Serge Nubret – Insights and Motivation

 

Although he passed on ten years ago, Serge Nubret’s name remain synonymous with bodybuilding. Winning numerous bodybuilding competitions, he is part of the “Golden Era” of bodybuilding, which includes the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno. Covering a glittering career which included the 1976 NABBA Mr. Universe title he also includes actor and self-published author to his repertoire.  Nick named the “Black Panther” he was one of Europe’s and France’s premier athletes of his day.

Today we cover his insights and motivation, specifically covering attitude to bodybuilding, preparing for competition and goal setting.  Learn from one of the masters of bodybuilding on how to maintain motivation levels and be prepared to make sacrifices to achieve your dream.

Motivation and Goal Setting

Regardless of whether you have an uncontrollable need or only a wholesome want, you must organize your mind through a series of goal-setting actions. Without any positive and clearly visualize goals, you simply cannot succeed.

If you are not self-motivated, you must motivate yourself. Many people, bodybuilders included, remain satisfied with too little. Do not be content with insignificant achievements. Many get so far and no further. Do not be content with developing a body so that it’s just a little better than the average physique. Lack of drive is death. Apathy is your enemy!

As a bodybuilder, you must not rest on your laurels. You must make every effort to cultivate the positive emotional force which completes the necessary physical action to take place, and the first essential is a positive, forceful mental outlook. You need to develop the attitude to life that does not accept permanent limitation. You must possess a spirit of abounding enthusiasm and the determination that ultimately makes failure impossible.

Forget the scoffers who say you are wasting your time. They are only showing their own lack of spirit and may well be envying yours.

Forget those who say, “Even if you succeed, it’s not worth it!” You have enough on your plate without letting these negative thinkers weaken your resolve the least little bit.

It can be helpful at times to feel a certain amount of dissatisfaction; not the dissatisfaction of despair, but a dissatisfaction with your present level of achievement. You can use this as fuel for forging ahead, trying harder, and achieving success. Never fall into the trap of being satisfied with too little.

 

Challenging your muscles

Serge had a unique way of training. At one time he trained very heavily and could curl over 240 pounds and bench press 500. Before his death, he exercised using a singular, seldom-practiced principle. He introduced progression into his training, not by constantly pushing the poundages higher and higher; but by pushing his rep count. In fact, it is a double progression, since he also tried to “race the clock”.

If, for example, it took him 45 minutes to do 30 sets of an exercise one day, the next day he would try to squeeze out 31 or 32 sets in the same length of time. He often willed himself to beat his rep record of the prior set. Using the seated dumbbell curl, he would start off by doing a set of 10 reps with a 45 - pound dumbbell, and in his second set would do 11 reps, his third set 12 reps, and so on, all with the same weight. The secret of his method lies in his ability to “feel” an exercise by pure concentration on the movement he was doing at the time.

Injuries

It may be safe to say that virtually all athletes endure the constant risk of injury. The reason is, of course, that they keep pushing their bodies more and more, and unless things are brought along at the correct pace and in the right manner, injuries are almost inevitable.

The worst thing for a bodybuilder is not the pain of an injury, but the annoying inconvenience of not being able to train as you would wish. Even a small muscle strain can keep you away from an all-important exercise for many months.

Weight trainers can incur injuries in the form of tendinitis, muscle tears, strains, sprains, or even bursitis or hernias.

The point being made by Serge, is that with common sense and care, there is no reason why you should not enjoy a successful bodybuilding career utterly and totally free of injury.

The biggest cause of injury to bodybuilders is probably carelessness, especially when trying to perform a near – limit lift. The show-off aspect to “having a go” is very conducive to sudden injury.

Warming up is an integral part of training. Never neglect it. Before you go into any exercise, you should do at least one set of 10-15 repetitions with about 50 percent of your limit for that number of reps. If you do not like the idea of performing a high – rep warm – up, then do 2 – 3 sets of lower rep warm-ups, again using about 50 percent of your maximum.

Training Attitude 

 Your mental attitude must never be less than 100 percent positive. Your success strategy must, unfortunately, incorporate selfishness. Relatives, friends, spouses, and lovers must come to understand that workouts are something that you simply must not miss. It may be difficult for them to understand, but that’s the championship path. In addition, you must learn to see yourself as a bodybuilding success. You must maintain your positive attitude in every rep of every set of every workout. Concentrate on every exercise with all the dedication you can muster!

Gaining Pectoral Impressiveness 

Serge would get an enormous amount of pectora development from bench press. In fact, he did no other pectoral exercise, except just before an important contest.

Working the Lats and Traps

One of the most spectacular traps belonged to Serge Nubret, because of his superbly small waistline and hips, and even though he had huge traps, Nubret looked extremely wide in the shoulders.

The lats are the biggest muscles of the back. They are “wings” that can be seen from the front under he arms. There are two ways to approach lat building. First, the scapula must be stretched out. This is done with wide grip chins, either in front or behind the neck, or by doing the at spread pose. Then thickness must be built in the area, usually be performing one or more of the various bent over rowing movements.

Filling out sleeves

Serge Nubret had outstanding arms, he began his routine with lying triceps stretches.

Serge Nubret kept improving and won many titles in a glittering bodybuilding career well into his senior years. In addition to being recognized by experts, peers and fans as a beacon of the sport, he dedicated his time to the development and promotion of bodybuilding. Although Serge Nubret’s name does not roll off the tongue like others of his bodybuilding era, the purest will recognize Serge’s legacy to bodybuilding with workout and diet technics still used today.

 

List of bodybuilding awards

·        1958: Mr. Guadeloupe

·        1960: IFBB World Most Muscular Man

·        1963: NABBA Pro Mr. Universe (2nd)

·        1964: NABBA Pro Mr. Universe (2nd)

·        1969: NABBA Pro Mr. Universe (3rd)

·        1969: IFBB Mr. World (Tall) (2nd)

·        1970: IFBB Mr. Europe (Tall)

·        1972: IFBB Mr. Olympia (3rd)

·        1973: IFBB Mr. Olympia (3rd)

·        1975: IFBB Mr. Olympia (Heavy Weight, 2nd)

·        1976: NABBA Pro Mr. Universe

·        1976: WBBG Mr. Olympus (2nd)

·        1977: NABBA Pro Mr. Universe (2nd)

·        1977: WBBG Mr. Olympus

·        1977: WBBG Pro Mr. World

·        1978: NABBA Pro. Mr. Universe (2nd)

·        1981: Pro WABBA World Championships

·        1983: Pro WABBA World Championships