How did the old guys get so big and strong on 3x week fullbody workouts?

[Gottapumpit]

Ok, so they weren't HUGE like the juiced up freaks of today but they were about as big as you can get naturally. How did guys like Steve Reeves,Reg Park, and others in the 1940's and 1950's. Get so impressive on such high volume and long workouts that everyone says is the absolute wrong way to train today. Did they just have really superior genetics?

[Orlando1234977]

Ok, so they weren't HUGE like the juiced up freaks of today but they were about as big as you can get naturally. How did guys like Steve Reeves,Reg Park, and others in the 1940's and 1950's. Get so impressive on such high volume and long workouts that everyone says is the absolute wrong way to train today. Did they just have really superior genetics?

Manipulate the manageable variables (frequency,intensity,volume) to maximize personal progression
+
Calorie Surplus

[industree]

Manipulate the manageable variables (frequency,intensity,volume) to maximize personal progression
+
Calorie Surplus

Pretty much the perfect answer. Fullbody can bring size with calorie surplus, happened to me.

[mydamnself]

You have to understand it was a completely different type of training. Reeves power walked and encouraged all his trainees to do the same. He would walk 3 miles in 21 minutes, I believe. Look at an exercise like the bent press. Highly functional and very hard, yet most people today don't even know what it is. Not only were these men more fit, but as far as actual usable strength they were far, far stronger than the mutants of today.

[Gottapumpit]

I've read a lot on Steve Reeves (I even have his book). And it looks like all his workouts were 3x week balls to the wall, especially his workouts before a competition. His body must have just responded really well to exercise because it would take him almost no time to get into shape. I just always hear "Full body is just for beginners" or " You can only train each muscle group one time per week or you're over training". I've done both full body and splits and don't get much progress for either. Maybe I don't eat enough but I feel like if I ate anymore I would get fat or throw up...

[mydamnself]

I've read a lot on Steve Reeves (I even have his book). And it looks like all his workouts were 3x week balls to the wall, especially his workouts before a competition. His body must have just responded really well to exercise because it would take him almost no time to get into shape. I just always hear "Full body is just for beginners" or " You can only train each muscle group one time per week or you're over training". I've done both full body and splits and don't get much progress for either. Maybe I don't eat enough but I feel like if I ate anymore I would get fat or throw up...

If you're looking to add size you are correct in thinking you need to eat enough. Yes, you are going to put on some fat, but that just comes with the territory. Once you hit a certain weight you can always burn it off. For myself I have found full body, balls to the wall workotus 3x per week to be perfect. I went from a low of 115 lbs. at 5' 8" to 173 lbs. right now. In June I weighed 155 lbs.

[deapee]

I think there was a lot of rest and food involved in their equation. I know it wasn't THAT long ago, but I also think the foods they were eating (while consuming 6, 7, 8 thousand calories a day) were a lot cleaner than today. Back then, they consumed steaks from cows that were grass-fed, eggs, chicken, and potatoes. Now, when someone is bulking, they use it as an excuse to eat double cheeseburgers from Wendy's, large fries, and ice cream before bed. There's a big difference between 1000 calories of steak and 1000 calories of ice cream. That's all not mentioning the fact that they weren't afraid to squat ass to the grass, deadlift, and do other compound movements like a lot of people are.

[mydamnself]

I think there was a lot of rest and food involved in their equation. I know it wasn't THAT long ago, but I also think the foods they were eating (while consuming 6, 7, 8 thousand calories a day) were a lot cleaner than today. Back then, they consumed steaks from cows that were grass-fed, eggs, chicken, and potatoes. Now, when someone is bulking, they use it as an excuse to eat double cheeseburgers from Wendy's, large fries, and ice cream before bed. There's a big difference between 1000 calories of steak and 1000 calories of ice cream. That's all not mentioning the fact that they weren't afraid to squat ass to the grass, deadlift, and do other compound movements like a lot of people are.

Good points.

[Duckenheimer]

Ok, so they weren't HUGE like the juiced up freaks of today but they were about as big as you can get naturally. How did guys like Steve Reeves,Reg Park, and others in the 1940's and 1950's. Get so impressive on such high volume and long workouts that everyone says is the absolute wrong way to train today. Did they just have really superior genetics?

Generally they had much lower weekly volume than most modern day supermen.

A typical Reg Park routine:

Mon -Wed_Fri

Barbell Curl 4x6-8

Seated Behind Neck Press 4x6-8

Bench Press 5x5

Barbell Row 4x6-8

Barbell Squat 5x5

Deadlift 5x5

[Gottapumpit]

I've seen that Reg Park program but I've never actually tried it. Once I get tired of my split again I think I''ll give it a shot. It would be a nice change from 8-12 reps. I don't really have anything to lose!

[Duckenheimer]

I've seen that Reg Park program but I've never actually tried it. Once I get tired of my split again I think I''ll give it a shot. It would be a nice change from 8-12 reps. I don't really have anything to lose!

Nothin' wrong with that.

That said, I think I'd make the Wednesday routine a light session, to optimise muscle gains.

[Frostyboy]

I think there was a lot of rest and food involved in their equation. I know it wasn't THAT long ago, but I also think the foods they were eating (while consuming 6, 7, 8 thousand calories a day) were a lot cleaner than today. Back then, they consumed steaks from cows that were grass-fed, eggs, chicken, and potatoes. Now, when someone is bulking, they use it as an excuse to eat double cheeseburgers from Wendy's, large fries, and ice cream before bed. There's a big difference between 1000 calories of steak and 1000 calories of ice cream. That's all not mentioning the fact that they weren't afraid to squat ass to the grass, deadlift, and do other compound movements like a lot of people are.

New to this forum but I think this is probably the best post I have read so far!! Spot on dude, I have trained for a while now and I am on ly just starting to understand the benefits of a good deadlift, I thought I was getting ok traps from my 40kg bumbell shrugs, but since canning those and focusing on a strong 150kg good form deadlift I was amazed to find my traps aren't just the bumps above my shoulders but the massive lumps that run down both sides of the spine... my word of advice to any new lifters, learn some basic anatomy before going to far into a routine and think of what you need to do to functionally grow the muscle

[Kiknskreem]

He would walk 3 miles in 21 minutes, I believe.

If you're doing a mile in 7 minutes, you aren't walking.

[Andershocknic]

"power walking" theres a slight difference. not to say that power walking a mile in 7 minutes is not a challenge.