admin Posted on 3:35 pm

Old School Wisdom – Go back in time to advance your training!

Many advances have been made in energy, health, technology, and other areas of life. In strength training, not so much! Stop trying to be original. Harness the wisdom of our strength ancestors and start getting results! Why pave a new path when there is already a good one to follow? Here are two routines inspired by the past to start your journey.

The stage routine

Front row and center for quick size and strength gains!

This training system was popular with the legendary Canadian strongman, Doug Hepburn, who was considered the strongest man in the world in his heyday. It will help advanced trainees overcome strength plateaus in a short period of time.

The routine involves only 2 exercises per workout and 2 stages per exercise to increase size and strength. Stage 1 will increase relative strength and Stage 2 will induce functional hypertrophy (ie muscle mass that produces high levels of force).

Take a look at the show but don’t blink because it will go by pretty quickly!

Day 1 – Chest and Biceps

A1) Flat Bar Bench Press

A2) Standing EZ Bar Curls

Day 2 – Legacy

A1) Front squat

A2) Lying Leg Curl

Day 3 – Back and Triceps

A1) Wide-Grip Sternum Pull-Ups

A2) Standing V-Bar Pressdowns

Stage 1: 8×1 @ 50X0.100″

Stage 2: 5×5 @ 40X0.90″

Note: Start with a 3WD load for Stage 1 and a 7WD load for Stage 2.

I suggest you use the first workout to find your true 3RM (rep max) and 7RM loads, then start the staging method in the next workout. Only increase the weight when all reps for that stage have been successfully completed. The key is to be successful, so leave a little reserve at the beginning.

Be sure to warm up thoroughly using several sets of low reps (5 or less) with progressively heavier loads until you reach your working weight.

This program will last one month. Each workout is done once in a 5 day period (ie Day 1 – Day 2 – Rest – Day 3 – Rest) for 6 workouts and then switch to a new routine. As mentioned above, the first workout is used to find the correct training weight. The next 4 workouts will incorporate the staging method: you should peak on the 5th workout with a new one rep max on all lifts.

Cut back on the final workout by performing just 3-5 sets of as many reps as possible at 20X0 pace resting 90 seconds between sets at the original 7RM load. You should notice an increase in the number of repetitions performed with that weight. Most people will drop to 1-2 reps per set. Finish the exercise if you do 5 sets or drop 3 reps from one set to the next. This will be a short workout. Enters; Do your thing; and get out. You may be tempted to do more. Whose!

If you’ve been plagued by injuries and are scared to perform max singles, stay in the 2-3RM range for Stage 1 and the 5-7RM range for Stage 2. The program will work just as well.

Also, you’ll notice that all of the “A1” exercises are multi-joint movements and all of the “A2” exercises are single-joint movements. Many people are concerned about the singles peak in isolation movements. Listen, you either lift the weight or you don’t, but if it’s still a problem, substitute compound movements:

Standing EZ Bar Curls -> Close Grip Pull Ups

Lying Leg Curl -> Bent Knee Deadlift or Snatch Podium Deadlift

Standing V-Bar Pressdowns -> Parallel Bar Dips or Close Grip Bench Press

Don’t be fooled by the low number of exercises and the low number of repetitions. Many times, less is more and this routine is no exception! High intensities used for a large number of sets produce excellent results. Rest assured, the entire body is trained, and trained hard, with this program.

isometric

The secret strength and muscle system of the past and present!

This routine uses partial movements and static contractions to break through training plateaus. Partial movements are great for jolting the system when stalling occurs (they help disinhibit the nervous system), and isometrics are great for gaining strength at specific joint angles.

In the 1960s, isometronics (a mixture of isotonic and isometric contractions) was promoted as a new secret system of strength and muscle development. A couple of decades later in his book, The development of physical strength, Anthony Ditillo stated that “Isometrics can make you a superman!” Ditillo believed that combining heavy and intense muscular efforts and isometrics in a power rack was “the most powerful tool available for increasing physical strength.”

The system is as effective today as it was then.

I picked up many of the details of this method in the mid-90s from strength and conditioning coach, Charles Poliquin, who is a strong believer in using power support to promote rapid gains in strength and mass. According to Poliquin, the average intermediate bodybuilder can expect to beat his personal bests in the curl by 10-25lbs, and in the close-grip bench press by 30-45lbs in just 3-4 weeks with this system.

Let’s take a look at the routine.

Day 1 – Chest, Back and Shoulders

A1) 45 degree incline barbell bench press

A2) Medium grip pull-ups

B1) Reinforced Single Arm Dumbbell Press (Neutral Grip)

B2) Kneeling One Arm Pulldown (Neutral Grip)

Day 2 – Legs and abs

A1) Back squat

A2) Lying leg curl (dorsiflexion)

B1) Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlift

B2) Crunches with high pulley

Day 3 – Arms

A1) Close Grip Bench Press

A2) Standing Mid-Grip Cable Curl

B1) One Arm Dumbbell French Press

B2) Dumbbell Incline Curl at 45 degrees

Isometrics involves lifting through a partial range of motion, usually in a power rack (but not always), and ending each rep with an isometric contraction. Take a third of the range of motion and do 3 sets at 3 different angles of one exercise for a total of 9 sets.

The order in which you perform the 3 ranges is important. Choose the heaviest (i.e. strongest) weight angle first:

a) Upper -> Middle -> Lower for close-grip incline bench press and squats

These exercises are performed on a power rack for 5 reps per set using a controlled tempo (ie, 2 seconds to lower the bar, gently and quietly tapping the lower pins, and two seconds to raise the bar). Then on the fifth rep, try ripping the top rack pin for 6-8 seconds. Research from Germany shows that 8-second isometrics are enough. If you can make contact with the top pin, the weight was too light. If you only have one set of pins on your power rack, then lower the bar as soon as it rests on the pins and hold the 8 second isometric there. Make sure you don’t hold your breath during the isometric action. If you selected the proper load, you shouldn’t be able to do another concentric rep.

b) Lower -> Middle -> Upper for pull-ups, leg curls and cable push-ups

For these exercises, perform 5 reps again using a controlled tempo (ie 2 seconds up and 2 seconds down), but this time on the fifth rep, pause for 8 seconds in the middle of the range.

The next training for that body part will occur 5 days later and will involve conventional training using hypertrophy parameters. Continue alternating between isometric and conventional workouts for six workouts as outlined below.

Workout #1, 3, 5 – Isometric Workout – A) 9 x 5 @ 2020, 120″ B) 3 x 8-10 @ 3010, 60″

Workout #2, 4 – Conventional Workout – A) 5 x 5-7 @ 4020, 90″ B) 3 x 8-10 @ 3010, 60″

Workout #6 – Tap – A) 3 x 8-10 @ 2010, 120″ B) 2 x 12-15 @ 2010, 90″

This form of training will induce deep and severe pain. It’s a quick way to gain size as isometrics create high tension for fast twitch fibers leading to hypertrophy. This system is also great for building strength and overcoming sticking points, but don’t use isometrics often in a year of training as it’s quite stressful on the nervous system.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *