Specialization for Total Body

Muscle Size
by Steve Holman
You probably know this already, but bodybuilders can be a little insane -- okay, a lot
insane. So insane, in fact, that they hear voices. We’re not talking paranormal activity here
but rather paraplegic activity -- comatose bodyparts suddenly coming to life for a few
seconds just to taunt any thought of egomania into submission.

Try this test. Sneak a peek at your physique in the nearest mirror. If you hear a voice say
something like, "Wow, you’re starting to look like a badly drawn cartoon," it may be time to
specialize -- unless your friends see you talking to the mirror, in which case you may be
heading for a padded room.

Addition and Subtraction

When most bodybuilders think about specialization, they automatically think more sets.
While more sets can be part of the answer, bodybuilders often forget to reduce sets for other 
bodyparts to keep the overall systemic stress about the same. That’s especially important
for drug-free trainees.

For example, if you’re doing four bodyparts at a

session for six sets each, you’re doing 24 total work
sets -- and 24 sets at any one workout may already
be pushing the limits of your recovery ability, placing
you very close to the overtraining edge. Say, one of 
those bodyparts is quads, and they just haven’t
been responding the way you want them to, so you
add another exercise, like hack squats, for three
work sets.

Now, three sets doesn’t sound like a big deal, but if you were walking the overtraining
tightrope to begin with, just one extra set has the recovery-draining power to knock you off 
balance, sending
sending your gains spiraling downward.
downward. A better strategy is to take a work set or 
two away from stronger bodyparts when you up your sets for your quads. That keeps your 
work set total the same but allows you to do a few more sets for your lagging bodypart.

Fewer Sets, More Effort

1 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazi
www.ironmanmagazine.com
ne.com
Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

 Adding sets for a lagging bodypart is the easy part. It’s subtracting sets from stronger 
bodyparts that’s so difficult because bodybuilders equate fewer sets with less stimulation.
"Gee, I don’t want my stronger bodyparts to start shrinking," you say. After all, the concept of 
workload has a lot of relevance. If you reduce sets for a bodypart and all other variables
remain the same, it could atrophy. The solution is to up your effort a notch when you reduce
the workload.

In other words, when you decrease the sets for a stronger bodypart or two in favor of a
weak bodypart, slightly increase the stress level on the stronger bodyparts so they not only
maintain their size but keep growing as well.

Say, you want to reduce your volume on biceps work. If you’ve been doing three sets of 
barbell curls and three sets of incline curls, try switching to one set of barbell curls to failure
with a few forced reps, followed by a superset of incline curls and barbell curls. That gives
you half the volume -- dropping from six sets to three -- but an intensity uptick with forced
reps followed by a superset that counterbalances the set
decrease. Now you can add two or three extra sets to your 
lagging bodypart on the same day without sacrifice -- and your 
biceps may even grow faster with the shift to high-intensity, low-
duration work.

Keep in mind that a little extra stress goes a long way. A study
by Frank G. Shellock, Ph.D., verifies this. In the study untrained
subjects performed one set of positive-only curls with one arm
and a set of negative-only curls with the same weight with the
other arm until they reached positive failure. The results were
quite interesting, if not startling. The positive-work-only biceps
showed no damage, while the negative-work-only biceps
photo by Mike Neveux
showed damage that peaked five days after exercise. Also,
while the subjects’ soreness was completely gone by the ninth day, some didn’t regain all
their strength in the trained muscles for six weeks.

While the test subjects were untrained individuals, it nevertheless appears as if high-
intensity weight training is much more severe than was previously believed, even for those
who do it on a regular basis. Because of their extensive adaptation to exercise bodybuilders
who are used to heavy training won’t experience the type of extreme damage exhibited in
the study; however, the results do suggest that bodybuilders should take more time between
workouts to completely recover and/or drastically reduce the number of sets when they use

2 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

high-stress techniques, such as negatives and forced reps.

