The Real Arnold Schwarzenegger Beginner Programs

[bango skank]

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Reg Park

At age 15 Arnold glanced in a store room window and saw what was a cover of a magazine depicting the new Hercules movie starring none other than Reg Park. Arnold was not a man to learn from books or abstract ideas but by identifying with what he considered to be admirable individuals. "Reg Park became my idol," Arnold said in 1976. "In time I would base my whole bodybuilding future on Reg."
-Fantastic: The Life of Arnold Schwarzenegger

I was a 15-year-old farm kid growing up in Austria when I was first inspired by a bodybuilding magazine with a picture of him on the cover from one of his Hercules movies. My life was never the same. He was so powerful and rugged-looking that I decided right then and there I wanted to be a bodybuilder, another Reg Park. I could not have picked a better hero to inspire me. Reg went from bodybuilding to the movies. He became a smart and successful businessman, and he was the first person who gave me a glimpse of what my life could someday become if I dreamed big and worked hard.
-Arnold Schwarzenegger, A Tribute to Reg Park

I knew that would be me. I would look like Reg Park. I studied every move he made, every gesture. From that point on my life was utterly dominated by Reg Park. His image was my ideal. It was fixed indeliably in my mind. All my friends were more impressed by Steve Reeves, but I didn't like him. Reg Park had more of a rough look, a powerful look, while Steeve Reeves seemed elegant, smooth, polished. I knew in my mind that I was not geared for elegance. I wanted to be massive. It was the difference between cologne and sweat.
I found out everything I could about Reg Park. I bought all the magazines that published his programs. I learned how he started training, what he ate, how he lived, and how he did his workouts. I became obsessed with Reg Park; he was the image in front of me from the time I started training. The more I focused in on this image and worked and grew, the more I saw it was real and possible for me to be like him.
-Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder

From the beginning I was a big believer in the basic movements, because that was Reg Park's preference. He would stay with the basic exercises--bench presses, chin-ups, squats, rowing, barbell curls, wrist curls, pullovers, leg extensions, calf raises. These were the movements that worked most directly on all body parts. I was following his example to the letter. And as it turned out, I could hardly have chosen more wisely. The basic exercises were creating for me a rugged foundation, a core of muscle I could later build upon for a winning body. Reg Park's theory was that first you have to build the mass and then chisel it down to get the quality.
-Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder

The basic exercises will appear throughout the entire training program. There are no alternatives to these exercises. For example, every bodybuilder has to do squats from the time he starts until he finishes. You can't build your legs without the squat.
-Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder

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Reg Park and Arnold Schwarzenegger
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Reg Park

An athlete from the start, he dedicated his teenage years excelling in soccer. He had no interest in bodybuilding until, at age 16, Park met a muscleman named David Cohen. Upon learning that Cohen lifted weights at his friend's house, Reg Park joined in with curiosity. Park's legendary physique would grow from barbells, dumbbells and a simple chinning bar.

Upon discharge from the military in 1948, he saw his very first physique contest. This was the inaugural NABBA Mr. Universe contest, in which John Grimek edged out over Steve Reeves in controversial fashion. It was this contest that inspired Reg Park to compete himself.
After one year of hard training, Reg Park earned the title of Mr. Britain in 1949. He then subsequently spent six months in the United States (thanks to a gift from his parents). There, he met up with famed publisher Joe Weider, who began to feature the Englishman prominently in his muscle magazines. The next year, Park was runner-up to Steve Reeves in the 1950 NABBA Amateur Mr. Universe in London (also a close contest).

After a second full year of training, Reg Park broke what had been an American monopoly on bodybuilding titles by winning the 1951 National Amateur Bodybuilders Association (NABBA) Amateur Mr. Universe. He cemented his superstar status by winning the 1958 AND 1965 NABBA Pro Mr. Universe titles. Standing 6'1" and with a top weight of 250 pounds, Park was known for his muscular mass that was the forerunner to modern bodybuilding today. Park was also renowned for his strength, which he often demonstrated in contests and strongman exhibitions. It is on record that he was the first bodybuilder to bench press 500 lbs.

Stats: http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/blog.../reg-park.html

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Training like Reg Park

If you're a beginner and you want to train like Arnold Schwarzenegger, then you have to train like Arnold Schwarzenegger trained as a beginner. When Arnold first began training he trained 3 days a week, so you'll train three days a week. When Arnold first began training he followed a Reg Parks routine, so you'll follow a Reg Parks routine. When Arnold first began training, he focused on the big heavy compound lifts, so you'll focus on the big heavy compound lifts. This is how Arnold got his start on the road to being the best that there ever was and it's my hope that this could be your start as well. Let's take a look at some of the programs advocated by Reg Parks, all of which Arnie would have used at some point. Try to imagine Arnold at 15, 16 and 17 doing the exact same things that you'll be doing. Try to recreate for yourself some of the same excitement, determination and raw power that Arnie did, and ultimately, success.

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Reg Park and 5x5

The 5x5 model was Reg Park's choice du jour for packing on slabs of muscle and producing hundreds of pounds of strength. This is also the model that Arnie came to know and love during his formative years. But this isn't Bill Starr's 5x5, this is Reg Park's 5x5 and it's a little different. The first two sets of five are actually used as warm-up sets. So let's say we're going to work our way up to a 150 lb bench, the first set of five would be about 60% or 90 lbs, and the second set of five would be about 80% or 120lbs. After that you would get down to the grit, what Reg liked to call Stabilizer Sets; 3 sets of 5 at 150lbs. So it would end up looking like:

5x90 (Warm-up @ 60%)
5x120 (Warm-up @ 80%)
5x150 (3 stabilizer sets)
5x150
5x150

When you can get all your reps of 5 at 150 lbs, you add 5 lbs. So next time your bench it would be:

5x95
5x125
5x155
5x155
5x155

Reg liked to use about 3-5 minutes to rest in between sets.

One more thing: When you're first starting any 5x5 program you never want to start with your max. Typically you start 30-45 lbs below what you think you can do and work your way back up. Starting anywhere near your maximum capacity is a good way to stall out, so give yourself a running start. If that means starting with an empty barbell, well, just consider that Arnold and Reg both started at the same place you will.

Onto the programs...

