20 Training Programs

Chris Donlon

To help pass the time, for the next 20 days, I’m going to post a different training program. There
are endless options, but if anyone is still unsure about what sensible training looks like, hopefully
this will be useful. Feel free to criticise or suggest modifications. Should give us plenty to
discuss!

Day 1

To start, my first experience with abbreviated training - taken from a Stuart McRobert article in
Flex from September 1996. I can’t remember if I changed it slightly but this is what I recall
doing - I’ve lost a few training diaries in house moves etc over the years. I think I did a couple of
very hard sets of 6-10 reps. (15-20 on calves and abs).

As a clueless 18 year old, I grew like a weed. Went away to university and a few months later,
when I returned home, I was accused of being on steroids! (2 daily gallons of whole milk also
helped!)

Monday

Squat
Bench
Pulldown
Curl
Crunch

Thursday

Deadlift
Military Press
Dumbbell row
Dip
Shrug
Calves
Day 2

My second program suggestion is the 20 rep trap bar deadlift routine. (Use the low handles
unless you are very tall/lanky.)

Monday

Trap bar deadlift 1 x 20

Breathing pullover (optional)
Dip 3 x 6-8
Chin 3 x 6-8

Friday

Trap bar deadlift 1 x 20

Breathing pullover (optional)
Incline press 3 x 10-12
Row 3 x 10-12

If you are eating and recovering well, and you are young, you should be able to train twice a
week, but if not, don’t hesitate to take an extra day or two of rest if you need it.

Use a weight on the trap bar deadlift with which you could get 22 reps if you had a gun to your
head, but stop at 20. Then add a pound (yes, just one little pound) per session, provided you are
able to make the full 20 reps with a rep or two to spare.

On the dip and chin, as long as you get 8 reps on your first set, and at least 6 reps on the second
and third sets, add a pound the following week.

On the incline press and row, the main objective is 12 reps on the first set. Ideally, get at least 10
reps on the second and third sets. However, some will struggle to do this and their reps may drop
off to more like 8 reps on the subsequent sets. But as long as you get 12 reps on the first set, add
a pound next time.

Aim to stick to this program for 4-6 months and EAT!

Day 3

Most abbreviated training schedules have you training anywhere between 3 times a week to 3
times every two weeks. Today, we’re going to see an example of the classic 3 times a week
program, often used by powerlifters. As usual, this is not the only way to go about it, and
tomorrow we will see an example of how this could be modified for non-powerlifters, or for
someone who wants to use different exercises. Even if you’re not a powerlifter, though, this will
work for anyone who can perform the movements safely. It’s tried and tested in the trenches!
Only work sets are listed. Use the same weight across all the sets of each exercise, except for the
third set of squats. For this set, reduce the load so that you are able to just eke out 10 reps.

Monday

Squat 2 x 5 1 x 10
Calves 2 x 15

Wednesday

Bench 3 x 5
Press 2 x 10

Friday

Deadlift 2 x 5
Chin 3 x 5
Day 4

Yesterday we looked at the classic 3 times a week powerlifting split. Today we’re going to
modify that for a bodybuilder or someone who can’t squat, deadlift and bench. We’re also going
to switch around the Monday and Friday workouts.

Only work sets are listed. Use the same weight for each set.

Monday

Romanian deadlift 2 x 8
Chin 2 x 5

Wednesday

Dip 2 x 5
Overhead press 2 x 8
Barbell curl 2 x 10

Friday

Leg press 3 x 12
Leg curl 2 x 12
Calves 2 x 15
Day 5

It’s time for a Dr Ken program! Read the link for a detailed explanation and some proper training
philosophy! But here it is in a nutshell:

Squat 15-20 reps

Pullover 10 reps
Military Press 10 reps
Chin 10 reps
Dip 12 reps
Barbell curl 10 reps
Shrug 15 reps
Stiff leg deadlift 15 reps

Train as often as you can recover and, as Dr Ken says, if you’re working properly, one set of
each exercise is more than enough for anyone.
Day 6

Today is the program used by Vince Vaught, which was featured in Hardgainer magazine.
Having joined the famous no-frills gym of coach Dick Conner, The Pit, in Evansville, Indiana,
Vince had great success following abbreviated routines. For example, he once squatted an
unbelievable 200 pounds x 140 reps. Dick told him he had made the most of his ‘poor genetics’.

Below are some photos of him from, I believe, about 20 years ago, when he was in his 40s.

The program he had most success with is as follows: (Only work sets are listed.)

Week 1

Tuesday
Bench 6-8 reps
Pull up 6-8
Bench 6-8
Pull up 6-8
Thick bar curl 6-8

Friday
Squat 20 reps
Romanian deadlift 12
Back extension 8-10
Calf raise 2 x 8-10
Sit up 8-10
Wrist curl 2 x 8-10

Week 2

Tuesday
Military press 6-8 reps
Lat pull 6-10
Military press 6-8
Thick bar dumbbell curl 6-8 and 4-6
Thick bar wrist curl 8-10

Friday
Back extension
Trap bar deadlift 6 reps
Leg curl 8-10
Calf raise 2 x 8-10
Sit up 10-20
Week 3

Tuesday
Bench 6-8 reps
Pull up 6-8
Bench 6-8
Pull up 6-8
Spider curl 6-8
Triceps extension 6-8

Friday
Squat 4-6 reps
Leg curl 8-10
Calf raise 8-10
Sit up 8-10

Week 4

Tuesday
Close grip bench 6-8 reps
Lat pull 8-10
Close grip bench 6-8
One arm dumbbell press 6-8
Dumbbell curl 5-8

