.principle.

Contact Informat ion :Dennis B. WeisP.O. Box 9485

Ketchikan, Alaska 99901-4485

Phone: (907) 225-4569 (non-collect)e-mail: [email protected]


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In Memory

of

Chuck Sipes1959 IFBB Mr. America1961 IFBB Mr. Universe

1966 4th place-IFBB Mr. Olympia1968 IFBB Mr. World

Born August 22,1932Died February 24, 1993


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A GREAT CHAMPION OF YESTERYEAR

REVEALS PRO-BODYBUILDING STRATEGIES

FOR WINNING CONTESTS

The mid-1960s was a very exciting time for many of us Baby Boomers(born during the Second World War) who were involved in the physical culturescene, for we were able to experience a "Golden Era" of the sport.

The "Golden Era" was a magical time on the physical culture scene wherenon- and amateur-competing bodybuilders alike had to rely on reasonably logi-cal and competent training and nutritional strategies (who can forget Rheo H.Blair, the super nutrition expert, and his wildly popular milk-and-egg proteinpowder) for acquiring marked increases in muscular size and strength.

There was also emerging in this Golden Era a new breed of elite compet-ing and winning bodybuilder, the IFBB Professional. Who can forget such leg-endary names as Dave Draper, Don Richard Howarth, Sergio Oliva, HaroldPoole, Larry Scott, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and last but not least in the IFBBparade of champions, Chuck Sipes.

The late Chuck Sipes was a huge, thickly muscled man, not too tall butamazingly compact and massive. He had a ruggedness written over his physi-ognomy and a broad grin for everyone. He reflected a cheerful atmosphere andpersonal attitude wherever he went. However, when he began a workout, his

concentration was so laser-focused that it was obvious to those around him thathe did not want to be interrupted. It was this frame of mind that netted him con-test-winning results at the elite IFBB professional level.

Now, get ready to step back into the sixties and check into the mind ofone of pro-bodybuilding's best, and begin to absorb the knowledge of the train-ing and nutrition strategies it took to win an IFBB show.

The following seminar contains exact insights and expressions from thelate Chuck Sipes, a man who was deeply embedded in the trenches of body-building warfare. If you ever had the opportunity to hear Chuck speak, you mayrecall his speech pattern and recognize his training philosophy as it is repre-sented in the following report.

The following information is the pure truth from Sipes on the exact pro-gram he followed in preparation for the Mr. World title naturally. At the conclu-sion of this program, Chuck attained a peak condition where, at 5 feet 9inches, he weighed 220 pounds. His measurements were: arms, 19 inches;chest, 50 inches; waist, 32 inches; thighs, 25 inches; calves, 18 inches.


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He was especially known for his massive and powerful forearms, which meas-ured 18 inches pumped. Sipes was also enormously strong. He could benchpress 570 pounds (at 220 pounds of muscular bodyweight), perform full squatswith 600 pounds, and do barbell curls with 250 pounds. Here, then, is theChuck Sipes bodybuilding seminar in which he explains his revolutionary train-ing and nutritional philosophies that allowed him to obtain his best gains in size,shape, and muscularityand go on to win the 1968 IFBB Mr. World contest. Healso won the subdivisions of most muscular, best arms, best chest, and bestabs.


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TO BECOME A WINNER OF A PHYSIQUE TITLETAKES MANY MONTHS OF PREPARATION

I planned my contest preparation

for the 1968 IFBB Mr. World contest

twelve months prior to entering. I feel

that this is one of the most important

phases toward contest training, in that

one must plan his or her training far

enough in advance to get their training

organized and to devote every waking

minute of the day toward the task at

hand. As far as my training went, I

trained three times per day (Editor's

note: This is the dynamic Triple-Split

training principle that the top bodybuild-

ers and weightlifting champions in the

world have been using for the last few

years to achieve the maximum in size

and strength), six days per week, to-wards winning the 1968 IFBB Mr. World

contest. Being employed with the Cali-

fornia Youth Authority as the personal

weight training instructor helped me to

organize my training so that I was ableto train three times per day.

I would begin my daily training at

around 6:00 a.m. at my home. My work

for the California Youth Authority was

the swing shift that began at 2:00 p.m. to

10:00 in the evening. It was here that I

would get into the second

and third workout sessions for the day.My second workout of the day began im-mediately upon arriving at work at 2:00p.m. being that my job was to teachweight training to the CYA youths. Itwas here that I would get in my secondworkout of the day and then between8:00 p.m. and 10:00 in the evening I wasassigned to dorm duty in which I was tobe there while the young men slept forthe night. It was here that I concentratedon my third and final workout session of

the day.

(Editor's comment: Before Chuck

outlines his explicitly calculated training

program, it is important to note that he

followed the PUSH/PULL training princi-

ple where he would train his pushing

muscles, e.g., pecs, delts, and triceps,

on training days one, three, and five; and

on days two, four, and six, he would train

his pulling muscles--legs, back, biceps,and forearms. You will notice as he ex-

plains a particular exercise schedule that

special attention was given to working

from the largest muscle group to the

smallest for the particular training ses-

sion at hand. This is one of his secrets

of developing SUPER-HUMAN

STRENGTH.)


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Training Days One, Three, and Five

Morning Session - 6:00 a.m.

