Why does Vince train so fast?

The most confusing thing to many people who don't yet understand Gironda's principles is understanding why Vince advocated training so fast. After all, most people in the gym just think they have to lift as much weight as possible to a grow big muscles. A succinct explanation can be found in an article Vince called "Developing Muscle": "...to acquire larger muscles, you must increase the intensity of work done within a given time. This means minimum rest between sets. (Push yourself.) I feel workouts should be timed, and constantly strive to shorten the time it takes to get through your routine. (This is a form of Progressive Resistance.) It does not matter how much work you do. What counts is how fast you do it. This is known as the 'overload principle.' The overload principle explains why sprinters have larger leg development than long-distance runners. It is more work to run a mile than 100 yards, but the sprinter is doing more work per second."

Rest between sets

Vince advocated resting as little as 10-15 seconds between sets, and even recommended working to such short rest periods that the hands never leave the weight. However, that doesn't mean that everyone should do this right right from the start. As Vince, and now Ron Kosloff, stressed, these are goals to be worked towards. As Ron keeps reminding me, if you put a guy who has never trained on an 8x8 program with 10-15 seconds of rest between sets, you might give him a heart attack. Instead, you have to work toward this goal. Perhaps at the beginning 30-40 seconds will be neccessary, and then worked down from there. As Vince stated in "Developing Muscle," "...shortening the rest interval between sets is a form of Progressive Resistance."

What is 8x8?

The 8x8 method of training was one of Vince's favorites -- something he called an "honest workout." The 8x8 method of training involves picking one exercise per bodypart, and by using the same weight for every set completing 8 sets of 8 reps with minimal rest between sets (explained above in "Rest between sets").  The 6x6 and 10x10 set-and-rep schemes are done the same way -- there's just less sets and reps in 6x6, and more in 10x10.

Should I start with 8x8?

Likely not, although most people don't listen to this piece of advice and jump right into it without even thinking. It comes from the mentality that we're brought up with that goes something like: the more you work the more you earn. While that may work for making money, it doesn't work in the gym. Do you see anyone doing 20x20, or even thinking about doing it?

A good primer for this type of training is 6x6, which most people find easier to complete both mentally and physically. Six reps isn't that much, and six sets isn't that much to wrap your head and body around either. It's a good way to get a handle on picking the correct type of weight and learning to minimize the rest between sets in order to progress.

Do I do just one exercise for an 8x8 (or 6x6 or 10x10) program ?

Yes, but unfortunately due to some articles -- including a section in Vince's own book The Wild Physique that described the pre-Olympia training of his pupil Mohammed Makkawy -- many people think that you do more.

Some people can handle more than one exercise per bodypart, doing each exercise for 8x8. Mohammed Makkaway was one of them -- a genetic super who did it for short periods of time just before the Mr. Olympia. Most people, however, cannot, and will quickly overtrain. Most should stick to just one exercise, do it correctlyy, and focus on minimizing the rest period between sets. Remember, working more hours may earn you more money on the job, but the extra exercises and sets in the gym won't necessarily build you more muscle.

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