Zydrunas Savickas Training Routine......

Monday;

1) BACK SQUAT – 1 SET OF 12 REPS, 1 SET OF 8, 1 SET OF 6, 1 SET OF 4, 2 SETS OF 3 WITH WEIGHT INCREASE EVERY WEEK.
2) FRONT SQUAT – 1 SET OF 8 REPS, 1 SET OF 6, 2 SETS OF 4.
3) CALFS – 4 SETS OF 15 REPS.

Tuesday;

1) BENCH PRESS - 1 SET OF 12, 1 SET OF 8, 1 SET OF 6, 2 SETS OF 4, 1 SET OF 2.
2) INCLINE BENCH PRESS - 1 SET OF 8, 1 SET OF 6, 2 SETS OF 4.
3) CLOSE GRIP BENCH PRESS – 4 SETS OF 5.
4) TRICEP PUSH DOWNS – 4 SETS OF 8.

Wednesday;

1) DEAD/LIFT – 1 SET OF 10, 1 SET OF 8, 1 SET OF 6, 3 SETS OF 3 GETTING HEAVIER EACH WEEK.
2) GOOD MORNINGS – 3 SETS OF 6.
3) MACHINE PULLDOWNS AND ROWS.

Thursday;

1) APOLLONS AXLE – 1 SET OF 10, 1 SET OF 8, 3 SETS OF 6.
2) SEATED PRESS – 4 SETS OF 5.
3) TRAPS – 4 SETS OF 6.

Friday;

1) MEDICINE BALL THROW FOR HEIGHT - 10 TO 15 THROWS.
2) CARDIO TRAINING FOR 30 MINS ON A EXERCISE BIKE OR CROSS TRAINER.

Saturday;

1) FARMERS WALK – 150KG EACH HAND FOR 40M, 2 RUNS.

Sunday;

REST DAY.

Calculating Calories and Macro's....

Please note - the following should be taken as general advice only and should not be used in the face of medical contraindications. Please consult your physician before starting any diet or nutrition plan.

Basic Terminology

1/ BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): The amount of calories you need to consume to maintain your body if you were comatose (base level).
2/ NEAT (Non-Exercise Associated Thermogenesis): The calorie of daily activity that is NOT exercise (eg: washing, walking, talking, shopping, working). ie: INCIDENTAL EXERCISE! It is something that everyone has a good amount of control over.
3/ EAT (Exercise Associated Thermogenesis): The calorie requirements associated with planned exercise. Unless someone is doing a whole heap of exercise (eg: two or more hrs training a day) it usually doesn't add a stack of calories to your requirements (30 minutes of 'elliptical training isn't going to do it')

4/ TEF (Thermic effect of feeding): The calorie expenditure associated with eating. REGARDLESS of what myths you have been told - this is NOT dependent on MEAL FREQUENCY. It is a % of TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED (and 15% of 3 x 600 cal meals is the same as 15% of 6 x 300 cal meals). It varies according to MACRONUTRIENT content and FIBER content. For most mixed diets, it is something around 15%. Protein is higher (up to 25%), carbs are variable (between 5-25%), and fats are low (usually less than 5%). So -> More protein and more carbs and more fiber = HIGHER TEF. More FAT = LOWER TEF.
5/ TEE (Total Energy Expenditure): The total calories you require - and the sum of the above (BMR + NEAT + EAT + TEF).

How much do you need?
A multitude of things impact MAINTENANCE calorie needs.
- Age & sex (males generally need > females)
- Total weight & lean mass (more lean mass = more needed)
- Physiological status (eg: sick or injured, pregnant, growth')
- Hormones
- Exercise level (more activity = more needed)
- Daily activity level (more activity = more needed)
- Diet (that is - macronutrient intake)

In order to calculate your requirements the most accurate measure is via Calorimetry [the measure of 'chemical reactions' in your body & the heat produced by these reactions], either directly (via placing a calorimeter where the heat you produce is measured) or indirectly (eg: HOOD studies where they monitor how much oxygen you use/ carbon dioxide and nitrogen you excrete over a given time). But although accurate they are completely impractical for most people & we mostly rely on pre-set formula to calculate our needs.

NOTE: IF YOU ARE LESS THAN 18 YRS OF AGE - THESE FORMULA WILL NOT BE ACCURATE!There is an energy cost associated with growth / inefficient movement / high surface area:mass ratio. Look HERE for alternatives.
As a teenager I would also STRONGLY suggest you don't obsess on calories and macros! Eat well, exercise regularly, and have fun while you can!

Estimating Requirements

The simplest method is to base your intake on a standard 'calories per unit of weight (usually kilograms)'. Typically:
- 26 to 30 kcals/kg/day for normal, healthy individuals with sedentary lifestyles doing little physical activity [12.0-14 kcal/pound]
- 31 to 37 kcal/kg/day for those involved in light to moderate activity 3-5 x a week with moderately active lifestyles [14-16 kcal/ pound]
- 38 to 40 kcals/kg/day for those involved in vigorous activity and highly active jobs [16-18 kcal/ pound].

For those involved in HEAVY training (eg: athletes) - the demand is greater:
- 41 to 50 kcals/kg/day for those involved in moderate to heavy training (for example: 15-20 hrs/ week training) [18.5-22 kcal/ pound]
- 50 or above kcals/kg/day for those involved in heavy to extreme training [> 22 kcal/ pound]

There are then a number of other formula which calculate BMR. This means it calculates what you need should you be in a coma.

1/ Harris-Benedict formula: Very inaccurate. It was derived from studies on LEAN, YOUNG, ACTIVE males MANY YEARS AGO (1919). Notorious for OVERESTIMATING requirements, especially in the overweight. IF YOU CAN AVOID IT, DON'T USE IT!
MEN: BMR = 66 + [13.7 x weight (kg)] + [5 x height (cm)] - [6.76 x age (years)]
WOMEN: BMR = 655 + [9.6 x weight (kg)] + [1.8 x height (cm)] - [4.7 x age (years)]

2/Mifflin-St Jeor: Developed in the 1990s and more realistic in todays settings. It still doesn't take into consideration the differences as a consequence of high BF%. Thus, once again, it OVERESTIMATES NEEDS, ESPECIALLY IN THE OVERWEIGHT.

MEN: BMR = [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] + 5
WOMEN: BMR = [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] -161

3/Katch-McArdle:Considered the most accurate formula for those who are relatively lean. Use ONLY if you have a good estimate of your bodyfat %.
BMR = 370 + (21.6 x LBM)Where LBM = [total weight (kg) x (100 - bodyfat %)]/100

As these are only BMR calculations To convert BMR to a TOTAL requirement you need to multiply the result of your BMR by an 'activity variable' to give TEE.
The Activity Factor is the TOTAL cost of living, NOT JUST YOUR TRAINING. Think about it - if you train 1 hr a day - WHAT ARE YOU DOING THE OTHER 23 HRS?! So MORE important than training -- it includes work, life activities, training/sport & the TEF of ~15% (an average mixed diet).