Chest:

I have always enjoyed benchpressing, so I would begin this particularsession by doing SUPINE or flat bench

presses. I would always warm up with,say, 135 pounds, and then gradually Iwork light to heavy, say, for instance, Iwould do two sets of 8 reps, then twosets of 4 reps, then two sets of 2 reps,and finally two sets of one single rep,

working toward my best single maximumpoundage for this session. (Editor'scomment: This is the famous doubleset/light to heavy training principle.)

After I finished doing the two sin-gle repetitions, I would then do a SUP-PORT MOVEMENT (making use of apower rack), which I feel is the only wayone can gain tremendous strength. HereI would place the holding rods (Editor's

note: This is the point where the barbellis actually positioned prior to beginningthe actual exercise movement) in thepower rack where the bar was posi-tioned just below the actual arms-locked-out position in the supine or flatbench press position. I would positionmyself correctly on the bench and pro-ceed to push the barbell off the holdingrods to an arms-locked position. I wouldbegin by holding the barbell at thislocked-arms position of support for ap-

proximately five seconds. As my trainingin this exer cise over the weeks andmonths progressed, I would add moretime supporting the barbell, but nevermore than twenty seconds per set.Then, of course, when this became easyI would add more poundage to the bar-

bell, because the importance of this andany exercise is always to progress eitherby adding time upon the effort or addingpoundage upon the effort. At this par-ticular time in my training I was workingtoward attemp ting a 600-pound supinebench press, which I wanted to do at theupcoming IFBB 1968 Mr. World contest.

At the time I was training for thiscontest, many people believed thatbodybuilders just trained with lightweights and were "pumpers." I wanted toprove that not all bodybuilders trainedwith light weights, and, in fact, any lead-ing bodybuilder today, in order to de-velop to the maximum in size, has tohandle heavy poundages. I firmly believethat this one exercise [bench supports inthe power rack] done for 4 sets of 5 sec-

onds to 20 seconds each helped megreatly in developing my chest and armsto their maximum size. As far as my restpauses between sets went, I would waitonly long enough until my mind tells methat I'm ready to begin another set. I liketo keep the blood flowing in the muscleswhile keeping up a good exercise rhythmand a good sweat during my trainingsessions. (Editor's comment: It is inter-esting to note that sweating burns upthree calories per teaspoon of perspira-

tion.) I really believe in sweating, and Iusually wear a sweatshirt even in thewarmer months of the year. After I didthe supports on the bench press, I thenwould proceed to do some Dead StopBench Presses.


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On this particular exercise, Iwould again make use of the power rackand reposition the holding rods from theprevious exercise to a point where thebarbell would be positioned approxi-

mately four inches above the chest. Iwould decrease the poundage justenough to where I could do from four tosix reps, so that on about the sixth rep Iwas putting out maximum effort. I firmlybelieve that this exer cise builds explo-sive power in the bench press. It givesone the ability to explode from the deadspace (Editor's comment: One of thecritical sticking points in the bench

press) just above the chest.

As far as being able to tell youwhat poundages I used on the benchpress, it would be fairly hard for me to goback that far, because I didn't recordthem. I always trained to the maximumon the bench press three times perweek. I would always force myself tohandle more and more poundage, andby doing this I was able to bring mybench press up to 570 pounds, weighingapproximately 220 pounds. The dead

stop bench presses were done for 4 setsof 6 reps.

From this exercise I went toStraight Arm Pul loverswith a barbell. Ibelieve that this exercise is tremendousfor chest development and of utmost im-portance for rib cage development. Onthis exercise I would normally do threesets of 15 repetitions, and my pound-ages on the pullovers would run around

125 pounds. I don't believe that usingheavy poundages on the pullover is theanswer (toward chest and rib cage de-velopment), but the answer is to uselighter weights and keep the armsstraight and stretch, stretch, stretch, andconcentrate on deep breathing.

From here I would then go toDumb bel l Fl ieson a flat bench, bendingthe elbows slightly and again stretching,stretching, stretching. Here I would do 4

sets of 8 repetitions, then I would finishoff my chest work with what I callAroun d The Worlds with dumbbells.On this exercise I would lay flat on thebench while bringing the dumbbells backin a semicircle, like a straight-arm pullover, and then swing the dumbbells outand around in a circular motion downalong the sides of the body past thewaist until the dumbbells are just abovethe thighs and groin area. Now crossthe arms and cramp and squeeze thepecs. This exercise is a good flushingmovement for the pectorals and reallygives the chest some nice shape. Onthis exercise I would do 4 sets of 8 repe-titions each.

From here I would move into DipsOn The Paral lel Barswith 100 poundsattached to my waist for added resis-tance. I would concentrate very stronglyon obtaining a maximum stretch in the

downward position. (Editor's note: Thisexercise is not a pure pectoral developerin itself but is a multi-compound move-ment that works not only the pecs, butthe deltoids and triceps as well, depending on the ever-so-slight positioning ofthe upper torso. Chuck would tilt his up-

per torso slightly forward when doing thisexercise so as to gain that little extra in

pectoral stimulation.)

After the heavy dips on the paral-lel bars for 4 sets of 8 reps, I wouldcease using the heavy 100- pounddumbbell and begin doing bodyweight-only dips on the parallel bars startingwith one repetition, rest-


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ing a second or two, then doing tworeps, rest a second or two, and doingthree reps, moving up to 20 or 25 repeti-tions of these dips. I would get a tre-mendous pump, and this exercise was

responsible for building a high degree ofmuscularity in the chest region. [Editor'scomment: For more information on thisrevolutionary training technique, we referyou to what Robert Kennedy and DennisB. Weis said about it in their bookMASS! (Contemporary Books, 1986).]

