The legend Vince Gironda once said, “I have found that man’s logic and nature’s logic are totally different. In other words, try breaking the rules and see what happens.”
The following are some unique exercises you don’t see in the gym very often. Vince invented these exercises and used them to get hollywood stars and his clients in top shape in record time.
His methods were not understood by many. That’s why I’d be willing to bet if he were alive today he would probably dedicate this article and these exercises to those of little faith and to the ones who resist change because they are the ones that need the most guidance.
Let’s get right to it. Here are the Top 7 Gironda Exercises Of All Time.
1) Body Drag Curl
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart maintaining a slight bend in your knees. Grip the barbell with a supinated or underhanded grip.
The width of your grip should be comfortable and it’s important to keep your elbows in really tight to your torso. Lean forward just a little bit. With a firm grip begin lifting the bar, while keeping your elbows tucked in nice and close to your torso. The bar should lightly be touching your torso as well as you lift it up. In order to lift the bar your elbows will need to move a bit to the rear.
Note this is not a free moving arc. It’s called a body drag curl because there are two points of contact causing the “dragging” movement rather than the typical free moving arc of a typical bicep curl. This is actually more of a lift rather than a curl.
2) 45-Degrees Pulley Row
The Vince Gironda 45-Degrees Pulley Row develops the teres major muscles of the back which are extremely important for overall back width.
3) Frog Sit Ups
We all know that the best way to build the abs is to contract the abdominals right?
Most people do full sit-ups and Vince says it’s a waste of time because they are only getting work in during the beginning of the exercise. They help get your shoulders off the floor and that’s it. The Frog Sit Up was Vince’s secret ab exercise.
1. Lie with your back flat on the floor (or exercise mat) and your legs extended in front of you.
2. Now bend at the knees and place your outer thighs by the floor (or mat) as you make the soles of your feet touch each other.
3. Now try pushing both soles and bringing them up as near you as possible while you keep the outer thighs on the floor (or at least almost touching it). Tip: In this position your legs should create a diamond shape.
4. Now, cross your arms in front of you by touching the opposite shoulders. This will be your starting position.
5. As you exhale flatten your lower back to the floor while curling the torso upwards. Tip: This will be like performing the first 1/4 movement of a sit up. Hold at the top position for a second.
6. As you inhale, slowly lower back to the starting position.
7. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
4) The Sissy Squat
If you really want a crazy leg pump with some serious shock to your legs this is the one for you. Here’s how it’s done.
1. I use a block of wood that is 24″ long and is 3.5″ thick. The size and dimensions of the wood block is critical.
2. Position the heels on the wood block so that they extend over the top. Feet should be about 12″ to 24″ apart with toes pointing slightly outward.
3. Now let your knees drop down but forward and have your upper body at an angle. Maintain your balance by keeping your shoulders and the barbell over your heels at all times.
4. Once in the bottom position move your hips back over your heels in a somewhat squatting position. Now using only your thigh muscles return to the starting position.
5) Wide Pec Dips
Vince’s students were insturced on how to do dips to create a wide pec flare that gave them a classic look.
You must use a parallel bar that is 33″ wide, if it is not you will not receive the intended benefit from this movement. Anything wider or narrower will not work the pecs as desired. The most important execution of the movement is in the elbows: They must be wide and straight out from the shoulders. The head has to be in a down position with the chin resting on the upper chest and the back should be rounded forward.
Cross your feet and make certain they are slightly in front of your face, not back. Dip down as far as possible and return as high as you can. Never change this position as it isolates the pectoral muscles and limits the involvement of the triceps. Performing the movement with the elbows in will emphasize more triceps than pecs.
Very few bodybuilders perform this movement as described. It is perhaps one of the best movements for building and shaping the pecs there is.
6) The Perfect Curl
As described by Paul Becker of Truly Huge. Vince described how to do “The Perfect Curl” (or complete curl). The first part of “The Perfect Curl” (using a straight bar and a shoulder width hand spacing) begins with the elbows resting on the pelvis or hip bones with the arms hanging straight and the upper torso inclined with the head and shoulders just back of the hips. This particular starting position will actively stimulate the lower insertion of the biceps as the barbell is curled upward the first 10-12 inches.
