Bob Paris is a bodybuilding legend and a fan favorite. His claim to fame was sculpting a lean, strong, beautiful and aesthetic physique. He was also ahead of his years in terms of maturity. By the time he was 25 years old he already launched his apparel line “Paris Fashions” which tailored to the athletic physique. He was thinking well ahead into the future and planning for life after bodybuilding, which many athletes fail to do (leading to their ruin). Bob Paris smashed the notion that bodybuilders where just a bunch of dumb meatheads. (Actually, all the notable Golden Era bodybuilders had big brains and social skills. But in the 1980’s things were a changin’. Mass monsters like Dorian Yates and Lee Haney hit the scene and changed bodybuilding forever. Bodybuilding went from a celebration of beauty and aesthetics to a ‘roided out freak show. I’m not knocking Haney or Yates’ intelligence, they are both smart guys. I’m saying their physiques where clearly much larger than their predecessors.) Unfortunately, Bob Paris was a casualty of an evolving bodybuilding culture. He was a man that stuck to his guns and refused to compromise his beliefs when the massive muscle masters hit the stage. Although Paris admitted to using steroids under duress, he did so to a limit and would not sacrifice his athletic looking physique. Throughout the 1980-1990’s bodybuilding went from a celebration of aesthetic physiques to an absolute freak show. Abuse of anabolic steroids was rampant and obvious. Aesthetics and physical beauty of the physique are no longer taken into consideration when it came time to judge the winner of a bodybuilding competition. As a result Bob Paris opted out of competitive bodybuilding and focused on building his business empire. Bob Paris Bodybuilding Philosophy True to Bob Paris bodybuilding philosophy, his workout strived to “Create an aesthetic and beautiful physique as well as maximizing your own potential.” What’s the secret sauce for creating a great body? “It was a combination of hard work, intelligent training, and good genes.” We’ll supply the intelligent training plan, you supply the hard work and hopefully you picked the right parents. Let’s get to it. Bob Paris’ Workout Routine Bob Paris had a great physique. Similar to that of Frank Zane. Not to mention he had phenomenal abdominals. Great abdominals. This is the workout as he describes in his book, “Flawless”. He used a 3 days ON followed by 1 day OFF (rest). His split of choice was the ever faithful Push-Pull-Legs (PPL) routine. 3-Day training split, performing 3-4 exercises per muscle group at 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps, occasionally straying from those rep ranges on core free-weight lifts, abs and calves. Day 1: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Abs and Cardio Incline Bench Presses 4 sets, 6 – 8 reps Incline Flyes 4 sets, 12 – 15 reps Flat Dumbbell Presses 3 sets, 6 – 8 reps Across Bench Pull-overs 3 sets, 15 – 20 reps Dumbbell Side Raises 4 sets, 10 – 12 reps Rear Pulley Crunches 4 sets, 12 – 15 reps Barbell Presses 4 sets, 6 – 8 reps Bench Dips 4 sets, 15 – 20 reps Push-downs 4 sets, 6 – 8 reps Two-Dumbbell Kickbacks 3 sets, 10 – 12 reps Hanging Leg Raises 3 sets, 15 – 20 reps (tri-set) Lying Leg Raises 3 sets, 15 – 20 reps(tri-set) Crunches 3 sets, 15 – 20 reps (tri-set) Cardio 20 – 30 minutes on the exercise bike or stair stepper. Day 2: Legs, Calves, Cardio Leg Extensions 4 sets, 15 – 20 reps Front Squats 4 sets, 12 – 