This would take care of my morn-ing training session for training daysone, three, and five. I would then con-tinue afternoon and evening workoutswhen I would go to my job.


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Afternoon Session - 2:00 P.M.

Deltoids:

My afternoon training consisted ofshoulder work, and this is the schedule Ifollowed for a long period of time in mytraining for the IFBB Mr. World title. Imight say here that many people changetheir schedules too often. (Editor's com-ment: Vince Gironda, "The Iron Guru" inbodybuilding, seems to confirm this. Ex-

perience has shown him that any fewerthan nine months does not let him passthrough all the phases of an exercisethat are necessary to formulate an opin-

ion. He does say, however, that, anylonger than nine months, an exercise be-comes confusing and boring. If the newconcept or exercise is of any value, itwill be born in nine months.) When I hitupon an exercise schedule that wouldbenefit me and I was making gains, Iwould not change it. Sometimes I wouldgo six and eight months on a particularsystem if it was working. If I followed anexercise or a total exercise schedule for

a month and I saw no size and strengthgains, which was very seldom in mycase, then I would change my particularschedule.

I am a person who loves to train,and very seldom do I get burned out onone particular exercise. If it's working, Ilove it and continue to do it until I findthat I'm not making the response ingains that I should.

I begin my afternoon training pro-gram with some Behind the NeckPresses. I will say here that most body-builders and strength athletes have aparticular exercise that gives them prob-lems such as pulled tendons or a

strained muscle. The behind-the-neckpress affects me this way, but I believein this exercise so I continue to performit but using very light poundages. I beginby doing a warmup set for 12 repetitions,and then I increase the poundageslightly and do 4 sets of 8 repetitions.

I wasn't concerned that much withincreasing the poundages on this exer-cise, but I did make an effort to concen-trate on doing the reps slowly, keepingthe barbell moving con stantly. By doingthis, I would get a deep ache in the lat-

eral and posterior segments of the del-toid.

From here I would move on to mynext exercise, the Barbel l Front Raise. Iused a shoulder-width grip, and, with thebarbell hanging at arm's length againstmy upper thighs, I would take a deepbreath and raise the barbell straight upuntil it was directly over my head, andthen I would lower it in the reverse man-

ner in which I had lifted it. I always tookcare to make sure that my elbows werelocked during each and every rep.(Editor's comment: This exercise notonly develops thickness in the frontaldeltoid region when viewed from theside, but it is also terrific for very neces-sary deltoid power in Chuck's bench

press exercises.) Again I concentratedon a full, even movement, keeping thebarbell moving at a good pace but not

too fast, slowly enough so that I couldfeel a deep muscle ache.

I might say here that many body-builders train in a haphazard manner. Ibelieve they don't concentrate deeplyenough into the muscle area they are


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working. I think into the segment ofmuscle that I'm working, and I feel theeffort of the muscle; in this way I canspeed up or slow down the repetition ca-dence according to the feel of the mus-

cle working.

(Editor's comment: I couldn't agreewith Chuck more. Doing the movementwithout giving thought to the muscle be-ing worked may yield only 50-70% of itsactual benefits. In other words, momen-tary lapses of concentration can throwoff your exercise technique just enoughto make you lose a rep or two or a few

pounds off your exercise poundage.)

Sometimes I would make bio me-chanical changes in this exercise. Somedays I would do it standing, and otherdays I would do it sitting in a chair withmy back in full contact with the back ofthe chair. This really isolated the move-ment where it stopped any bending atthe waist. On this exercise I did 4 sets of8 repetitions.

From here I went on to the Dumb-

bel l Lateral Raise. I would do this exer-cise while seated on a bench. Thedumbbells are held firmly (arms hangingat my sides) with the little finger side ofthe hand against the inside dumbbellplate the dumbbells are then raised withsemi-stiff arms (Editor's comment: Thereis just an ever-so-slight bend in the el-bow region, just enough to take anystress off this vulnerable joint area) di-rectly to the side of the body, to shoulder

height. At this point the shoulders drop afew inches, and here I would make aconcentrated effort to rotate my handsslightly so that the front of the dumbbellis lower than the back of the dumbbell.(Editor's comment: This is much like

pouring water from a cup.) The move-

ment up to this point built razor-sharpdelineation and roundness in lateral orside portions of my deltoids. I would con-tinue the movement in an upward fash-ion until the dumbbells were well past

my ears and in fact at arm's length overmy head. At this position I would makean effort to rotate the dumbbells so thatthey would touch together in this over-head position. I would then lower thedumbbells in the starting position.(Editor's comment: Doing the dumbbelllaterals up to the position of shoulderheight and in the manner described bySipes works the medial or side delt seg-ment and is responsible for creating that

visual yard-wide look to his shoulders.)

On these particular shaping exer-cises I never try to cheat the weight up,nor do I handle too heavy of a pound-age. I always train to the maximum, but Ikeep the poundage at a level that allowsme to feel the particular area (segment)of the muscle I am trying to develop. If abodybuilder does these shaping exer-cises in this particular way, they will getmuch more benefit out of it. On this exer-

cise I did 4 sets of 8 reps.

