Sergio Oliva Workout Routine

What does Sergio Oliva’s workout routine look like? 

Sergio Oliva was a Cuban bodybuilder and he was nicknamed “The Myth”.

Oliva is best known as the only bodybuilder to beat the legend,

Arnold Schwarzenegger, at Olympia and become called one of the best bodybuilders of all time.

Many other bodybuilders have stated that Oliva was one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time and he had a huge personality.

Within this article, we’ll speak about Sergio Oliva’s workout routine, diet, and supplements:

Current Stats 

Height: 178 cm – 5’10” 

Weight: 111 kg – 245 

pounds Age: 71 years old (1941 – 2012) 

Birthday: 4th of July, 1941 

Accolades: Mr. Universe, 1966, Winner 

Workout Principles

Sergio Oliva had no formal training till he began working at the Duncan YMCA in Chicago. Oliva was always interested in building muscles and he ought to work out in ways no one else could with incredible results.

Sergio Oliva Workout Routine 

Sergio Oliva’s workout routine features a lot of distinct combinations such as high volume routines, supersets, adverse training, squat sets, and much more. Oliva liked hitting each muscle group twice a week to receive the best result

Here is Sergio Oliva’s workout routine:

Monday: Chest 

On Monday, Sergio Oliva performed a chest routine by doing a complete of simply 4 exercises. These are done as supersets, with the first being bench press/chin-ups, and the second being dumbbell flyes/dips.

Here is Sergio Oliva’s chest routine:

1. Bench Press (200lbs, 8 reps) | Superset with Chin-ups (15 reps)
2. Bench Press (220lbs, 8 reps) | Superset with Chin-ups (15 reps)
3. 3. Bench Press (260lbs, 8 reps) | Superset with Chin-ups (15 reps)
4. 4. Bench Press (300lbs, 8 reps) | Superset with Chin-ups (15 reps)
5. 5. Bench Press (320lbs, 8 reps) | Superset with Chin-ups (15 reps)
6. Bench Press (350 lbs, 8 reps) | Superset with Chin-ups (15 reps)
7. Bench Press (380lbs, 8 reps) | Superset with Chin-ups (15 reps)
8. 8. Dumbbell Flyes (80lb Dumbbells) (5 sets, 15 reps) | Superset with Dips (Unknown rep count)

Tuesday: Shoulders, Biceps, and Triceps

On Tuesday, Oliva would hit shoulders, biceps, and triceps routine by doing 6 exercises.

Here is Sergio Oliva’s shoulders, biceps, and triceps routine: 

1. Press (5 sets, 15 reps)
2. Extending Heavy Curls (5 sets, 5 reps)
3. 3. French Curls (5 sets, 5 reps)
4. 4. Scott (Curls) Bench (5 sets, 10 reps)
5. 5. Scott (Curls) Bench with Dumbbells (5 sets, 5 reps)
6. Sitting Down Triceps (5 sets, 5 reps)

Wednesday: Abs, Squats, and Calves 

On Wednesday, he performed abs, squats, and calves routine by doing a complete of 5 exercises with an average of 10 reps.

Here are Sergio Oliva’s abs, squats, and calves routine:

1. Sit-ups (10 sets, 50 reps)
2. Leg Raises (5 sets, 20 reps)
3. 3. Side Bends with Bar Behind Neck (5 sets, 200 reps)
4. 4. Squats (5 sets, 5 reps)
5. 5. Standing Heel Raises (10 sets, 8 reps)

Thursday: Chest and Back

On Thursday, Oliva performed a chest and back routine.

Here is Sergio Oliva’s chest and back routine:

1. Bench Press (5 sets, 7 reps)
2. Press Behind Neck (5 sets, 5 reps)
3. 3. Sitting Press with Dumbbells (No set and rep scheme provided)
4. 4. Dipping Bar (5 sets, 8 reps)

Friday: Arms and Back 

On Friday, Sergio Oliva would hit the arms and return to the routine by doing a complete of 7 exercises.

Here are Sergio Oliva’s arms and back routine: 

1. Press (3 sets, 5 reps)
2. Extending Heavy Curls (3 sets, 5 reps)
3. 3. French Curls (3 sets, 5 reps)
4. 4. Scott Bench for Triceps (3 sets, 5 reps)
5. 5. Scott Bench for Triceps with Dumbbell (3 sets, 5 reps)
6. Chinning Behind Neck (5 sets, 5 reps)
7. Chinning Bar with Closed Hands (5 sets, 5 reps)

Saturday: Abs and Legs 

On Saturday, he would hit an abs and legs routine.

Here are Sergio Oliva’s abs and legs routine:

1. Sit-ups (5 sets, 10 reps)
2. Leg Raises (5 sets, 10 reps)
3. Side Bends with Bar Behind Neck (5 sets, 50 reps)
4. Squats (300lbs, 3 reps, 3 sets
5. Squats (400lbs, 3 reps, 2 sets)
6. Squats (250lbs, 20 reps, 3 sets)
7. Front Squats (5 sets, 10 reps)
8. Sitting Heel Raises (5 sets, 5 reps)

Sunday: Rest On Sunday, 

Sergio Oliva would have a day off from working out.

Sergio Oliva Diet 

Sergio Oliva would eat only one meal a day when he lived in Cuba and he would eat whatever he could afford.

Everything changed when he joined the weightlifting team and he could finally afford to eat 3 foods an afternoon and furnished it with protein and nutrition dietary supplements. He cherished devouring eggs and steak to build up his muscles. 

Here is Sergio Oliva’s diet: 

1. Breakfast Scrambled eggs Oatmeal Coffee 
2. Lunch Fried Pastries 
3. Snack Protein shake Twinkies 
4. Dinner Steak Vegetables 

Supplements 

Sergio Oliva uses the following supplements to assist his gains:

Protein shake Vitamins 

Summary 

Sergio Oliva was truly an icon and today he’s still remembered as one of the best bodybuilders of all time. At the moment he had what most consider the greatest body ever showcased in the industry.