In other words, too many stress techniques, even with a volume reduction, can lead to
overtraining rather quickly, so don’t get carried away.

Intensity for Immensity

If supersets, as well as other high-stress techniques, have the power to increase mass,
then why not continue to use the same sets and intensity for your strong bodyparts and just
attack the lagging one with more intensity? That’s not a bad idea, but note the caveat at the
end of the last section. Ramping up stress for a bodypart can lead to overtraining just as too
many sets can. The solution is more stress and fewer sets. That’s right, keep everything the
same for your stronger bodyparts, but do fewer sets for your weaker bodypart. Just show it
no mercy by incorporating supersets, forced reps and negatives -- even more intensity than
that in the biceps example above.

In our hypothetical 24-set workout -- six sets for four target areas -- you would reduce the
sets for your lagging bodypart to three or four and put that bodypart through a living hell in
those work sets. Go for the quick kill. Keep in mind that intensity and volume are inversely
proportional. The more intensity you use, the fewer sets you should do. Once again, it’s a
balancing act.

The downside of this tactic is that if you work your 

lagging bodypart into the ground first, which is what
you should do in most cases in order to prioritize,
you’ll be more drained than usual when you get to
your other bodyparts. You may just go through the
motions for your stronger bodyparts after your all-out
attack on the lagging muscle group -- and that could
result in stagnation, or worse, atrophy. Wouldn’t it be
much more effective to train your lagging bodypart
alone on its own special workout day? Now we’re
talking total focus.

The Specialization Split

Okay, so you want the perfect program that will

enable you to bring that lagging bodypart up to speed most efficiently. We’ve already
discussed how increasing sets, using stress techniques and balancing workload can help in

3 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

a standard routine if you use them correctly. Now let’s talk nonstandard routines -- the
perfect split for your level of bodybuilding experience, with one day a week set aside for 
specialization.

Early intermediate specialization

If you have around six months of hard training under your belt, you’ve probably been
doing primarily compound movements and using about two to three sets per bodypart. If 
that sounds like you, you probably shouldn’t consider specializing until you have more
training experience. Sometimes, however, lagging bodyparts are so severe that you have to
do something early on in your training career or your symmetry will get way out of whack.

If you feel strongly about your need to specialize, you’ll want to follow something similar to
the Early Intermediate Specialization Routine that accompanies this article. With that routine
you do a full-body schedule on Monday and Friday, with your specialization workout on
Wednesday. Try hitting two lagging muscle groups on Wednesday with about seven sets
each. Also, when Friday rolls around, skip the direct work for the bodyparts you trashed on
Wednesday. That will provide more recovery time until you do direct work again on Monday.

Early advanced specialization

If you’re more advanced, with, say, a year to 18 months of hard-training experience, you
need a few more sets -- four to six -- for each muscle group. You’re no doubt using a split
routine already, dividing the body over two days, which is a good strategy; however, you
need to somehow squeeze in a specialization day. The solution
is to split your routine on Monday and Tuesday, use Thursday
as your specialization day and then do a full-body routine on
Friday. As with the early intermediate specialization you should
not include direct work for the bodyparts you annihilated on
Thursday in your Friday session. See Early Advanced
Specialization Routine for the complete program.

Advanced specialization

Once you’ve been training hard and consistently for 1 1/2 to

two years, training most bodyparts once a week is sufficient for 
maximum growth -- if you train intensely with various stress
techniques such as forced reps every so often and/or you use
enough sets to require seven days of recuperation. With this

4 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

routine you split the body over three days, as follows:

Monday: Chest, delts and triceps

Tuesday: Quads, hamstrings, calves and abdominals

Wednesday: Back, biceps and forearms

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Specialization

You rest on Thursday and then come back to the gym on Friday for specialization. Note
that you may have to shuffle the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday workouts to allow for 
sufficient recovery before or after your specialization day, depending on the lagging
bodypart. For example, if you’re specializing on back, switch the Tuesday (legs and abs)
and Wednesday (back, biceps and forearms) workouts. That will give your back an extra
day to recover before your specialization routine on Friday.