Average activity variables are:
1.2 = Sedentary (Desk job, and Little Formal Exercise)
1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Light daily activity AND light exercise 1-3 days a week)
1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately daily Activity & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)
1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise 6-7 days a week)
1.9-2.2 = Extremely Active (Athlete in ENDURANCE training or VERY HARD physical job)

How Accurate are they?: They give rough ball-park figures and are still 'guesstimations'. So the aim is to use these as 'rough figures', monitor your weight/ measurements for 2-4 weeks, & IF your weight is stable/ measurements are stable, you have likely found maintenance.

Using the Above to Recalculate Based on Goals

You then need to DECREASE or INCREASE intake based on your goals (eg: lose or gain mass). It is not recommended to use a 'generic calorie amounts' (eg: 500 cals/ day). Instead this should be calculated on a % of your maintenance. Why? The effect of different calorie amounts is going to be markedly different based on someones size/ total calorie intake. For example - subtracting 500 cals/ day from a 1500 total intake is 1/3rd of the total cals, where 500 cals/ day from 3000 total intake is only 1/6th of the total. The results will therefore be markedly different on an individuals energy level & weight loss. Generally:

- To ADD weight: ADD 10-20% calories to the total above
- To LOSE weight: SUBTRACT 10-20% calories from the total above

Then monitor your results and adjust as required.

Macronutrient Needs

Once you work out calorie needs, you then work out how much of each macronutrient you should aim for. This is one of the areas that is MOST often confused but This should NOT be based on a RATIO of macro intakes. (eg: '30:40:30 or 40:40:20') Your body doesn't CARE what % intake you have. It works based on SUFFICIENT QUANTITY per MASS.

So to try to make it as simple as possible:

1. Protein: Protein intake is a bit of a controversial issue in nutrition. The general recommendations given in the 'bodybuilding' area are nearly double the 'standard' recommendations given in the Sports Nutrition Arena.
The GENERAL sports nutrition guideline based on clinical trials suggest that in the face of ADEQUATE calories and CARBS the following protein intakes are sufficient:
STRENGTH training -> 1.4 to 2g per KG bodyweight (about .6 / pound)
ENDURANCE training -> 1.2 to 1.8g per KG bodyweight (about .8 / pound)
ADOLESCENT in training -> 1.8 to 2.2g per KG bodyweight (about 1g / pound)
BUT researchers also acknowledge that protein becomes MORE important in the context of LOWER calorie intakes, or LOWER carb intakes.
Recent evidence also suggests that protein intakes of 3g/kg help with physiological and psychological stressors associated with high volume or intense training.
One should also note that ADEQUATE v's OPTIMAL is not discussed when it comes to hypertrophy v's performance.
And lastly - you need to consider thermogenics/ satiety/ and personal preference.

So - General 'bodybuilding' guidelines for protein would be as follows:
- Moderate bodyfat and training load = 2.2-2.8g per kg TOTAL weight (about 1-1.25g per pound)
- Very Low bodyfat or Very Low Calorie or High training load = 2.4 - 3g per kg TOTAL weight (1.1-1.35g per pound)
- High bodyfat, high calorie, or low training load = 1.6 to 2.2g per kg TOTAL weight (.75 - 1g per pound)

Anecdotally, as most find HIGHER protein intake better for satiety, partitioning, blood sugar control, and hypertrophy. UNLESS you have medical reasons for lower protein, or unless guided to use the GENERAL sports nutrition guidelines, I would suggest the BODYBUILDING values.


2. Fats: Generally speaking, although the body can get away with short periods of very low fat, in the long run your body NEEDS fat to maintain health, satiety, and sanity. Additionally - any form of high intensity training will benefit from a 'fat buffer' in your diet - which controls free radical damage & inflammation. General guides:
Average or low bodyfat: 1 - 2g fat/ kg body weight [between 0.40 - 1g total weight/ pounds]
High bodyfat: 1-2g fat/ Kg LEAN weight [between 0.4 - 1g LEAN weight/ pounds]
Low calorie dieting - you can decrease further, but as a minimum, I would not suggest LESS than about 0.30g/ pound.


3. Carbs: For carbs there are no specific 'requirements' for your body so - but carbs are important for athletes, ACTIVE individuals, or those trying to GAIN MASS. [carbs help with workout intensity, health, & satiety (+ sanity)]. This means if you are an athlete involved in a good volume of training I would suggest you CALCULATE a requirement for carbs as a PRIORITY - then go back and calculate protein / fat:
Moderately active: 4.5 - 6.5 g/ kg (about 2 - 3g/ pound)
High active: 6.5 - 8.5 g/ kg (about 3 - 4g/ pound)
INTENSE activity: + 8.5g / kg (more than 4g/ pound)

For 'others' - simply carbohydrate intakes via the calories left over from fats/ protein:
carb cals = Total cal needs - ([protein grams above x 4] + [fat grams above x 9])
carb grams = (above cals)/ 4

Back........

Beauty.......

                                       

Bodybuilding.....

Booooom!!!....

Lmao.

Stuart McRobert’s Abbreviated Hardgainer Routines....

Template 1 – Full-body-routine program
General warmup

a. Squat
b. Parallel bar dips
c. Stif-legged deadlift
d. Dumbbell press
e. Pulldowns or pullups
f. Barbell curl
g. Calf work
h. Crunch situps

Cool down


Template 2 – Twice-a-week divided program

Monday

General warmup

a. Squat
b. Bench press or parallel bar dip
c. Pulldown or prone rows
d. Calf work
e. Back extension
f. Crunch situps
g. Grip work

Cool down

Thursday

General warmup

a. Sumo deadlift or stiff-legged deadlift
b. Overhead press
c. Curl
d. Side bend
e. Neck work
f. Lying L-fly (rotator cuff)

Cool down


Template 3 – Three-days-a-week divided program

Monday

General warmup

a. Squat
b. Stiff-legged deadlift
c. Pulldowns

Cool down


Wednesday

General warmup

a. Calf work
b. Crunch situp
c. Grip work
d. Side bends
e. Curl
f. Neck work
g. Lying L-fly (rotator cuff)

Cool down


Friday

General warmup

a. Bench press
b. Overhead press

Cool down


Template 4 – Super-abbreviated program

Day one

General warmup

a. Squat
b. Parallel bar dips
c. Prone rows

Cool down


Day two

General warmup

a. Trap Bar deadlift
b. Bench press or incline press
c. Pullup (or chin)

Cool down


Template 5 - Abbreviated Push Pull

Day one

Squat
Stiff-legged Deadlift
Pull-up or Pull-down
Barbell Curl


Day Two: (3-4 days later)

Bench Press or Incline Press
Dips
Military Press
Abs

Repeat workout one 3-4 days later.