Friday
Trap bar deadlift 20 reps
Leg curl 8-10
Back extension 8-10
Calf raise 8-10
Sit up 15-20
Day 7

We can’t let another day go by without featuring a program by the late great strength coach, John
Christy. He laid out many different routines for his trainees and the readers of Hardgainer
magazine, but this is probably the classic Christy program:

Monday

Crunch 2 x 5
Squat 2 x 5
Stiff leg deadlift 1 x 15
Bench press 2 x 5
Pulldown 2 x 5
Grip work - dumbbell holds for 60-90 secs

Thursday

Side Bend 1 x 5
Sumo deadlift 2 x 5
Military Press 2 x 5
Barbell curl 2 x 5
Calves 2 x 15

Take 4-6 weeks until you get to the point that you could get 7 reps with your working weights,
but stop at 5 reps. Then, as usual, aim to add a very small dose of iron to the bar every week, and
try to ‘ride’ the cycle for as long as possible.

To most this will look too simple and primitive to work. It will be criticised or ignored by people
who have made zero progress in the last year, despite using ‘advanced’ or complex routines from
the latest internet expert. John used to have some of his guys train on this type of set-up (without
changing anything) for more than a year - at that point, they were moving 50-100 pounds more
on each exercise than they were at the start of the program. Let that sink in for a moment, and
ask yourself when, if ever, you did the same.

Pay heed to the old mantra from Hardgainer magazine - Read, grasp, apply, persist, achieve!
Day 8

‘A little bit of hard work will take you a lot further than a lot of work that’s not very hard’ - Dr
Ken Leistner

Military Press 1 x 4
Squat 1 x 23
Stiff leg deadlift 1 x 14
Log clean and push press 1 x 3
Barbell shrug 1 x 13
Nautilus pullover 1 x 6 (plus 3 half reps)
Shrug (farmers walk handles) 1 x 12
Barbell curl 1 x 6
Day 9

Something special today guys. Stuart McRobert has kindly offered, exclusively for the group, an
excerpt from his latest training book, ‘Inside the Mind of an Iron Icon’.

You get three different programs today, but much more than that, you get McRobert’s detailed
answer to the question of how he wishes he’d trained when he was younger. As you’ll see, that
requires a detailed explanation! The question was asked by his co-author, Chuck Miller. Stuart
and Chuck - many thanks.

STUART: Although I did some things right when I started out, they were offset by the things I
did wrong. I was highly motivated and dedicated, but that motivation and dedication wasn’t
properly applied. My workouts had too many exercises, much of my exercise technique was bad,
I didn’t deadlift, and anything more than two workouts per week was beyond what I could fully
recuperate from. I did train hard, though - probably too hard at times.

Over the next few pages there’s a summary of the different types of programming I wish I’d
followed when I was young.

Day one

1. Deadlift (conventional style): warm-ups plus 1 x 5 (one work set of five reps)

2. Seated press with back support: warm-ups plus 2 x 5

3. Chin-up: warm-ups plus 3 x 5

4. Parallel-bar dip: warm-ups plus 2 x 5

5. Neck work: warm-up plus 1 x 10 forward flexion and 1 x 10 extension

6. L-fly: warm-up plus 1 x 8–10 each side

Day two

1. Squat: warm-ups plus 2 x 5

2. Bench press: warm-ups plus 3 x 5

3. Parallel-grip deadlift: warm-ups plus 1 x 5

4. Row with chest support: warm-ups plus 3 x 5

5. Standing calf work: warm-up plus 2 x 15–20

I’m unsure whether or not I would have been best off to have had the parallel-grip deadlift on
Day Two or Day One, or perhaps parallel-grip deadlift at just alternate weeks. I would have had
to experiment with the options, and then perhaps revise the overall design accordingly.

I should have included the thick-bar hold, to strengthen my hands and forearms, so that I could
cope with the severe demands on my grip from some of the key exercises in the programming.
My grip used to fail me on some exercises right from my early years of working out. It became a
particular problem in my mid-twenties, when I got into deadlifting.

A single 60-second hold of a two-inch-diameter bar, once a week, would have helped me greatly
if I’d given my all to nudging up the poundage each week or two. I should also have included
hand grippers, pinch-grip lifting, and finger extension, at home on two off days each week.

Back to my workouts proper. At each one, in order to encourage increased muscle growth, I
should have chosen two of the exercises that employed multiple work sets of five reps, and
changed the format of the final set of each of those exercises. Instead of a final set of five reps, I
should have reduced the weight just enough so that, with a mighty effort, I could eke out 10 reps.
The poundage and reps performed for each of these back-off sets would have been recorded in
my training diary, of course, so that next time I did the higher-rep “finisher” for a given exercise,
I would know what I had to beat.

During some periods I should have stuck with the same exercises for the back-off sets, but
during other periods perhaps I should have varied from week to week which exercises I picked
on for the “finishers.”

Once every six months or so I should have specialized for six weeks on a single body part that
lagged the rest of my physique at the time.

The specialization should have entailed a bare-bones, once-a-week full-body routine, for overall
maintenance - three compound exercises, for warm-ups plus two hard work sets each, but with
no effort to increase my poundages there for the six weeks. But opening that workout would be
the specialization work. At the second workout each week would be a different dose of
specialization, but no other weights work.

The moderate-volume specialization work should have included compound and isolation
exercises, in a number of set-rep formats, to which I would have applied ferocious effort, and
fierce desire to build strength. But the six weeks should have been preceded by three weeks of
easing into the specialization exercises I wasn’t currently conditioned to perform at maximum
effort, to avoid injury later on.

