William Arnold Pearl was an American professional bodybuilder and athlete. During the 1950s and 60s, he won many titles and awards, including winning the Mr. Universe contest five times, and was named “World’s Best-Built Man of the Century”. He later became an expert trainer and author on bodybuilding.
How did Bill Pearl train?
Bill trained six times a week during the final six weeks and would work the upper body every other day (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). He would then work legs on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, as well as some parts of the upper body that needed extra attention.
Some days Bill would go light and chase the pump. These were the days when he was feeling tired or just couldn’t focus on training. This is normal, and nice to see that even champions have their days.
This is the routine Bill Pearl used leading up to the Mr. Southern California competition, the Mr. California contest, and the Mr. America contest.
The poundages he used were very light in the weeks leading up to the show. His primary concern was to concentrate on hardening the muscle and bringing out muscle definition.