Im not happy and i have not been for a long time.....

IFBB Bikini Pro & Fitness Model Tabitha Klausen-Leandri...

Back

• Wide Pulldowns x3 for 10-12 reps
• Cable Rows x3 for 10-12 reps
• Close Pulldowns x3 for 10-12 reps
• Machine Rows x3 for 10-12 reps
• Assisted Pullups x3 for 10-12 reps

Legs/Calves

• Leg Extensions x3 for 10-12 reps
• Leg Press x3 for 10-12 reps
• Romanian Deadlifts x3 for 10-12 reps
• Leg Curls x3 for 10-12 reps
• Inner/Outer Thigh Machine x3 for 10-12 reps

Chest

• Flat Bench x3 for 10-12 reps
• Lying Pec Fly Machine x3 for 10-12 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Press x3 for 10-12 reps
• Pec Fly Machine x3 for 10-12 reps
• Seated Machine Press x3 for 10-12 reps

Arms

• Cable Tricep Extension w/rope x3 for 10-12 reps
• Overhead Machine Extensions x3 for 10-12 reps
• Dumbbell Kickbacks x3 for 10-12 reps
• Flat Bar Cable Pushdowns x3 for 10-12 reps
• Machine Preacher Curls x3 for 10-12 reps
• Alternating Dumbbell Curls x3 for 10-12 reps
• Barbell Drag Curls x3 for 10-12 reps
• Cable Curls x3 for 10-12 reps

Shoulders

• Dumbbell Side Raises x3 for 10-12 reps
• Dumbbell Front Raises x3 for 10-12 reps
• Dumbbell Press x3 for 10-12 reps
• Barbell Front Raises x3 for 10-12 reps
• Machine Alternating Front & Side Raises x3 for 10-12 reps

Abs

• V-Ups on a bench (front and sides) 4×15 each
• Reverse Crunches and “Twisters” 4×15 each
• Weighted Abs on Swiss ball 10lbs 4×15
• Hanging Abs 4×10-15 (front and sides)

Cardio: I do 3x for 20-30 mins on the treadmill at a high incline in the off season
 

 

 

Meal 1: Eggs, Turkey Bacon, Fruit

Meal 2: 6 oz. Chicken & Onions, 1/2 cup Brown Rice

Meal 3: 6 oz. Chicken & Onions, 1/2 cup Brown Rice

Meal 4: 6 oz. Chicken & Onions, 1/2 cup Brown Rice

Meal 5: 6 oz. Chicken & Onions, 1/2 cup Brown Rice

Meal 6: 6 oz. Turkey and a Baked Potato

"Split Routines: Are They the Death of Productive Training?

Kurt J. Wilkens, RKC


I have come to the following conclusion, after considerable research and study of much of the available material regarding the training methods and results of the so-called ?old timers?, as well as current training methods and results: the ?split? routine has been the death of productive strength training and muscle building. Allow me to explain the reasoning behind this possibly shocking revelation?

First, I shall clarify what I mean by ?split? routine. As most of us are probably aware, the conventional use of the phrase split routine comes from bodybuilding; it refers to structuring ones training routine around the individual body parts/muscle groups. One example: Working chest, shoulders, and triceps one day, back and biceps the next, and legs the third day. Another, even worse (and you?ll understand why by the end of the article), example: Legs one day, back one day, chest one day, shoulders one day, and arms one day. As I said, these are conventional examples of split routines, the type of things you would invariably find in what have been referred to as the ?muscle comics? -- because what you find inside these ?comics? is so far-fetched and ridiculous, it has absolutely no resemblance to reality!

Another, more practical, type of split routine, would be to split the lifts -- take a handful of the big, compound, multi-joint exercises and work two or three each time you train. As you will soon see, this type of split can be very effective. For example: squats, pull-ups, and overhead presses one day, deadlifts and bench press another day, and maybe snatches and cleans-and-jerks on another day. It should be obvious, I hope, that the type of split routine that I have a problem with is the former, body part type.

It might not be the end of the world if the use of body part split routines were limited just to bodybuilding, but their insidious influence is found everywhere. Many amateur and professional athletes (in football, baseball, basketball, etc.), World?s Strongest Man competitors, powerlifters, and combative and tactical athletes of all types can be seen using the cursed split routine in their training. These are people who, in my opinion, should know better -- and whose athletic needs require a totally different approach to strength training and conditioning.

When the ?average? guy took up weight training in the early days of the 20th Century, he was almost assured of making good gains from his training. He could count on adding considerable size and strength to his body, while also vastly improving his health. Today?s average trainee is not afforded that same luxury/opportunity -- and much of the blame should fall at the feet of the muscle magazines, for it is the muscle mags that promulgate the absurd split routines to the unknowing masses of eager, yet gullible, young men. In defense of these magazines, though, it may not be entirely their fault. You see, it all started back in the early 1920s ?

A Little History for Yourself

When Milo Steinborn came here from Germany, he brought with him the heavy, flat-footed squat. Prior to this, most lifters in this country were doing their squats with fairly light weights, up on their toes. This produced a certain degree of muscularity in the thighs (though not necessarily a lot), but didn?t contribute much in the way of startling total-body size and strength. With Steinborn?s version of the squat, that all changed -- and a revolution was founded! The heavy, flat-footed, high-rep squat would eventually become the cornerstone of most lifter?s routines, thanks in large part to the efforts of Joseph Curtis Hise and Peary Rader. Along with the squat, you would find many other heavy, multi-joint lifts being suggested by the top physical culturists of the time. This trend -- whole-body routines with an emphasis on heavy leg and back work -- would continue into the 1960s, but only barely.

Perhaps some examples through the years are in order.

Alan Calvert, from his ?First Course in Body-Building and Muscle-Developing Exercises?, 1924, included the following drills in his program: Standing Curls, Bent-Over Rows, Standing Press Behind Neck, Stiff-Arm Pullovers, Weighted Situps, Overhead Press while seated on the floor, Straddle Lifts, Shrugs, Squats up on the toes, One-Arm Press/Side Press, One-Arm Swings, and a strange type of Supported, Bent-Over One-Arm Reverse Curl.

Mark Hamilton Berry, from his ?First Course in Physical Improvement and Muscle Developing Exercises?, circa ~1936: Standing Curl, Floor Press, Bent Rows, Standing Press Behind Neck, Two-Arm Pullovers, Squats, Shrugs, Straddle Lifts, Weighted Situp, One-Arm Press/Side Press, One-Arm KB Swing, Wrist Roller, Wrestler?s Bridge, Reverse Curl, Military Press.

