Ted Arcidi's Workout & Diet (Master Strength & Intensity)

We’ll get into Ted’s training principles shortly, but it’s important to note that he would progressively reduce the repetition pattern during his training cycle for competitive bench press events.

In the first three weeks, he would do three sets of 6 reps, then reduce it to 3 sets of 5 reps for the next three weeks.

Then he further reduced things to 3 reps for three weeks. And the final two weeks would involve a mix of 2 or 3 reps per set.

His workout days were extremely intense, but he managed to achieve his size by going to the gym on only three days of the week.

And if you want to follow his approach, then you definitely want to avoid any kind of light weight.

In Ted Arcidi's bench press routine, we've covered sets and reps. Now, let's delve into some crucial aspects.

Firstly, Ted stresses the importance of maintaining a controlled pace during exercises. It's not about racing; the key is to keep your muscles engaged for longer. This method promotes muscle growth.

From time to time, Ted adds forced reps with the help of a spotter when needed.

Ted also highly recommends the behind-the-neck press for upper body strength. He sometimes includes a heavy set of this exercise at the end of his workouts.

When it comes to breathing, Ted has a unique approach due to the slower movements. He often exhales and inhales twice during the lockout to stabilize his chest and ensure even pressure distribution across his shoulder girdle and joints.

Ted's preference for progressively increasing weights and reducing reps is based on his experience. Developing greater lung capacity for six reps made handling heavy weights for three reps much easier.

Here is the type of food that Ted would typically have to get through in a day to bulk up to that size.

• Meal 1: 8-egg omelet with steamed vegetables, a large bowl of oatmeal with unsalted nuts and seeds;
• Meal 2: mass gaining shake with 500+ calories and mostly carbs, fresh fruit and berry salad, double scoop of protein shake;
• Meal 3: a large bowl of rice or sweet potatoes, 4 lean chicken breasts, a large portion of steamed vegetables;
• Meal 4: mass gaining shake with 500+ calories and mostly carbs, a large bowl of mixed salad, double scoop of protein shake;
• Meal 5: a large bowl of rice or sweet potatoes, 20-ounce steak;
• Meal 6: a bowl of mixed salad, double scoop of protein shake;

As you can imagine, that’s a ton of calories, but that kind of bulking with extremely heavy weights will require a lot of excess energy.

Ted’s diet efforts were always a very important factor in preparing for a scheduled meet or just to maintain his massive bulk.

And to achieve that, he would have relied on two types of supplements.

1. Creatine

Not only would creatine supplements have helped him speed up his recovery phases, but it would also provide good endurance and reduced levels of fatigue [1].

2. Whey Protein

The kind of heavy benches and the fact that there are no light days at the gym says it all. To get the maximum bulking and recovery effect, it’s likely that you would need multiple scoops of whey protein each day.