For example, a shoulder specialization program could have run like this:

Day one

1. Seated barbell press in a rack: warm-ups plus 2 x 5 and 1 x 10

2. Lateral raise: warm-up plus 2 x 8

3. Shrug (parallel-grip bar, or dumbbells): warm-up plus 2 x 6 and 1 x 10

Rest for 10 minutes.

4. Squat or parallel-grip deadlift: warm-ups plus 2 x 5 (maintenance)

5. Bench press: warm-ups plus 2 x 5 (maintenance)

6. Chin-up: warm-up plus 2 x 5 (maintenance)

When doing the first three exercises on Day One, I would have blocked out of my mind the
existence of the final three exercises. I would have fully committed to the specialization work,
and given my absolute all to it. Never mind that that would have hampered my effort level for
the three general maintenance exercises to follow. That result would have been desirable,
actually, to confirm that I’d kept the focus where it was supposed to be -on the specialization
work.

Day two

1. Seated overhead barbell lockouts in a rack: warm-ups plus 2 x 8–10

2. Bent-over dumbbell raise: warm-up plus 2 x 8

3. Seated dumbbell press: warm-ups plus 2 x 5 and 1 x 10

4. Shrug (parallel-grip bar, or dumbbells): warm-up plus 2 x 10

Every rep of every exercise at both workouts should have been done from a dead stop at the top
and the bottom. And to provide an additional dose of growth stimulation, the final set of
dumbbell presses should have finished with an intensity enhancer such as forced reps.

During some other periods, on each of two or three of the week’s compound exercises, I should
have performed singles (in a power rack, where appropriate), with a dead stop at the top and
bottom positions. Warm-up sets, 3 to 5 singles, and a back-off set of about 10 reps, would have
sufficed for each respective exercise.

The singles would have been for two primary reasons: First, to focus on building strength that I
could then apply to my next cycle (that would employ moderate reps) in order to handle more
weight and stimulate more muscle growth. Second, for productive training variety.

When on a 20-rep routine—which with hindsight I wish I’d given my all to for a few months
each year during my early years of training, but less frequently thereafter—I’d not have done the
conventional deadlift. Instead, I’d have done the 20-rep parallel-grip deadlift twice weekly or,
perhaps, just once weekly.
Because I’m more suited to parallel-grip deadlifting than barbell squatting, I wish I’d done 20-
rep parallel-grip deadlift routines. But had I been able to squat with decent form, perhaps I would
have done the squat at one of the two weekly workouts. Here’s the 20-rep schedule that may
have worked best for me:

Day one

1. Parallel-grip deadlift: warm-ups plus 1 x 20

2. Breathing pullover: 1 x 15 immediately after each set of the 20s

3. Chin-up: warm-ups plus 3 x 5

4. Parallel-bar dip: warm-ups plus 3 x 5

Day two

1. Parallel-grip deadlift (or, perhaps, the squat): warm-ups plus 1 x 20

2. Rader chest pull: 1 x 15 immediately after each set of the 20s

3. Bench press (or overhead press): warm-ups plus 3 x 5

4. Row with chest support: warm-ups plus 3 x 5

At most of these workouts I should have finished exercises (3) and (4) with a back-off set of 10
reps - instead of the third normal work set of each, or as an extra, depending on how I felt. One
of the workouts each week should have ended with the thick-bar hold. Towards the end of a
cycle, two doses of the 20s each week may have been excessive. I should have experimented
with training every fifth day (rather than twice weekly), and with twice-weekly training but
doing the 20s at only one of the sessions.

These sorts of programming, together with correct exercise technique, hard work, sufficient food
and sleep, and a relentless pursuit of ever-increasing exercise poundages while maintaining
correct exercise technique, would have worked wonders for me when I was a young man -
without drugs, and without special genetics.

An important part of the strength-building process should have been the use of one-pound, half-
pound and quarter-pound weight plates - “little gems.” They would have enabled me to
accumulate strength relentlessly, albeit gradually, for a long spell before having to back off
somewhat prior to making the next run.

When implemented properly, these sorts of programming work wonders for all able-bodied,
highly motivated trainees.
But remember, if your leverages are more suited to the barbell squat than mine (and you don’t
have the spinal anomalies I have), squat your heart out.

END
Day 10

The classic abbreviated split:

Monday

Squat 3 x 5
Bench 3 x 5
Row 3 x 5

Thursday

Deadlift 3 x 5
Press 3 x 5
Chin 3 x 5

If you can’t get big and strong on this, you can’t get big and strong on anything. Quit looking for
the magic bullet. Pay your dues, once and for all, on a tried and tested program. Use the trap bar
deadlift instead of the squat if you want, the Romanian deadlift instead of the deadlift, or the dip
instead of the bench press, but other than that, don’t mess with it.

Add a pound a week to each exercise and have the patience to strain under the heavy iron for at
least three years if you want to transform yourself. Remember - consistency and effort! And
EAT! Make a promise to yourself to stop fuckin around once and for all.

Train, eat, sleep, repeat and GROW!

Oh yeah, and stop worrying about your abs. Don’t get fat, but there’ll be plenty of time for
getting ripped later. You first need to build some size!

So next time someone asks whether you can deadlift double your bodyweight for 5 reps or press
your bodyweight, you can hold your head up high and answer ‘Hell yeah!’
Day 11

If you’re not gaining well on a twice-a-week training schedule, try reducing your frequency to
once every 4-6 days. This will seem radical to most and it can be difficult to wrap your head
around it, but an extra 24-48 hours of recovery can work wonders. This is especially the case for
advanced guys who know how to train genuinely hard. Recovery is probably the most underrated
aspect of the growth process.