[Editor's comment: Some experts onexercise technique might question therationale or manner in which Sipes doeshis dumbbell laterals as previously de-scribed. These experts in "only one wayto lift" will point out that, after the dumb-bells go beyond shoulder to arm's lengthoverhead, the trapezius muscle be-comes actively involved in the exercise

movement. To a certain degree they arecorrect, because the trapezius musclesdo assist in the overhead position by

pulling the deltoids closer to the head;but this seems to give Chuck that littleextra in focus and peak contraction ofthe deltoid muscles. To prove that this


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statement is truth and not just theory, weremember hearing about some scientificstudies that were conducted by a Japa-nese Olympic weightlifting team physi-cian and a coach of the team. The stud-

ies were done with electromyograms, adevice that records muscle activity(shows which muscles are working butdoes not indicate strength output). Theelectro myographic studies showed that,while two or more lifters could use thesame exercise style in exactly the sameway, there were great individual differ-ences in the way certain muscles werebrought into play during the same stageof the lifts. For example, it is generally

thought that the deltoids function bestwhen movements such as dumbbell lat-eral raises begin from 45 degrees fromthe sides of the body and to an arch of45 degrees above shoulder level. InChuck Sipes' case, this was not true,and deltoid activity continued well on tothe arms- overhead position in thedumbbell lateral raises. These cited dif-ferences are probably due to the ana-tomical structure of the skeletal systemof bone length, muscle origin/ insertion,

and length of the muscle bellies, etc.]

From the dumbbell laterals, I went tomy final deltoid exercise, the StandingMil i tary Press. I would do the militarypress from a power rack (or set of squatstands), beginning the actual movementat shoulder height. I was tired from doingthe other shoulder exercises leading upto this exercise, and by doing the militarypress from a power rack, I could devote

more effort to the actual press move-ment itself instead of having to clean thebarbell from a bench or from the floor. Iwould do this particular exercise for 4sets of 8 repetitions. My pressing move-ments were slow and deliberate with noback bend, thus making the shoulders

do the work.

[Editor's comment: it was always ajoy to observe the strictness with whichChuck did his military press movements.

He would take a shoulder-width grip onthe bar, but not much wider. His elbowswere spread out to the side and thewrists relatively straight. His feet wereapproximately shoulder-width apart and

parallel to each other, with his body bal-ance on the balls of his feet rather thancentered toward his heels. He wouldlock his knees, making sure that hisback was flat and that his hips werelined up with his back. Now it was time

for Sipes to begin the press. He wouldpress the barbell off the clavicular por-tion of his chest in a rapid manner withhis deltoid and arm strength only.

He made sure that he didn't cheatduring any range of the pressing move-ment by wedging or bowing (bringinghips forward). This particular techniqueseems to shorten the height of one's ac-tual physical structure so that the armsbypass certain sticking points. This takes

away from developing maximum sizeand strength in the deltoids, as wouldarching the back, and Chuck didn't wantthis to happen.

Chuck would continue to drive thebarbell up, keeping it as close to his faceas possible, never looking up or downbut straight ahead, pressing the barbellto a complete locked-out position over-head. The reason Chuck never looked

down when doing the movement was toensure that his balance was correct at alltimes. To look down could cause the up-

per back to hyperextend, which is ex-tremely dangerous. Chuck would usesome enormous poundages on this ex-ercise, and it was his experience that it


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is best to do this exercise standingrather than seated. If by chance the bar-bell got out of the pressing groove wherehe wasn't in complete control of it for amillisecond, he had a better- than-

average chance of saving the rep bymaking a subtle but necessary change inhis body position. This would be ex-tremely difficult to do in the seated ver-sion of the military press.]

This took care of my deltoid training, andI then rested for approximately fourhours before I started my third and finalworkout session of the day.


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Evening Session - 8:00 P.M.

Triceps:

One exercise that I do and fully be-lieve in is the Lying French Press. Thisis my favorite exercise, and one that Iput full, concentrated effort into. I woulddo this movement by lying flat on myback on an exercise bench. If the benchdid not have upright supports that wouldhold a barbell, then I would try to use abench that was only six or so inches inheight off the floor. This low bench wouldallow me to lift the barbell off the floorand into the lying triceps starting position

without hurting myself. Assuming thatthe bench has upright supports, I wouldthen reach up and grasp the barbell, tak-ing a grip that was three to five inchesapart from the center of the bar. (Editor'scomment: Chuck would use an EZ curlbar from time to time rather than astraight bar. This would help to eliminateelbow and triceps injury due to its im-

proved mechanical leverages.)

From here I would lift the barbell offthe upright supports to an arms- lockedposition over my chest. I would thenslowly lower the barbell to my forehead,making sure that my upper arms did notmove and my elbows remained high andpointed toward the ceiling. Do notbounce the barbell at this low foreheadposition. Now, with the power of my tri-ceps, I would extend and lock my armsout to the beginning over-the-chest posi-tion.

(Editor's comment: Some bodybuilders will do a "6-6-6" set where theywill lower the barbell behind the head,touching the flat part of the bench for sixreps; then they will do six reps to theforehead; and then a final six reps bring-

ing the barbell down to the chest in aclose-grip bench press fashion.)

On this exercise I used the doubleset/light-to-heavy training principle that Ispoke about earlier for the flat benchpresses. The same rep and set schemewas used here. (Editor's comment:Chuck might use 80-85% of his one-repmaximum in this exercise for two sets ofeight reps; 90% for two sets of four reps;92-95% for two sets of two reps; andanywhere from 95- 97% for two sets ofone rep each.)