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The Reg Park Beginner Routine

Here is a workout that he and Arnold used with great success (provided by Kaya Park, Reg's grandson)

Workout A

Back Squats 5x5
Chin-Ups or Pull-Ups 5x5
Dips or Bench Press 5x5
Wrist Work 2x10
Calves 2x15-20

Workout B

Front Squats 5x5
Rows 5x5
Standing Press 5x5
Deadlifts 3x5 (2 warm-up sets and 1 "stabilizer set")
Wrist Work 2x10
Calves 2x15-20

Week 1: A, B, A
Week 2: B, A, B
Week 3: A, B, etc

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Reg Park's Power Training

Schedule 1 - To be performed 3x/week for 5 weeks before continuing onto Schedule 2

Back Squat - 5x5
Bench Press - 5x5
Power Clean - 8x2
Standing Press - 5x5
Barbell Curl - 3x5 strict, add 20-30lbs then 2x5 cheat curls
Deadlift - 5x1, working up to a top weight (Only performed on Day 3) Beginners should do 1x5

Schedule 2 - To be performed 3x/week for 5 weeks.

Front Squat - 5x5
Clean and Press, warmup w/ 2 sets of 2, 5x2 Stabilizing sets. Optionally perform 2 more sets of 3 Push Jerks
Upright Row - 5x5
Dips - 5x8
Dumbbell Curls - 5x5
Deadlift - 5x1, working up to a top weight (Only performed on Day 3) Beginners should do 1x5

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[bango skank]

Hard Work On Basic Exercises
by Bradley J. Steiner- 1971

I happen to believe that Reg Park is the best example and single representative of what proper training with weights can do for a man. He's got everything: huge, almost superhuman muscles, the strength of the most powerful competitive lifter, and the perfect, well-balanced physique that one sees on Greek statues in museums. Whether or not you agree that Park is the Greatest -- if you've seen him, then you've GOT to admit that he's good, to say the very least. OK. so who cares about my opinion anyway, and what in heck does this have to do with how you can get the Herculean build you're after?

The best physiques (and Park's is one of 'em), were all built by hard work on the basic, heavy duty exercises. There are NO exceptions to this statement. Even easy-gainers who (like Park) build up very easily, never get to the Hercules stage without the ultimate in effort. Park worked up to squats with 600 pounds, behind the neck presses with 300 pounds, and bench presses with 500 pounds! Hereditary advantages or not, Park sweated blood to earn the massive excellent physique that he has. And so did every other human Superman whose muscles aren't merely bloated, pumped-up tissue. The problem of WHAT these basic exercisers are, and HOW HARD one must work on them for satisfactory, or even startling results, is one that every bodybuilder, at one time or another during his career, is confronted with. This month we're going to solve the problem.

To begin, let's sift through the thousands of possible exercises, and variations of exercises that confront every barbell man, and set down a principle by which the trainee can determine the BEST among them; those upon which he should be concentrating his best efforts. Here's the principle: An exercise is worthwhile if it allows you to use very heavy weights -- brings into play the BIG muscle groups -- and causes lots of puffing and panting.

From the simple formula stated above, it is quite easy to see that fully eighty or ninety percent of the exercises followed by most barbell trainees do not come up to the standards required for maximum physical development. Concentration curls, Hack squats, lateral raises, thigh extensions, triceps "kickback" movements, etc., all followed slavishly by thousands of misinformed bodybuilders, are a waste of time. My very bitter apologies to the high-pressure ad-men, and the authors of all the super Space-age courses, but their stuff is strictly form hunger. If you've been sucked into following any such routines, drop 'em! In all honesty, fellows, that garbage won't do a thing for you, aside from bringing discouragement and disillusionment. Save your time and money, and put your effort into THESE exercises:
The Squat - Regular, parallel, breathing style, or front style
The Press - Military or behind neck, seated or standing, barbell or heavy dumbbells
Rowing - Bent over, barbell or dumbbells, one or two arm
Power cleans and High pulls
Bench pressing - barbell or heavy dumbbells, Incline or flat bench style
Stiff-legged dead lifting and heavy barbell bendovers

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In essence, those are the exercises that you ought to be killing yourself on. We're concerned with the development of SIZE, POWER and SHAPELY BULK, so we've eliminated all supplementary abdominal and calf work. This you can do at your leisure, or you can omit it entirely, with no consequences to your overall development. The stuff we've enumerated above is what you need in order to turn yourself into a Human Hercules. And, lest you believe that this writer has a vested interest in this, let me say that he HAS. I derive personal, private, selfish satisfaction pushing the truth about sensible barbell training, and seeing those guys who are willing to work for their goals, achieving the builds they desire. The muscle heads, the "muscle-spinners," the drug-takers, etc, are no concern of mine. They can go their own way; I'm concerned about the rest of you.

Honest muscles, like honest men, are rare. But they can be attained, and the only way to do it is through HARD, HARD work, and an honest approach to training programs. So if you're willing, you can get the physique you're after; if you train as I have discussed on the Basic Movements.

There are reasons why these basic exercises are best. Let's talk about them.

It isn't generally understood, but the easiest way to build the small muscle groups is by exercise on the big ones! For example, it's impossible to build a broad, powerful back, and thick pectorals, along with terrific shoulders via the heavy cleaning, pressing, rowing and bench work that I advocate, without building enormous arm size and strength. You couldn't do it if you wanted to! Yet, aside from weight-gaining, building big arms is a giant headache for most barbell men. How simple a matter it would become if only they would forget about the ridiculous pumping, cramping and spinning-type isolation exercises, and just train hard on the basics! The big arms would come naturally.

John Grimek once had arms that taped close to 19". They were so big and powerful that they didn't look real! Grimek at the time was an Olympic weight-lifting contender, and he had trained for a long period without doing a single curl or triceps "pumper." His big arms got the way they did from the Heavy Lifting Training. You can do the same by working hard and heavy. And you don't have to enter Olympic competition!

The trapezius and neck muscles are impressive and too often neglected by many weight-trainees. But your traps will grow like crazy if you push your cleans hard, and if you get your presses up to really impressive standards.

Ditto for your neck muscles. The huffing, puffing, and muscular work and exertion caused by ALL heavy work will make your neck muscles grow.

