Sergio Oliva Bodybuilder

Sergio Oliva is a typical "rags to riches" American story that started out very tough. Serge was born into a family in 1941 that worked the sugar cane fields in Havana, Cuba. At his father's insistence Serge Oliva joined the nationalist army at 16 so that he could fight against the threat of communism and Fidel Castro.

When they were finally defeated, Sergio used to hang around the beach and developed a passion in lifting weights and getting stronger. He had a natural talent for weightlifting so after a few years of training he was selected to represent Cuba at the Central American Games.

He placed second competing in his weight division but used the opportunity to run as fast as he could to the American Consulate where he requested political asylum, which was granted. Sergio started his American life in Miami working as a repair man before moving to Chicago in 1963.

Standing 5'10" tall and weighing around 225lbs he quickly developed a reputation amongst the bodybuilders around him for his immense strength set on a well-proportioned body of pure muscle. Sergio competed at regional bodybuilding competitions before he joined the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB).

He won the Mr. World in 1966 and was invited to compete at his first Mr. Olympia competition, where he finished in 4th place. 1967 was Sergio's year because he won the Mr. Universe and the Mr. Olympia competition becoming the new undisputed bodybuilding champion.

His fellow bodybuilder called Rick Wayne gave him his nickname, "The Myth" because of the audience reaction whenever they saw him onstage with descriptions like "just un-believable". It was not the first time that "The Myth" won Mr. Olympia as he won twice more, once in 1968 and then a year later in 1969.

Sergio Oliva Workout

His training was intense and long, training three hours every day, Sergio believed in volume, plenty of it.

Monday. On Monday, Sergio Oliva worked his chest with bench press, dips and flyes, and also worked his back with chin ups.

Bench Press supersetted with chin ups.
Set 1. Bench Press 200 x 8, 15 reps on chin ups
Set 2. Bench Press 220 x 8, 15 reps on chin ups
Set 3. Bench Press 260 x 8, 10 reps on chin ups
Set 4. Bench Press 300 x 8, 10 reps on chin ups
Set 5. Bench Press 320 x 8, 8 reps on chin ups
Set 6. Bench Press 350 x 8, 8 reps on chin ups
Set 7. Bench Press 380 x 8, 5 reps on chin ups

Dumbbell Flyes supersetted with Dips. 5 sets of 15 reps with 80 pound dumbbells, supersetted with dips for as many reps as possible.

Tuesday. On Tuesdays, Sergio trained his shoulders, biceps and triceps. Most rep and set schemes followed a 5x5 pattern.

Press. 5 sets, 15 reps with 200 pounds
Barbell Curls. 5 sets, 5 reps, 200 pounds
French Press. 5 sets, 5 reps, 200 pounds
Scott (Curls) Bench. 5 sets, 10 reps, 150 pounds
Scott (Curls) Bench with Dumbbells. 5 sets, 5 reps, 60 pound dumbbell
Seated Triceps Ext. 5 sets, 5 reps with 60 pound dumbbell, supersetted with Tricep Press Downs

Wednesday. On Wednesday, Sergio trained abs first, then thighs and calves. You will notice that there is no direct hamstring work.

Sit ups. 10 sets, 50 reps
Leg Raises. 5 sets, 20 reps
Side Bends with Bar Behind Neck. 5 sets, 200 reps
Squats. 300 x 5, 400 x 5, 440 x 5, 470 x 5, 500 x 4
Standing Calf Raise. 10 sets, 8 reps, 300 pounds

Thursday. Sergio's second chest and back workout of the week. He also added shoulder work as well.

Bench Press. 200 x 5, 220 x 5, 260 x 5, 300 x 5, 320 x 5, 350 x 5, 380 x 5
Press Behind Neck. 5 sets, 5 reps, 250 pounds, supersetted with Rowing Machine, 200 pounds
Sitting Press with Dumbbells. 80 pound dumbbells. No set and rep scheme provided
dips Bar. 5 sets, 8 reps with no weight

Friday. Friday's workout was another heavy arm day, but also features more back work. For the most part, Sergio used fewer sets for biceps on this day.

Press. 3 sets, 5 reps, 200 pounds
Barbell Curls. 3 sets, 5 reps, 200 pounds
French Press. 3 sets, 5 reps, 200 pounds
Scott Bench. 3 sets, 5 reps, 200 pounds
Scott Bench with Dumbbells. 3 sets, 5 reps, 50 pound dumbbell, supersetted with Tricep Press Downs.
Chinning Behind Neck. 5 sets, 5 reps
Chin ups with Close Grip. 5 sets, 5 reps, supersetted with Tricep Machine Pull Downs

Saturday. Another ab and leg day. Sergio used lighter squats, and also incorporated front squats into his routine. Again, no direct hamstring work. Also notice that Sergio performed three 20-rep squat sets.

Situps. 5 sets, 10 reps
Leg Raises. 5 sets, 10 reps
Side Bends with Bar Behind Neck. 5 sets, 50 reps
Squats. 3 sets, 3 reps with 300 pounds. 2 sets, 3 reps with 400 pounds. 3 sets, 20 reps with 250 pounds.
Front Squats. 5 sets, 10 reps, 200 pounds
Seated Calf Raise. 5 sets, 5 reps, 200 pounds

Sergio Oliva Diet

Although Sergio did not follow diet plan (his genetics and his high activity keep him lean all year long no matter what he ate, and he always said he ate anything and everything he wanted) but he would always be sure to take in a lot of protein from foods such as beef, chicken, eggs, fish, etc. and he also would mix Rheo Blair's Milk and Egg Protein with a gallon of milk and drink it throughout the day and even during workouts.

Long Live The Myth

Serge Oliva went on to have a very long and very successful bodybuilding career, including a comeback to Mr. Olympia in 1984, he then retired in 1985 and went back to Chicago. But Sergio "The Myth" he had securely cemented his reputation in the bodybuilding industry as being in the best top five bodybuilders ever. Sadly Sergio passed away November 12, 2012.

His son Sergio Oliva Jr. is now an IFBB professional bodybuilder who is now ready to compete in the Mr. Olympia. Will he be the next Myth? only time will tell.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, supplement or exercise program. Individuals differ in response to supplements and so will results.