From the lying French press, Imoved on to the Dumb bel l Triceps Ex-tension, again lying supine or flat on myback on a bench. Here again I workedup to some heavy poundages, doing 4sets of 6 reps. I moved on then and didthe Triceps K ick Backwith a light bar-bell for 4 sets of 10 repetitions. I wouldgrasp the barbell behind my back andbend forward at the waist until my upper

torso and my lower torso made a 90-degree angle. My arms with the barbellfrom the elbow to the deltoid should re-main as stationary as possible during themovement, just as if they were glued tothe side of the body. Now I would drivethe barbell backwards until it was abovemy lower back.

Having completed these three tri-ceps exercises, this took care of my

training day. I would like to add herethat, during my training for the Mr. Worldcontest, I worked my abdominals everytraining day. I would begin my abdominaltraining by doing 50 situps with bentknees on an incline situp board. Then Iwould go and do some side bends and


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front bends, while holding a broomstickbehind my neck. On these two exercisesI would do 50 repetitions each. I woulddo these exercises fairly rapidly, makingsure to blow or expel all the air out of my

lungs on the contraction phase of themovement and at the same time tight-ening the waist.

After these exercises were com-pleted, I then went back to bent- kneesitups on a rather steep incline andwould do 2 sets of 12 repetitions whileholding a 25-pound barbell plate behindmy head. This was one of my favoriteabdominal training sessions for keepingthe outer layer of fatty tissue off my waistand keeping the abdominal muscles insharp focus. Here I would also mentionthat this particular routine was not to de-velop and to get a high degree of ab-dominal sharpness, because, a year orso prior to my Mr. World training, I did amuch more ingenious workout for theabdominal region that brought out theabsolute in muscularity that I was happywith. From then on it has only been amatter of maintaining that degree of ab-

dominal muscularity through an abdomi-nal maintenance program such as theone outlined above. (Editor's comment:I have an audio cassette interview withChuck Sipes on his "special" one-yearabdominal specialization program that Iwill be preparing as a report in the nearfuture.)


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Training Days Two , Four , and Six

Morning Session - 6:00 A.M.

Legs:

The first exercise I would do on myleg training day was the Standing Cal fRaisefor 4 sets of 50 repetitions. I'd liketo explain now how I do my calf raises.The first 15 reps in a set are done fromthe maximum down-stretch position,then I raise my heels to halfway of maxi-mum height position. The next 20 repsin the set are done from the maximumdown-stretch position to maximum

height where the soles of the feet areperpendicular to the floor. The final 20reps in the set are done in the maximumheight position (feet perpendicular to thefloor) with a bounce, which is a type ofpartial cramping or burn movement. Attimes I will vary my foot position where Iwill point my toes out and heels togetherto work the inner calf. (Editor's comment:Chuck always made sure to put all of his

pressure on the ball of his foot and big

toe when in this position.) At other timesI will turn my toes in and heels apart towork the outer calf. (Editor's comment:It is in this position that Chuck would putall his pressure on the outer edge of hisfoot near the little toe.) Finally, therewere other times when I would simply dothe standing calf raise where my feetfrom heel to toe were parallel.

I rested only long enough betweeneach of the four sets for the lactic acidburn deep inside the calf to go away anduntil the pump goes away slightly. Then Igo back to the standing calf machineand hit another set. (Editor's comment:This technique in calf training might wellbe termed "The Multi-Positional Quad-50Routine for Bigger Calves.")

From the calves I would go to theBarbel l Back Squats. The squat to meis one of the most beautiful exercises forleg development. I have been doing fullsquats since I was about sixteen yearsold. I use the squats for building legpower and muscular leg bulk. Hereagain I will do the double set/light-to-heavy training principle. I will do onewarm set with a very light poundage of,say, 135 pounds, and then I go to two

sets of eight reps, add poundage, then Ido two sets of six reps, add poundage,and a final two sets of four reps. Aboutonce a month I'll peak out with somemax single reps just to see how mystrength is coming along. In any of thestrength-building exercises, be it squatsor bench presses or whatever, I try toadd poundage whenever possible. Notnecessarily a great deal of poundage,but I am always trying to progress in my

strength training over the months of con-test training. (Editor's comment: due tothe length of Chuck's seminar, I do nothave the scope and space necessary todetail all of the precision techniques thathe used in many of the following exer-cises he will be talking about.)

One of the most important tips insquatting is to make sure that the shinsmove forward during the decent squat.

This will place the weight on the instepor middle of the foot and thus allow youto squat more upright. If the shins arenot allowed to move forward, it cancause you to bend over greatly just tokeep the weight over the instep. Strongabdominal and spinae erector muscles


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will help keep your back from humping.

Here's a tip for coming out of thebottom position of the squat. Begin thedrive out of the bottom by first leading

with your head and chest, and bring theshoulders to the rear, then flex yourknees, hips, and ankles. If you try push-ing with your legs first, your glutes [rearend] will raise first, which in turn willforce you to bend over, and this willplace the weight of the barbell over yourknees and greatly diminish your legpower.

Continuing my morning leg workout,I would do Leg Extens ionsfor 2 sets of40 reps and Leg Curlsfor 3 sets of 12reps. These two exercises were done todevelop a higher degree of definition inthe thigh area. Keep up a good exercisetempo on these two exercises, workingfor a deep burn and ache in the muscle.