Harry Barton Paschall, ?The Bosco System of Progressive Physical Training?, 1954: (Program 1: Bodybuilding) Upright Rows, Standing Press, Standing Curls, Bent Rows, Squats, Pullovers, Calf Raise, Stiff-Legged Deadlift/Shrug combination drill, Side Bends, DB Circles, Weighted Situps, and Leg Swings; (Program 2: Weight Gaining) Clean and Press, Standing Curls, Bent Rows, Bench Press, Squat, and Chest Lifts.

John McCallum, from his Keys to Progress series, circa the mid-1960s: (An article titled ?For Size and Strength?) Prone Hyper-Extensions, Squats and Pullovers, Front Squats, Bench Press, Power Cleans, Rowing, Press Behind Neck, Incline Curls.

You will notice that none of these programs are split routines; more often than not, it was expected that the routine would be performed on three non-consecutive days per week. Please note, there is nary a fly nor lateral raise nor leg extension in the bunch. (Apparently, however, curls have always been included as a concession to man?s preoccupation with big biceps.) Another thing you may notice is that, over the years, the routines tended to get a little shorter -- programs of 10-15 or more drills were becoming routines of 6-8 exercises, as they minimized any redundancy and eliminated some of the drills that were not maximally productive. Thus, they found it possible to develop whole-body size and strength without having to train each individual muscle with its own exercise. All of these programs -- both the longer ones and, especially, the shorter ones -- resulted in considerable increases in size and strength for anyone who tried them.

The same cannot be said for the drivel and BS that passes for training advice in this day and age. Show me an ?average?, drug-free, genetically-typical trainee today who has made any real progress in his training; a modern lifter who continues to make progress steadily, even if somewhat slowly; a trainee who is not lifting the same amount of weight for the same number of reps week after week, year after year. I?ve seen it myself time and time again, first when I trained in a gym, then when I worked in one.

In fact, I experienced it for myself. Allow me a brief digression to illustrate my point with some personal history. Years back, when I used to train in the gym with a training partner, we always used split routines -- typically chest/shoulders/triceps on Monday and Thursday, back/biceps Tuesday and Friday, and legs on Wednesday. My partner was a thick little mesomorph who made some progress on whatever program we were using; I, on the other hand, did not. It may also be worth noting that my partner made his progress while missing a good eight out of ten leg workouts, while I made virtually no progress while never missing a leg session. In each chest workout we would do the bench press, working up to a max each time (the idea that you need to max in each workout -- that?s a rant for another time), and I would always take a shot at the big ?two wheels?, 225. Only on one or two occasions was I actually able to bench that 225 by myself, for a shaky, ugly rep -- and this was over the span of more than two years time. (While I constantly struggled with that 225, my partner went on to push 315, damned mesomorph ?) Shortly after I quit the gym, I went on a ?Hard Gainer? type routine, training the whole body in each workout, and using only three or four lifts per session to do so. And after no more than about six months I was benching the sacred two wheels for reps -- three or four or five -- at home, by myself, with confidence, thank you very much.

By now, you are probably wondering when I?m going to get to the point. Well, here it comes. The whole-body type programs that were used in the old days offered many benefits not afforded by the elaborate split routines of today, and these benefits may help explain why it is that old-time lifters could excel while we flounder in a sea of mediocrity. (It may also explain why our Olympic lifters have lost to the cursed Commies year after year -- since the 60s; it?s an opinion apparently shared by none other than the great Olympic lifter Tommy Kono, at least according to his excellent book, ?Weightlifting, Olympic Style?.)

Benefits of Whole-Body Routines vs. Split Routines

First, the endocrine response. According to modern sports science, the more muscle mass one uses in a training session, the greater the endocrine response; in other words, the more hormones that your body will release in response to your training. The old-time programs trained all the muscle groups in each workout; that?s a lot of muscle mass. Consider the gush of hGH and testosterone that would be sent coursing through the body after a workout that included heavy squats, deadlifts, standing presses, bent-over and upright rows, bench presses, DB swings, snatches, etc. And consider the muscle-building and fat-burning effects of all this hGH and test free-flowing through your system. Now, try to imagine how very little the squirt of hormones would be after a shoulder workout of seated DB presses (at least standing you would be getting some leg work, however minimal), lateral raises to the front and sides, bent laterals, and maybe some cable laterals for a little extra striation-training. Or worse, a ?heavy? arm workout: preacher curls, incline DB curls, maybe 21s to get a good burn; then ?skull crushers?, seated French presses, and some pushdowns for the outer head, man. Diddly in the way of muscle-building and fat-burning! The training effect upon the endocrine system may also explain why the trend in full-body routines went from as many as ten or more drills down to half that: The abbreviated routines allowed the lifter to finish the session within 45-60 minutes, which maximized hGH and testosterone while minimizing the catabolic hormone cortisol. The old-timers may not have fully understood why the shortened routines seemed so much more productive than the original two-plus-hour marathon workouts, but they knew what worked and they stuck with it!

Second, bone and joint strength. Again, modern sports science tells us that the bones in the body are strengthened best when subjected to a heavy load. This is where the big, multi-joint lifts come in, lifts like squats, deadlifts, cleans-and-jerks, snatches, standing presses, etc. It is quite impossible to put the skeletal frame under significant resistance when using so-called isolation exercises; as far as I?m concerned, these type drills are little more than ?poor-leverage? drills. Lateral raises, flyes, cable cross-overs, leg extensions, etc, all put the weight at the end of a relatively long lever, making it more difficult to lift that weight -- even a very light weight. And at no point in any of the isolation exercises does any real resistance actually fall fully on the bone structure; the skeletal system does little, if any, real supporting of the weight. The same applies to the connective tissues: To fully strengthen the tendons and ligaments, it is necessary to subject them to tremendously heavy weights, often through a partial range-of-motion. Again, this is not something that is adequately accomplished with the isolation-type, poor-leverage drills. Clearly, split routines and the accompanying isolation drills are not the most efficient way to build strength in the bones and connective tissues.

The talk of strength leads us to the next point: muscular strength. Maximum muscular strength is best developed via the lifting of very heavy weights. The heavier the weight, the greater the tension generated in a muscle, and the more tension generated by a muscle, the more force it can apply -- thus, it gets stronger! And while isolation drills -- aka, poor-leverage drills -- may generate what appears to be a lot of tension (even with very light weights), it is typically far less than would be required with whole-body exercises. The goal of strength training, after all, is -- or should be -- to lift the heaviest weight possible. Think of it this way: Would you have more confidence and more pride from doing a set of ten reps in the lateral raise with 25 pounds, or five reps in the clean-and-press with 205? Which drill do you really think would do more for your bodily size and strength? The answer, I hope, is obvious.

Finally, we come to the issue of functionality. The isolation exercises that are the staple of most split routines are not functional in the least (beyond, perhaps, for training around an injury, or for rehab). When was the last time you needed to put something heavy on a shelf above your head and you chose to lift it at the end of your stiff, outstretched arm? Hopefully never. You would, I have to believe, do something that would resemble a continental clean and press -- deadlifting the load to waist height, struggling it up to the shoulders, and finally pressing it up overhead and sliding it onto the shelf. Whole-body routines using the big, multi-joint drills train the whole body as a unit -- as the name might imply. They teach your many muscle groups to work together in a unified, athletic fashion, and in the proper sequence: typically from the ground up, transferring force from the lower body, through the midsection, into the upper body, and out through the arms (more often than not, anyway). These drills also teach the muscles of the legs and core to stabilize the upper body against resistance, which is especially important not only in lifting but in many combative/contact sports.

There?s a popular saying, something to the effect that ?Form Follows Function?. How you train will determine how you look, that?s true enough; but it will also determine how you perform. Training for functionality will dramatically improve your performance, first and foremost, and your ?form? right along with it. Cosmetic-oriented training -- bodybuilding -- may improve how you look, but it will not, I submit, do much to improve your performance in any endeavor. Besides, what will be more valuable to you in your life: looking puffed-up and pretty, or having high levels of strength and work capacity? Train like an athlete, not a bodybuilder! To train any other way is to invite injury and weakness.


Split Routines, Steroids, and ?Isolationism?

Split routines first began to rear their ugly little heads sometime in the late 50s or early 60s, around the time that steroid use was really becoming widespread in the bodybuilding and lifting communities. A coincidence? I think not! Heavy, often high-rep, leg and back work is absolutely essential for making size and strength gains drug-free, but let?s face it: heavy leg and back work, properly performed, is positively brutal. Thus, it may not be a complete surprise that when lifters found they could achieve significant increases in muscular size and strength without subjecting themselves to the brutally heavy lifting, they did so. (In their defense, though, it?s worth noting that they didn?t know of the dangerous side effects of the drugs at that time; also, they were taking much lower doses and much fewer varieties of the drugs than are the lifters and bodybuilders of today.)

Of course, one rationale for the use of split routines is that it allows the lifter to train the individual muscle groups with greater focus and intensity, thus developing greater size and strength in those muscles. Well, I would submit that this logic only really applies to a lifter using exogenous pharmaceutical enhancement -- Dianabol, Winstrol, etc. A natural lifter with your so-called ?average? genetics is not going to receive much in the way of results from such a program since he will not be getting much in the way of an endocrine response. I wonder, in fact, if it?s not necessary for a ?juicer? to train every day in the isolation fashion because he or she needs to keep the drug-carrying blood ?pumped into? the separate muscles to feed them the hormones and facilitate growth. I don?t know; it?s just a thought ?

Another argument for the use of split routines is that they will allow one to train more frequently because you are training different parts of the body each time. Well, to my thinking, this is only partly accurate. Yes, you may be training different muscles each time, but there is so much more to the body than just the muscular system. Let?s not forget the many other systems: nervous, endocrine, skeletal, etc. If one were to -- as many bodybuilders do -- train to the point of muscular failure several times in a workout -- and do that several times in a week -- even if you are training different muscle groups, you are still causing considerable systemic fatigue; ?wiring up? the nervous system, for example, as well as draining the various energy systems, depleting the endocrine system, etc. With proper nutrition and recover strategies, it may be possible for the drug-free, average trainee to mitigate some of these factors -- but for a steroid-using lifter, it becomes a no-brainer; steroids are known to considerably accelerate the recovery process.

One of the biggest problems that I have with split routines is that it results in an ?isolation mentality?. Every effort is made, more often than not, to try to isolate each individual muscle. This practice, by definition, results in a loss of some of the very best drills one could do. The clean-and-press, for instance; should it be trained on back day or shoulder day. But wait, what if you do squat-snatches; is that a leg drill or a back drill; and doesn?t it also involve the shoulders to an extent? The bent press; where do you start with that? Deadlifts; back or legs? High pulls? One-arm dumbbell swings? Dumbbell cleans? Sots presses?

Whole-body routines, if considered at all today, are thought to be appropriate only for beginners. After the first 3-6 months -- perhaps as much as a year -- you have to switch to a split routine if you want to continue to make progress -- or so we?re led to believe. This is quite absurd. ?Back in the day?, as the saying goes, most of the strongest and best-built lifters trained on whole-body routines for the duration of their careers, and made relatively steady progress the entire time -- even setting lifting records that have yet to be broken to this day!


Laying Blame at the Feet of the ?Muscle Comics??

Anyone who is familiar with Dinosaur Training will recall Brooks D. Kubik railing against today?s crop of trainees lifting their ?pigmy weights? because they were afraid to train heavy. I believe that this is mostly inaccurate (and I?m aware that much -- but not all! -- of Brooks? writing was done sort of tongue-in-cheek), because I was one of those young guys who couldn?t seem to get strong -- because I was following the programs in the muscle mags. Because I didn?t know any better; who knew that there was a so-much-more productive way to train for size and strength? Certainly not me and my friends, I can tell you. After all, how could we know? My friends and I slaved away with those ?pigmy weights? workout after workout because we were misinformed.

I never considered the possibility that there might be an alternative method out there, even though the split routines didn?t do diddly for me. Just enough people made just enough progress on split routines that I assumed the fault for my lack of gains lay within myself -- I must be doing something wrong. And of course I was -- just not what I had thought.

It seems to me that people have always had an interest in the way the super-strong have trained, and the muscle mags have answered that call. In the old days, the big one was Alan Calvert?s ?Strength? magazine giving us the goods on Saxon and Sandow and Hackenschmidt, etc. The next big one was Peary Rader?s ?Ironman? with Hise, Peoples, Boone, Davis, Anderson, Hepburn, et al. Then came Bob Hoffman?s ?Strength and Health? and Park, Grimek, and the champion Olympic lifters of the era: Kono, Schemansky, the George Brothers, and on and on. These physical culture periodicals published the training routines of all the stars, and the information was invaluable to the average lifter because the training methods were based on what worked. Gradually, as the use of steroids became more pronounced, the routines that the champs were using began to change -- and the magazines published those programs. And, as you might expect, the average reader started to emulate these new ?split? routines, and didn?t get the results that the champs were getting. The problem was that the champs didn?t make it known to the magazines that they were ?pharmaceutically-assisted?. Thus, the editors of the time were likely as duped as the poor reader. And if the editors did in fact know, it seems that they weren?t telling.

Today, of course, they?re still not talking. Even though it?s a big open secret in the muscle mag industry that most -- okay, probably all -- of the physiques you see pictured in the ?comics? were ultimately built with steroids. And the mags are still publishing those split routines, and not mentioning the prerequisite need for boatloads of drugs to make those programs work. And for that, I most certainly do blame Joe Weider and Bob Kennedy and all their ilk. They are selling unattainable dreams to kids and wide-eyed young men; they are selling these poor bastards supplements that won?t work, and cheating them of something that could otherwise have been a very fulfilling and worthwhile pursuit, and they are leading them to failure and disappointment -- and they know it! I personally wasted precious years of my life -- perhaps what might have been my most productive training years, with a system pumped full of raging teenage hormones -- on those ineffectual and pernicious routines. To think how much bigger and stronger I might have been today is almost enough to move me to tears. Would that I knew then ? Oh yes, I am still holding this grudge after all these years!


