The Greatest Natural Bodybuilder loved to RUN
And he was FAST
This morning I was doing my usual information trawl, and I came across a knowledge gem of a youtube video
For context, the two gentlemen talking are John Little and Steve Reeves. John Little is a bodybuilding historian who was friends with Mike Mentzer, and has relationships with many Silver and Golden age bodybuilders going back decades.
Steve Reeves was a Mr. America and Mr. Universe from the 1950s, and is widely considered to have the best natural physique of all time (he never used steroids). He was 6'1, weighed approximately 210-215lbs, and was known for his proportions and very wide shoulders. As there was no money in bodybuilding during the time he competed, he had a successful Hollywood film career, playing Hercules, Samson, pirates, and various other "sword and sandals" type roles.
Steve Reeves has been famous in the bodybuilding world both for his physique, and his training model. He trained total body, and only lifted 3x a week.
Context established, what was so interesting about the video?
Contrary to what you might think, it had nothing to do with Mike Mentzer.
It was Steve sharing that he had a near 5 MINUTE Mile time
And that he would RUN twice a week, each time trying to run a mile as fast as possible.
This is a man who trained as a bodybuilder and looks like this, but he was an exceptionally FAST runner.
How Do We Make Sense of This?
Ive been espousing the importance of cardio for a few years now, and one physiological relationship that has come up time and time again, is the FASTER someone is, the greater their cardiovascular power output, the LEANER they are.
And not only leaner, but their metabolisms seem to adapt to being faster (eg, they burn more calories at rest and need more food), as well as being better at nutrient partitioning (which would partially explain the leaness)
if you combine this with high levels of lean body mass (muscle), you have both a great physique and are metabolically as fit as a human can be.
This is not only my bro observation, there is statistical data supporting it.
Body Composition and Size in Sprint Athletes Anthropometrics of Young Elite Sailors
Body Composition Elite Female Sprinters
If you dive into the research on anthropometrics (meaning body measurements), you see the same pattern over and over.
The best athletes are the leanest and most muscular and FASTEST athletes. Steve Reeves was interesting in that despite training for maximum muscle mass, he ALWAYS incorporated cardiovascular training.
Based on the video and what I know of his training, his weekly routine was this
Lift 3x a Week (his workouts were quite long, typically 2 hours at minimum)
Bike, Swim, or long walks on the days he did not lift
Sprint 2x a week, one mile sprint, on non lifting days
It goes without saying that Reeves had exceptional genetics, but his intuition that running fast was key to staying lean and healthy were scientifically correct.
It also dispels the idea of "non functional muscle"
The belief that muscle is "Non Functional" past a certain point is largely false. Unless you are taking anabolic steroids, it's unlikely you ever become too muscular.
The issue with performance would if you built muscle mass, but neglected cardio entirely. Yes, you would be slower, but not because muscle automatically makes you slow, but rather that you are simply not training speed or endurance.
When you combine them together, your body achieves structural and cardiovascular balance
What does this mean for YOUR Training?
Aside from lifting weights, SPRINT twice a week. Run 1-2 miles as fast as you can.
Run Hills.
Run 1/4 miles on a track.
If running is out of the equation for whatever reason, use an Assault Bike or Airdyne or Echo bike, and do sprints on that.
The faster you become, the leaner and fitter you will be.
Any questions? Ask in the Comments