This concluded my training ses-sion in the gym. I then went outside andsprinted for 15 minutes. I would jog andthen do a fast sprint and then walk and

then do a fast sprint, etc. I believe insprinting for getting the fine edge in defi-nition into leg development. Also, I be-lieve in riding a ten-speed bicycle forgetting that final peak of developmentand muscularity in the thighs and calves.

This took care of my morningtraining schedule, and it was after thisthat I would normally lay out and work onmy tan. Usually this was done for an

hour, say, one-half hour on the front partof the body and one-half hour on theback side. I might say here that the keyto getting a golden tan for a contest isnot to try to do it in the last two weeksbefore a contest. Try to work on your tanall year around. I usually use the hour in

the sun to do some studying and read-ing.


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Lats:My afternoon training schedule con-

sisted of developing and increasing thewidth of the lats. I began by doing End-of-the-Bar L at Row ingfor 3 sets of 12repetitions. I would do this exercise byplacing one end of an empty barbell barin a corner or against an object, whichwould keep it in place. I would load upthe other end of the bar with enough bar-bell plates to get 12 reps per set. Next Iwould straddle the bar and bend downuntil my upper back was parallel to the

floor and at the same time kept a slightbend at the knee joint. I would grasp thebar just behind the plates (it can be donewith one arm or two), took a deepbreath, and pulled the bar with all my latstrength until the edge of the barbellplates touched the middle of my chest.Then I reversed direction and slowly low-ered the barbell to the starting positionand exhaled. This was the first rep oftwelve. I would concentrate very deeplyon getting the stretch in the downwardmovement and concentrating on gettinga smooth movement to the high row ofthe exercise. To get the zenith develop-ment in the lat area, one must againconcentrate not only on the movementbut especially on the stretch of the exer-cise. The more I learned how to stretchand relax in the lower stretching area, ofcourse, the better my lat developmentbecame.

After completing three sets on thisexercise, I moved on to the Lat MachinePul ldown, which I did for 4 sets of 12repetitions. I would reach up and graspthe bar with as wide a grip as possible. I

would now pull the bar down as far aspossible behind my neck. I would never

allow my elbows to drift backward; actu-ally, they should be digging into thesides of the rib cage at the completion ofthe downward pull. (Editor's comment: Itlooked to me as if Chuck was trying tosqueeze an apple between his shoulderblades during this segment of the move-ment. . . . Looking at Chuck's barn doorlat spread, you just knew that he wasgetting maximum muscle contractionsout of each and every rep. One way to

accomplish this is to hold the contractedlat position behind the neck on the finalrep of each set for a six-second count.)

My next exercise is Lat Stretcheshanging from a pull-up bar. This is oneof my favorites, and I firmly believe it isthe key to overall lat development. Iwould do this exercise for 4 sets in thefollowing manner: I put up some nylonslings (the type that scuba weight belts

are made from) on the rafters in my ga-rage. I put them as far apart as possible,but not so far apart that I couldn't loopmy wrists through them. This would as-sure me a maximum stretch. Next Iwould stand on a stool with a 100-pounddumbbell attached around my waist. Ilooped my wrists through the nylonslings. From this position I would step offthe stool and lower myself to a deadhang position. I would just hang thereand let the extra hundred pounds of

weight and wide grip stretch me out al-most to a crucifix position. Then I wouldstruggle to pull myself up as far as possi-ble and then lower back down to the fullstretch, letting that extra hundred

Afternoon Session - 2:00 P.M.


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pounds pull me to the zenith. After thiswas completed, I would get positionedback on the stool and ready myself for thenext set.

This took care of my afternoontraining schedule.


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Evening Session - 8:00 P.M.

Biceps and Forearms:

I have always enjoyed arm work, sothis was one of my favorite times in theevening to concentrate on probably oneof the most influential muscles in thewhole body, the biceps. I started withsome Heavy Cheat Curlswith a barbell.Sometimes I would use the EZ curl bar,and other times I would use just astraight bar. I did six sets of these usingthe double set/light-to-heavy trainingprinciple, doing 2 sets of 6 reps, addpoundage, 2 sets of 4 reps, add pound-

age, 2 sets of 2 reps. As you will notice, Iuse this light-to- heavy type of training inmost of the large muscle areas beforegoing on to some of the higher repetitionand shaping exercises. I went on to thepreacher bench and did Preacher(Scott) Curlsfor 4 sets of 10 repetitionseach. I would always do this exerciseslowly, always using enough poundageso that on the 10th rep of a set I wasreally fighting it out.

After the Preacher Scott curls, Imoved on to the Dumbbel l Three- WayCurlfor 6 sets of 8 reps each. I did thefirst double set in a seated dumbbellconcentration curl fashion, with the palmfacing in as if you were doing them in athumbs-up or hammer curl fashion. Thenext set was done again in seateddumbbell concentration curl style andthe palm facing up, curling the weightuntil it touched the front of the deltoid.The final double set is very similar to thelast one, only your curling hand touchesthe opposite armpit.

After I finished all six sets of the dumb-bell three-way curl, I moved on to Bar-bel l Wrist Curls, doing 4 sets of 15

reps. I did two sets with the palms up asfollows:

Palms--four inches apart from thecenter of the exercise bar. When I wasseated, I made sure that my hips wereslightly higher than my knees. The el-bows and forearms were placed alongthe tops of the thighs. I would make aneffort to lean forward until there was lessthan a ninety-degree angle between thebiceps ad fore arms. This would reallyhelp isolate the flexors in the forearms.Now I would raise and lower the barbell

by wrist action alone. After I completedthe two sets with palms up, I would thendo two sets with palms down in the man-ner described, but this time working theflexors or back of the forearms.