15 reps Lunges 4 sets, 10 – 12 reps (each leg) Lying Leg Curls 4 – 5 sets, 12 – 15 reps Stiff-Leg Deadlifts 4 – 5 sets, 12 – 15 reps Standing Calf Raises 3 – 4 sets, 20 – 25 reps Seated Calf Raises 3 – 4 sets, 12 – 15 reps Tibia Raises 3 – 4 sets, 20 – 25 reps Cardio 20 – 30 minutes Day 3: Back, Biceps, Forearms Wide-Grip Pulldowns 4 sets, 12 – 15 reps Close-Grip Pulldowns 4 sets, 8 – 10 reps One-Dumbbell Rows 4 sets, 10 – 12 reps Half Deadlift/Shrugs 3 sets, 8 – 10 reps Hyperextensions 3 sets, 20 – 25 reps Incline Dumbbell Curls 4 sets, 10 – 12 reps Barbell Curls 3 – 4 sets, 8 – 10 reps One-Arm Pulley Curls 3 sets, 12 – 15 reps Pulley Compound Wrist Curls 3 sets, 12 – 15 reps Day 4: Rest, Cardio Cardio 20 – 30 minutes Day 5: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Abs, Cardio Bench Presses 4 sets, 6 – 8 reps Incline Dumbbell presses 4 sets, 8 – 10 reps Cable Crossovers 3 sets, 15 – 20 reps Across-Bench Pullovers 3 sets, 12 – 15 reps Dumbbell Presses 4 sets, 6 – 8 reps Seated Bent-Over Side Raises 4 sets, 10 – 12 reps Lying Compound Side Raises 4 sets, 10 – 12 reps Rope Push-Downs 4 sets, 6 – 8 reps Overhead Pulley Extensions 4 sets, 12 – 15 reps Lying French Prsses 3 sets, 15 – 20 reps Hanging Leg Raises 3 sets, 12 – 15 Lying Leg Raises 3 sets, 12 – 15 reps Crunches 3 sets, 12 – 15 reps Cardio 20 – 30 minutes Day 6: Legs, Calves, Cardio Hack Squats 4 sets, 12 – 15 reps 45-Degree Leg Presses 3 sets, 15 – 20 reps Leg Extension 4 sets, 15 – 20 reps Standing Leg Curls 4 sets, 12 – 15 reps Lying Leg Curls 4 sets, 10 – 12 reps Leg-Press Calf Raises 4 sets, 20 – 25 reps Seated Calf Raises 3 sets, 10 – 12 reps Tibia Raises 3 sets, 15 – 20 reps Cardio 20 – 30 minutes Day 7: Back, Biceps, Forearms Wide Rear Pull-Downs 5 sets, 15 – 20 reps Low-Pulley Rows 4 sets, 6 – 8 reps T-Bar Rows 4 sets, 8 – 10 reps Dumbbell Shrugs 4 sets, 12 – 15 reps Hyperextensions 4 sets, 20 – 25 reps Concentration Curls 4 – 5 sets, 10 – 15 reps Barbell Preacher Curls 4 sets, 6 – 8 reps Zottman Curls 4 sets, 12 – 15 reps Barbell Wrist Curls 4 sets, 15 – 20 reps Once Paris was able to hit his top rep number in all sets, he would increase the weight 5 – 10 pounds. Bob Paris Diet “Eat 5 or 6 meals every day. The only real way you will make one hundred percent progress…is by eating these meals….If you work away from home—buy several resealable plastic containers—pack all your meals and take them with you.” Here’s a typical 5-meal daily Bob Paris diet plan. Meal #1 5 ounces ground beef or steak 5 ounces lima beans or chick peas 4 ounces rice 3 ounces spinach Meal #2 One whole egg 7 egg whites 4 ounces oatmeal 4 ounces nonfat milk Meal #3 5 ounces turkey or chicken breast 5 ounces roasted corn or potato 5 ounces green peas or string beans 5 ounces brussels sprouts / spinach / broccoli Meal #4 5 ounces scallops 5 ounces steak. 5 ounces sweet potato 3 ounces broccoli 5 ounces zucchini or eggplant Meal #5 4 ounces cod 10 ounces baked potato One whole egg Asparagus There you have it – Bob Paris’ workout routine and bodybuilding diet plan. I respect Bob Paris’ approach to bodybuilding. His ideal in bodybuilding is to have all the body parts coordinate together and to have an aesthetic, beautiful physique with good size and perfect symmetry. He strived to display the beauty of the human form, and injected a dose of personality into his bodybuilding posing. Paris was much more approachable compared to the bodybuilders today, as his physique had a better appeal to most people.