Vince Gironda Workout: 8X8 Workout Weekly Sample Guide

If you’re looking to increase your muscle size, this is the workout plan for you. This technique, pioneered by bodybuilder Vince Gironda aims to increase the volume of your workouts to directly help with muscle growth. 

We’ll highlight a few of Vince Gironda’s main training philosophies and provide you with a sample weekly workout template you can use to build your own Vice Gironda-style workout. 

What is the Vince Gironda 8X8 Workout? 

What’s the best way to grow your muscles? 

If you guessed maximum volume at medium weights, you’d be correct! If your primary gym goal is creating a wider frame, the Vince Gironda workout is a popular aesthetic workout that abides by hypertrophic principles.

Training for maximizing muscle hypertrophy (muscle growth) is one of the best techniques you can use if you’d like to put on some extra size.  

So how does the Vince Gironda workout plan work? 

8 sets, 8 reps. 

Boom. Clean and simple. 

Gironda developed the 8x8 workout as a high-intensity bodybuilding routine to facilitate efficiency and a simple way to achieve muscle hypertrophy.

His method emphasizes volume and intensity. Athletes following the Vince Gironda workout plan can expect to work out to exhaust their muscles. The aim of this method is first and foremost to stimulate muscle growth and help you gain size.

Let’s look at a sample workout plan covering the basics that you might use in a Vince Gironda workout (8x8). 

Key Principles of the Vince Gironda 8x8 Workout

1. High Volume: The name of the game here is volume. The 8x8 structure ensures an overall high volume of work, maybe higher than you’re used to, but essential if your key focus is muscle growth.
2. Short Rest Breaks: On this program, you rest for about 30 seconds between sets. If this sounds tiring, it’s by design: the workout aims to maximize intensity and muscle fatigue.
3. Moderate Weight: Use a weight where you can do 8 sets of 8 reps with proper form, usually around 60-70% of your one-rep max. The reliability of the one-rep max is a great way to contextualize and measure many elements of your overall strength. 
4. Strict Form: Gironda was a bit of a perfectionist, striving toward the best form possible in all his workouts. Accordingly, emphasize perfect form and control during each rep. This will help you to fully engage the muscle you’re targeting and minimize injury risk.
5. Schedule: Typically, you want to do this workout 3-4 times per week. Each session should focus on different muscle groups with a muscle-based split, or you can take a full-body approach. Other split techniques you may want to consider are the bro split workout, the PHUL (Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower), a 3-day workout split or PHAT workout if you like the Gironda approach. 

Note: Madcow 5x5 is another technique similar to Gironda workout that is planned based on 5 reps 5 sets approach. Read more about this workout plan to see if it works for you. 

Sample Vince Gironda 8x8 Workout Plan

Day 1: Chest and Back

• Chest:
  • Bench Press: 8 sets of 8 reps
  • Incline Dumbbell Press: 8 sets of 8 reps
• Back:
  • Bent-Over Rows: 8 sets of 8 reps
  • Lat Pulldowns: 8 sets of 8 reps

Day 2: Legs

• Quads and Hamstrings:
  • Squats: 8 sets of 8 reps
  • Leg Curls: 8 sets of 8 reps
• Calves:
  • Standing Calf Raises: 8 sets of 8 reps

Day 3: Shoulders and Arms

• Shoulders:
  • Shoulder Press: 8 sets of 8 reps
  • Lateral Raises: 8 sets of 8 reps
• Arms:
  • Barbell Curls: 8 sets of 8 reps
  • Tricep Pushdowns: 8 sets of 8 reps

Day 4: Rest or Light Cardio

Tips for Success

• Progress Gradually: Start with lighter weights to adapt to the high volume and short rest periods.
• Focus on Recovery: Make sure to get in proper nutrition, hydration, and rest to support your recovery and muscle growth.
• Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to any signs of overtraining or injury and adjust accordingly.

Who is Vince Gironda?— Background

Often called the "Iron Guru," Vince Gironda was a successful American bodybuilder, personal trainer, and nutrition expert. 

He was born on November 9, 1917, and died on October 18, 1997. People in the fitness community recognized Gironda for his unconventional approaches to bodybuilding, training and diet. 

He trained many famous bodybuilders and Hollywood actors, like Larry Scott (the first Mr. Olympia), Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Clint Eastwood.

Vince Gironda— Training Principles and Philosophy

Training Techniques

8x8 Workout: Among Gironda’s most famous developments is the 8x8 workout method, which we explained above which operates on high volume and intensity with short rest periods. 

Form and Technique: Gironda was strict on form and control during exercises to promote proper alignment, muscle engagement and growth.

Workout Diversity: Gironda was big on using unique exercises or variations to target muscles differently than people were used to. Not only can it be mentally stimulating to use variations you’ve never tried before, but it can also “trick” your muscles out of familiar patterns, forcing them to adapt to new styles of conditioning so they grow.  

Nutrition and Diet

High-Protein Diets: If you’re a protein lover, good news for you! Gironda was a proponent of high-protein diets. He usually recommended foods like steak and eggs for building muscle. 

Supplements: Gironda believed in using supplements like (get ready for it) desiccated liver tablets, glandulars, and amino acids to support bodybuilding. Those are some interesting ingredients, but they seem to have worked for him. 

If you’re interested in some more traditional supplements, we have a few guides to Creatine Monohydrate vs. Micronized, and protein powders to try: Can You Mix Creatine with Protein Powder and  How Many Scoops of Protein Powder. 

Carb Cycling: He also recommended cycling carbohydrates and fats for optimal muscle definition and fat loss.

Bodybuilding Philosophy

Aesthetics Over Mass: Gironda emphasized achieving a well-defined, aesthetically pleasing physique rather than just building bulk.

Individualization: He believed in tailoring workouts and diets to individual needs and goals rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Now that we understand a few key principles that Gironda promoted and can get a rough idea of what one of his training plans might look like, take a look at a few benefits you can achieve from following his vision. 

Benefits of a Vince Gironda Workout

We all know that hypertrophy was one of the main achievements Gironda took pride in helping people achieve (explained more down below), but here’s a comprehensive list of the benefits of Vince Gironda workouts. 

Efficient Hypertrophy Training

High Volume Training: The Vince Gironda workout routines, especially the 8x8 method, are incredibly high volume with 8 sets of 8 reps. Compare this to the common rep range of 3-4 sets of around 8-12 reps that new or intermediate gymgoers tend to use on most lifts. 

Eight sets allows you the opportunity to train at a far higher volume. This kind of approach was created specifically to provide more volume in a single workout to lead to muscle growth. 

Continuous Tension: One of Gironda’s other key workout principles is shortening your resting periods. Although a 30-second rest. Short rest periods (30 seconds or less) between sets ensure muscles remain under constant tension, promoting better hypertrophy.

Muscle Definition

Strict Form: Gironda's emphasis on perfect form and controlled movements leads to more effective muscle targeting. This can help you get better muscle definition and aesthetics.

More Cardio

Short Rest Intervals: The shorter rest periods help you stay “on” for longer during a workout session. Namely, you spend more time active and less on a break. This helps increase your workout intensity, muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness as you progress.

High-Intensity Training: These workouts are demanding. This means they require good overall conditioning and stamina.

Time Efficiency 

Quick Sessions: Although high in volume, the short rest periods make these workouts time-efficient, so you get effectiveness in your session despite a shorter training time. 

Focused Training: Gironda’s routines are built to be intense and focused, with maximum benefits in minimal time in mind.

Customized and Adaptive Training

Individualization: Gironda’s philosophy of tailoring workouts to your individual needs and goals means you can adapt his routines for different fitness levels and objectives.

Progressive Overload: The structure of his workouts allows for gradual progression in weight and intensity, so you can improve over time. 

Mental Discipline

Strict Program: Following Gironda’s principles requires discipline and focus, giving you a strong mental approach to your training.

Consistency: The structured nature of the Vince Gironda workout technique promotes consistency: an essential component for long-term fitness success!

Overall Body Conditioning

Comprehensive Muscle Engagement: Gironda’s routines target various muscle groups. This helps you get balanced development and solid overall body conditioning.

Core Stability: Many of his exercises engage your core muscles, contributing to better core strength, stability and balance.

Big Picture

As a takeaway, we hope this Vince Gironda workout guide has given you a solid foundation for his techniques, workout programs and philosophies toward training. 

The most famous workout Gironda is known for— the 8X8— is an efficient way to get the most out of your training time and optimize for hypertrophy. 

8 sets, 8 reps. Short breaks. 

That’s a lot of volume compared to the traditional 3-4 sets of 8-12. What this does is increase your training volume. Gironda also emphasized using medium weights— a particularly good choice for the 8x8 set-rep scheme if you want to achieve hypertrophy. 

Adding Vince Gironda’s workout principles to your training program can significantly improve your muscle size, definition, endurance, and overall fitness. 

His innovative approach and emphasis on form can give you a solid foundation to build a well-defined and aesthetically pleasing physique.