Legend Vince Gironda and his 8x8 training

Classic bodybuilding says that if we want to gain muscle and lose fat, we can't ride two saddles at once. That's why it's beneficial for regular exercisers to focus on only one thing at a time. It's not impossible for these two processes to happen at the same time, but most people simply don't have the genetics, the right diet, or the experience. For the vast majority, it is more beneficial to separate these 2 processes.

But there are exceptions. If you've already done some training and you also have good cardiovascular fitness and the above attributes, there is one path that leads to achieving the Holy Grail - build muscle and lose fat at the same time.

The Gironda Method 8x8

Vince Gironda, considered by many to be the first bodybuilding coach and without a doubt the most eccentric, referred to the 8x8 scheme as "honest work".

How does it work and with what percentages? Similar to 10x10 or German Volume training, choose 60-70% of your max for one rep. And perform 8x8 with a maximum of 30 second pauses. This method can be used for up to 4 different exercises per batch per training unit, and can be a big shock to the body - a lot of work in a small amount of time.

If after 5. GVT series you feel that it is a waste of time and boring, this should not happen to you with 8x8. It's all about training volume - your strength probably won't go up, there are simply different energy systems being used. However, your heart rate will be at dizzying heights, so you will achieve high metabolic turnover, hormonal response and fat loss.

Some advice for you

This method is not suitable for strength gains, but for providing a great pump and improving cardiovascular performance and of course muscle gains caused by high volume work. Some in the Gironda group are said to have reached such a level that they have performed 8x8 with 15second breaks!

The goal of the workout is not just to shorten the pauses between sets, but to train with as much weight as possible while maintaining 30-second pauses. You would be wise to undercut your 8 rep max by 30-40% initially and try to maintain that weight during your first workout to get used to it.

If you find that it becomes a crash or you are forced to drop the weight, you simply chose a tonnage that is too heavy. I stress, don't overestimate yourself! Increase gradually and you will be successful.

Choice of exercises

Exercise selection is usually based on your training intensity requirements. This is one of the few workouts where I wouldn't condemn even the majority use of machines and only single-joint exercises. However, we can't expect the hormonal response from them that basic multi-joint exercises guarantee. If our fitness level is good, we can incorporate multi-joint, but it is the oxygen requirements that can be limiting.

Here are the best exercises to use for 8x8:

And the exercises you should avoid pose some risk to the spine, or the stabilizing muscles will begin to fatigue quickly. Deadlifts, overhead presses, good mornings. These exercises are undoubtedly great, but not for an 8x8 scheme with short pauses, the risk of technique flubbing and subsequent injury, especially to the spine, is high. And front squats. As Charles Poliquin says, the rhomboids (inter scapular muscles ) can only properly stabilize the upper back area for about 6 reps in a set. So save your front squats for higher intensity, lower volume schemes. Unilateral ( one-sided exercises ). The pauses between each side of the body would be long and the requirement to maintain short pauses would disappear.

Don't be fools!

There is really nothing wrong with incorporating the 8x8 scheme into your training for, say, one or two exercises while maintaining your current routines on the other exercises. The question is how hard an exercise you choose to do on the 8x8 scheme so that you don't have to kiss the following workouts goodbye for a week.

Here's an example: to use 8x8 for back squats and leg-press in one workout and then rush on to the next exercises with this scheme would represent hell between the four walls of the gym. Rather, it makes sense to keep this scheme on back squats ( if you get the most benefit from them ) and add, for example, front squats. You'll have had enough of that. Then just include two more exercises like Romanian deadlifts or hip thrusts in a more acceptable 4x12 scheme with classic pauses

Just the choice of exercises and volume for the next exercises and the total number of exercises are all things that are important to think about. The more multi-joint exercises you choose, the fewer there should be in an 8x8 scheme. If you are a bodybuilder by any stretch and choose isolation exercises, you can use this scheme for 2-4 exercises per batch. Bodybuilders under Gironda's tutelage really trained this way. The joke was that the whole workout lasted less than an hour, the catabolic hormones hadn't come in yet, and you practically had both strength training and cardio done.

Vince Gironda recommended training a muscle part every 4 days with a load of around 15 sets. This scheme was greatly conducive to that. While most of us aren't bodybuilders and would like to try this method, I recommend working each muscle part one per week and keep increasing the work volume per part.

So go for it!

So to recap:

• The goal is to train with as much weight as possible and with as few breaks as possible, and to intensify the workout each week by shortening the breaks or increasing the weight. Your goal should be to reach your true max for 8 reps and to train with rest intervals no longer than 30 seconds.
• Use multi-joint as well as single-joint and more isolation exercises.
• Take stabilizing muscles such as the spinal extensors or interosseous muscles into account when choosing exercises.
• And work hard! The mind is sometimes the limiting factor affecting the quality of your workout. This training takes a lot of mental preparation and a good dose of strong moral fiber. Work hard or go home. Don't forget proper breathing, precise pauses and your goal.

If you think you're already pretty experienced and nothing will surprise you, trust that Vince Gironda has prepared a tough nut for you. Simply put - a high volume of muscle contractions in a certain amount of time - will cause a shock that will force even the body of a highly trained athlete to increase mass.

Source.