Vince Gironda believes in rapid training with almost no rest between sets.

He trains five days a week, working the upper body three days and the legs two days.

Vince changes his exercises frequently. He prefers one good exercise for each muscle and does 8 sets of 8 reps in as short a time as possible.

He eats no carbohydrates, consuming only high quality protein and fat. He is an extensive user of supplements. He usually eats only twice a day.

We're pleased to announce that all the remaining "hard to find" Larry Scott courses are available making this the complete collection of all 14 Larry Scott Training Courses.

Vince Gironda was so anti-cardio, that he would literally remove you from his gym if he even heard the word "running" mentioned. No joke!

At that time, running was just becoming popular, and to Vince this was simply unthinkable for someone wanting to burn off fat and build muscle at the same time.

There are many today that would echo Vince’s sentiments...more than you may believe.

The barbell was part of the old bodybuilding culture; the machine was the future - although, as Vince Gironda once told me, the barbell looks dumb, but you have to be smart to use it.

Gironda’s influence on the iron game is almost unsurpassed. He trained, at some stage in their careers, most of the all-time greats, including Larry Scott, Sergio Oliva and Arnold, just to name three.

Gironda invented the preacher curl, and we know how well that worked for Scott. Some of Gironda’s greatest legacies, though, were his “crazy” theories. He challenged everything about the iron game.

In fact, he altered some of today’s most popular exercises with slight variations that improved the result. For example, Gironda never used or prescribed regular bench presses or barbell curls, instead opting for neck presses and body drag curls. He felt that the more common mass builders recruited too much front delt and not enough of the target muscle group.

He was also 100 percent against drugs and believed training each muscle group just once a week worked only for “juiced” athletes.

Even Vince’s beginning programs were controversial, but they were designed to transform a trainee’s body in the shortest amount of time. Vince’s programs worked. Movie stars—including Denzel Washington, James Garner and David Carradine—trained under Vince for roles, and most used his beginning routine. By today’s standards, like most of his theories, it is controversial.

Vince Gironda’s Raw Beginner’s Program

Decline pulley hugs 12 reps

Also known as decline cable flyes. Because most beginners are weak, Vince believed this was the only exercise that successfully hit the lower-pec line to improve the overall chest appearance.

Seated cable rows 12 reps

Lateral raises 10 reps

Triceps pushdowns 10 reps

Barbell body drag curls 10 reps

Barbell body drag curls are just like barbell curls, only you keep the bar in contact with your body and drag it up to your neck. That removes front-delt recruitment.

Seated wrist curls 12 reps

Leg extensions 12 reps

Leg curls 12 reps

Standing calf raises 20 reps

Now the really crazy part: Do the above six days a week.

Remember, this is a month long program for getting in the best shape in the shortest time. The progression is as follows:

Week 1: One set of each exercise, six days a week.

Week 2: Two sets per exercise, six days a week.

Week 3: Three sets, six days.

Week 4: Three sets, six days.

After one month, for those who aren’t preparing for a movie role, Vince recommended dropping back to a three- or four-days-a-week schedule—but the choice is yours.

Don’t dismiss this routine—it’s worked for hundreds, perhaps thousands of people.

Daryl Conant found Vince Gironda through Ron Kosloff when he contact Ron by phone. Daryl trained with Vince through the '90s exclusively using the phone and by following his courses.

Daryl said that at the beginning he never even knew who Vince was and when he first talked with Vince on the phone he was quite taken by how different and unusual Vince's methods were.

In fact, when Daryl asked Vince early on if "eating all those eggs was bad for you," Daryl said Vince just hung up the phone on him. Daryl persevered, however, and learned Vince's methods exceedingly well. Unfortunately, Vince died before Daryl ever had a chance to meet him in person.

Daryl is a good friend of ironguru.com and we're pleased to stock all of Daryl's courses, books and DVD's. See the Daryl Conant section in the shop for more details.