Are you curious about the Big Ramy workout routine?

Do you want to know how Big Ramy trains for size and strength?

Then you’ve come to the right place.

In this comprehensive guide, I will teach you how to use the Big Ramy training program to take your physique to the next level!

Introduction

  • Part 1: Chest
  • Part 2: Back
  • Part 3: Shoulders
  • Part 4: Arms
  • Part 5: Legs

Big Ramy is the world’s best bodybuilder.

He won the Mr. Olympia competition two years in a row in 2020 and 2021, and he looks poised to win it a third consecutive year in 2022.

So how did he do it?

Does Big Ramy have a secret training program? Or does he just have good genetics?

Big Ramy trains 5 days per week using a traditional bodybuilding bro split.

He trains each muscle group on its own separate training day using lots of volume and intensity.

Here is the exact training split that BIg Ramy used to become the Mr. Olympia champion:

The Big Ramy Training Split

  • Day 1: Chest
  • Day 2: Back
  • Day 3: Off
  • Day 4: Shoulders
  • Day 5: Arms
  • Day 6: Legs
  • Day 7: Off

This is known as a “bodybuilding bro split.”

Big Ramy likes to train this way, because he can train each muscle group with 4-6 exercises in a single workout.

This training split also gives his muscles plenty of time to recover between workouts. After all, Big Ramy only trains each muscle group once every 7 days.

Many high-frequency gurus like Jeff Nippard and Stan Efferding say that training each muscle group twice per week is optimal for muscle growth.

However, Big Ramy is lifting unbelievably heavy weights, and he found through experience that he needs more rest between workouts to recover.

Now let’s look at the exact workouts that Big Ramy used to become a champion!

Part 1: Big Ramy’s Chest Workouts

Big Ramy trains his chest one day per week on its own separate training day.

He trains his chest with 5 exercises per workout, and he trains in the 10-15 rep range on almost every exercise.

Big Ramy is strong enough to incline press the 200 pound dumbbells, and his primary goal is to build muscular hypertrophy, so he sticks with the higher rep ranges where he can stimulate the most growth.

Big Ramy likes to focus on the following exercises in his chest workouts:

  • Dumbbell presses
  • Machine presses
  • Chest flyes (all types)

Big Ramy says these are the exercises where he can feel his chest working the most.

He sometimes performs the bench press or incline press in his workouts, but for the most part, he sticks with more joint-friendly exercises like hammer strength presses and incline dumbbell presses.

Here is one of Big Ramy’s all-time favorite chest workouts. Check it out:

Big Ramy Chest Workout #1

  • Exercise #1: 30 degree incline dumbbell press, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #2: Hammer strength flat press, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #3: Cable crossovers, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #4: 30 degree incline smith press, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #5: Machine pec dec, 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Here is the training video:

Talk about an intense workout!

Big Ramy starts this workout with one of his favorite mass-building movements: the incline dumbbell press.

He lifts over 200 pounds on this exercise, which proves he is every bit as strong as he looks.

After that he moves onto a variety of compound and isolation exercises, including machine presses, cable crossovers, incline smith machine presses, and the machine pec dec.

Big Ramy doesn’t care how much weight he is moving on most of these exercises.

Instead, he is 100% focused on applying as much tension on his chest as possible on each movement.

This is great advice – especially if you are a more advanced bodybuilder.

Many bodybuilding coaches like John Meadows prioritize getting strong muscular contractions over lifting heavy weights, and their results speak for themselves.

Here is another one of Big Ramy’s Mr. Olympia chest workouts. Check it out:

Big Ramy Chest Workout #2

  • Exercise #1: Hammer strength flat press, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #2: 30 degree incline dumbbell fly, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #3: Flat bench press, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #4: 60 degree incline smith machine press, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #5: Flat machine press (neutral grip), 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Here is the training video:

Talk about an intense chest workout!

This workout is very similar to the previous one.

Big Ramy blasts his chest with 5 total exercises, and keeps most of the sets in the 10-15 rep range.

As usual, he focuses on joint-friendly exercises like machine presses and chest isolation movements.

In this workout he actually performs the flat bench press, which is a little bit unusual for him. However, he is performing this movement third in his routine, rather than first.

This way, his chest is pre-exhausted and pumped full of blood before he performs the movement.

He can use a little less weight and focus on the mind-muscle connection, while reducing his odds of injury.

Overall Big Ramy uses a simple but effective chest training program. He picks 5 different exercises and trains as heavy as possible in the 10-15 rep range.

This can be a great way to train for many advanced bodybuilders.

Part 3: Big Ramy’s Back Workouts

Big Ramy is known for his unbelievable back development.

He has one of the widest and thickest upper backs the bodybuilding world has ever seen!

So how did he do it?

Big Ramy trains his upper back one day per week on its own separate training day.

He uses about 5-6 exercises per workout, and focuses on a healthy mix of rows and pulldowns.

And of course, he performs almost all of his sets in the 10-15 rep range to build as much muscle mass as possible.