This was the final exercise in mytraining for the 1968 IFBB Mr. Worldcontest.


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Training Philosophy & Diet

What I would like to do now is talkabout my training philosophy in prepara-tion for the Mr. World contest. First of allI might say that I came to every workoutfull of enthusiasm and knowing that Imust put full effort into each set of everyexercise in order to get my body into thebest shape of my life. I didn't ever holdanything back for, say, the eveningworkout or the upcoming A.M. workoutthe next training day. I did my training infull confidence knowing that I would winthis contest at age 36. I knew that,unless I trained in this manner, I might

get beaten. I have always said that, if Iam going to train for a contest, I'm goingto put full and complete effort into mytraining, which in this case was for a pe-riod of one year. If I am going to dosomething, no matter what it might be, Iwant to do it well; and, to be honest, Idon't like to lose. I enjoy being a winner,I guess like most people. I felt that I hadthe will and determination to just train alittle harder and put a little bit more into

my training. I think this is the real key tosuccess in bodybuilding or in any otherventure in that you get out of it what youput into it.

Bodybuilding has been good to me.I've been able to travel throughout theworld and meet people from differentcountries with the same interests inhealth and physical fitness. I put mycomplete life into winning, so I figured

that every waking moment of the day,whether it be getting a tan or traininghard or eating good, nutritious foods andtaking in some good supplements, thiswas the only way to accomplish my goal;but it couldn't all be hard work. I believethat good relaxation is just as important

as training hard, so when I was relaxingI'd put all the competitive spirit aside forthat period of time and just forget aboutthe training.

I have never neglected my family ormy wife. Someone asked me about mydiet. Looking back to my diet, I havenever really followed a strict diet, so tospeak, as far as having to follow a strictmenu. What I have always tried to do iseat nothing but whole some nutrition-packed meals. I have never in my lifethat I can recall, since high school, ever

eaten any type of junk foods. I have al-ways tried to eat nothing but natural-typefoods while training for the Mr. Worldcontest. Number one, I figured I wouldhave to eat foods that were high in en-ergy, because it was 1968 at the age of36 that I was able to reach the zenith asfar as my physique and strength devel-opment went. My bodyweight was up tothe highest it had ever been at 220pounds. It was at this new bodyweight

that I was able to bench press 570pounds.

My daily nutritional program that Iuse din my one year of preparation forthe Mr. World contest looked like this:When I got up in the morning, I wouldeat a good breakfast of, say, four eggsscrambled with cheese grated on top,some whole grain cereal, two pieces ofwhole wheat stone-ground bread with

honey, one glass of milk, one glass offresh fruit juice, and a dish of fresh fruit.About 15 minutes after breakfast I wouldtake a vitamin/mineral tablet, 1500 mg ofvitamin C, two papaya tablets, and oneteaspoon of wheat germ oil.


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Mid-morningwould roll around, and atthis time I would have some fresh fruit andraw almonds (natural). At noontime Iwould have a glass of fresh fruit juice anda handful of raw sunflower seeds along

with a green salad and two peanut butteror tuna sandwiches on whole wheatbread. I would wash this lunch down withtwo glasses of milk. At this time I wouldalso take more of my supplements, two B-12 tablets and two liver tablets, plus oneteaspoon of wheat germ oil and, ofcourse, two papaya tablets. Around mid-afternoon I might have some raisins andraw peanuts along with an apple or or-ange, or I might just mix up a health andbulk blender drink. This drink consisted ofone or two cups of milk, three raw eggwhites, three tablespoons of Tiger Milkpowder, two teaspoons of blackstrap mo-lasses, two tablespoons of mountainhoney, one tablespoon of Ovaltine pow-der, one medium banana, and a scoop ortwo of natural ice cream.

At supper time I might have somesteak, beef hamburger, or fish. Along withthis I would have one serving of a green

salad, brown rice, some whole wheatbread with a couple pats of butter, andsome tea with honey. To top off mymeal I might have some natural ice cream.

Now, just before bedtime I might havea big glass of fresh orange juice and ahandful of sunflower seeds. A t othertimes I might once again mix up the healthand bulk blender drink.

Many people have asked me overthe years how I could drink so much milkand still maintain a high degree of muscu-larity. I guess my metabolism has alwaysbeen on a high key, because even on theday that I entered the Mr. World contest, Idrank three quarts of milk. Many people

don't believe this, but it is the truth. I havealways been able to eat more or lesswhatever I wanted to. I'mnot saying that I eat any kind of junk foodor anything like that. I really believe that I

d drink four or five quarts of milk a dayand still maintain a high degree of muscu-larity. I do believe in milk, and I feel it isone of the best foods for strength and forgaining size. After all, when you're trainingvery, very hard like I was, you're burningoff many calories, and you have to havesome good energy foods to develop ahigh degree of strength.

Another thing that I ate quite a bit of attimes was all different kinds of nuts--cashews, raw peanuts, sun flower seeds,raisins, and dried fruits. As far as thetypes of supplements I was taking, I al-ways took wheat germ oil. I would alwaysbuy a soybean protein product. (Editorscomment: it is interesting that Chuckwould speak about soybean products.One of the best soybean products I knowabout is Mori-Nu TOFU, which is a soy-bean curd that does not require any refrig-eration until it is opened.)