Reliable References

There are precious few periodicals and books out there that are telling you the truth about physical training; you would do well to go out of your way to find them. IronMind?s MILO magazine tops the list, of course. And a couple of now-defunct magazines you should make an effort to get back issues of: Dinosaur Files and HardGainer. (These are just the few that I have personal experience with; there may well be others of which I?m unaware.) To me, it seems very much a shame that some of the most honest and useful magazines are not more well-known, and many typically fold after a relatively short time, while the newsstand ?glossies? continue to churn out the same nonsense, month after month!

In terms of books, most of the stuff by Stuart McRoberts is excellent, if a bit conservative. Look for ?Brawn? especially (the book that finally got me gaining in size and strength), as well as ?Beyond Brawn?; his ?Insider?s Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Training Technique? is invaluable for learning proper lifting technique. Brooks D. Kubik?s ?Dinosaur Training? is outstanding, and a personal favorite; it compelled me to completely re-evaluate my approach to training. Without question, get Pavel?s ?Power to the People!? for a ?simplex? approach to building strength -- with or without size. Bill Starr?s ?Strongest Shall Survive? is also quite good, and has aged very well, thank you; as I?ve been saying -- the methods that work don?t change much. Check out William F. Hinbern?s website www.SuperStrengthBooks.com for a wide assortment of very valuable reading materials: books by and about Saxon, Hackenschmidt, Goerner, Paschall, Berry, Calvert, et al. Almost any of these books would be eminently valuable to you; a wealth of productive training wisdom.


If You Insist on ?Splitting??

In my humble opinion, there is really only one type split routine that might be worth discussing -- beyond the lift-splitting example offered in the opening paragraph of this treatise, of course. If you insist on using a split routine, I implore you to consider the upper body/lower body split. This type split was favored by none other than the gargantuan powerhouse Paul Anderson.

One of the very first ?body part? split routines, the upper/lower split offers some significant benefits that aren?t found with most of today?s popular splits. First is a much more equal division of the body?s musculature. With the upper/lower split, you are able to emphasize the back and the shoulder girdle in one session, and the hips and legs in the other. The core/midsection could conceivably be trained in each session. In both of these workouts you are training a considerable portion of the body?s muscle mass with heavy weights.

Which leads us to perhaps the most notable and beneficial perk: the potential to use some of the really BIG lifts: the clean-and-press/jerk, the snatch, the one-arm swing all fit nicely into the upper body workout (not necessarily all in one session, of course); the various squats and deadlifts are the obvious choices for the lower body day. Using these big lifts will offer many of the advantages of whole-body routines -- if you use the big lifts. An upper/lower split is fairly worthless if you just fill the program with wimpy little isolation exercises. Naturally, there may occasionally be some overlap of the muscle groups being trained in each session, but this is okay because you probably won?t be training every day (although with proper variation of the intensity and volume, you certainly could; I just wouldn?t recommend it). Typically, if you are training for some size along with your strength, and/or if you are involved in other physical activities, you will do best lifting only two to four days per week. Also, by using the big, multi-joint drills, you are able to get more work done in less time; in other words, you can train all of the involved major musculature with only a small handful of lifts. For example, one-arm dumbbell swings, cleans-and-presses, and the pullover-and-press for the upper body; squats and stiff-legged deadlifts for the lower. Or, even more streamlined for less wasted time and energy: snatches and one-arm standing presses for the upper body, bent-leg deadlifts for the lower.

The above routines are just a couple of ideas for yourself, as a place to start. Alternatively, you could simply pick a few of the drills from each list below -- perhaps two or three for the upper body and one or two for the lower -- add an ab and/or oblique drill or two, and put together your own program. (These lists are far from comprehensive, of course.)

Upper Body Drills (Back and Shoulder Girdle Emphasis)
- Bent-Arm Pullovers
- Pullover-and-Press
- Snatch, one arm or two
- Clean-and-Press, one arm or two
- Clean-and-Jerk, one arm or two
- Bench Press
- Incline Press
- One-Arm Swings
- Weighted Pull-Ups/Chins
- Bent-Over Rows, one arm or two
- Weighted Dips

Lower Body Drills (Hip and Leg Emphasis)
- Back Squats
- Front Squats
- Straddle Squats
- Deadlifts, one arm or two
- Stiff-Legged/Romanian Deadlifts
- One-Legged Deadlifts
- Hack Squats, with a barbell, of course
- Reverse Deadlifts
- One-Legged Squats
- Spider/Zercher Squats

In Conclusion?

If you are a young guy -- or even a not-so-young guy -- whose sole desire is to get bigger and stronger, drug-free, I beg of you: Do not fall for the popular hype that you?ll find in nearly every one of the muscle and fitness magazines and Internet websites today! Reference the materials cited above (MILO, Brawn, Dinosaur Training, PTP, etc.). With any or all of these books and magazines to guide you, you can?t go far wrong with your training. Please, don?t waste your time trying to prove that you are an exception, that your genetics are ?good? -- chances are they?re not. Do yourself a BIG favor and stick with what works, what?s been working for over 100 years -- hard and heavy training on full-body routines using the big lifts. The results may amaze you!"



I hope that this article opens some eyes!

The Squat ...For Everything?

By Peary Rader - 1971

I want to dwell on a topic which I feel is of great importance of every reader of this article, whether his interest be in big muscles, great strength or superb condition and health. We want to dwell more at length on the latter though we wish to emphasize the others as well.

We have often called the squat the "King of Exercises." We call it this because we truly believe that this is so. Many, many years ago, back in the late thirties and early forties, the squat first came into prominence when Mark Berry promoted it extensively, first in the old "Strength' magazine then his "Strong Man" magazine, and later in this "Physical Training Simplified."

During this time, also back in 1936, Iron Man began publication and its primary object for many years was the promotion of the squat as a superior exercise. If you have old issues of the muscle magazines of those days you will be able to follow the history of the squat as an exercise which had more to do with the progress of bodybuilding and weightlifting than any other exercise. The specialized use of the squat as an assistance exercise had more to do with bringing America's lifters to the top than anything else.

At one time the USA held most of the world's lifting titles and most of the world records. Early in the promotion of the squat by Berry, Bob Hoffman was opposed to the use of the squat and would not permit his men to do anything lower than a quarter squat, and not much of this, for he felt that the squat slowed the lifter, etc. You will find this too if you into old issues of his magazine. However, as the years passed, he was convinced of the value of the squat; and began promoting it.

