Chest muscles

Ronnie still sticks to the most basic training methods and has never changed them (to this day he still uses the 10-15 rep range). Use dumbbells or barbells to do horizontal or incline presses, pull-up crosses, and the classic machine fly.

Ronnie does this exercise twice a week. Although most bodybuilders now believe that you should rest for 5 to 7 days before training a certain body part again, Ronnie still believes that training volume is paramount.

Interestingly, this training plan was published just a month before Ronnie defeated Flex Wheeler to win his first Mr. Olympia title. In that article, he said his goal was to get into the top 5.

Training plan

Movements Sets Number of Times

Lying dumbbell or barbell press　　3　　10～15

Incline dumbbell or barbell press　　3　　10～15

Flying Bird Flying Bird 　　　　3　　　10～15

Tensioner Cross 　　　3    10～15

Back muscles

No matter what the game is, as soon as Ronnie turns his back to the audience, it will definitely be over - his broad latissimus dorsi muscles are like two wings, which can make all opponents shudder. How did he develop such strong back muscles and trapezius muscles?

Using heavy weights for multiple times can make the muscles thicker and stronger without affecting the shape and lines. But Ronnie also warned against overdoing it. He said, "Except for warming up, never exceed 15 reps per set. Otherwise, it is about muscular endurance. Use pull-downs and pull-ups to train the upper part on the first day. Use deadlifts and rows to train the middle and lower parts on the second day.".Whenever you do your back exercises, work your biceps at the same time, as the former are much larger so work them first.

The first part starts with the front pull-down, followed by the rear pull-down. Ronnie said: "The front pull-down helps to build the width and density of the lateral latissimus dorsi. The posterior pull-down focuses on the thickness and volume of the rhomboids and medial latissimus dorsi." When doing these two movements, Ronnie Use a wide grip with palms pointed forward. Start the pull-down movement from the center of your back. As you do this, imagine that you are pulling your shoulder blades toward the center. This will help achieve the fullest and most complete contraction of your lats.

Ronnie finished the first part with three sets of pull-ups. Wide-grip pull-ups build back width and volume. But he himself never adds extra weight to increase the difficulty. Adding extra weight can put unnecessary stress on your wrists and shoulder joints.

Three to four days after the end of the first part, Ronnie performed the second back exercise, starting with deadlifts with heavy weights, focusing on exercising the muscles of the middle and lower back. Deadlifts can exercise all the muscles related to back movements, including the trapezius, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae, gluteal muscles, hamstrings and other auxiliary muscles. This exercise is very difficult but very effective in promoting the growth of back muscles. Usually do it when you first have enough energy.

Before the formal exercise, Ronnie first warmed up with aerobic exercise and did two warm-up sets. He recalls: "When I was younger I injured my back doing hard sets without warming up. It still bothers me now. So every time I work out: I'm very cautious. Use a belt and warm up well."

After the warm-up, Ronnie started Jinyu Tower exercise until he could only complete 2-4 times in each group. He said: "The deadlift is the only movement I perform with less than 10 reps per set. This may be related to my original experience in powerlifting. But I do think that the deadlift with heavy loads is very effective."

Next, Ronnie used rowing to increase the thickness and density of his back. He likes old-fashioned traditional rowing movements such as prone rows, T-bar rows and one-arm dumbbell rows. Sometimes you can also use a seated tensioner to row to adjust.

Ronny first did the prone rowing, then the "T" bar rowing. He pointed out: In fact, these two movements train the same part - the middle back. You can slightly adjust the focus of the exercise by changing the holding method. —When doing the prone row, Ronnie uses a wide grip with his hands a few inches outside of his thighs, palms pointed toward his body. This can shift the focus of the exercise slightly upward. When doing "T-bar rowing", use a narrow grip with the palms facing each other. This way the center of gravity of the exercise will be in a lower position.

After completing the six-arm double-arm movement, Ronnie completed the class by doing three sets of single-arm dumbbell rows. No Jinyuta-style exercise method is used. Forge in turnExercise one side of the back. Strive to achieve balanced and symmetrical development of the muscles on both sides.

I never do back extensions or push-ups. I feel that bending forward will put too much pressure on the lower back. So try to avoid doing such movements. Of course, as long as they are done correctly, they can be very effective in improving lower back strength.

Course 1

Number of sets of movements

Front drop-down 4X10—15

Pull down on the back of the neck 3X10—15

Wide grip pull-ups 3X10—15

*Includes a warm-up set of 15-20 times

**This move is not recommended if you have neck or shoulder joint problems

　Course 2

Deadlift

Bent Barbell Row 4X10--15

·Cantonese rowing boat 4X10-12

Single-arm rowing dumbbell 3X10-12

*Includes two sets of warm-up. Each set is 10-15 times.

Trapezius

Unlike the back, Ronny only exercises his trapezius muscles once a week.

Ronnie sticks to two moves: the shoulder shrug and the upright row. Ronnie usually does shoulder shrugs first and then uses dumbbells once a week.Use a stick.

Keep your arms as straight as possible. Don’t shake your head up and down. You can think of your hands as two hooks for hanging objects, and pull the weight straight up and down. If you have to shake your body to complete the movement, you're probably carrying too much weight. Some weight should be appropriately reduced. Both forward and reverse movements should be done slowly and carefully.

After completing four sets of shrugs, Ronnie used a straight barbell to do upright rows. "Most people like to do this with a curved bar, but I have a better grip with a straight bar. Remember to keep your elbows high and your shoulders down and relaxed

　Action

Barbell or dumbbell shrugs 4X12--15