Arnold Schwarzenegger Blueprint Trainer Day 48

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One often overlooked element of the 1960s and 70s era of bodybuilding is that it was the dawn of visible abs among the bodybuilding elite. Take a look at Bill Pearl when he was Mr. Universe in the early 1950s, and again when he was Mr. Universe in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In his later years, he had them. Take a look at Serge Nubret when he won Mr. Olympia unopposed in 1968—he had them. On the other hand, young Arnold, the powerlifter and aspiring bodybuilder, didn’t have them—not until he started training abs daily, anyway.

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“Abs every day” is one of Arnold’s best-known training mantras, but it’s not his best-loved. It gets criticized by many, but for every one of these critics, another will say it works wonders. No matter where you ultimately come down on the debate, you can now speak from experience. Over the last seven weeks, you’ve experienced Arnold-style abs in the form of endless reps of decline sit-ups, leg raises, and today’s special, cable crunches. But don’t let the sheer volume lead you to neglect the most important part of the movement: the squeeze! Arnold was insistent that the peak contraction be held during each and every rep, particularly in the cable crunch.

This is the abdominal equivalent of a double biceps pose. Hit it hard enough to make you feel it tomorrow on your rest day.

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