 As for the back end of the workout week, if you specialize on chest on Friday, you want to
switch the Monday (chest, delts and triceps) and Tuesday (legs and abs) sessions to give
your chest an extra recovery day after the specialization routine. That may be a bit
confusing, but once you analyze the Advanced Specialization Routine that accompanies this
article, you should understand the shifting concept a little better.

Specialization is the best way to get your physique

in line aesthetically, and there are more than 50
bodypart attacks that you can plug into the core
routine that fits your experience level. No excuses. No
bodybuilder in his or her right mind (Are we ever in
our right minds?) wants to look like a bad caricature,
with pipe-cleaner arms dangling from cannonball
delts. If you follow the appropriate strategy, don’t
overtrain and give your lagging parts total focus, you’ll
look at your physique with more satisfaction than ever 
before, and maybe one day you’ll mistake your 
reflection for Flex Wheeler. Just don’t start talking to
him, or somebody may call the guys in the white
coats.

5 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

Early Intermediate Specialization Routine

(at least six months of training)

Monday 
Squats* 2 x 8-10
Leg extensions 1 x 6-8
Leg curls* 2 x 6-8
Standing calf raises* 2 x 12-20
Bench presses* 2 x 8-10
Incline presses 1 x 8-10
Pulldowns* 1 x 8-10
Undergrip pulldowns 2 x 8-10
Cable rows* 1 x 8-10
Dumbbell upright rows* 2 x 8-10
Lying extensions 1 x 8-10
Barbell curls 1 x 8-10
Full-range crunches 2 x 8-10

Wednesday 
Specialize on one or two bodyparts and do ab work -- but that’s all. Simply plug in one of 
the Specialization Attacks routines, but in most cases do fewer sets.

Early intermediates should never do more than about seven sets per bodypart, even
during a specialization phase.

Friday 
Repeat Monday’s routine, but delete the direct work for the bodyparts you trained on
Wednesday. For example, if you hit arms on Wednesday, eliminate the barbell curls and
lying extensions on Friday.
*Do one or two warmup sets with 50 to 70 percent of your work-set weight prior to your 
work sets.

Early Advanced Specialization Routine

(at least one year of training)

Monday **
Squats* 2 x 8-10
Sissy squats 1 x 8-10
Leg extensions 2 x 8-10

6 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

Stiff-legged deadlifts* 2 x 8-10

Leg curls* 2 x 6-8
Leg press calf raises* 2 x 12-20
Standing calf raises 2 x 12-20
Seated calf raises 2 x 12-20
Incline kneeups 1 x 8-10
 Ab Bench crunch pulls 2 x 8-10

Tuesday **
Bench presses* 2 x 8-10
Cable flyes 2 x 8-10
Incline presses 2 x 8-10
Pulldowns* 2 x 8-10
Dumbbell pullovers* 1 x 8-10
Undergrip pulldowns 2 x 8-10
Cable rows* 2 x 8-10
Dumbbell shrugs 2 x 8-10
Dumbbell presses* 1 x 8-10
Incline one-arm laterals 1 x 8-10
Lateral raises 2 x 8-10
Lying extensions 2 x 8-10
Barbell curls 2 x 8-10

Thursday 
Specialize on one or two bodyparts -- but that’s all. Simply plug in one of the
Specialization Attacks routines, but in most cases do fewer sets. Early advanced trainees
should never do more than 10 sets per bodypart, even during a specialization phase.

Friday ***
Squats* 2 x 8-10
Leg extensions 1 x 6-8
Leg curls* 2 x 6-8
Standing calf raises* 2 x 12-20
Bench presses* 2 x 8-10
Incline presses 1 x 8-10
Pulldowns* 1 x 8-10
Undergrip pulldowns 2 x 8-10
Cable rows* 2 x 8-10
Dumbbell presses* 2 x 8-10

7 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

Lateral raises 1 x 8-10

Lying extensions 1 x 8-10
Barbell curls 1 x 8-10
 Ab Bench crunch pulls 1 x 8-10
*Do one or two warm-up sets with 50 to 70 percent of your work-set weight prior to your 
work sets.
**You may want to switch the Monday and Tuesday workouts, depending on your 
specialization bodyparts. For example, if you’re specializing on chest on Thursday, switch
the Monday and Tuesday workouts, which will give your chest an extra day to recover 
before your specialization routine on Thursday.
***Remember to delete the direct work for the bodyparts you trained on Thursday.

Advanced Specialization Routine

(at least 1 1/2 years of training)

Monday **
Bench presses* 2-3 x 8-10
Dumbbell flyes 1 x 8-10
Cable crossovers 2 x 8-10
Incline presses* 2 x 8-10
Incline cable flyes 2 x 8-10
Dumbbell presses* 2 x 8-10
Incline one-arm laterals 1 x 8-10
Lateral raises 2 x 8-10
Lying extensions* 2 x 8-10
Overhead extensions 2 x 8-10
Kickbacks 2 x 8-10

Tuesday **
Squats* 3 x 8-10
Sissy squats 1 x 8-10
Leg extensions 2 x 8-10
Stiff-legged deadlifts* 2 x 8-10
Leg curls* 2 x 6-8
Leg press calf raises* 2 x 12-20
Standing calf raises 2 x 12-20
Seated calf raises 2 x 12-20
Incline kneeups 2 x 8-10
 Ab Bench crunch pulls 2 x 8-10

8 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

Wednesday **
Pulldowns* 2-3 x 8-10
Dumbbell pullovers* 2 x 8-10
Undergrip pulldowns 2 x 8-10
Cable rows 2 x 8-10
Bent-over bent-arm
laterals 2 x 8-10
Dumbbell shrugs 2 x 8-10
Barbell curls* 2 x 8-10
Incline curls 2 x 8-10
Concentration curls 2 x 8-10
Reverse curls 1 x 8-10
Wrist curls 1 x 8-10

Friday 
Specialize on one or two bodyparts -- but that’s all. Simply plug in one of the
Specialization Attacks routines. In most cases you should be able to handle the routine as
listed; however, try not to do more than 24 sets at this workout – that’s 24 total sets, not per 
bodypart.
*Do one or two warm-up sets with 50 to 70 percent of your work-set weight prior to your 
work sets.
**You may want to switch these workouts around, depending on your specialization
bodyparts. For example, if you’re specializing on back on Friday, switch the Tuesday and
Wednesday workouts, which will give your back an extra day to recover before your 
specialization routine on Friday. You must also be aware of the back end of this routine. For 
example, if you specialize on chest on Friday, you want to switch the Monday and Tuesday
workouts to give your chest an extra recovery day after the specialization routine.

Specialize-for-Size
Rules to Grow By

1) All workouts should include fewer than 30 total work sets, be it a specialization workout
or a full-body session.

2) Don’t get carried away on your specialization day. Early intermediates should do seven
sets per bodypart, early advanced trainees should do 10 sets per bodypart, and advanced
bodybuilders can do 10 to 20 sets per bodypart. Advanced trainees should keep in mind,
however, that if they do 20 sets per bodypart, they should do only one bodypart at that
workout, not two, or the set total for that day will be too high (see item 1 above). They

9 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

should also keep in mind that 20 sets is a hell of a lot of work, and the target muscle may
not be fully recovered by the next workout, which can hamper gains. If you choose Arnold’s
32-set chest workout, for instance, you may want to reduce the number of sets for each
exercise so your total is less than 20.

3) Specialize on a bodypart or bodyparts for four to six weeks, then specialize on two
other bodyparts or go back to a standard routine in which all bodyparts are trained equally.

4) Use stress techniques, such as forced reps, negatives and static contraction,
periodically if you’re in the early advanced or advanced categories. Early intermediates
should steer clear of stress techniques, other than adding weight to the bar.

Back

Dorian Yates

Machine pullovers* 3 x 7-10

Undergrip pulldowns* 2 x 7-10
Bent-over barbell rows* 2 x 7-10
One-arm machine rows 1 x 7-10
Rear-delt machine 1 x 7-10
Bent-over laterals 1 x 7-10
Hyperextensions 1 x 7-10
Deadlifts* 2 x 6-8
*Pyramid weight on each set; last set is all out to failure, often with forced and/or partial
reps.

Steve Reeves*

Behind-the-neck pulldowns 3 x 8-12

Cable rows 3 x 8-12
One-arm dumbbell rows 3 x 8-12
*From Building the Classic Physique the Natural Way.

Mike Mentzer (traps)

Superset
Shrugs 2 x 6-9
Upright rows 2 x 6-9

10 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

Michael Francois

Deadlift day
Overhand-grip deadlifts (warm-up) 3 x 5 singles to max
One-arm dumbbell rows 3 x 8-10
Leaning T-bar row machine 3-4 x 8-12

Tom Platz 

T-bar rows or Front lat pulldowns 30 x 6-100*

Seated cable rows 4-8 x 15-30
*That’s not a misprint. He performs the exercise for a solid hour.

Shawn Ray 

Chins 4 x 12
Seated cable rows 4 x 8-10
Bent-over rows 4 x 8-10
T-bar rows 4 x 8-10
Deadlifts 4 x 8-10

Lats

Hypercontraction X-Rep*

Pullovers** 2 x 8-10
Pulldowns*** 3 x 8-10
Undergrip pulldowns**** 1x1
Midback
Close-grip cable rows** 2 x 8-10
Behind-the-neck pulldowns*** 3 x 8-10
Bent-over bent-arm laterals**** 1 x1
Upper traps
Forward-lean dumbbell shrugs 2 x 8-10
*From the book Underground Mass-Boosting Methods .
**Do two warm-up sets with 50 percent of your work-set weight prior to the work sets.
Remember that the work sets should be medium intensity – don’t go to failure. Focus on

11 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

perfect form with a quick twitch at the bottom stretch position.

***Do one warm-up set with 50 percent of your work-set weight prior to your heavy sets.
****Use a poundage that allows you to hold the weight in the contracted position for 15
seconds. Once you reach contraction overload and can no longer hold the weight, slowly
lower through the negative range of motion for six seconds. Try to increase your contraction
time at each workout until you reach 25 seconds, at which point you should increase your 
resistance by 10 to 20 percent at your next workout.

 Aaron Baker 

Undergrip close-grip pulldowns 3 x 10

Seated pulley rows 2 x 15,10
Behind-the-neck pulldowns 3 x 10
Deadlifts 2 x 6-12

Biceps

 Arnold Schwarzenegger 

Barbell curls 4 x 10
Incline dumbbell curls 4 x 10
Concentration curls 4 x 10

Craig Titus

Barbell curls* 4 x 9-12

Cable preacher curls* 4 x 9-12
Standing cable curls* 4 x 9-12
Concentration curls 3 x 12-15
*Pyramid weight and drop reps by one on each successive set.

Larry Scott 

Superset
Dumbbell preacher curls 6x6
Barbell preacher curls 6x6
Barbell reverse curls 4x8

12 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

Hypercontraction Training*

Incline curls** 4 x 8-10

Barbell curls*** 2-3 x 6-9
Concentration curls*** 2-3 x 8-10
*From the video "Hypercontraction Training."
**Add weight on each successive set; all sets are low-to-medium intensity.
***Take all sets to positive failure.

Paul Jean-Guillaume

Wide-grip preacher curls 4 x 8-12

Close-grip EZ-curl bar preacher curls 4 x 8-12
 Alternate dumbbell curls 6 x 8-12
Standing barbell curls 4 x 8-12
Lying cable curls (to forehead) 4 x 8-12

Calves

Cory Everson

Donkey calf raises 4 x 15-25

Standing calf raises 4 x 15-25
Seated calf raises 4 x 15

Jodi Friedman-List 

Seated calf raises 4 x 12-20

Standing calf raises 4 x 12-20

Paul DeMayo

Standing calf raises 3 x failure

Seated calf raises 3 x failure
Leg press calf raises 3 x failure

13 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

 Arnold Schwarzenegger 

Standing calf raises 10 x 10

Seated calf raises 8 x 15
One-leg calf raises 6 x 12

Positions of Flexion*

Toes-pointed leg curls 2 x 8-10

Donkey calf raises 2 x 12-20
Standing calf raises 2-3 x 12-20
Seated calf raises 2-3 x 12-20
*From Critical Mass.

Chest

Bertil Fox 

Barbell bench presses 5 x 4-8

Dumbbell bench presses 5 x 6-8
Barbell incline presses 5 x 6-8
Superset
Dips 5 x 8-10
Flyes 5 x 5-8

Mike O’Hearn

Bench presses 8x5

Incline presses 4 x 12
Incline flyes 4 x 12
Cable crossovers 4 x 12

Target Overload POF* 

Lower chest
Bench presses 3 x 8-10
Flat-bench flyes 2 x 8-10
Pec deck flyes 2 x 8-10

14 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

Upper chest
Incline presses 3 x 8-10
Incline flyes 2 x 8-10
Low-cable crossovers 2 x 8-10
*From Critical Mass.

Chris Faildo

Dumbbell bench presses 4 x 8-12

Incline flyes 4 x 8-12
Cable crossovers 4 x 8-12
Dips 4 x 8-12

 Arnold Schwarzenegger 

Bench presses 5 x 8-10

Flat-bench flyes 5x8
Machine incline presses 6 x 8-10
Parallel bar dips(bodyweight) 5 x max
Cable crossovers 6 x 12
Dumbbell pullovers 5 x 10

Deltoids

Pre-Ex Positions of Flexion* 

Superset
Lateral raises 2 x 6-9
Behind-the-neck presses 2 x 6-9
Incline one-arm laterals 2 x 8-12
*From Critical Mass.

Skip La Cour 

Barbell presses* 3 x 4-6

Dumbbell presses 2 x 4-6
Lateral raises 3 x 4-6
Bent-over laterals 2 x 4-6
*Prior to his work sets he does two to three light warm-up sets.

15 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

Michael Ashley 

Lateral raises* 5 x 10-12

Bent-over lateral raises 4 x 10-12
Seated dumbbell presses* 5 x 10-12
Shrugs 4 x 10-12
*Add weight on each successive set.

Steve Reeves* 

Upright rows 3 x 8-12

Behind-the-neck presses 3 x 8-12
Bent-over laterals 3 x 8-12
*From the book Building the Classic Physique the Natural Way .

Don Long 

Front presses 4 x 16,12,10,8

Behind-the-neck presses 4 x 16,12,10,8
Lateral raises 4 x 16,12,10,8
Cable lateral raises 4 x 16,12,10,8
Bent-over dumbbell laterals 4 x 16,12,10,8

Melissa Coates

Lateral raises 4 x 12-15

Upright rows 4 x 8-12
Bent-over laterals 4 x 12-15
Dumbbell presses* 4 x 8-10
*Optional.

Forearms

Larry Scott 

Wrist curls 4x8

Reverse curls 4x8

16 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

Positions of Flexion* 

Flexors:
Incline wrist curls 1-2 x 8-12
Decline wrist curls 1-2 x 8-12
Extensors
Hammer curls 1-2 x 8-12
Incline reverse wrist curls 1-2 x 8-12
Decline reverse wrist curls 1 x 8-12
*From Critical Mass.
Note: Static-contraction squeezes with a Super Gripper can help finish off your forearms
with a severe fiber burn. Try them at the end of either of these routines.