Here is an example of a full body routine that can be performed 6 times a month. Each set should
end with 0-1 reps in reserve. Do 8-12 reps per set. (Only work sets are listed).

1. Trap bar deadlift

2. Incline press
3. Leg press
4. Chin
5. Overhead press
6. Row
7. Dip
8. Curl
9. Calf raise
10. Neck work (one set of flexion and one set of extension)

If your sets end in fewer than 8 reps, drop the weight. When you can do at least 12 reps, add
2.5kg.

Feel free to substitute some of the movements and, perhaps, use machines. A Hammer chest
press instead of the incline press, for example.
Day 12

Here is a 3-day-a-week program from Brooks Kubik. It’s described as a training set-up for the
working man. You perform only two main exercises per workout (plus one accessory) and work
up to one top set of 5 or 6 reps.

This can work well for people who prefer shorter training sessions rather than two longer ones.
Brooks is correct in saying that someone who has been working hard all day in a physical job is
going to need to conserve energy. One work set of 5-6 reps works well in that regard. But don’t
think you cannot get very big and strong on such a low volume of work. Just focus on getting
stronger, and as the bar grows, so will you.

To my mind, he has the squat and deadlift sessions too close together, so I would change it to
this:

Tuesday

Deadlift or Trap bar deadlift 5 x 5

One arm dumbbell row 3 x 5-6
Grip work of choice 1-2 sets

Thursday

Military Press 3 x 5-6

Barbell curl 3 x 5-6
Neck work with head-strap 2 x 10

Saturday

Squat 5 x 5
Bench press (barbell or dumbbell) 3 x 5-6
Gut work - 1 set
Day 13

Monday

1. Trap bar deadlift 2 x 5

2. Dip 2 x 10
3. Row 2 x 10
4. Incline dumbbell curl 2 x 10
5. Calf raise 2 x 15

Friday

1. Leg press 2 x 12
2. Military press 2 x 5
3. Chin 2 x 5
4. Leg curl 2 x 12 (perform one set of RDLs for 10 reps if you don’t have access to a leg curl)
5. Grip work - thick bar hold 1 x 60

Only work sets are listed.

Here’s another example of a typical abbreviated program. Add 0.5kg a week to the first three
exercises of each routine and only 0.25kg to the last two. If you’re sleeping and eating well, you
can keep this rate of gain going for months on end. Rest 3 minutes between work sets.

Each major structure of the body gets a dose of 5 rep work one workout and, at the other
workout, we increase the reps to 10 or 12. This produces a varied training effect on the muscle -
think of it as a strength focus at one workout and a ‘pump’ focus at the other. (It obviously
shouldn’t be solely for the pump, of course; each set should involve maximum levels of
concentration and end a rep or two short of failure.)

Doing at least 10 reps at one of the sessions is especially important for those of you who are very
strong. The loads are just too high to be performed any more than once a week.

When you reach a plateau, take 7-10 days off, drop the loads by 10% and take 4 weeks to get
back to 2-5kg of your best. At that point, start micro-loading once again. (You could also
substitute one or two movements.)
Day 14

Here is an upper/lower spilt from Lyle McDonald’s forum. You train three times a week on an
ABAB basis. This was presented as a lower volume version of his ‘Generic Bulking Routine’ for
someone older and/or someone who doesn’t have ideal recovery conditions. (In other words,
most people with a job/family )

Lyle is usually seen as someone who advocates a moderate amount of volume. People often
think abbreviated training automatically means ‘low volume’. The word low is, of course,
arbitrary and is relative to the individual. To my mind, the types of routines we champion on
here just happen to be the amount of work that is appropriate for typical drug-free people. Do
what works.

Squat 2 x 6-8
Romanian deadlift 2 x 6-8
Leg press 1 x 10-12
Leg curl 2 x 10-12
Calf raise 2 x 12-15

Bench 2 x 6-8
Row 2 x 6-8
Incline press/Overhead press 1 x 10-12
Pulldown/Chin 1 x 10-12
Triceps 1 x 10-12
Biceps 1 x 10-12
Day 15

This is a program from Dave Maurice and Rich Rydin in Hardgainer magazine. In response to a
question from someone who was struggling to gain, they suggested the following:

(1-2 hard work sets of 8-12 reps on dips and chins and 1 set of 15-20 reps on squats and
deadlifts.)

A
Squat
Dip

B
Deadlift
Chin

Train every 4 days. Take an extra day or two of rest if gains dry up. So, by the end of the cycle,
someone could be training every 6 days.
Day 16

This article by Ken Smith, from HARDGAINER issue 89, is reprinted with the permission of
Stuart McRobert, copyright 2004, all rights reserved.

(All 89 issues of HARDGAINER are available in printed format from hardgainer.com)

Don’t Train Too Hard

By Ken Smith

Author’s introductory note

I believe I was destined to be involved in physical culture, as from an early age I was fascinated
by feats of strength and muscularity, long before I ever saw a barbell. At the age of 17, I cribbed
the Charles Atlas two-week trial course from a work-mate, and after seeing noticeable
improvement, was persuaded to join a bodybuilding gym.

Over a four-year period, with the aid of some good advice, I capitalized upon my ability to
consume large quantities of food and drink mixes, bulked up to level where I was able to win
area events, and established records as a weightlifter and powerlifter. My ambition to get to
national level was dashed when the drug epidemic started, in the 1960s.

