Golden Era Training

For the most part, training from the 1950s all the way to the 2000s were very similar. They relied on high volume and frequent training. It wasn't uncommon for Arnold and others during his time to train multiple times a day for 2-3 hours at a time. Nowadays, that would be considered overkill and counterproductive to building muscle. Although today, training more than once a day isn't suggested often, training methods in magazines such as flex are still very similar.

Here is an example of a typical week for Arnold Schwarzenegger back in the '70s. 

Arnold's Routine:

Mon, Wed, Fri 

Chest:
Bench press 5 x 6-10
Flat bench flyes 5 x 6-10
Incline bench press 6 x 6-10
Cable crossovers 6 x 10-12
Dips (body weight) 5 x failure
Dumbell pullovers 5 x 10-12.  

Back:
Wide-grip chins (to front) 6 x failure
T-bar rows 5 x 6-10
Seated pulley rows 6 x 6-10
One-arm dumbell rows 5 x 6-10
Straight-leg deadlifts 6 x 15

Legs:
Squats 6 x 8-12
Leg press 6 x 8-12
Leg extensions 6 x 12-15
Leg curls 6 x 10-12
Barbell lunges 5 x 15

Calves:
Standing calf raises 10 x 10
Seated calf raises 8 x 15
Oneplegged calf raises (holding dumbells) 6x12 

Forearms:
Wrist curls (forearms on knees) - 4 sets, 10 reps
Reverse barbell curls - 4 sets, 8 reps
Wright roller machine - to failure

Abs: 
½ hour of a variety of nonspecific abdominal exercises, done virtually nonstop. 

Tues, Thurs, Sat 

Biceps: 
Barbell curls 6 x 6-10
Seated dumbell curls 6 x 6-10
Dumbell concentration curls 6 x 6-10  

Triceps:
Close-grip bench presses 6 x 6-10
Pushdowns 6 x 6-10
French press (barbell) 6 x 6-10
One-arm triceps extensions (dumbell) 6 x 6-10 

Shoulders:
Seated barbell presses 6 x 6-10
Lateral raises (standing) 6 x 6-10
Rear-delt lateral raises 5 x 6-10
Cable lateral raises 5 x 10-12

Calves , Forearms & Abs: 
Same as Monday, Wednesday, Friday workout 

Originally shown in http://www.trulyhuge.com/news/tips63jb.htm. 

This style of lifting was incredibly successful for Arnold, but most people would not succeed consistently training so frequently. Arnold was part of the genetic elite so he could get away with training all the time. He also dedicated his whole life to bodybuilding, eating 5000 calories a day, and making sure to sleep 8-10 hours a night, not to mention the supplements he took to aid recovery. I've tried this same method when I was younger and it felt great for a couple days, but after a week, I was burned out. There was no way I could rest or eat enough to recover from so much lifting. Unless somebody is in the top percent of genetic ability and possibly taking performance enhancing substances, they won't likely build much muscle training this much.

This is where the internet has made such a big impact on fitness and what we know to be the best ways to eat, train, and supplement because it's full of real people giving the information. The magazines in Arnold's time would feature what was probably the real training and diet of bodybuilders such as Arnold, but these guys had/have amazing genetics that allow them to train or eat less than optimally and still build great bodies. It's the people that have to innovate new methods and train and diet perfectly in order to build a respectable body that should be looked upon as an authority.