Forearms - "stubborn forearms" will respond like obedient, trained seals to heavy rowing, cleaning and pressing. And just try to keep your grip on a super heavy barbell while doing a set of stiff-leg deadlifts, without forcing the forearm muscles to ache and grow beyond belief!

Heavy squatting will build heavier calves. Sounds impossible? Well, just try working your squats like you're supposed to, and you'll see your calves begin to grow no matter how they've refused to respond to toe raises.

Power cleans are fine for the calf muscles too. Incredible as this statement may sound, it's absolutely true. The coordinated effort of leg and back movement in heavy cleaning DOES work the calves! Try it for a few months and find out for yourself.

Nobody wants to be fat around the middle. Yet, unless you're drastically overweight, you don't need more than one set of one abdominal exercise (done in high reps, with resistance) to keep a rock-hard, muscular mid-section. The hard work on squatting, cleaning, and ALL heavy exercises will inevitably keep you trim and hard. And make no mistake about this: you are far, far better off with a thick, powerful waist than you are with a "wasp-waist pretty body." A man should be BIG. He should be strong and powerful. And he can't be if he tries to blow his biceps up to 20" and keep his waist down to 30". Use your head! If there are any real supermen around who have waistlines below 33" or 34", then they've got 'em only because they're SHORT, and, the small waist is proportionate tot he rest of their husky muscles.

Training on the big exercises builds HEALTH and LASTING muscle size. These two factors are very important. Today, men like John Grimek, Reg Park, Bill Pearl, and another lesser-known Hercules, Maurice HOnes of Canada, all possess builds and physical power comparable to that which they had during their prime. The reason? They built REAL MUSCLE, Sig Klein must be around seventy, yet he's got the build of a twenty-five year old athlete. The reason? He built REAL MUSCLE. The same holds for scores of others in the weight game who got their physical development by hard, hard work with heavy weights on the best exercises.

If you're a young man now, then you're probably more interested in what you can look like on a posing platform, and in how fast you can get piles of muscle - but don't, no matter how great the temptation for an "easy way out" via pumping routines or muscle drugs, follow any system of training except the good, heavy, teeth-gritting type routines that build pure, strong, big muscles. I say this as a sincere warning against charlatans who would rob you of your money and your health - and do it gladly - to sell you on their own private "miracle systems' or methods'. Keep clear of them, and remember, please, that you've got a long life ahead of you after any physique competitions you might enter or win within the next few years. You want health, well-being AND big muscles that will stay with you for the rest of your life. You will only get them if you train HARD and HEAVY!

(continued...)

[bango skank]

Here's a sample program that you can follow. It will give you every desirable physical quality. IF you work to your limit on it.
Warm up with one set of twenty prone hyperextensions.
Do two progressively heavier warm up sets in the squat, using five reps in each set. Then load on weight until the bar bends, and do three sets of five reps each with this limit poundage. Push! Fight! Drive! the SQUAT is THE builder of SUPERMEN!
Go to your flat bench and do two warm up sets, as you did for your squats, of five reps each in the bench press. Then do a final 3 sets with all the weight you can properly handle. In this, and in every other exercise in the program, REST WELL BETWEEN SETS!
Now do power cleans, stiff--legged dead lifts, or barbell bendovers. Same sets., same reps and the same forced poundage attempts as in the preceding exercises. Your lower back is a vital body area. Turn it into a SUPER POWER ZONE by intensive back work!
Do heavy, bent-over barbell rowing. Two warm up sets - then three limit sets - five reps in each set you do. Reg Park (I always seem to come back to mentioning him, don't I!) used this exercise along with the power clean in order to build the unbelievable back that he possesses. He considers this bent-over rowing exercise the best single upper back movement a man can do.
Do some form of HEAVY pressing, If you read my stuff then you already know that I practically sneer at any shoulder exercise but the press behind the neck! But of course you can old military barbell presses, dumbbell presses, or any form of heavy seated pressing with excellent results sure to follow - IF YOU WORK HARD. Same set-rep scheme for your pressing as for the other exercises, and a tip: May guys have complained to me that I don't understand (a-hem!) their difficulties when it comes to heavy pressing behind the neck. It seems that the effort of cleaning the bar up and behind their necks before each set tires their poor little bodies out. What to do? Do your presses right off the squat racks! Load the bar up. Get set comfortably under it. Get a good, solid grip on the bar and set your feet firmly. Now go to it. Press the weight right off the racks. Then, after each set, return the bar to the squat racks. Simple? you'll get wonderful results this way - since you'll be saving your energy and concentration exclusively for the pressing action, and all of the work will be thrown directly on your deltoids...so, better and bigger muscles!
End your workout with an abdominal exercise. Do any one that you happen to like. I prefer leg raises off the end of a flat bench, with iron boots on my feet, but it's really only a personal preference, and you can work your midsection with any 'ab" exercise that you happen to like. Just do one set, and run the reps at around twenty or thirty.

The Hard Work 5x5 Routine

Hyperextension Warm-up - 1 x 20
Squat - 5 x 5
Bench press - 5 x 5
Stiff-leg dead lift - 5 x 5
Bent-over rowing - 5 x 5
Standing Press - 5 x 5
Leg raises 1 x 25

Do that routine - or a similar one - as described in this article, and your muscles will bulge through your clothing after a year or so of training!

The watchwords are BASIC EXERCISES and HARD WORK. Remember them when you walk into the gym next time. You'll be grateful for the rest of your life that you did!

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Reg Park's 9 Month 5x5 Program

As far as the popularity of beginner's training programs go, five sets of five reps is right up there with 3x10, 10x3, and the ever-lasting 1x20 squat program, which inspired the weight room battle-cry, "Squats and milk!"

A few years ago, Dan John wrote an in-depth explanation of several versions of the 5x5 program. Bill Starr also created a popular 5x5 plan that focused primarily on the power clean, bench press, and back squat.

We're going to take a look at one of the very first 5x5 routines to be published, originally written in 1960 by Reg Park in his manual Strength & Bulk Training for Weight Lifters and Body Builders. The late Reg Park was a three-time Mr. Universe winner and he was one of the first bodybuilders to really push the size envelope by competing at a massive 225 pounds in the 1950s and '60s.

Oh yeah, Park is also the number one bodybuilder that little Arnie from Austria admired, respected, and hoped to someday look like. Upon seeing Park on a magazine cover for the first time, Schwarzenegger has said, "He was so powerful and rugged-looking that I decided right then and there I wanted to be a bodybuilder, another Reg Park."