For most of my training years, my height was a fraction under 5-5. (I now appear to have shrunk
to just over 5-4). I lifted at bodyweights varying between 160 and 182.

Lifting prowess aside, I really made a name for myself due to the effect my anti-drug campaign
in the 1990s had on all sports at national level (in Britain), and around the world. A blaze of
national press publicity helped force the pace of drug control in Britain, and had a knock-on
effect internationally.

I held the position of WDFPF President for eight years, and during that time also held a variety
of other positions at national level in the BPA (now BDFPA), including Staff Coach, and
Technical and Drug Control Secretary. I have operated as head referee at numerous international
events, not only powerlifting, but weightlifting and all-round lifting. I have run my own gym for
around forty years, and claim to have turned out more national and international drug-free
champions than at any other British establishment.

Whilst I think the abbreviated, hard-gainer training philosophy has much to commend it, as far as
I’m concerned there’s still an onus on working too hard, something that I believe to be every bit
as bad as working too much in quantity or frequency. Hard gainers do just as well in relation to
their natural ability, as those who are more gifted, provided they don’t do too much, or work too
hard.

Most competitive lifters cycle their training, although I’ve never been particularly in favor of
this. I prefer to find a level of consistent hard work that produces adequate recovery for any
given body part in three or four days. We do, however, use higher reps than most lifters—never
going under fives (which allows us to avoid overtaxing joint and tendon structures), but usually
not over eight reps. Powerlifters in particular spend a big percentage of their year training
relatively easily. This is probably why they appear to get away with reps in the heavy periods
that I believe are too low, as they build up for a competition. They do use higher reps in the
initial phases of a cycle, but these are always easy reps and they don’t push hard in a
bodybuilding fashion, just using them as general conditioning work. These lifters also do few
overall exercises, and frequently, no assistance work at all.

I believe that too much overall work in terms of reps, sets, the number of exercises, and intensity,
are the main causes of injury and general discomfort. Bodybuilders tend to fit this pattern far
more so than competitive lifters. Lengthening the rest periods between workouts may aid full
recovery, but if overly long periods are necessary, general conditioning is lost, making a return to
the exercise too traumatic and, I feel, potentially dangerous.

If anybody needs more than four days rest for a body part, before working it again, whatever
their natural potential, age or gender, then something has been seriously overdone, either weight-
wise or quantity-wise.

Doing reps as high as twenty on heavy lower-body movements, is taking training to extremes. I
feel this to be traumatic not only for the muscles, but also for the internal support system, and it’s
why many who do this need so long a rest between sessions, as much as a week or even ten days.
In my experience, doing any form of training following over a week's recovery, either reduces or
stops progress, and may produce much discomfort with very sore muscles. I also find I lose feel
for an exercise movement if I have long recovery periods, making me feel I’m close to injuring
myself. This is why I train even on vacation, on the road with our camper van set-up.

To me, several things would constitute overdoing training. One of the things I particularly object
to is the way some people like to say one must train very hard, because this invariably promotes
training to failure. My long experience has totally convinced me that training to failure is
overdoing things, unless gaining bodyweight rapidly, which will cover a multitude of sins; but
so, also, is attempting a last rep that one is not sure is possible, and succeeding only after a long,
straining grind.

Having experimented with negative-only training, I think this is far too hard, also, mainly
because it’s too painful and unpleasant, and one quickly comes to dread a workout. Negative-
only training does appear to work, but no better than anything else, and not as well as the sort of
thing I’m doing now, so why do things in such a hard and unpleasant manner?

At the time I was doing negatives, it did appear to give me my best pound-for-pound
performance on the bench press, but I was rarely on the competition platform at that time, so I
didn’t have the chance to prove this. Just prior to having this chance, I developed a sharp pain in
my left shoulder if I slowly lowered any weight in a negative-only fashion, and was forced to
return to normal training, which didn't hurt at all.
Doing sets with less than a two-minute rest between them is too hard, as less weight can be
handled, and it's less effective for building strength. The way Casey Viator trained when under
Arthur Jones’ direction, moving immediately from one flat-out set of leg presses to one flat-out
set of squats, for example, is definitely too hard. Being such an incredible natural, he was able to
put up with this for brief periods. Somebody of normal or poor ability would not have lasted five
minutes.

It’s of note that Viator would only train as hard as Jones recommended when being trained one
to one by him. According to Jones, when not training under his constant instruction, Viator
would drift back to less intensive, higher-volume training. Viator, like many naturals, was also
an intermittently serious trainee. This may have been his saving grace, because if he had
continued this level of intensity for a long period, he may have got ill.

Doing more than seven reps on the squat and deadlift, even just short of failure, is too hard.
Doing more than eight reps close to failure on upper-body exercises, is unnecessarily hard from a
discomfort point of view, so in most cases this must also be considered too hard.

Training close to failure with reps lower than six, is too hard. This can be stretched to five, but
only as long as the fifth rep is not a gut-buster. Judging by the results many top powerlifters get
by doing reps as low as three, I must accept that this can be productive, but these lifters never
train even close to failure when they do this. Alone amongst training systems, I must admit to
never having seriously given this one a consistent go, mainly out of fear that I might lose out. I
can’t, therefore, say that this method is too hard, particularly as they are taking things easy most
of the time.

Another excuse for not trying the easy, nowhere-near-to-failure, three-rep routines used by
people like Eddy Pengally and other top powerlifters, was that I worried about losing the fitness
benefit of the heavy breathing and high pulse rate produced by relatively hard, higher reps.