America reached a peak of fame in lifting and then other nations discovered the squat too, and they began to catch up. In due time they forged ahead and instead of following our training methods alone, began development of their own and today you know the sad story, as the USA stands near the bottom of the lifting world with no prospects of regaining our high position until we drastically change many things.

This does not mean that the squat lost its value, because it still is the primary assistance exercise throughout the world. We have made rapid progress in lifting in America, and fro a record of 400 in the clean and jerk in those days we have gone up to a record of 490, made by Ken Patera recently.

In the bodybuilding field many men began gaining muscular body weight at the rate of a pound a day. There were those, of course, who felt that an ideal physique was one with all upper body and no legs. These people kept away from the squats, much to their later regret.

They found that physique judges demand maximum leg development as well as maximum upper body development. Men who wanted to be big could become as big as they wanted to be with special diet and heavy squatting. It was also found that heavy squatting developed the chest and that it also stimulated metabolism and that the upper body gained much faster when the bodybuilder performed heavy squats.

Heavy squats still remain a key exercise of bodybuilders and perhaps the greatest new star of the bodybuilding world who will undoubtedly become the greatest of our time if he continues, young Casey Viator, finds squats one of his key exercises, and performs high repetitions with heavy poundages, recently doing 20 squats with 400 lbs., then 12 more with 435, then 50 with 235.

Quite a workout you must admit. We could cite many other instances of such use of the squat by great bodybuilders as well as those of us who are less famous.

I do not want to make this story overly long as I want everyone to read and heed our message. That message is that every lifter, bodybuilder and health culturist should make high repetition, heavy poundage squats a regular part of his training program. Now I don't mean that this should take precedence over everything else, but you should realize that this squat exercise can be a lifetime favorite.

Today we hear much about cardiovascular exercise - exercise which has the primary object of increasing the condition and strength of the heart, lungs, and circulatory system. We are told that if we give proper attention to exercise for this purpose we can assure ourselves of greater immunity form heart attacks, etc., and other circulatory disorders.

We are told that only such exercise as can give us a sustained great increase of heart and lung action for considerable periods can give us this improved circulatory condition and strength. Apparently tests have shown that the standard barbell program does very little in the way of cardiovascular improvement because most fellows do a set of exercises then rest before another set and thus never develop a sustained increase in heart and lung action and usually the increase that is stimulated is never very great.

It is therefore apparent that while barbell exercises as usually practiced are ideal for strengthening the muscles and making them more efficient, do very little for conditioning. We have presented other ways of using barbell exercises which will improve the cardio-vascular condition but they have not been as popular as they should have been because most fellows want results that are visible to others.

Cardiovascular condition is not something that is visible to others. Circuit training or PHA (Peripheral Heart Action) systems are excellent or such conditioning.

Running is one of the most favored exercises for cardio improvement. In discussing this with a man involved in tests for conditioning, he emphasized that jogging as practiced by many people would improve your condition some, but that if you wanted real improvement you would have to run much faster and harder than jogging.

The latter does not stimulate enough demand in most people after initial improvement. Very long distance running is not as valuable as medium distances because in long distances you must conserve your energy and be very careful to avoid heavy exertion since you would wear yourself out too soon. Thus the high heart rate and heavy breathing would be kept as low as possible.

How fast a heart and lung action is recommended? Thus far nothing is apparently positive about this, but it has been suggested that a heart rate of 140 to 150 maintained for a predetermined period is most beneficial. This is a pretty fast rate and much faster than you will find in long distance runners.

I understand, of course, that thus far much of this is open to argument, for while some researchers have carried on a lot of work to prove their point, others seem to have done just as much to prove a different point.

A very common mark of good cardio vascular condition is a low pulse. Runners have been found to have a slow pulse. They have a quick return to their normal pulse after exertion. Now it would of course be best to carry on experiments where careful scientific checks could be made on a man's exact condition but we have found that men doing high repetition, heavy poundage squats seem to have a much slower pulse than those who follow standard training procedures of several sets of low repetitions.

I used to follow a program of high repetition squats with heavy poundages, never doing less than 20 to 30 continuous repetitions. These were about 6 to 12 deep breathes taken between each squat. In fact after 5 or 6 squats we were forced to take a lot do deep breaths between squats or we could not continue.

This was a forced system and after stopping the squats we were panting to maximum of 5 or more minutes before we could begin to return to normal breathing. Of course this also made enormous demands on the heart and circulation over a considerable period of time. This, of course would not be equal to a 5 or 10 mile run but I would say it would equal at least a good fast mile of even two mile run at the top speed you might be capable of.

Anyone who has not gone through this can begin to realize the tremendous workout you can get. If your 're physically able to do any other exercise after completion of such a session then you're not working it properly.

As evidence of what this did for me at that time, I recently found a doctor's report on an examination I had which showed a pulse rate of 45. This was back in 1941. At that time such a pulse rate was not given the consideration it is today. Since that time I changed my training program to lower reps, etc.

This was unfortunate as my pulse rate eventually returned to about 70 again. It was unfortunate that at that time I did not recognize the meaning of my low pulse rate. I remember how surprised I was when I went to the mountains and found I could run up and down the Rockies like a goat, while people who lived there were laboring at their climbing.

While I was gratified at this, I was young and did not really realize what a prized possession this endurance and condition really was. At that time, like most young fellows today, I as more interested in how much I could clean and jerk or how big my arm or chest was. Today a big arm or chest has but little meaning personally but that endurance and low pulse rate would mean a lot to me.

The whole purpose of this article is to emphasize the importance of adopting high repetition, heavy poundage squats as a lifetime habit whether you want to be a champion lifter, a great bodybuilder, or just enjoy the best possible physical condition all your life.

It seems we have about made the cycle now and over the years have returned to the proven methods used years ago.

"William Boone's 1937 Training Program

by Brooks D. Kubik


William Boone was a tremendously powerful lifter in the 30's and 40's. He first achieved fame when reports were published of his astonishing gains on a program of heavy, high rep squats, which he was inspired to follow after reading about what a similar schedule did for his Herculean contemporary, Joseph Curtis Hise. If memory serves correctly, Boone gained something like 80-100 pounds on the squat program.

Boone eventually built up to a bent press of close to 300 pounds ... a deadlift of 700 or so ... a partial deadlift of 900 pounds ... and a jerk from the rack of 420 pounds, which certainly rank him as one of the strongest men in the history of the world. I believe that he made these lifts in the mid to late 40's, or the very early 50's.

These achievements all the more remarkable because Boone worked a very hard, hot, heavy job digging water wells in Louisiana and Texas. According to Booone, one job digging wells on a ranch in Texas was so hot that the men had to drink 4 gallons of water per day just to keep from overheating under the scorching southwestern sun! And yet, Boone often would work all day and THEN do his training!