The second part of “The Perfect Curl” kicks in as the barbell is continuing to be curled upward and the upper torso (head and shoulders) begins to travel forward to an erect (or vertical) position. This part of the curl involves the belly of the biceps.
The third part of “The Perfect Curl” concludes with the upper torso (head and shoulders) moving slightly forward from an erect (or vertical) position and the bar is curled upward to completion. When the torso is slightly forward from vertical at the completion of the upward phase of the curl it creates a maximum peak contraction in the biceps.
7) Gironda Sternum Chins
Thankfully for us Vince invented this exercise which has been coined the single best lat exercise ever developed.
1. Grasp the pull-up bar with a shoulder width underhand grip.
2. Now hang with your arms fully extended and stick your chest out and lean back. Tip: You will be leaning back throughout the entire movement. This will be your starting position.
3. Start pulling yourself towards the bar with your spine arched throughout the movement and your head leaning back as far away from the bar as possible. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: At the upper end of the movement, your hips and legs will be at about a 45-degree angle to the floor.
4. Keep pulling until your collarbone passes the bar and your lower chest or sternum area touches it. Hold that contraction for a second. Tip: By the time you’ve completed this portion of the movement; your head will be parallel to the floor.
5. Slowly start going back to the starting position as you inhale.
6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Join the conversation and leave a comment below. Which of these 7 exercises should be crowned the best exercise that Vince Gironda invented?
Do you know of any other “old school” Gironda exercises that not many people have the privilege of knowing about? Please…speak your mind.
Keep training hard,
Mike Westerdal
CriticalBench.com
P.S. If you’re getting super excited and fired up about Vince Gironda and his methods like I am just hold your horses. If you’re thinking of buying everything Gironda related you can find, just hold up until you see what I’m putting together for ya. The invitation only release date of this master manual with some really cool bonuses will be October 11th (as long as I have everything ready in time.)
P.P.S. If you haven’t seen the previous reports and updates, make sure you check them out below!
Step 1: Get On The VIP Early Bird Notification List For New Updates
FREE Report: 8 SETS OF 8 “The Way Vince Instructed” (PDF)
Update #1: The Greatest Trainer That Ever Lived Part 1 (article)
Look easy but I know it ain’t
Just what I need, some down to earth techniques that work!
Congrats, Mike, on having the ‘nous’, the knowledge and the desire to put this series together in this form.
I trained in my early years along the Vince Gironda lines and find his methods, beliefs and discipline absolutely timeless !
From a seasoned ‘builder (now recreational; health-wise) down in Oz to you young blokes in full flight, again I say, Well Done Mike, may you continue in your excellent work & get the ‘good’ message across to all those who follow you.
PJ the Aussie Fan 🙂
Dear Mike,
Any tips for a geriatric (72) on a fitness binge who can’t do even one pull/chin-up. I do know I have to reduce my own wt. For a ht of 66″ I’m carrying some 15 kgs too much at 85 kgs. But I suspect that even with wt reductin I’ll need to strengthen certain muscle groups. Can u advise on that (I workout at home with dumbbells)? Thanks.
K.Gopal Rao
I think plain walking is greatly under-rated. But it’s low impact and a great to way to get started with dropping some weight. A lot of barbell exercises including the ones above can be done with dumbbells as well. Mike
Vince Gironda – Was and will be the best ever. Thanking you for sharing some info with all his supporters.
All the way from Johannesburg South Africa.