Training in any fashion with less than two days complete rest for a muscle group, is too hard. On
the other hand, training close to failure with more than four days rest between body parts,
becomes too hard and traumatic, as conditioning and feel for the exercises is impaired. This
results in muscle soreness, which isn’t a desirable condition, although the body can cope with it
if it’s rare or only minimal.

Training more than one exercise per body part, is too hard, especially if taken close to failure.

I’m not sure exactly why I settled for sets of six reps as the ideal, many years ago, but I consider
it fortunate. I always believed (and still do) that sixes gave the best of all worlds. They are easy
to work hard upon (a set is short), and heavy enough weights to satisfy the ego can be handled
smoothly, without the tendency to strain, as with lower reps. Sixes also give a reasonable pump,
something I regard as a necessity for maximum growth and strength gain.

Training consistently hard for longer than one hour at a workout, is too hard. I wouldn’t consider
training for longer periods with comfortable weights to be training too hard, just an ineffective
waste of time, and a barrier to bodyweight gain, as excessive calories are burned.
I’m no longer in favor of full-body workouts, as it’s difficult to get through one in an hour unless
higher reps are done with little or no warm-up work. Working my set and rep system, one can
just about scrape through a full-body workout in an hour, provided a minimum of assistance
exercises are done; but even this is too hard and demanding, especially if the squat, bench, and
deadlift are worked close to absolute limits.

No powerlifters that I know train all three lifts in one session, even if doing little or no assistance
work. Most seem to do their deadlifts on a separate day, but I believe this to be a mistake and
potentially injurious, as this works basically the same muscle groups with insufficient rest and
recovery. I used to put rank beginners on a total-body workout for a couple of weeks, but no
longer do this as the drop off rate is lower if they are put straight in on a quick split.

Sample program

Here’s a typical split routine I recommend, alternating the two routines over three fixed workout
days each week. Personally, however, I prefer training every other day regardless of days of the
week, for example, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, and so forth. This allows
each body part to be worked three times every nine days, with an adequate rest in between
sessions.

Monday

Workout 1: legs, lower back, traps

1. Squat: 1 x 12 (50% of maximum for 6), 1 x 6 (75% of max for 6), 1 x 6 (max)

2. Deadlift: 1 x 8 (60%), 1 x 6 (80%), 1 x 6 (max)

3. Barbell shrug: 1 x 10–12 (max)

4. Leg curl: 1 x 8–10 (max)

5. Calf work: 1 x 20 (bodyweight), 1 x 10 (max, with added weight)

Wednesday

Workout 2: chest, shoulders, arms, lats

1. Bench press: 1 x 12 (50% of max), 1 x 6 (75%), 1 x 6 (max)

2. Pulldown: 1 x 12 (60%), 1 x 6 (max)

3. Standing press: 1 x 12 (60%), 1 x 6 (max)

4. Barbell curl: 1 x 12 (65–70%), 1 x 6 (max)

5. Dip: 1 x 6–12 with bodyweight (not hard), 1 x 6 (max, with added weight). Some trainees are
strong on this movement. Such people can easily do a 12-rep first warm-up, and this makes a
maximum weighted six a big jump. With such people, a second warm-up for 3–6 reps with
around 50% of the maximum added weight that can be handled is a good idea, for safety reasons.

6. Ab work: 1 x 8–10

Friday

Workout 1

Monday

Workout 2

. . . and so forth

On this schedule, there’s 96 hours (for example, from Monday to Friday) or sometimes 120
hours (for example, from Wednesday to Monday) between working the same body part.

On an every-other-day schedule—such as Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, and

so on—while alternating the two workouts, this produces a consistent 96 hours between working
the same body part. As I noted earlier in this article, I prefer this schedule, training every other
day on a regular basis, regardless of how the days fall.

Done either way, this system appears to be the most effective I’ve ever tried, regardless of age or
sex, although of course, over a period of months, working the weekend days gives additional
productive sessions.

My current system is hard enough, although I find it easy, with only a total of five hard sets on
leg and back day, including the leg curl and calf raise (two easy exercises anyway), and six hard
sets on upper-body day, including abs. Warm-up sets are additional.

I always come out of the gym feeling good, and not tired enough to be unable to do the workout
over again, with the exception of squats and deadlifts, which leave my thighs and lower back
feeling hammered. These are the only muscle groups which still feel a bit hammered the
following day.

Eddy Pengally

Eddy was a phenomenon. He won four World powerlifting titles, ten European titles, and 16
consecutive British titles, the first in 1976 and the last in 1991.

I had a close association with Eddy for several years, due to his association with one of my
daughters. I regard him to be most probably the all-round strongest small man of all time—a sort
of mini Paul Anderson, without the excess bodyweight advantage. He did most of his training in
London gyms, but trained at my gym on occasions, always in the most simplistic fashion, with
little if any apparent idea of training or dietary theory. He would always start off with an 8–10
rep set, and then just work up in threes to a very comfortable maximum three, mainly on one of
the competition lifts only. I never saw him train really hard. I never saw him train consistently on
any assistance exercise, although he would often fool around with some of them as a challenge,
as he could usually put others in the shade. In my experience, the mark of a true natural
strongman is the ability to excel at any feat of strength, not just a few lifts practiced exclusively.
He was fond of taking money off people on a bet. He was staggeringly good at chins and dips,
and could do them endlessly and with lightning speed.

