According to many fitness experts, body recomposition, i.e., gaining muscle while losing fat is impossible. Instead, they say you must follow a bulking/cutting routine, where you spend a few months building muscle size and then several weeks dieting off any unwanted fat.
While bulking and cutting works, it’s not without disadvantages. For starters, cutting often leads to muscle loss, which most bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts want to avoid. Also, cutting diets are no one’s idea of fun; they’re strict, boring, and usually leave you feeling hungry.
The good news is that it’s entirely possible to build muscle while gaining fat, and lifters have been doing it since the so-called golden era of bodybuilding.
One of the leading proponents of body recomposition was the legendary Hollywood-based trainer Vince “The Iron Guru” Gironda (November 9, 1917 – October 18, 1997).
Trainer of numerous Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia champions, including Larry Scott, Lou Ferrigno, and Frank Zane, Gironda was one of the first bodybuilders to embrace the ripped look that is so popular today.
Vince Gironda used a wide range of techniques to get his clients in peak condition. For example, he prescribed low-carb keto diets for fat loss and muscle maintenance. He also had some unorthodox training ideas, all but banning squats and bench presses from his gym, believing there were better exercises for building aesthetic muscle.
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Another of Gironda’s “secret weapons” was his 8×8 training method. This program was designed to build muscle, burn fat, and increase fitness all at the same time.
In this article, I explore the 8×8 method, reveal how to do it, and share a Gironda-inspired 8×8 workout for you to try.
What is the 8×8 Method?
Gironda’s 8×8 method is a high-volume, high-intensity training system for building aesthetic muscle. So, while it will improve how you look, it probably won’t do much for athletic performance or strength.
Coach Gironda used this method during the lead-up to bodybuilding shows, or when he needed to get a client in shape fast, e.g., for a movie role. Most clients only used it for a month or so, usually combined with Gironda’s patented steak and eggs keto diet.
The 8×8 method involves doing eight sets of eight reps with 60-70% of your one-repetition maximum (1RM). However, the kicker is that you only get 30 seconds of rest between sets. This method is then applied to as many exercises per workout as required.
8×8 shares some obvious similarities with German Volume Training, which utilizes ten sets of ten reps with 60 seconds of recovery between sets. However, as a veteran lifter and personal trainer who has experimented with both methods, I can tell you that 8×8 is significantly harder.
Pros and Cons of the 8×8 Method
Doing eight sets of eight reps with 60-70% of your 1RM is a tough undertaking that will reduce even the fittest exerciser to a heaving, sweating, quivering mess. So, the question is, are the gains worth the pain?
Consider these pros and cons, and then decide!
8×8 Pros
A skin-splitting pump – the 8×8 method will leave your muscles pumped to the max. The pump is what bodybuilders call the influx of blood that’s driven into a muscle during a workout. Research suggests that a good pump may enhance muscle growth (1). Bodybuilders also appreciate how getting pumped increases muscle size and fullness.
Increased muscle tension – muscle tension is another driver of hypertrophy or muscle growth. Muscle tension increases when a) you lift heavy weights or b) train near failure. Doing eight sets of eight reps with short rests means you’ll spend a lot of your workout near failure, providing a potent stimulus for muscle growth.
Increased anabolic hormone production – ultra-intense workouts like Gironda’s 8×8 have been shown to increase the production of testosterone and growth hormone. Elevated levels of these substances are inextricably linked to muscle growth and fat burning (2).
Elevated post-exercise metabolism – lactate-producing workouts like 8×8 burn a lot of kilocalories while you are doing them and keep burning energy at an accelerated rate for many hours after you have finished. This is called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) which can contribute to fat loss (3). The EPOC effect can last up to 48 hours after an 8×8 workout.
Improved muscular endurance – 8×8 training builds bigger muscles, but those bigger muscles will also become more enduring and resistant to fatigue. Your usual workout of four sets of 10-12 with two-minute rests will feel easy by comparison.
Modifiable for easy progression – while the 8×8 method should use 60-70% of your 1RM and 30-second recoveries, this is probably too intense for most exercisers. Don’t worry, though, because you can easily modify this program to make it more manageable and progressive.
For example, some lifters prefer to stick to the prescribed rest periods of 30 seconds but start 8×8 training by using 40-50% of their 1RM. Increase weights week by week until you gradually work up to using the full 60-70% of your 1RM.
Alternatively, you can use the standard 60-70% 1RM but extend the rest periods to a more manageable 50-60 seconds. Again, make this progressive by lowering your rest periods by five seconds a week until you hit 30 seconds between sets.
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Related: Bodybuilding Tips from The Iron Guru Vince Gironda
8×8 Cons
Of course, like any program, Gironda’s 8×8 method has a few drawbacks, too. These include:
Painful workouts– short rests mean a huge influx of lactate into your muscles. Get used to the intense burn; there is no escaping the pain of Gironda’s 8×8 satanic training method!
Minimal strength gains – the best way to build strength is by lifting heavy weights for low reps. 8×8 is the opposite of effective strength training. So, while it will make you a little stronger, the 8×8 method is not an effective way to build maximal strength. Five sets of five reps (5 x 5) with 80% or more of your 1RM would be far more productive.
Lack of fitness will undermine your workout – expect your heart and breathing rate to soar during your 8×8 workouts. As such, a lack of cardiovascular fitness could impede your lifting performance, making the workout less effective.
Risk of overtraining – from personal experience, I can tell you that 8×8 training is exhausting. Do it too often or for too long and you could become overtrained. Consequently, most people should only use this method for 4-6 weeks at a time, deloading for a week afterward to allow for recovery.
Not all exercises are suitable for 8×8 – some exercises are better than others for the 8×8 method. That’s because fatigue can make it hard to maintain good form, and poor lifting technique can lead to injuries. As such, squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and other technically demanding exercises are not advisable for 8×8 workouts.
Sample Gironda-Inspired 8×8 Workout Routine
Do you want to build muscle and burn fat at the same time? Are you inspired to try Gironda’s 8×8 method for yourself?
Good to hear!
While you could write your own 8×8 program, I’ve created one for you that’s based on my 30+ years as a personal trainer and being an avid fan of Vince Gironda’s training methods.
However, before you do your first set, make sure you prepare your muscles and joints for the workouts to follow. Begin with 5-10 minutes of light cardio followed by dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for the muscles you are about to train. End your warm-up with 1-2 light sets of the main exercises of the workout you going to do.
Warmed up and ready to go? Then let’s get to work!
Note: Not all of the following exercises use the 8×8 method. Doing an entire workout of 8×8 would be exhausting. Consequently, some exercises use a more conventional set rep scheme.
Workout 1 – Chest and Triceps
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Recovery | |
| 1 | Gironda guillotine press | 8 | 8 | 30 seconds |
| 2 | Incline dumbbell press | 8 | 8 | 30 seconds |
| 3 | Cable crossover | 3 | 10-12 | 60-90 seconds |
| 4 | Push-up | 3 | AMRAP* | 60-90 seconds |
| 5 | Triceps pushdown | 8 | 8 | 30 seconds |
| 6 | EZ bar skull crusher | 3 | 10-12 | 60-90 seconds |
*AMRAP = As Many Reps as Possible – just rep out to within 1-2 reps of failure.
Workout 3 – Back and Biceps
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Recovery | |
| 1 | Lat pulldown | 8 | 8 | 30 seconds |
| 2 | Seated row | 8 | 8 | 30 seconds |
| 3 | Pull-up | 3 | AMRAP* | 60-90 seconds |
| 4 | 1-arm row | 3 | 10-12 | 60-90 seconds |
| 5 | Gironda drag curl | 8 | 8 | 30 seconds |
| 6 | Concentration curl | 3 | 10-12 | 60-90 seconds |
*AMRAP = As Many Reps as Possible – just rep out to within 1-2 reps of failure.
Workout 2 – Legs and Abs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Recovery | |
| 1 | Leg press | 8 | 8 | 30 seconds |
| 2 | Leg extension | 8 | 8 | 30 seconds |
| 3 | Leg curl | 8 | 8 | 30 seconds |
| 4 | Lunge | 3 | 10-12 | 60-90 seconds |
| 5 | Standing calf raise | 3 | 10-12 | 60-90 seconds |
| 6 | Kneeling cable crunch | 3 | 10-12 | 60-90 seconds |
| 7 | Saxon side bend | 3 | 10-12 | 60-90 seconds |
Workout 4 – Shoulders and Arms
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Recovery | |
| 1 | Shoulder press machine | 8 | 8 | 30 seconds |
| 2 | Lateral raise | 8 | 8 | 30 seconds |
| 3 | Reverse cable flye | 8 | 8 | 30 seconds |
| 4 | Overhead triceps extension | 8 | 8 | 30 seconds |
| 5 | Preacher curl | 8 | 8 | 30 seconds |
| 6 | Cable curl | 3 | 10-12 | 60-90 seconds |
| 7 | Reverse grip triceps pushdown | 3 | 10-12 | 60-90 seconds |
Related: How to Warm-up For Strength Training
Conclusion
Vince Gironda was a coach ahead of his time. When many bodybuilders were still doing Olympic lifting, gymnastics, and calisthenics, Gironda was devising and experimenting with ways to maximize muscle size and definition, literally changing the shape of bodybuilding.
You can thank Gironda for concepts like muscle isolation, body part training splits, the mind-muscle connection, keto dieting, and many other training principles we take for granted today. While he may not have discovered all of these things, his incredible success and his excellent books certainly made them more widely known.
8×8 wasn’t Gironda’s only popular training method; he also utilized six sets of six and ten sets of ten. However, the Iron Guru called 8×8 his secret weapon and often relied on it to get his clients into the best shape possible.
That said, this method was too tough for some, and Gironda reported his workout brought the Great Arnold Schwarzenegger to his knees when the Austrian Oak visited Gironda’s LA Gym.
So, if you are up for a challenge and want to get lean and build muscle at the same time, give the infamous Gironda 8×8 workout method a try. But, be warned, you’re going to have to pay for your gains with sweat and pain!
References:
- Schoenfeld BJ. The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Oct;24(10):2857-72. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181e840f3. PMID: 20847704.
- Raastad, T., Bjøro, T. & Hallén, J. Hormonal responses to high- and moderate-intensity strength exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 82, 121–128 (2000).
- LaForgia J, Withers RT, Gore CJ. Effects of exercise intensity and duration on the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. J Sports Sci. 2006 Dec;24(12):1247-64. doi: 10.1080/02640410600552064. PMID: 17101527.
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