I would also take a natural vitaminand mineral tablet formulation and somedesiccated liver tablets and papaya tab-lets. I would also eat honey by the table-spoonful at least three times aday. I might say here that I have alwaysbeen one who has had a hard time gain-ing weight, so I really had to work at thisparticular phase of my training. This, ofcourse, is why I was taking in some sort of

nutrients six times a day instead of three.Training my body as I did three times aday and six days a week, it was necessaryfor me to get at least eight hours of sleepa night in order for my body to recuperatefor the next day's workout.


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(Editor's comment: This final statement from Chuck Sipes concluded his bodybuilding seminar.I challenge you to make some comparisons of Chuck Sipes' knowledge on training and nutri-tion with the bodybuilding superstars of today. I am sure that you might agree that he wasyears ahead of his contemporaries in his natural approach to physique contest preparation. Forthose of you who wish to learn more about Chuck Sipes and his training methods, the followingresources will be helpful.)

Note: Editor's Comments by Dennis B. Weis.

Stay flexed!

Highly Recommended Reading:

CHUCK SIPES"Mr. America," "Mr. Universe," "Mr. World"

Bodybuilding Courses

Book 1: How to Plan Your Bodybuilding Training - Plenty of frank and important trainingideas and discussions for planning your own bodybuilding routines.

Book 2: Preparation for Physique Competition - Getting ready begins many months in ad-vance. Details on diet, exercise, posing, to aid you in winning tough contests.

Book 3: Training for Strength - Super strength takes a certain kind of training. Here is a com-plete program telling how I developed my Herculean strength and physique.

Book 4: How to Perform Feats of Strength - You can learn how to perform the very sameamazing strongman feats of strength that I do myself at shows all over the world.

Book 5: Chuck Sipes Photo Album - Learn posing ideas from beautiful photos that tell theirown stories; a picture is worth a thousand words. A great souvenir photo album!

Book 6: About the Man--Chuck Sipes: Read a biography about the man, Chuck Sipes-- hislife, his climb to the top, his family, and many other interesting highlights.

Each book is top quality, 8x10 in size, containing many terrific photosas well as important information to help you in your training.

All 6 books

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Please send personal check, cashier's check, bank or postal money order (payable to WilliamF. Hinbern) to: 32430 Cloverdale Street, Farmington, MI 48336-4008.


25/28


Living Sound Cassetteswith Chuck H. Sipes

Audio Program #1: Training for the IFBB Mr. World Seminar: Listen as Chuck reveals hisSSM (Size, Shape & Muscularity) training secrets plus the Double Pyramid and Support Train-

ing principles he used to promote super size and strength. This 50+ minute audio program isonly $19.95postpaid.

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26/28


CHUCK SIPESPUSH/PULL-TRIPLE SPLIT WORKOUT GUIDE

Days 1 -3-5

Wor kou t #1 (6:00 A.M.)

Chest:

] Lying Flat Barbell Bench Press:2 sets 8 reps2 sets 4 reps2 sets 2 reps2 sets 1 rep

] Lying Barbell Bench Press Rack Supports

4 sets 5 to 20 seconds

] Lying Flat Barbell dead Stop Bench Press4 sets 4-6 reps

] Barbell Straight Arm Pullovers3 sets 15 reps

] Lying Flat Dumbbell Around The Worlds4 sets 8 reps

] Parallel Bar Dips w/Weight4 sets 8 reps

] Bodyweight Only Parallel Bar DipsAs described in text 1-25 reps

Wor kou t #2 (2:00 P.M.)

Deltoids:

] Barbell Behind-the-Neck Press

1 set (warm-up) 12 reps4 sets 8 reps

] Barbell Front Raise4 sets 8 reps

] Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raises4 sets 8 reps


27/28


] Standing Military Press Off Rack4 sets 8 reps

Wor kou t #3 (8:00 P.M.)

Triceps:

] Lying Flat Barbell French Press2 sets 8 reps2 sets 4 reps2 sets 2 reps2 sets 1 rep

] Lying Flat One-Dumbbell Triceps Extension4 sets 6 reps

] Standing Barbell Triceps Kick Backs4 sets 10 reps

Days 2 -4-6

Wor kou t #1 (6:00 A.M.)

Legs:

] Standing Calf Machine Heel Raises4 sets 50 reps

] Barbell Back Squats1 set 12 reps2 sets 8 reps2 sets 6 reps2 sets 4 reps

] Machine Leg Extensions2 sets 40 reps

] Lying Machine Leg Curls

3 sets 12 reps

] Sprints (outdoors) 15 minutes


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Ch k Si S S i

Wor kou t #2 (2:00 P.M.)

Lats:

] End-of-Bar Lat Rowing

3 sets 12 reps

] Behind Neck Lat Machine Pulldowns4 sets 12 reps

] Hanging Lat Stretches4 sets as described in text

Wor kou t #3 (8:00 P.M.)

Biceps:

] Standing Barbell Cheat Curls2 sets 6 reps2 sets 4 reps2 sets 2 reps

] Barbell Preacher (Scott Curls)4 sets 10 reps

] Seated (3-Way) One-Dumbbell Concentration Curls2 sets (hammer curl style/thumbs up) 8 reps2 sets (palms up) 8 reps

2 sets (dumbbell touches armpit) 8 reps

] Palms Up Barbell Wrist Curls2 sets 15 reps

] Palms Down Barbell Wrist Curls2 sets 15 reps

Documents

SipesSeminar-18