Eddy was just under 5-0 in height and spent most of his time as a mature lifter in the 67.5 kilo
class (149 pounds), although he would allow his bodyweight to rise to four or five kilos above
this in between competitions. As far as I was concerned, he was totally uncoachable, refusing to
rely on anybody for anything in any walk of life. He was fanatically anti-drug, always referring
to those who took them as "weak men," a favorite expression of his. He detested any form of
artificial aid, particularly supportive suits and knee wraps, although he felt obliged to use them in
competition against others who used them. On one occasion, he succeeded with a hard-fought
squat after allowing two of us to bandage his knees ultra tight. He refused to ever let us do this
again, as he felt the success was not totally his. His best official squat at 67.5 was 275 kilos (605
pounds), and he benched 155 (341 pounds). His sumo deadlifting ability will remain legendary,
and his best was 295 (649 pounds). (Three hundred kilos always eluded him, although on one
occasion he pulled 305, losing his grip at the finish.) He claimed to have done 320 (704 pounds)
with straps, at around 70 kilos (154 pounds) bodyweight—over four and a half times
bodyweight, drug-free!

He felt food supplements were unnatural, also, and on only one occasion for a short period did I
manage to persuade him to take even a basic multivitamin product. Despite the fact that he
continued to improve as he got older, and until he fell ill with a brain tumor, he gradually began
to slip down the world rankings. Although he believed his competitors were not playing the
game fairly, he remained convinced that he could still beat them, and for this reason he never
joined the drug-free body. Many in Britain, and in the USA, could never understand why he
chose this course, rather than take the opportunity to establish himself as a consistent world's
best in an organization that tested effectively. I told him on numerous occasions that this was a
very bad mistake, as being subjected to a targeted, in-and-out-of-competition, nil-notice testing
program would have established his integrity for all time.

Eddy’s last British win, in 1991, was at an emaciated 60 kilos, having just undergone
radiotherapy for a brain tumor. His last appearance on the British platform was in 1992, when he
came in second.

He died in 1994, two months short of his 45th birthday. I doubt we’ll ever see his like again.
Day 17

The ‘Leangains’ program

This is Martin Berkhan, another guy who has built an outstanding physique from following
McRobert and Leistner.

You really don’t need much volume Just stop ‘fuckin around’ and focus on quality not
quantity.

Monday

Deadlift 2 x 6
Press 3 x 8
Calves 2 x 10

Wednesday

Bench 3 x 8
Row 3 x 8
Curl 2 x 10

Friday

Squat 3 x 10
Chin 3 x 8
Triceps 2 x 10
Day 18

From Vince Vaught in his own words:

‘In the past I did the split routine (a once weekly upper body session and a once weekly lower
body session) because it seemed impossible to train as heavy as I wanted to or have enough
energy to do upper and lower body in the same session - at least with the kind of intensity that
seemed necessary. People would assume I trained all the time and would be totally surprised to
learn that it was typically twice a week - approximately 45 minutes or less each time. Upper
body would rest until next week on the same day, as would lower body. No one wanted to
believe a competitive bodybuilder trained only 1.5 hours each week.

Still though, there were issues of overlap because, as we know, squats and deadlifts are whole
body efforts. Therefore you might try to slip a leg press in to space out the squat frequency so the
body can get a rest. It seems like a positive thing especially since you can push heavier loads
while isolating the muscles. But, if I could go into a serious pursuit of new strength, here's a
close example of what I'd try. Understand though, these are the specific exercises which I've
learned my body will tolerate and which work for me. Also, being alone, I wouldn't have
someone to hand me dumbbells for overhead pressing. A person has to personalise the workout.

Anyway, I would rotate 3-routines: A, B, & C and always rest a minimum 5 days between
workouts. That will be enough for most, but take 6-7 days if life stress demands it. Only work
sets are listed:

Routine A:

Overhead Press (seated with a barbell)

Trap Bar Deadlift
Pull up
Overhead Press
Trap Bar Deadlift
Calves
Leg Curl
Seated Dumbbell Curl

Routine B:

Chin
Dip
Chin
Dip
Calves
Romanian Deadlift
Leg Press
Barbell Curl
Routine C:

Incline Bench Press (30 degree)

Row
Squat
Incline Bench press
Row
Squat
45 degree Back Extension
Calves
Curl (of choice)

I would keep the upper body reps in the 5 to 8 range and sometimes do higher reps with a load
reduction on the second set. For the squat and deadlift I would use a load on the first set that
really challenged me in the 10 to 12 rep range and leave it the same for the second set. About
every fourth squat and deadlift workout, I would maybe go with a heavier load and do both sets
in the 5 to 8 rep range just to feel something heavier. On Leg Press day go heavy in the 15 to 20
range, probably with the ‘no lock out’ technique. Romanians would be very strict & heavy in the
8 to 12 range. All kinds of little things like static holds now and then at the end of the second
deadlift set, and once in a while, heavy negative chins instead of the normal second set.

Even though it's a simple routine, there are lots of ways to keep it interesting. I think with the
equipment set up for the workout, someone could get busy and knock it out (warm up inclusive)
in a 45-min window and still have enough rest between sets for the next high intensity effort.
Nothing wrong with blitzing on a certain day and slowing it down on others. One last thing to
consider - this could be done on machines only, if desired.’
Day 19

The ‘Alternative Big 3’.

Building great size and strength is, on paper, ridiculously simple. Find a handful of quality major
compound exercises (to cover the whole body) that YOU can perform well and then become
very good at them - perform them consistently for at least 2-3 years, train hard and add weight to
the bar.