Reg Park's Three Phase 5x5 Program

Phase One

45-degree back extension 3x10
Back squat 5x5
Bench press 5x5
Deadlift 5x5

Rest 3-5 minutes between the last 3 sets of each exercise.

Train three days per week for three months

Phase Two for Bodybuilders*

45-degree back extension 3-4x10
Front squat 5x5
Back squat 5x5
Bench press 5x5
Standing barbell shoulder press 5x5
High pull 5x5
Deadlift 5x5
Standing barbell calf raise 5x25

Rest 2 minutes between sets.

Train three days per week for three months.

* After the basic Phase One, Park had a different set of recommended exercises for aspiring Olympic weightlifters. It used a few different sets and reps, and included lunges and power cleans.

Phase Three for Bodybuilders

45-degree back extension 4x10
Front squat 5x5
Back squat 5x5
Standing barbell shoulder press 5x5
Bench press 5x5
Bent-over barbell row 5x5
Deadlift 5x3
Behind-the-neck press or one-arm dumbbell press 5x5
Barbell curl 5x5
Lying triceps extension 5x8
Standing barbell calf raise 5x25

Rest 2 minutes between sets.

Train three days per week for three months.

As Park explained it, 5x5 includes two progressively heavier warm-up sets and three sets at the same weight. He suggested increasing weights at approximately the same interval, for example:

Back squat: first set 135x5, second set 185x5, followed by three sets of 225x5.

When you can complete the last 3x5 at a given weight, increase the weight on all five sets 5-10 pounds. Also, he was strongly against training to failure, saying that it encouraged a negative mindset when attempting other heavy, near-maximal lifts.

You are, however, allowed to test for one-rep max at the end of each phase. Park recommends two warm-up sets (1x5 and 1x3), followed by three progressively heavier attempts at a one-rep max. So the max testing day would be: 1x5, 1x3, and 3x1 (for each lift). Take the next four days off from the gym, and then begin the next phase of training.

For the 45-degree back extensions, begin without added weight. Once you can complete all sets, increase your poundage each set while still getting all sets and reps. Park and his training partner often used 135 for the first set, 175 for the second, and 215 for the third, and 235-255 for the fourth.

That's the entire plan, and it's a doozy. Talk about volume training? Mike Mentzer just rolled over in his grave... once. Notice, there really aren't any isolation exercises until the third phase, when you've been training consistently for six months. Only then can you break out some curls for the girls.

As far as recovery goes, Park recommended plenty of sleep and plenty of food. His main sources of nutrition would include whole milk, whole eggs, steak, orange juice, salad, protein powders, wheat germ, and liver tablets. Interestingly, the foods would remain the same when cutting, but the portions would be reduced.

With such a high volume of work, it wasn't uncommon for these workouts to last two to three hours. That's typical of the training in that era, and it's a far cry from the, "get out of the gym in 60 minutes, or you'll sacrifice growth hormone levels!" warnings of today.

Does that make it much worse than programs designed today? Is this absurdly busy training day dangerous, guaranteed to break you emotionally and scare you out of the gym? Not necessarily.

While it might not be ideal, or even fun, to do for the long term, when was the last time you had a juggernaut session and really tried to destroy yourself in the gym? Once in a while, it's okay to break the rules, especially if you have a free Saturday with nothing else to do... and a free Sunday to lie in bed, eat steak, and curse us for daring you to try this plan.

Original Article: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...ks_5x5_program

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Reg Park's 1951 Mr. Universe Workout

This is the same workout that Reg Park trained with to win the 1951 Mr. Universe title. He won Mr. Universe again in 1958, becoming the first to win the prestigious event twice. Park, who later went on to replace Steve Reeves as Hercules in the mid sixties, gained 25 pounds of muscle on an already solid frame in 10 months with this program.

Reg trained three days a week on this routine. He ate 3-4 meals per day and had a protein drink that was made up of milk, cream and honey, which he drank six times a day. Proof that you don't need to buy expensive supplements.

Grab any photo of Reg Park and you'll see what can be done with hard work and determination. Remember, Park was a pre-steroid bodybuilder, all natural. And to me he looks a lot better and more powerful than the drug induced bodybuilders of today.

The Reg Park Classic 1951 Workout

Squats 5 x 10
Bench Press 5 x 10
Weighted Dips 5 x 12
Barbell Curls 5 x 10
French Presses 5 x 10
Chins 5 x 10
Donkey Raises 5 sets
Abs 5 sets

Notes: There was no rep scheme for his abs and calves, he'd work them until they had enough. Park, like all the old timers, lifted heavy weights and didn't use many isolation exercises in his routine. If you decide to follow this program and feel wiped out on three days a week, knock it down to two. Park had exceptional genetics and recovery ability that most don't have.

Understand that to be successful in any weight training program - hard work is a must! Half-hearted effort does nothing for you. If you're new to weight training or grossly out of shape, consult a physician first and get on a beginners program. End of disclaimer.

Brian Carson is a writer and workout enthusiast who write and edits the Workout Routine blog, the site devoted to workout routines by bodybuilders, powerlifters, strength trainers and strongmen from the past to the present.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Carson

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Reg Park Muscle Magazine

Check it out, here's 2 actual articles that Arnie read as a teenager in Austria in their original format! Includes more old school Reg Park muscle programs, illustrations and explanations of the big muscle movements, and diet advice that Arnold actually followed as a teen!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/8947120/Re...uscle-Magazine
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Reg Park - A Hercules for Our Time
An Interview by Osmo Kiiha
Includes a Reg Park bodypart split routine

https://www.scribd.com/doc/260628404...s-for-Our-Time
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Strength & Bulk Training for Weight Lifters & Body Builders by Reg Park

This basic, no-nonsense training guide cuts through all the fluff and gives you only the essentials for getting results:

Three different routines for strength and bulk, best exercises, diet advice, getting through sticking points, single training and mental horizons, dealing with boredom, strength training for athletes and much more...

