Three-time Mr. Olympia Sergio Oliva had perhaps the most incredible bodybuilding genetics of all time—although some claim it’s an illusion created by a Cuban witchdoctor who cursed him with a shrunken head (Steve Downs photo)…
Seriously, every muscle group is outstanding and massive, which made his head appear small. But he did have one minor flaw: his biceps were gigantic but not peaked…
Some claimed it was because he favored wide-grip barbell curls at most of his workouts, which tend to prioritize the inner head. The outer head is the major contributor to biceps peak; however, it may have simply been genetic.
Even so, it is interesting that MRI studies show more balanced biceps-head activation with close-grip curls, including one-arm concentration curls, which have you curl to the opposite shoulder….
That was an Arnold favorite, and we know that The Oak had an incredibly peaked biceps (John Balik photo).
Arnold favored multi-angular training. In fact, one of his favorite biceps routines helped Steve shape the Positions-of-Flexion mass-training method (see the OMYM ebook) back in the 1980s. POF hits each muscle from three distinct angles, or positions—midrange, stretch, and contracted…
Could Sergio have developed more peak with an emphasis on close-grip biceps work? We’ll never know.…
Even without sky-high bi’s, Sergio “The Myth” is still one of the greatest of all time. With his tiny waist and full, long muscle bellies, including calves, he was a true genetic marvel who would no doubt be a dominating force onstage even today.
Note: For more on POF, STX, Speed Sets, and ideal-exercise emphasized workouts for efficient, safe mass-building, see Old Man, Young Muscle.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com
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