The squat, deadlift and bench press are fine exercises and worthy of their legendary reputation.
However, I’d like to propose an alternative group of three exercises that I believe deserve equal
respect:

Trap bar deadlift (the full range version unless you are very tall/lanky)
Dip
Chin

Perform each of them for 2-3 hard sets twice a week. For example:

Monday

Trap bar deadlift 2 x 5

Dip 3 x 5
Chin 3 x 5
Grip work (optional)

Friday

Trap bar deadlift 1 x 15 1 x 12

Dip 3 x 10
Chin 3 x 10 (or stick to 3 x 5 if you prefer - many struggle to add weight to higher rep sets of
chins)
Grip work (optional)

If you are not a powerlifter, you don’t NEED to perform any of the powerlifts. I contend that the
average recreational lifter, especially the hardgainer, would be better served, instead, by building
his program around these three movements.

The squat and deadlift are much more technical, and harder to learn than the trap bar deadlift,
and can be awkward for the skinny or lanky type. And yet, the trap bar deadlift combines many
of the benefits of both into one movement. It is potentially safer too. Anecdotally, some people
report better leg size with it than from the squat, myself included. This one single exercise works
almost every muscle in the body and, therefore, has the potential to build a lot of size, provided
it’s worked hard and progressively for long enough. A key tool in the armoury of the typical
natural trainee is the use of either the squat or bent-legged deadlift as the bedrock movement in a
training career. As Dave Maurice used to point out, the hardgainer will get nowhere unless he
builds real size and strength in the thighs, glutes, hips and back. The trap bar deadlift is perfect
for playing this role - the aforementioned areas of the body make up the majority of the body’s
musculature and it directly works all of these areas. The use of hard 10-20 rep sets on the trap bar
deadlift, just like its more famous cousin, the barbell squat, can pack on slabs of beef. Exploit it
to the full!

Many people are simply not built to squat well and one could say the same about the bench.
(Especially skinny hardgainer types.) The dip allows them to progress in a way they never could
on the bench. Not only that, but the dip works more musculature. It also hits the triceps harder
and more completely, and who is not interested in more arm size?! And if anyone ever pokes fun
at you for not benching, ask them how much they can dip!

The supinated chin up (which works more muscle through a larger range of motion than the
pronated version) works the upper back and biceps very effectively. Its inclusion as part of the
Alternative Big 3 means you have an ‘upper body pull’, which is not the case with the traditional
Big 3 of the squat, deadlift and bench press. (With both groups of mighty threesomes, though,
you have pretty much the entire body covered.)

Forget once and for all the notion that you can’t become big and strong using bodyweight
exercises. As long as you hang more and more weight around your waist over time, you will
grow just fine.

With the triceps and biceps hit so hard from dips and chins, you probably won’t need to include
any isolation arm work. Work up to an extra 60kg around your waist for at least 5 reps on the
dip, and 40kg on the chin, and your arms are probably going to be as big as they are ever going
to get. (Of course, if you decide to add no more than a couple of hard weekly sets of curls and/or
triceps pushdowns, it’s no big deal.)

A very good advanced target to aim for on the trap bar deadlift is 220kg x 5, or 160kg x 20 if you
prefer higher reps. But as a lean natural trainee, if you get within 90% of these targets, you’re
doing very well.

These three outstanding exercises alone would probably allow you to achieve at least 90% of
your genetic size potential. If you want, you can add and rotate a few other key movements.
Round things out with the addition of an occasional overhead press and row, together with some
neck and calf work, and you’re going to have all your bases covered.
Day 20 - the wrap up

All the programs in this series (including the basic template below) will be saved in the files
section of the group. It’s difficult to suggest a one-size-fits-all abbreviated program, but if you
are confused about where to start, simply choose one of them, or design your own using the
following guidance:

Each routine should contain a compound lower body movement, an upper body push and an
upper body pull.

Good compound lower body movements include:

Squat
Trap deadlift
Leg press (if it’s a good machine)
Front squat
Safety bar squat
Hip belt squat
Machine squat (if it’s a good machine)
Deadlift OR Romanian deadlift

Good upper body push movements include:

Dip
Overhead press
Bench press
Incline press
Dumbbell presses
Machine presses (ideally a good machine like Hammer Strength )
Weighted pushups

Good upper body pull movements include:

Chin
Pull up
Pulldown
Barbell row (strict)
Dumbbell row
Machine row (Hammer Strength etc)
Cable row

An example program would be:

Monday
Trap bar deadlift
Dip
Row

Friday

Leg press
Overhead press
Chin

(Or a similar schedule of days.)

Perform 2-3 hard work sets of each for 5-15 reps. (10-15 reps on the leg press.) If you wish, add
a maximum of two extra movements to each session from the following list (for 2 x 10-20).

Curl
Neck work
Calf raise
Triceps pushdown
Lateral raise
Leg curl
Crunch sit up
L fly
Shrug
Grip/forearm work
Back extension (always include it if you don’t deadlift, but it’s a good accessory movement even
if you do deadlift.)

Train twice a week. From that point, adapt things based on the progress you are/are not making.
Drop a set, add a set, perhaps take an extra day or two of rest between workouts - you get the
idea. Track and monitor how your body responds and become your own expert personal trainer.

But very importantly, the implementation of the program is normally what makes or breaks your
training success. No matter what program you are using, the following factors must always be in
order:

Consistency
Form
Effort
Adding weight to the bar
Keeping a log book
Nutrition
Sleep
Stress management
Too many are quick to blame their program, but a program is merely a schedule of days,
exercises, sets and reps. The magic is in the implementation!

And don’t forget - stick to a given program for at least 12 weeks before you make any changes.
Give your training a chance to work. Program hopping and constant tinkering is another major
reason for training failure. Too much thinking and not enough doing!