Available at oldtimestrongman.com: http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/reg_park.html
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[bango skank]

The Ten Keys to Old School Success for New School Beginners
by Bango Skank

1. Eat Like a King
Muscle isn't made out of thin air, it's made out of the fuel you provide it and that's food. You can forget everything you've learned and will learn in this article, if you don't eat enough to fuel growth you won't grow. You kids have this idea that you can grow bigger and somehow stay smaller, that you can pack on 20-30 lbs of muscle and keep an Ethiopian six-pack. It ain't gonna happen, or it'll happen so slowly that your grand kids will grow faster than you do. And if you're saying to yourself that you can't seem to gain weight, I got another name for you so-called "hard gainers," it's under eaters! If you're having trouble adding weight to the scale you need to be eating everything that isn't nailed down, then you need to eat everything that is nailed down, and then you need to eat the nails. For guys, everytime you sit down for a meal it's a banquet, a competitive eating contest, it's an Olympic sport! Screw your light yogurt and your skim milk, you need to be downing whole milk, whole eggs, nuts, peanut butter, fresh fruits and veggies, plenty of meat and top it all off with olive oil! And one more thing; if it's not something that your grandparents would recognize as food, it ain't food! This immediately nullifies many things you'd get out of a bag, box or can. This means you need to be sticking to the outside of the grocery store where they keep all the fresh food and skimp on visiting the aisles.

2. Rest Like a Baby
You don't grow while you work, you grow while you rest. Your hard earned sweat and blood will be wasted if you don't give yourself a chance to recover. This means getting at least 8, and more like 10, hours of uninteruppted sleep every night. If you don't have time to rest, then you don't have time to train, it's as simple as that. Resting isn't just sleep either, it's taking a day off when you need it and liesure time with friends and family. It's also taking a full week off every 8-12 weeks. So give your mind, body and spirit all the recovery it needs to replenish itself and grow. It's not being lazy, it's being realistic.

3. Be Skilled, Not Sloppy
Weight lifting is a skill just like in any other sport, and where the skilled will be successful, the sloppy will be in the emergency room. Make it your top priority to always be improving your form, perfecting your movements and mastering your technique. This means educating yourself in the lifts that you will be performing before you perform them. Don't walk into the gym and decide to "wing it" on a new exercises; learn it first, then practice, then perform. One basic rule of thumb will help guide you in all exercises: keep your body in line with itself. This means keeping a nuetral spine (not bent or overextended), keeping your knees in line with your toes, your elbows under your wrist and your neck in line with your spine. I recommend that every one of you read Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. This is the best guide out there on performing the big heavy compound lifts. Also, don't rely on mirrors to tell you what you're doing; mirrors lie! A 2 dimentional representation of a 3 dimentional occurence will never give you an accurate portrayal. I realize most gyms today look like the hall of mirrors in a fun house, but ignore them, and instead pay attention to what your body is telling you. Also if you have access to a digital camera you should record yourself and play it back later to assess proper technique. This is better than a mirror because a) you'll be watching yourself after-the-fact, not during it, b) you can replay as many times as you like, and, c) you can post it on-line for immediate feedback.

4. Progress or Die
Progress in weightlifting, strength training or bodybuilding are all measured the same for you beginners; it's adding weight on the barbell and adding weight on the scale every week. These are the only two measures that you need concern yourself with at this point in your training. It's not how much you bench, it's how much more you benched than last week, it's not how much you weigh, it's how much more you weighed than last week. You are your own toughest competition and every week is a new chance to come out ahead. Little by little, just keep upping both strength and size every blessed week. If one ceases to increase that means both will cease to increase. If that's the case you're doing something wrong and you need to fix it. 9 times out of 10 you'll need to get more food and get more rest. It's a lot harder to restart your stalled progress than to maintain your consistent progress, so make sure you're never in that position and stay on course. If however your strength or bodyweight actually regress, then more drastic measures might need to be taken. If this happens and it's been more than 8 weeks since you last took a full week off, now is the time to do so. Otherwise another way of breaking the spell is to cut the intensity (the weight) of your workout by 50% for a week; this means benching 75lbs if you normally bench 150. This will give you the advantage of recovering without regressing. After either a week off or a week "deloading" you should be good as new and ready to go.

5. Be Consistent
If you haven't been on a program for at least 4 or 5 weeks you have no business changing to a new routine. It takes at least that long to judge if a program is working or not, and if you've been reading, you'll know exactly how to measure that progress. However if you've been on a program that long and you're not adding weight, even then the program should be the last thing you change. Make sure it's not something else in your lifestyle that is short changing your gains. If you can remove all other possibilities and are left with only your routine to change, then you'd be a fool to stay on it. But whatever you do don't get in one of these vicious cycles of second guessing yourself everytime you start a new routine. Changing your routine every week does not a program make. Avoid paralysis by analysis, make a choice and stick with it. The same can be said of exercise selection; changing your sets, reps, and exercises every week is the same thing as changing the whole routine. Don't do it unless you have to. Also be consistent in your diet and your rest. Consistent choices will give you consistent gains!

6. Supplement, Don't Substitute
There is no legal supplement in existence that will make up for bad programming, bad nutrition or bad recovery, there is no legal supplement that is good enough to merit basing a workout routine on, and there is no legal supplement that is worth spending more money on than the food you eat. 99% of supplements are canned crap. That means that whatever expensive supplement you're taking this week is in all likelyhood a shiny brand new shrink-wrapped turd with a bow on it for all the good that it'll do. There are only 3 supplements that you guys need concern yourselves with:
1) A Mega Multi Vitamin. Your requirements for vitamins and minerals will be higher than the average person, so this is pretty important.
2) Fish Oil. This stuff is as close as we've gotten to an elixer of life. It does so many good things that you'll just have to take my word for it and look it up yourself. Take at least 5 grams per day. I take 12.
3) Whey Protein. This will ensure you're getting the requisite amount of protein that your body needs to grow, but it is not a substitute for food. Drink 1 shake post workout and that's probably as much as you'll need. If you're drinking more than 2 per day, you're literally pissing money away.
If you want to spend your money on extra sups, well that's up to you. I think it's a waste, but as long as you're getting plenty to eat and you're already taking these 3, then feel free to be a lab rat.

7. Overtraining = Underrecovering
Overtraining is The Black Plague of the bodybuilding world and by my estimates your chances of getting either one are about equal. Don't concern yourself with working too hard or too long, concern yourself with recovering too little. There is no amount of training that will put you into an overtrained state, there is only a deficit of recovery that will. Train hard and rest harder and you'll never have to worry about getting overtrained. But be sure to wash your hands just in case.