Here is one of Big Ramy’s Mr. Olympia winning back workouts. Check it out:

Big Ramy Back Workout #1

  • Exercise #1: Lat pulldown (medium / supinated grip), 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #2: Machine chest supported row, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #3: Hammer strength low row, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #4: One-arm hammer strength low row, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #5: Seated cable row (V-handle), 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Here is the training video:

Talk about an intense workout!

The truth is, Big Ramy doesn’t do anything super fancy for his upper back.

I expected him to do some unique exercises, but instead, he just focuses on the basic movements like lat pulldowns and machine rows.

Big Ramy’s upper back grows so fast that he doesn’t have to do any weird exercises to stimulate growth.

Instead, he uses old-school exercises and focuses on maximizing the mind-muscle connection on every single rep.

Here is another one of Big Ramy’s back workouts that you can try. Check it out:

Big Ramy Back Workout #2

  • Exercise #1: Hammer strength low row, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #2: Lat pulldown (V-handle), 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #3: Seated cable row (V-handle), 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #4: Straight arm cable pullover, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #5: Chest supported row, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #6: 45 degree back extension, 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Here is the training video:

This is another very straightforward looking back workout by Big Ramy.

He performs a total of 6 exercises, including 5 exercises for his upper back, and one “finisher” movement for his lower back.

One interesting thing about Big Ramy’s back workouts is he never performs heavy rowing exercises like barbell rows or T-bar rows.

Instead, he performs all of his rows with his chest supported.

Many bodybuilders like Ronnie Coleman and Arnold Schwarzenegger believed that these heavy “unsupported” barbell rows were key for building up the thickness of the back.

However, Big Ramy disagrees, and he has the results to back it up.

It’s hard to say if Big Ramy’s approach really is superior, or if his superior upper back genetics allow him to skip Arnold’s favorite back thickness exercises.

Either way, Big Ramy’s routine is clearly working, and he has very little risk of injury in the gym.

Part 3: Big Ramy’s Shoulder Workouts

Big Ramy trains his shoulders one day per week on their own separate training day.

He uses about 6 exercises per workout to attack his front / side / rear delts, including a wide variety of compound and isolation exercises.

Big Ramy isn’t one to get picky with his exercise selection. Instead, he just throws “everything plus the kitchen sink” at the problem, plus some good-old-fashioned hard work!

Here is one of Big Ramy’s Mr. Olympia winning shoulder workouts. Check it out:

Big Ramy Shoulder Workout #1

  • Exercise #1: Hammer strength overhead press, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #2: Reverse pec dec, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #3: Cable rear delt fly, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #4: Smith machine behind the neck press, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #5: Barbell front raise, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #6: Barbell upright row, 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Here is the training video:

Talk about an intense workout!

Big Ramy trains his shoulders with 6 different exercises, including 2 compound overhead pressing movements and 4 shoulder isolation exercises.

He starts his shoulder workout with one of my favorite shoulder exercises: the hammer strength overhead press.

This is his “meat and potatoes” exercise for this workout, and he uses as much weight as possible, while staying in his favorite 10-15 rep range.

After that, he busts through a variety of exercises for his front, side and rear delts.

Big Ramy isn’t concerned with how much weight he is lifting on these exercises. Instead, he is focused on maximizing the mind-muscle connection on each exercise – even if he has to use lighter weights to do this!

Here is another one of Big Ramy’s shoulder workouts that you can try. Check it out:

Big Ramy Shoulder Workout #2

  • Exercise #1: Standing dumbbell lateral raise, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #2: Reverse pec dec, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #3: Smith machine overhead press, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #4: Cable reverse fly, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #5: Machine overhead press, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #6: Machine shrug, 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Here is the training video:

For this shoulder workout, Big Ramy uses the pre-exhaustion method.

In other words, he performs different isolation exercises for his side and rear delts before moving onto his heavy compound pressing movements.

This is a strategy that many other bodybuilding coaches like Hany Rambod have used with their clients.

The basic idea is that you can get a better mind-muscle connection with your side and rear delts if you pre-exhaust them with isolation movements, and then move onto your compound pressing exercises.

At the very least, this strategy lets you train hard while avoiding injuries.

Part 4: Big Ramy’s Arm Workouts

Big Ramy is known for his phenomenal arm development.

He has some of the biggest arms in the history of bodybuilding!

So how did he build up his world-class biceps and triceps?

The truth is, Big Ramy trains his arms one day per week on their own separate training day. He trains biceps and triceps together, as he feels he gets a better pump and better overall arm development this way.

Here is one of Big Ramy’s arm workouts that you can try. Check it out:

Big Ramy Arm Workout #1

  • Exercise #1: Straight bar tricep pushdown, 4 sets of 15-20 reps
  • Exercise #2: Standing ez-bar curl, 4 sets of 21 reps**
  • Exercise #3: Skull crushers, 4 sets of 15-20 reps
  • Exercise #4: Preacher curl machine, 4 sets of 15-20 reps
  • Exercise #5: Hammer strength dips, 4 sets of 15-20 reps
  • Exercise #6: Standing cable curl (arms abducted), 4 sets of 15-20 reps
  • Exercise #7: Cable rope pushdown, 4 sets of 15-20 reps

**Perform 7 reps in the bottom part of the range of motion, 7 reps in the top part, and 7 reps using a full range of motion

Here is the training video:

Talk about an intense workout!