Hamstrings

High-Intensity Pre-Ex* 
Superset
Leg curls 2-3 x 6-9
Stiff-legged deadlifts 2-3 x 6-9
*From Mass-Training Tactics.

Karl List 

Seated leg curls 3 x 15

Lying leg curls 3 x 15
Stiff-legged deadlifts 3 x 15

Paul DeMayo

Lying leg curls 4 x 10-12

Standing leg curls 3 x 10-12
Stiff-legged deadlifts 3 x 10

17 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

Quadriceps

Compound Aftershock* 

Squats 1-2 x 8-10

Superset**
Sissy Squats 1-2 x 5-7
Leg presses 1-2 x 5-7
Leg extensions 1-2 x 8-10
*From the book Compound Aftershock.
**Research indicates the muscle burn from supersetting can increase growth hormone
release.

Tom Platz 

Flat-footed Olympic-style squats* 6 x 15,10,10,6,5,1

*Pyramid the weight.
Note: Platz did leg extensions, leg curls and hack squats on his other leg day, 5x8-12 on
each.

Cory Everson

Squats 8 x 10-20
Hack squats 4 x 10-15
45 degree leg presses 6 x 10-15
Leg extensions 6 x 10-15
Lunges 4 x 12-15
Note: Set totals include warm-ups; pyramid weight on most exercises.

Jeff Poulin

Smith machine lunges 4 x 10-15

Leg presses 4 x 10-20
Hack squats 4 x 10-20
Leg extensions 4 x 25-50

18 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

Paul DeMayo

Squats 4 x 10-12
Hack squats 3 x 10-12
Leg extensions 3 x failure

Dave Palumbo

Leg extensions 2 x 10-15

Squats 3 x 6-12
Hack squats 2 x 8-12

Triceps

Shawn Ray 

Lying extensions 4 x 8-12

Close-grip pushdowns 4 x 8-12
Dumbbell kickbacks 4 x 8-12

Mike Mentzer 

Superset*
Triceps pushdowns 2 x 6-9
Dips 2 x 6-9
*Take each set to total failure with forced reps and sometimes negatives after the forced
reps.

Hypercontraction Training*

Overhead extensions** 4 x 8-10

Lying extensions*** 2-3 x 6-9
One-arm pushdowns*** 2-3 x 8-10
*From the video "Hypercontraction Training."
**Add weight each set; all sets low to medium intensity.
***All sets to positive failure.

19 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

 Aaron Baker 

Lying EZ-curl bar extensions 4 x 8-10

Pushdowns 4 x 10
Seated machine dips 3 x 10
Dumbbell kickbacks 3 x 10

Lee Labrada

Pushdowns 3 x 10-15
Lying extensions 3 x 10
EZ-curl bar overhead extensions or close-grip bench presses 3 x 10

Sue Price

Rope pushdowns 2 x 9-10

Bench dips 3 x 12
Lying dumbbell extensions 4 x 10-12

Abdominals

Mia Finnegan

Incline leg raises 4 x max

Incline reverse sit-ups 4 x max
Incline double crunches 4 x max
Hanging leg raises 4 x max

Cory Everson

Giant set
Pulldown crunches 3-4 x 25-40
Decline sit-ups 3-4 x 100
Leg raises off bench 3-4 x 10-40
45-degree twists 3-4 x 50-100
Crunches 3-4 x 40-80

20 © 2002 All Content. I RONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com

Specialization for Total Body Muscle Size
by Steve Holman

Granite Abs Routine 2

Synergy and hip-curl function:

Incline knee-ups 2 x 8-10
Pre-stretch and torso-curl function:
 Ab Bench crunch pulls 2-3 x 8-10

Paul Jean-Guillaume

Leg lifts 4 x 20
Cable crunches 3 x 20
Crunches 200 reps
Twists with bar 200 reps

21 © 2002 All Content. IRONMAN Magazine eBOOK 102 • www.ironmanmagazine.com