8. Be Self Aware, Not Self Absorbed
Always warm-up before performing. If a warm-up with 60% or 80% of your max weight feels heavier than it should, take a step back and assess the situation. Maybe you need to back off. Don't lift with your ego. That's a good way to get injured and not be able to lift at all. If you're performing a new exercise always learn it first with little or no weight. When starting a new program or routine never start with your max weight, always work your way back up over the course of a few weeks. Don't ever test your 1 rep max unless you are highly skilled in the exercise and have a very good idea of what your 1 rep max is already. Showing off will get you nowhere that you wouldn't have gotten by taking the sure path, except maybe a trip to the emergency room. Also, unless you're talking about lactic acid burn, adages like, "No Pain, No Gain," are bull**** and should be ignored. If you get injured don't be a nimrod and work through the pain; You Will Lose. Instead do everything you can to heal it via rest, medication and rehab, and otherwise find a way to work around the injury. Make wellness your top priority.

9. Finish What You Start
Go all the way or go home. Set goals for yourself and don't quit until you meet them. Goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based. A goal could be adding 5 lbs of muscular bodyweight to the scale in a month or adding 50 lbs to your squat in 7 weeks. These are good goals to have and will keep you striving toward the finish-line. If however you find you do need to stop prematurely, make sure it's for the right reasons (only you can define what those are).

10. Drop a Log
The most successful bodybuilders keep very close tabs on their progress by recording every minute detail of their development. This means recording your exercise routines, the weight you used for warm-ups and work sets, and any feedback that the routine gave you such as on your technique. Also your bodyweight, your dietary menu and anything else that might impact your training. Having a detailed training journal ensures that every time you walk into the gym you'll know exactly what it is that you came to do. You can't assess your progress if you don't record it!

[GuyJin]

bango skank,

Thank you for posting these articles. I've read 'em before (somewhere on the 'Net), but it's always good to get a refresher course.

[Mr.Marvel]

great post. That article entitled "HARD WORK ON "BASIC EXCERCISES" really impacted me and shaped my view of what training should be. Im glad someone posted it here.

[governor.here]

lots of thanks , keep it up, very nice post ..
thanks

[bango skank]

bango skank,

Thank you for posting these articles. I've read 'em before (somewhere on the 'Net), but it's always good to get a refresher course.

great post. That article entitled "HARD WORK ON "BASIC EXCERCISES" really impacted me and shaped my view of what training should be. Im glad someone posted it here.

lots of thanks , keep it up, very nice post ..
thanks

Always happy to oblige.

[CaptainGorgeous]

Cool thread.

That 9 month 5x5 program in T-Nation is insane!

Schedule 2 - To be performed 3x/week for 5 weeks.

Front Squat - 5x5
Clean and Press, warmup w/ 2 sets of 2, 5x2 Stabilizing sets. Optionally perform 2 more sets of 3 Push Jerks
Upright Row - 5x5
Dips - 5x8
Dumbbell Curls - 5x5
Deadlift - 5x1, working up to a top weight (Only performed on Day 3) Beginners should do 1x5

After reading the article from Muscle Magazine (following the link you provided), I figured I should point out that the "upright row" he describes in the routine above is actually more of a high pull or power shrug. This makes more sense intuitively since the high pull is an explosive movement whereas the upright row isn't.

[Mr.Marvel]

I wanted to ask about those routines, like I mentioned I read that hard work article before but never really understood how progression would be. So unlike SS where your adding 5lbs each workout here your only adding it if you nail all 5 reps on those 3 sets?

And is there any sequence (order of the above routines) that would make sense or is it just try one run it move to the next?

[ThaCondor]

I'm glad someone brought this up since I was just reading that article on t-nation. It mentioned his book and some digging I found this http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/reg_park.html and was wondering if anyone had read it and their thoughts on it?

[Blou]

Excellent, thanks very much.

[merkong]

Love the Oak...

[ggbody]

thanks for the story. It looks good to see a young Arnold in that pic.

[ThickAsABrick]

Hard Work On Basic Exercises
by Bradley J. Steiner- 1971

Concentration curls, Hack squats, lateral raises, thigh extensions, triceps "kickback" movements, etc., all followed slavishly by thousands of misinformed bodybuilders, are a waste of time.

I was with you up until this ^^^^

Ironic too, since "Arnold Style Concentration Curls" are a great biceps exercise.




No exercise is a waste of time, either.

Otherwise, good stuff all around. BBers should always focus their routines around the BASICS.

[mdorty]

I was with you up until this ^^^^

Ironic too, since "Arnold Style Concentration Curls" are a great biceps exercise.




No exercise is a waste of time, either.

Otherwise, good stuff all around. BBers should always focus their routines around the BASICS.

I think he says this because a lot of people will base their routines around the "time wasters" and avoid the heavy compounds, I think its more to slap those people in the face. I mean, it'd be better to do all compounds with one iso than all isos with one compound, right?

[fatdaddy67]

I mean, it'd be better to do all compounds with one iso than all isos with one compound, right?

For most beginner to intermediates, yes.

[bango skank]

I just added something important ^^^^

[GetBigyo]

good post. so u would recommend reg parks beginner program for someone whos been working out for awhile but with too advanced rotuines? and has made no gains and wants to get bigger and stronger

[bango skank]

So unlike SS where your adding 5lbs each workout here your only adding it if you nail all 5 reps on those 3 sets?

And is there any sequence (order of the above routines) that would make sense or is it just try one run it move to the next?

Well, ideally that would mean the same thing, that you can add 5 lbs every workout. After discovering Reg's old routines I was amazed by how close they were to SS. I mean that beginner routine is almost identical! There is no reason why he progression wouldn't closely mirror SS's.

As far as a sequence, there isn't really one, but I put them in an order that I think would be a decent progression.

I'm glad someone brought this up since I was just reading that article on t-nation. It mentioned his book and some digging I found this http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/reg_park.html and was wondering if anyone had read it and their thoughts on it?

I've read some excerpts from it, but no I don't have the book. I'm thinking about ordering it though. Anyone else read this?

Excellent, thanks very much.

Thank you for reading.

Love the Oak...

