Summer is gone so winter is here, depending on your geographic location. Winter usually means the start of the offseason. During this time many bodybuilders like to bulk up their bodies, some go for healthier options and some bulk up through a dirty bulk depending on their game and athletic endeavors.
It is a common practice for many amateur and professional bodybuilders alike. Because of the cutting/bulking cycle, many who follow this routine will usually starve themselves for many months to cut down, and when they begin their bulk, they are overeating on high-calorie foods with little nutritional benefits.
Mr. Olympia champion and the bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger is not a fan of this cutting/bulking cycle eating practice. Arnold is totally against choosing to bulk during the offseason. Take a look at some of Arnold’s views on offseason bulking below:
Arnold: “One hint I can give is not to ‘bulk up,’ or let yourself put on a lot of extra fat weight during your training that will only have to be dieted off for the contest. Bodybuilders are apt to do this because being heavier makes them feel bigger, but this is an illusion— that extra weight is not working muscle and it does them no good whatsoever.”
Some very powerful words against the practice that has been popularized over the years. But Arnold’s experience gives his advice additional weight. He goes on to add:
“Both Franco and I used to prepare for a contest actually under our competition weights, and thus had to gain five pounds or so in the final week. This meant we didn’t have to restrict our diets too much, and we ended up feeling better and stronger, and looking a lot better. Bulking up, I believe, is a mistake, and now that there is a Grand Prix circuit of professional contests, which the pros have to be ready for week after week, the practice of becoming overweight and then dieting severely is getting to be a thing of the past.”
Bulking/cutting potentially a great benefit for bodybuilders, but like everything else, it only works if it’s done right. As Arnold said, if you aren’t making LEAN gains, you aren’t doing it right.
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For steroid users offseason shape doesn’t exist…
Lol what
Lul wut
U wot
U wut m8
wut top kek
Wut m8?
m8 wut?
Nick Schotts
Rather just carb cycle than get bulky and fat and then end up only putting 3lbs of solid muscle. You end up working too hard while cutting down for that when you can carb cycle and stay decently lean while getting big.
How do you carb cycle?
4 days high, 3 days low offseason. Contest prep might be like 2 days high 5 days low
You need to watch your intake though, 1 cup if rice too many and you gone off the cycle.
Kim Bjerregaard
Momen Gad
I think that arnold is wrong hahahahaha
How dare you say that… Shame on you
I think that *i am wrong
Preston Olmeda
this is why he won so many titles and has a competition name after him. G.O.A.T.
Yeah but have you tried pizza?
Dude, Is that Cutler?!?
Lol yep it’s photoshopped though
William Rudart
Arnold was great but hardly any expert on the topic given his his old school physique
“Hardly an expert” ha
The average person has a lot more access to information than Arnold did . His physique wouldn’t win a state title today . Do u think he is an expert James?
Rodney, you are correct, the information we have now is a lot more, yet today’s builders look like a chopped meat block compared to Arnold? He looked good anytime and anywhere. If you don’t think he is an expert, why does he hold the most titles still? Why did every muscle have perfect symmetry, how is that he could have 22″ arms and calves 58″ chest and still have a tiny waist? His legs were perfect size, his ratio was spot on. A lot of people including body builders strive to be like Arnold’s Shape and size. Why? Because they know he knew what he was doing!
How many Olympias have you won? Exactly my point!
Wow. Rodney. “Arnold wouldn’t even win a state title today”
They greatest physique to ever walk the face of the earth, that still hasn’t been matched till this day, and you make THAT statement.
Stick to Crossfit dude.
Fake picture
Dan Priest Evans
A true champion have huge legs
Dominique Sims
Interesting.
I don’t believe that. He looked slightly bigger off-season.
Ill ask him when I see him
Igor Shvets , sounds good.
Tony start shredding tony
I told you this hahaha
Simon OlesenHolger Kaysen MoellJonas Hanrath
Even at his biggest, arnold would be tiny on todays Olympia stage.
It’s called evolution of the sport, some love it, some hate it but it is what it is.
Enough of the “In my day…”
It makes you old.
Are you serious? Arnold Tiny?
