Workout Routines
Victor Richards Workout Routine
What does Victor Richard’s workout routine look like?
Victor Richards is a Nigerian bodybuilder known for having one of the biggest physiques in the 1980s and 90s. His career never fully took off the way the fitness world expected, but he’s still one of the largest bodybuilders of his time.
He remains one of the great iconic bodybuilders who never reached his full potential by competing in a professional setting.
Although we’ve done research on Victor Richards’ diet and exercise regime, this article isn’t his exact workout routine. It provides a general idea of what Victor did when training for a bodybuilding competition, based on his own commentary and information from others in the industry.
Current Stats
- Height: 5’10”
- Weight: upwards of 330 pounds
- Age: 56
- Birthday: September 15, 1965
- Accolades: 1st place 1992 Nigerian championships, 1989 Mr. Barbados, 1984 California Gold Cup Classic, 1983 Teen Los Angeles, 2nd place 1982 American Cup
Workout Principles
Vic not only enjoyed the physical challenge of bodybuilding, but he also studied the influence that fitness, psychology, and nutrition have on the mind-body connection.
Victor Richards received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Human Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern California.
Throughout his brief but impressive bodybuilding career, Vic Richards made it clear that he worked out for self-improvement, not for glory or attention.
Vic Richards also claims that bodybuilding was a spiritual experience for him, and he wouldn’t let a panel of judges determine his worth in the sport.
Victor Richards’ Workout Routine
In his prime, Victor Richards utilized strength training that incorporated hypertrophy-type resistance using massive weights paired with powerlifting techniques. Victor Richards was pumping iron six days a week, with one rest day.
Here is Victor Richards’ workout routine:
Monday – Triceps, Biceps, Calves
Victor Richards starts his first workout of the week with an arms and legs split training program.
- Barbell curl (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Hammer curl (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Biceps cable curl (7 sets, 12 reps)
- Barbell bench press (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Tricep press (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Cable rope overhead extension (7 sets, 12 reps)
- Calf raise (seated) (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Calf raise (standing) (7 sets, 12 reps)
Victor Richards claims he has done barbell curls with weights up to 315 pounds, easily explaining the muscle mass of his gigantic arms.
Tuesday – Legs
Victor Richards trains his legs on Tuesday, where he claimed to have squatted 900 pounds. As far as professional bodybuilders go, there aren’t many who can rival that weight.
- Barbell squat (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Leg press (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Leg extensions (7 sets, 12 reps)
- Hamstring curls (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Calf raise (3 sets, 12 reps)
Wednesday – Rest day
Victor Richards took a mid-week rest day to let his body recover. Being such a massive bodybuilder means pushing his body to new limits, which requires rest and recovery.
Thursday – Chest and Triceps
Victor Richards would perform an upper body workout on Thursday, training his chest and triceps.
- Bench press with dumbbells (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Incline dumbbell press (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Cable crossover (7 sets, 12 reps)
- Barbell bench press (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Triceps press (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Cable rope overhead extension (3 sets, 12 reps)
Friday – Back and Calves
On Friday, Victor Richards’ training routine included a back and calves workout.
- Bent over barbell row (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Lat pulldown (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Seated cable row (3 sets, 12 reps)
- Calf raise (seated) (7 sets, 12 reps)
- Calf raise (standing) (3 sets, 12 reps)
Saturday – Shoulders and Biceps
To ensure he’s hitting his goals for muscle growth, Victor Richards performs more biceps exercises on Saturday and throws in a shoulder workout as well.
- Shoulder presses (3 sets, 8 reps)
- Front dumbbell raise (3 sets, 8 reps)
- Side lateral raise (3 sets, 8 reps)
- Barbell curl (3 sets, 8 reps)
- Incline dumbbell curl (3 sets, 8 reps)
- Biceps cable curl (3 sets, 8 reps)
Sunday
By Sunday, Victor Richards assesses his training for the week and focuses on any area of his body that is lacking.
Bodybuilders lift massive amounts of weight in their workouts, but some muscle groups are stronger than others. It’s beneficial for many bodybuilders to leave a day to train hard and build muscle mass wherever extra attention is needed.
Victor Richard’s Diet
While he claims he once ate 30,000 calories in one day because he ate Caribbean and African cuisine, which can be extremely high in calories, that intake was not a normal occurrence for Victor Richards.
While 30,000 calories is nearly impossible to eat, Vic Richards did consume anywhere from 7-10,000 calories per day while he was training, in the form of eight meals per day.
Here is Victor Richard’s diet:
Meal 1
Vic Richards had his first meal of the day after his workout. He preferred eating on an empty stomach, saying, “A hungry man is an angry man. Anger helps fuel my workout.”
- Raisin bran with a pint of milk
- Freshly squeezed orange juice
Meal 2
- Donuts
- Croissant filled with grated cheddar cheese
- Four eggs
- Bacon
- Full-fat milk
Victor Richards completed his morning workout, ate two meals, and would try to get a nap in.
Meal 3
- Steak
- Mixed greens
- Full-fat milk
- Baked potato with sour cream
Meal 4
- Two cheeseburgers
- Mozzarella sticks
- A slice of apple and cherry pie
- Whole milk
Meal 5
Victor Richards relied on a protein shake post-lunch to help with muscle recovery and keep him feeling full.
Meal 6
- Tuna with mayo
- Greek yogurt
- Banana
- Protein bar
- Fruit juice
Meal 7
- Protein shake
- Banana
Meal 8
- Two pizza slices with extra cheese
- Fruit juice
Supplements
Victor Richards undoubtedly used supplements and vitamins to keep him strong while pumping iron, focused, and energized all throughout his day.
Summary
To say Victor Richards is the best bodybuilder of the 1990s is pretty accurate. His strength and potential rivaled some of the legends of bodybuilding, like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dorian Yates.
Victor Richards’ training routine is iconic in the bodybuilding world because of the results he experienced and the dedication and effort he made to the sport. While he may not be the largest bodybuilder of his generation, his hard work and dedication are admirable.
Attempting Victor Richards’ workout program is a serious commitment, from the time spent bodybuilding and the calorie intake required.