What can I say, he's the Master. I just couldn't stand to see any more beginners following an "Arnold" routine when that is really the last thing they should be doing.

thanks for the story. It looks good to see a young Arnold in that pic.

You bet!

I was with you up until this ^^^^

Ironic too, since "Arnold Style Concentration Curls" are a great biceps exercise.

No exercise is a waste of time, either.

Otherwise, good stuff all around. BBers should always focus their routines around the BASICS.

I consider the fact that you were with me at all to be a major victory.

And I don't think he meant that concentration curls were a waste, just that they do not make the foundation of a routine, especially for a beginner who more oft than not will do exactly that. It's a good exercise that gets wasted by being overemphasized.

good post. so u would recommend reg parks beginner program for someone whos been working out for awhile but with too advanced rotuines? and has made no gains and wants to get bigger and stronger

If I'm understanding correctly, and you've been working out for awhile without any gains, then I would definitely recommend his beginner routine. Be sure to read my "10 Keys," article too. You might find something there that will spur your progress along. Good luck and get strong dammit!

[islandguy88]

Found this on the Reg Parks forums which seems to be in stark contrast to what was posted above.



THE WAY IT IS Getting the most out of your training BY REG PARK Musclemag early 70's

Reg Park is undoudtedly one of the world's top bodybuilding authorities. He was born in Leeds, England, started training at the age of 18 and by the time he was 21 he had developed a body good enough to win the Mr. Britain title. He has won the famed Mr. Universe title on many occassions and broken strength records in many categories. He is now 46 years old and still competing in contests. He has made several Hercules films and is currently operating several gyms in South Africa as well as running a business for bodybuilding and slimming apparatus. We are grateful to Mr. Park for finding time to write for MUSCLEMAG INTERNATIONAL.



"Obviously, if you are to get maximum benefit from your training it is essential that you determine, at the beginning, exactly what standard you wish to attain - whether or not (like the vast majority who attend health studios or gyms regularly) you only wish to get fit and firm and stay that way, or whether you wish to improve your physique to a marked degree with the aim of entering and winning physique contests. The decision is yours.

If its a question of attaining an athletic-type physique - your approach will obviously be determined by whether or not you are at present thin or on the fat side. If you are thin then it is essential that you realise that all the training and exercise you may care to do will NOT put any extra size on you unless you increase your bodyweight and this you can only do by increasing your food and liquid intake in excess of what you normally eat and drink - but whereas if you were to do no exercise and at the same time eat and drink more, you would expect to put more size on your stomach and waist - by virtue of the fact that you are exercising, your increased bodyweight will be distributed over your whole body giving you a more developed and rugged appearance. As regards the type of training schedule you should follow - in as much as your present slim physique is a result not only of heredity but also your extremely high metabolism whereby you use up food so fast in the way of energy that you never gain weight. I would recommend that your training schedule be very simple and short and done only 3 days a week - a typical routine being as follows:-

Pronn hyperextensions 4 sets of 10 repetitions
Full squats 4 sets of 10 repetitions
Middle incline bench dumbell press 4 sets of 8 repetitions
Press behind neck 4 sets of 8 repetitions
Pulldowns on lat machine
or if not available Bent over barbell row 4 sets of 8 repetitions
Barbell curl 4 sets of 8 repetitions
2 arm triceps curl overhead 4 sets of 8 repetitions
Barbell on shoulders heel raise 4 sets of 20 repetitions
and lastly Dumbell pullover across bench 3 sets of 20 repetitions



If on the other hand you are overweight and wish to attain a trim athletic physique it follows that the first thing is to cut down on your food and liquid intake - cutting down particularly on bread, potatoes, sweets, cakes, rice, pastas, in fact all starches and carbohydrates as well as tea and coffee, soft drinks, and beer etc., and stick to proteins, steaks, lean meats, fish, chicken, kidneys, hearts, liver, salads, fresh fruit juices, etc. As regards the type of training you should do, I would recommend a routine as follows:-

Monday - Wednesday - Friday

1. Sit ups - working up to 3 sets of 50 reps on a flat level sit u[ board before you put it up on the next rung.
2. Leg Raises - again working up to 3 sets of 50 reps before raising board to next level.
3. Twist-a-way machine - 3 sets of 100 reps.
4. Lying leg kickouts - 3 sets of 20 reps.
5. Dumbell swing - 3 sets of 20 reps.
6. Stationary Cycle - working up to 10 minutes.
7. Pulldown to back of neck on lat machine - 3 sets of 20 reps.
8. Dumbell flys - 3 sets of 20 reps.
9. Alternate dumbell press - 3 sets of 20 reps.
10. Two dumbell curl on incline level- 3 x 20 reps.
11. Triceps on lat machine - 3 sets of 20 reps.

The whole purpose being to perform as great a variety of exercises as time will permit and on the off days, I would recommend doing some running or cycling whilst wearing a track or sweat suit - start at about 1/2 a mile a day 3 times a week and over a period of weeks try to work up to 4-5 miles. One more thing remember to cut down on your salt intake as well as all other condiments.

If your interest in bodybuilding and exercise should be to develop an impressively muscular physique - then once again you must determine what your present physique needs - if you are underweight obviously you will have to eat more and drink more - whereas if you are on the fat side then you must adjust your diet accordingly by eating less.

As regards actual training - at present many of the top physique stars are repeatedly saying that it is only necessary to train an hour per workout, this may well be the case with an already established physique star who simply wants to retain his present shape, but in my opinion this would not be sufficient to retain a world class physique - it may well be that there is a commercial angle behind such statements that an hour a day is all that is necessary in order not to frighten the thousands of potential customers from buying a barbell set or joining a health studio or gymnasium which might well be the case if they were informed that 2 hour workouts were necessary to build a really great physique.