Best regards
Louis Jordaan
Mike,
Thanks for additional Gironda exercises. I am getting pretty stoked about starting a new exercise regime using Vince’s methods. I have read and spent more money than I would like to admit on other so-called “perfect” exercise regimes, only to be severely disappointed in the lack of results. As a true “hard-gainer”, I am desperate to find one that works for me. I am more than ready to put in the hard work needed, my main concern is on the nutrition side. Partly due to a busy schedule, like most others, and part due to a bit of a lack of late afternoon motivation, I start out good, but tend to slack off after a couple weeks. As you point out, bodybuilding is 85% nutrition. Will your book due soon have a section containing Vince’s take on nutrition, and recipes for the busy average Joe to use? I hope so. Keep up the preaching on Vince’s life work…it has me ready to change my body.
Andy
A ton of the book will contain nutrition information considering Vince believed bodybuilding is 85% nutrition.
Pull up works great!
MIKE, I HAVE A QUESTION, I BEEN DOING DRAG CURLS WITH A STRAIGHT BAR BUT IN YOUR VIDEO IT IS DONE WITH A EASY CURL BAR, DOES IT REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENT WHICH BAR YOU USE?
THANK YOU
JOEY
I’ve done them with both bars and personally I prefer the ez curl bar as well.
please mention some pic with the technique
I like these a lot. They’re very unconventional. They have more than one movement some of the exercises (ie the sissy squat). I’ll have to try them.
Great, Great, Great!
I got to visit Vince’s gym back in the late ’70s when living in L.A.
I have been impressed for decades regarding his vision on health & fitness.
Learned a lot and I still use many of his training/nutrition applications with athletes and military personel who I train today, raw milk, organic pasteured eggs and meats!
Thanx for bringing to light his knowledge for others to share.
That is so cool! Do you happen to know what’s there now?
Mike,
love the info but the illustrations and/or photos didn’t load for most of the exercises listed.
can you set up a fix for that? Also wanted to mention I have seen different exercise programs
offered by others including your friends, Lee, Vince, skip, and your critical bench program
beats all of thiers hands down.
Amazing old school REAL shit, thats what I’m talking about!!!
Hey if it was good enough for Arnold to be trained by Vince, then this is indeed an unique opportunity to gain a real insight into body development.
What is most helpful is looking at good form, didnt realise I was doing it wrong and everyone else I see training in the gym, well maybe not wrong per’se but a very tunnel visioned approach.
It is time to be the shepherd and not the sheep. Mean bro Mean!!!
I would like to see more emphasis on the rear of the body when it comes to instruction – no wonder so many youngsters have shoulders and chest that implode. So much focus on the mirror body parts rather than the supporting posture correct rear muscles.
Having said that – awesome exercises descriptions illustrated here though.
Great post Mike! Although unconventional, I do see people performing drag curls and chins-to-sternum at the gym. The 45-degree pulley row looks really interesting – the concentric portion consists of a row and the eccentric portion consists of a pullover. Will definitely give these a try next time when back day comes around.
Do you happen to know Vince’s take on nutrition as well?
Tim
The Frog Sit Ups will work muscles that you did not know you had, but they will pay off. I have tried them in the past and although I was in decent condition it was difficult to do them when first starting out but they got easier as the days passed. They are an exercise which is concentrated, well worth the effort and unlikely to cause injury. I think the Frog Sit Ups and Pecs exercises would be ideal because there is no way that I will be able to overdo it. Excellent information and instruction provided, once again. Thank you.
Feels great on the lower back too.
Back to Basics! Great to see someone talking old school. Bodybuilding will always depend on the basic knowledge of building a great looking bod’. Problem is companies can’t make money on old news, so they recycle old news and turn it into the latest fad!
HI MIKE
I HAVE JUST SEEN THE VINCE EXERSISES WOW IS ALL I CAN SAY .I AM 80 YEARS AND TRAIN AT THE GYM ON MY OWN AND HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GAIN SOME MUSCLE,I WEIGH 75.5 KG AND BLOWING MY OWN TRUMPET, HAVE A BODY OF A 50 YEAR OLD. CANT SPELL PYSIQUE. I AM GOING TO START TOMORROW THURSDAY 5 SEPTEMBER ON THE EXSERSISES THANKS A MILLION FOR THE E-MAIL.
REGARDS
RON SMITH.
This is a total given process to build oneself.