Leroy Colbert Was a Firm Believer of Full Body Workout & the First Man of 1950s to Develop 21″ Arms
Like many other bodybuilding legends, Leroy Colbert doesn’t have many bodybuilding titles under his belt. But he was one of the few bodybuilders of his time who happened to get featured in numerous magazine covers.
The reason behind this fame is not a competition but first to be the very first person of this planet to build 21 – inch arms circumference and that also all naturally drug-free. And secondly, for his unique approach towards workout.
Leroy Colbert Full Body Workout – A Secret Sauce
Leroy Colbert (9th May 1933 – 20th November 2015) was a famous American bodybuilder who was a strong believer in full-body workout routine made of mini push-pull, where you do push exercises followed by a pulling exercise. Further, he went ahead and had guts to say that he never trained effectively with any other way like he uses to do using a full-body workout routine.
Furthermore, he was one of the few who went against the norm of 3 sets per body part. Many bodybuilders back in that time used to believe more than 3 sets is waste, and it’ll shrink muscle size. However, Leroy didn’t listen to this and went against it and came out with his style of doing 6 sets per body part.
What Is Full Body Workout in Leroy Colbert’s Style
Let’s goes through his guidelines and understand how to follow up with Leroy Colbert’s workout routine.
- Train your whole body every alternate day.
- Keep your repetition from 6 – 10. And, once you start doing 10 reps comfortably for all the sets, increase the weight.
- At least go for a total of 6 sets per body part for significant results.
- Make a mini push-pull within that same workout. For example, avoid training chest after arms (biceps & triceps). Instead, go for routine like Thighs, shoulders, chest, back, triceps, biceps, and calves.
- Perform 6 sets for each body part, which will make a total of 42 sets.
Leroy Colbert Workout Routine
The main idea behind Leroy’s full-body workout routine is to have an exercise list in such a manner that every muscle group can be cycled through (two times per training session) and increase the weight whenever you can along with proper rest and diet.
Here below is an example of Leroy Colbert’s workout prioritizing arms and it looks like:
| Sr. | Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbell drag curls | 4 | 6 to 10 |
| 2 | Close grip bench press | 4 | 6 to 10 |
| 3 | Incline Biceps curls | 4 | 6 to 10 |
| 4 | Overhead DB or Cable Triceps Extensions | 4 | 6 to 10 |
| 5 | Pull-ups (If possible, go weighted) | 3 | 6 to 10 |
| 6 | Incline barbell bench press | 3 | 6 to 10 |
| 7 | Bent over barbell rowing | 3 | 6 to 10 |
| 8 | Decline DB Flys | 3 | 6 to 10 |
| 9 | Barbell front squats | 3 | 6 to 10 |
| 10 | Military press | 3 | 6 to 10 |
| 11 | 45* Hack squatsq | 3 | 6 to 10 |
| 12 | DB side lateral raises | 3 | 6 to 10 |
| 13 | Standing calf raises | 3 | 12 to 15 |
| 14 | Seated calf raises | 3 | 12 to 15 |
Total No. of Sets: 46
Rest time after one set: 60 seconds
Bonus: Leroy Colbert’s Full Body Workout Routine (Blitz)
Leroy Colbert’s full-body blitz routine is another famous workout routine of him and other legendary bodybuilders. Like other full-body workout routines, the Blitz also consists of multiple body parts in the same training session.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| BB Bench Press – Flat | 10 | 8 |
| Bent-Over Lateral Raises | 10 | 8 |
| Lat Pulldowns | 10 | 8 |
| Pull-Ups (Behind The Neck) | 10 | 8 |
| Seated Press (Behind The Neck) | 10 | 8 |
| Side Lateral Raises – Standing | 10 | 8 |
| Alternate DB Curls | 10 | 8 |
| Seated BB Curls | 10 | 8 |
| DB Pullovers (Bent Arm) | 10 | 8 |
| BB Squats | 6 | 12 |
Closing Thoughts
It’s an example workout routine inspired by the Leroy Colbert’s full body workout style, which stimulates all the major muscle groups three times a week.
However, you can take advantage of this, if you’re trying your hands on the full-body workout routine. And, you can even modify it according to your need. For instance, if your main concern is strength, then you can do 5×5 for two days out of three. And, if you’re getting results, then you can continue with this. Also, if you get any issue while doing any workout, like pain, while doing military press, then it’s suggested to remove that exercise from the list.
Lastly, full body workout routines are handy for strengthening weak body parts because it gives enough space to hit them three times a week.