I know of no established physique star whose training did not consist of at least 5 x 2 hour workouts per week and some even train 6 days a week - in their early days. There may be periods when top physique stars cut down on their training periods and time involved for short spells but as soon as a contest or a series of exhibitions come round you will find most of them training daily, very often twice daily for anytime from an hour to four and a half hours each workout. Now let's get down to the type of training the would-be champion should do. If you have been training three or more months and can afford the time, your workout should be something like this:-

Monday - Wednesday - Friday

1. Midsection depending how much you need it - various stomach and waist exercises from 15-30 minutes.
2. Hack machine squats - 5 x 8-10 reps.
3. Regular squats with a high block under heels - 5 x 8-10 reps.
4. Leg curls - 5 x 10 reps.
5. Bent over Barbell rowing - 5 x 8 reps.
6. 1 arm rowing with dumbell or fixed bar - 5 x8.
7. Chins - 5 x 10 reps.
8. Pulley rowing - 5 x 10 reps.
9. Middle incline dumbell curl - 5 x 8 reps.
10. Barbell curl over bench - 5 x 8 reps.
11. Lying on back, 2 dumbell curl - 5 x 8 reps.
12. Calf - 10 sets of 20 reps.

Tuesday - Thursday - Saturday

1. Midsection - a different set of exercises 15 - 30 minutes.
2. Middle incline dumbell press - 5 x 8 reps.
3. Flat bench dumbell press - 5 x 8 reps.
4. Press behind neck - 5 x 8 reps.
5. Two dumbell press alternate or simultaneously - 5 x 8 reps.
6. Upright Barbell rowing - 5 x 8 reps.
7. Two dumbell lateral raise - 5 x 8 reps.
8. Triceps on lat machine - 5 x 8 reps.
9. Lying barbell triceps curl - 5 x 8 reps.
10. One dumbell, 1 arm triceps - 5 x 8 reps.
11. Calf - 10 sets of 10 reps.
12. Dumbell pullover - 3-5 sets of 20 reps.

The above is simply to act as a guide and is not claimed to be the best system in the world although on many occasions it has produced national and international bodybuilding champions.

During the workout it is imperative that you concentrate on the particular muscle you are exercising - trying to get that 'pumped' feeling. If you find you are not gaining size this can only be because you are not gaining weight - and you must therefore increase your food and liquid intake even more - at one stage in my career I gained 26 Ibs in a period of 3 weeks from 200 Ibs to 226 Ibs obviously I did not want to gain more at that rate because very fast gains must give you a smooth appearance - but very often such rapid weight gains do help you to get much needed size which you can then set about to consolidate and with continued regular training transform into a more muscular shape.

If you are one of those persons who has an exceptionally heavy pair of thighs - then you need more shape work such as tension work rather than mass building heavy squats - or if you have a particular weakness such as very underdeveloped calves then you may well have to exercise them twice a day as I told Arnold Schwarzenegger to do on his first visit to South Africa 3 or 4 years ago and which he did with great results. If you have any training problems I'm sure you'll find any top bodybuilder who will pass on some useful tips - as long as you don't take up too much of his time - but remember that the most important thing is that you should have faith and believe in what he tells you and really give it a chance. Remember you only get out of bodybuilding what you are prepared to put it."

[bango skank]

Found this on the Reg Parks forums which seems to be in stark contrast to what was posted above.

Thanks for posting that.

The point we're trying to get at is following the types of programs that Reg Park had written and Arnie would have followed in the fifties. That was written in the 70's and, as you said, was in stark contrast to what Reg Park had been doing before then. Not to say that this program is bad, far from it, but it's very different than what Arnold did.

Along these same lines Arnold wrote a beginner program that was in stark contrast to the training he did as a beginner, and in my opinion, for that reason it fails to recreate his own journey for others.

What I've outlined above is very close to the same things that Arnie was doing when he first got his start at age 15, 16 and 17. It's a snapshot in time, for one person, that I'm attempting to share with many.

Thanks.

[islandguy88]

Oh i absolutely agree that the kind of training present in Reg's day was the golden standard for bodybuilders, i do find it interesting to compare the two routines from different eras though, as you mentioned Arnold also seemed to transition to the high volume, everything worked threefold per week method.

Not being particularly advanced myself what in your own opinion is the best method in terms of wanting to get into bodybuilding?

And not with the ambitions of looking like the bloated steroid junkies of post 70's era.

[islandguy88]

Would the high volume, higher rep routines be considered more beneficial as something to transition to (in terms of bodybuilding training) after a solid amount of time invested in the routines at the beginning of the thread?

[bango skank]

Would the high volume, higher rep routines be considered more beneficial as something to transition to (in terms of bodybuilding training) after a solid amount of time invested in the routines at the beginning of the thread?

I am of that opinion, yes.

Like Arnold says at the very top, it makes sense to add a ton of mass everywhere first with the big exercises, then once you've accrued enough to actually be worth molding into something, to chisel it out with isolation type work. And the isolation work lends itself much better to higher volume, imo. This seems to be the model that he and Reg both followed throughout their careers.

[islandguy88]

So in your opinion the programs you listed are very effective for getting muscular and strong?

I was always of the mindset that higher reps/higher volume etc were optimal for getting bigger and this kind of routine was more strength oriented but now after reading it in this context it seems the opposite, do you recommend for someone who is particularly weak and would like to get strong but also enter the realms of bodybuilding the Reg Park routines are the place to start?

If so would you go through the routines in the order listed, moving to the next when you start to stall out on the one prior?

Thanks for any advice.

[saku]

Awesome thread bro, thanks for sharing!

[rushki]

wow this is great stuff..

thanks a lot



anyone know if there is an E-Book floating around for this?

[bango skank]

So in your opinion the programs you listed are very effective for getting muscular and strong?

Without a doubt.

I was always of the mindset that higher reps/higher volume etc were optimal for getting bigger and this kind of routine was more strength oriented but now after reading it in this context it seems the opposite,

Both ways work, I think lower reps work better for beginners. This is how I've always trained and have had nothing but success. Hypertrophy will be induced simply by adding weight to the bar (progressive overload), lifting big and eating big.

do you recommend for someone who is particularly weak and would like to get strong but also enter the realms of bodybuilding the Reg Park routines are the place to start?

Absolutely. I think Reg hit the nail on the head.

If so would you go through the routines in the order listed, moving to the next when you start to stall out on the one prior?

Thanks for any advice.

That would be a great way to progress and would take you very far. You don't have to do them in that order, but I like how the transition is laid out.

Be sure to read my "Keys to Success," too for some good common sense approaches to maintaining progress.

Good luck!

[Mr.Marvel]

not to be a pain but Im a bit confused as to what you said about sequence of routines since you have 3 beginner routines. The first is the reg park routine with the aba routine. Then there is the 9 month t-nation article. Finally the hard work one.