Big Ramy almost always trains his arms in the 15-20 rep range. This is very different from his other workouts, where he mostly trains in the 10-15 rep range.

Big Ramy says the biceps and triceps respond best to high rep sets and lots of volume.

At the very least, this high-volume training style has allowed him to continue to make progress while staying healthy and avoiding injuries.

And at the elite level, staying healthy is the #1 priority for most athletes.

Big Ramy still pushes himself hard on his arm workouts though!

“You need to push yourself.

You must have a strong mind when you train this way.

Sometimes you get tired, but when you have a vision to make something great, you have to be strong!”

Here is another one of Big Ramy’s arm workouts that you can try. Check it out:

Big Ramy Arm Workout #2

  • Exercise #1: Standing barbell curl, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #2: Skull crushers, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #3: Standing ez-bar curls, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #4: Cable pushdowns, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #5: Standing alternating dumbbell curls, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #6: Cable rope pushdowns, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #7: One-arm dumbbell hammer curl, 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Here is the training video:

Talk about an intense workout!

Big Ramy performs 7 total exercises for his arms, including 4 exercises for his biceps, and 3 exercises for his triceps.

As usual, Big Ramy trains in the 10-15 rep range to maximize the pump in his muscles.

There really isn’t much else to say about his arm workout – he just sticks with the basic mass-building exercises, like barbell curls, skull crushers, dumbbell curls, and cable pushdowns, and works to maximize the mind-muscle connection on every single rep.

Big Ramy says he wasn't feeling that great today, but he still pushed himself hard, because that’s what it takes to become a champion.

“I’m a little bit tired but I train hard every day.

You have to train very hard to be champion and to be #1.”

That’s the mindset of a true champion!

Part 5: Big Ramy’s Leg Workouts

Big Ramy has some of the biggest legs in bodybuilding.

His quads are so huge they make Tom Platz’s quads look small in comparison!

So how did he achieve his unbelievable leg development? What’s his secret?

The truth is, Big Ramy trains his quads one day per week on their own separate training day. He trains his quads and hamstrings together in the same workout, as this has given him his best results.

Here is one of Big Ramy’s Mr. Olympia winning leg workouts. Check it out:

Big Ramy Leg Workout #1

  • Exercise #1: Lying leg curl, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #2: Leg extension, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #3: Back squat, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #4: 45 degree leg press, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #5: Kneeling leg curl, 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Here is the training video:

Talk about an intense workout!

Big Ramy uses the pre-exhaust method in this workout.

He starts the workout with isolation exercises like leg curls and leg extensions, and then moves onto more “mass-building” exercises like back squats and leg presses.

Why does Big Ramy do this?

Why would he pre-exhaust his quads with leg extensions, when he knows this limits the amount of weight he can lift on the heavy compound exercises?

The truth is, Big Ramy is incredibly strong on squats. If he performed them first in his routine, he might have to use 600-800 pounds!

This would be extremely dangerous, and it would put all of the tension on his lower back, instead of his quads.

Instead, Big Ramy pre-exhausts his quads with leg extensions, so that when he performs his heavy compound exercises like squats and leg presses, he can use less weight and feel his quads working harder.

Many other legendary bodybuilders like Branch Warren and Arnold Schwarznegger were also big fans of this pre-exhaust strategy for quads.

Here is another one of Big Ramy’s Mr. Olympia leg workouts. Check it out:

Big Ramy Leg Workout #2

  • Exercise #1: Seated leg extension, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #2: 45 degree leg press, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #3: Walking barbell lunge, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #4: Lying leg curl, 4 sets of 10-15 reps
  • Exercise #5: Kneeling leg curl, 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Here is the training video:

Talk about an intense workout!

Once again, Big Ramy uses the pre-exhaust method in this workout.

He starts the workout with leg extensions to isolate and pre-exhaust his quads.

Then he moves onto his heavy compound exercises for quads like the 45 degree leg press and walking barbell lunges.

After he trains quads, he moves right into his hamstrings exercises.

For this workout he trains hard on two different types of leg curls: lying leg curls and kneeling leg curls.

Big Ramy almost never performs heavy compound exercises like stiff-legged deadlifts for his hamstrings.

Instead, he relies on simple isolation exercises to get the job done.

What can I say? Big Ramy’s strategy gets the job done, and that’s all that matters!

Conclusion | The Big Ramy Workout Routine!

Big Ramy is the greatest bodybuilder in the world today.

He is also one of the hardest working bodybuilders in the world, and it shows in his routine.

Big Ramy trains 5 days per week using a high-volume, high-intensity bodybuilding program. He regularly throws around the 200 pound dumbbells for chest, and lifts extremely heavy weights for high reps for almost every body part.

If you are looking for a high-volume bodybuilding program to shock your body into growth, then you may want to consider the Big Ramy training program.

It may be just what you need to take your training to the next level!

Before you go, check out my other world-class bodybuilding articles:

Trust me – you won't find this cutting-edge information anywhere else!

“You have to be strong and courageous and know that you can do anything you put your mind to.”

Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of luck on your strength training journey!