Both Phil and Arnold had the same Arm and Calve size. (22″)
Arnold’s chest measured at 58″ and Phil’s 57″ with Phil’s waist at 36″ and Arnold’s at 30″ the only area where Phil was bigger was quads??
The sport has always been about size AND symmetry!
Christo Wilken, Arnold at his biggest was 240. Ronnie and Dorian and most of today’s big men dwarf him.
And I think you mean “symmetry”.
Weight doesn’t matter! “Big Ramy” and Kai Greene proves that every year.
Some people will just stay on the hype train and freak show that they try to pass off as “bodybuilding”.
Arnold “dwarfed” Frank Zane in his early years and still lost due to Frank Zane’s amazing (thanks to your help) “symmetry”.
If you understand bodybuilding you’d see the point here.
Hey Christo Wilken, I grew up in the gym, my old man was a powerlifting coach, I like to think I know a bit about the sport.
This isn’t about size being everything, this is about arnolds continually knocking the sport for the direction it’s taken since his time.
I stand by what I say.
I also understand the sport has changed in terms of how far these athletes, (freaks, to use your terminology) are able to push the “norms”.
I think if you look back to arnolds heyday you will find very similar sentiments and attitudes to your own with regard to the way he and the likes of Sergio and Mentzer (Mike), Ferrigno and some others of the day who were considered massive and about them going too far and even being ugly, this was part of the conversation back then amongst obsrevers of the sport, so even though the sport has evolved in terms of whats acceptable and desired even, the conversation remains the same.
As I said, the game has changed, arnold constantly sniping away isn’t going to stop the athlete from pushing further still.
We all know arnnold was great, in my opinion, a dignified silence would serve his legacy much more than his never ending criticism does.
If arnold and phil have the same measurements but phil has bigger legs AND phil packed the same measurements onto a body that’s 6 inches shorter, that just shows how much smaller arnold would look next to him. The term lanky would come up undoubtedly, and phil is one of the lightest on the olympia stage in today’s day. Times have changed. Arnold would be both the tallest and the second lightest (next to bonac) on yhe olympia stage if he was there. Most vertical vs least horizontal is a bad combo for looking large.
Awesome to hear your past and I completely respect it.
However, the comments due to their size and stature that you are referring to was made by on lookers and so called “experts” that still believed lifting heavy weights caused heart attacks.
Yes Arnold looked like and anarchist back in the day due to his ‘freak like’ size, compared to the highest celebrated celebrity of that time was the likes of “Twiggy”, but it was that movement that created the gym industry to what it is today!
Where other professional athletes started to incorporate methods and principals that he and weider introduced to the world.
Yes- Arnold would be less hated if he kept his moth shut today.
But being the advocate and idol that he has been for the industry, he knows that this “freak show” needs to end and he can make a difference. (Btw, off the back of this, the IFBB introduced a ‘Classic Physique’ class at the Mr Olympia starting next year)
I still stand by it, according to what bodybuilding has been created for.
Arnold still has THE most desired physique, and will never be beaten.
The introduction of the new category at the next Olympia is good business sense Christo Wilken, it will have an audience of course but it will undoubtedly serve as an appetiser to the main event.
There are many who think and feel like you Christo but many more again who follow the big men.
At days end, bodybuilding most certainly involves a size element, there has always been a place for the massive physique, those guys, like it or not, put bums on seats.
I’m a fan of the 60s-70s era, I rate Oliva, Zane, M Mentzer, Padilla, Nubret and Arnold highly.
Who is anyone to call time on the size aspect of the sport? Enough of getting bigger?
Thats nonsense and it will mean nothing to any lifter determined to grow his body as big as he can.
Well Arnold was also 6’2 and Phil is 5’9 you left out that major detail.
Damon Dickens, I never said anything about phil.
This is about arnold continually knocking todays bodybuilding elite for being too big.
You getting old Morgan i was clearly talking to Christo
Musayeeb Lakdawala
Arnold 6,2 240. Jay 5,9 270. If you are natural its almost impossible to gain size without bulking as a advanced lifter.
Arnold is barely 6″
That’s why Arnold wasn’t as big as jay
Ben Carroll
Roald Rodriguez Torheim
Check out Lee priest off season