Where did Boone train? In his backyard! He didn't even have a garage or basement in which to train. He lifted huge weights standing on the grass or on a dirt surface.

So don't let anyone tell you that you need to quit your job and lay around all day in order to make good gains -- and don't let anyone tell you that you need to train at some sort of super-duper training center jammed with all of the latest miracle machines. Boone's training was very unique. He always followed what I refer to as "abbreviated training programs." A 1937 issue of Mark Berry's little magazine, "Physical Training Notes," contains a letter from Boone to Berry with the following update on Boone's training. This is from a period when Boone was building up to the really big lifts mentioned above.

"I have been doing only three ... exercises namely, the Two Arm Press, Two Arm Curl, and the Deep Knee Bend...."

"Here is my last workout. I work only once a week on pressing and twice a week on squatting. Monday and Friday -- D.K.B.'s [i.e., squats]; Wednesday -- pressing. My workouts average about an hour in length ...."

"Wednesday: press -- 240 five times; 240 seven times; 250 four times; 260 three times; 270 twice; 275 once; then reduce the weight to 240 for four repetitions and again with two more presses; 212 pounds six times and then four times; 182 six and then four times. Then reverse curl twelve times with 136 pounds and regular curl 160 ten repetitions and then again twice."

"My arms measure better than 18 inches now and I have hopes of pressing 250 pounds ten times and 300 pounds once."

"Here is my last workout on the squat, which is also my best: once each with 405, 435, and 470; three times with 515; short rest; sixteen times with 400; short rest; eight times with 400. On October 21st I did my best, or rather highest, D.K.B. -- 525 pounds."

Boone's program shows what you can accomplish with a relatively small amount of extremely hard work on the basic exercises."

PRE-COMPETITION DIET FOR POWERLIFTERS

 

QUESTION: I know bodybuilders have to manipulate their diet before they compete, but do powerlifters do anything differently with their diet before a meet?

ANSWER: At the top level most lifters are cutting between 10-30 lbs the week before a meet. Let’s take a look at what Westside member and the 242 lb all time world record holder Greg Panora did to lose 27 lbs before a competition:

Westside Competition Diet

8-10 Days Out
Start reducing carbs.

4-6 Days Out
Low-carb meals but add
soy sauce to everything.
3 gallons of water.
10 bouillon cubes.
Add salt to protein shakes.
Eat ever 2-3 hours.

3 Days Out
Low-carb meals.
1 gallon of water.

2 Days Out
Eat nothing but plain chicken.
No water.
No sodium.

1 Day Out (Weigh in)
After weigh in you want to
eat and drink all day long.
Foods should be high in sodium.
Drinks should contain electrolytes.

 

AJ Roberts is a professional powerlifter, and is currently ranked as one of the top 10 powerlifters in the world in the 308 lb weight class.

Old Skool......

 

Blade Runner......

Bill Starr.......

5X5 Routine

Monday – Heavy
Power cleans – 5 sets of 5
Bench – 5 sets of 5 1×10 weight from 3rd set (add 10 rep sets after 8-12 weeks on program)
Squats – 5 sets of 5 1×10 weight from 3rd set
(set 1 35% of target set 2 70% of target set 3 80% of target set 4 90% of target set 5 target)

Wednesday – Light
Power cleans – 5 sets of 5
Incline Bench – 5 sets of 5 1×10 weight from 3rd set
Squats – 5 sets of 5 1×10 weight from 3rd set set 5 use weight from 3rd set of Monday

Friday – Medium
Power cleans – 5 sets of 5
Overhead press – 5 sets of 5 1×10 weight from 3rd set
Squats – 5 sets of 5 1×10 weight from 3rd set set 5 use weight from 3rd set of Monday set 5 use weight 4th set of Monday
 

The Bill Starr Power Routine

Monday – Heavy Day
Squat – 5 sets of 5
Bench – 5 sets of 5
Powerclean – 5 sets of 5
Weighted hyperextensions – 2 sets
Weighted sit-ups – 4 sets

Wednesday – Light Day
Squat – 4 sets of 5
Incline Bench – 4 sets of 5
High Pulls – 4 sets of 5
Sit-ups – 3 sets

Friday – Medium
Squat – 4 sets of 5, 1 triple, 1 set of 8
Bench – 4 sets of 5, 1 triple, 1 set of 8
Powercleans – 4 sets of 5, 1 triple
Weighted Dips – 3 sets of 5-8
Triceps and Biceps – 3 sets of 8 each
 

Bill Starr’s Beginner 5×5

Monday (Heavy Day – 85%)
Back Squats: 5 x 5 Ramping weight to top set of 5 reps across 5 sets
Bench Press: 5 x 5 Ramping weight to top set of 5 reps across 5 sets
Deadlifts: 5 x 5 Ramping weight to top set of 5 reps across 5 sets

Wednesday (Light Day – 65-70%)
Back Squats: 5 x 5 using 60% of Monday’s weight
Bench Press: 5 x 5 using 60% of Monday’s weight
Pullups: 5 x 5 Ramping weight to top set of 5 reps across 5 sets

Friday (Medium Day – 70-85%)
Back Squats: 5 x 5 using 80% of Monday’s weight
Bench Press: 5 x 5 using 80% of Monday’s weight
Rows: 5 x 5 Ramping weight to top set of 5 reps across 5 sets
 

The Bill Starr Strength Factor Routine

Monday (Heavy Day)
Back Squats: 5 x 5 ramping to limit
Bench Press: 5 x 5 ramping to limit
Deadlifts: 5 x 5 ramping to limit or Bent-Over Rows: 5 x 5 ramping to limit
Incline Dumbbell Press: 2 x 20
Calf Raises: 3 x 30

Wednesday (Light Day)
Back Squats: 5 x 5 using 50 lbs less than Monday or Lunges: 4 x 6 ramping to limit
Good Mornings: 4 x 10 or Stiff-Leg Deadlifts: 4 x 10
Standing Overhead Press: 5 x 5 ramping to limit
Dips: When you can do 20 reps, start adding weight and drop the reps back to 8
Curls: 3 x 15

Friday (Medium Day)
Back Squats: 5 x 5 using 20 lbs less than Monday
Incline Bench Press: 5 x 5 ramping to limit
Shrugs: 5 x 5 ramping to limit or Clean High Pulls 5 x 5 ramping to limit
Straight Arm Pullovers: 2 x 20
Chins: 4 sets to failure
 

Bill Starr’s “Big 3″ Program

Monday – Heavy Day
Powerclean – 5 sets of 5
Bench – 5 sets of 5
Squat – 5 sets of 5

Wednesday – Light Day
Powerclean – 5 sets of 5
Benchpress – 5 sets of 5
Squat – 5 sets of 5

Friday – Medium
Powerclean – 5 sets of 5
Benchpress – 5 sets of 5
Squat – 5 sets of 5

Iron.......