Reg Park's Routine for Size & Strength

[Rockfella]

Also keep in mind that humans back then were much more healthier than today.. healthier food, better air, some claim the difference between testosterone levels of today and back then is 50% (i read somewhere)

Reg Park's program circa 1950 (from an old Iron Man issue from around 1985)

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

No offense, but how on earth can he fit so many COMPOUND EXERCISES into 1 workout? SQUAT + DEADLIFT+ BENCH + ROW+ PRESS??!! Since this was in the 1950s...they had not started using drugs yet, right? So does this guy have INCOMPARABLY FREAKY genetics or does did the magazine really give us the specifics of his routine?

[KyleAaron]

A high intensity is quite possible. You just have to build up to it.

I am doing

Squat
Bench press
Bent over barbell row
Overhead press
Deadlift

with 2x5 warmup sets at 50 and 75% top weight, and 3x5 work sets at 100% top weight for each exercise. I certainly don't have incomparably freaky genetics, nor am I superfit or strong. Park's one was 27 sets with 147-171 reps total, I'm doing 25 sets with 125 reps total. So my routine is only a bit less intense than his was. My workout takes 1hr15', Park's took about 2 hours, as I understand it. I'm pretty sure I could chuck in a few sets of curls if I was interested, and match his total.

However, I could not do it without having done 3 compound exercises 3/week for a couple of months first. Park and others often advised doing their starting routine exercises with just 1x10 in the first month, adding a second set in the second month, and a third set in the third. Thus, the beginner gradually builds up the intensity.

Were I writing my own version of Stronglifts, I think I would have the untrained unfit beginner using only their bodyweight to spend 1-3 months to achieve 20-30 pushups, situps, inverted rows and squats, and after that begin with just deadlift, adding one of the other four basic compound exercises each month. Thus they begin by building up their basic muscular strength and endurance from "ordinary" to "fair", and month to month increase the intensity.

A high intensity is quite possible. You just have to build up to it.

[Rockfella]

Impressive....... u do OHP and bench press in the same session, isnt that going overboard???

A high intensity is quite possible. You just have to build up to it.

I am doing

Squat
Bench press
Bent over barbell row
Overhead press
Deadlift

with 2x5 warmup sets at 50 and 75% top weight, and 3x5 work sets at 100% top weight for each exercise. I certainly don't have incomparably freaky genetics, nor am I superfit or strong. Park's one was 27 sets with 147-171 reps total, I'm doing 25 sets with 125 reps total. So my routine is only a bit less intense than his was. My workout takes 1hr15', Park's took about 2 hours, as I understand it. I'm pretty sure I could chuck in a few sets of curls if I was interested, and match his total.

However, I could not do it without having done 3 compound exercises 3/week for a couple of months first. Park and others often advised doing their starting routine exercises with just 1x10 in the first month, adding a second set in the second month, and a third set in the third. Thus, the beginner gradually builds up the intensity.

Were I writing my own version of Stronglifts, I think I would have the untrained unfit beginner using only their bodyweight to spend 1-3 months to achieve 20-30 pushups, situps, inverted rows and squats, and after that begin with just deadlift, adding one of the other four basic compound exercises each month. Thus they begin by building up their basic muscular strength and endurance from "ordinary" to "fair", and month to month increase the intensity.

A high intensity is quite possible. You just have to build up to it.

[KyleAaron]

It's not that impressive when you see the weights I'm doing (see sig), I may feel differently when I'm heaving more significant kilogramage. The total of the five lifts is only 387.5kg now, my aim is to hit 500kg by November 20. A bit ambitious but what the hell.

You are probably also looking at it through the filter of the 5x5 across, 3x5 work sets is a lower workload. With 3 exercises at 5 work sets each, you're doing 15 heavy work sets a session (leaving aside the bodyweight stuff for the moment). Whereas I'm doing 5 exercises with 3 work sets each... 15 work sets a session. So it's not so different, it's just spread out among more exercises. Which was the point I was trying to make earlier.

It's perhaps slightly harder with 3 work sets for deadlifts than for 1, but I don't believe this is as big an issue as many make out, as I've said before in another thread.

I don't believe much in "genetics" of people like Reg Park. There exists no laboratory test for such genetics, I can't go to the doctor to find out if I have the right or wrong "genetics" for this or that sport or building my body to look a certain way.

So if we succeed we can say it was genetics, if we fail we can say it was genetics, we don't know until afterwards. Thus, "genetics" means nothing in a practical sense. "Genetics" may as well be "prayer" or "orgone rays" or "luck". It's just another way of saying, "I don't know." Well, I do know how Reg Park did it: through damned hard work, good food and good sleep. And damned hard work!

Before starting on this a couple of weeks ago, I hadn't properly bench pressed for two months, just overhead pressed. I went from 40-80kg, sets of 6, to being able to manage 75kg 3x5, so I didn't lose much benching strength from neglecting it. However, I'd like to get it up higher, which is why I'm doing it. If the routine becomes too heavy for me I'll drop the bench out of it as it's the least important to me - I need to improve back and leg strength much more than chest strength.

The combination of the bench and OHP isn't too vicious, these are only 5-rep sets remember. And my woman is in favour of big shoulders and arms

I think most lifters could do it, but they need a couple of months on three-lift sessions first if they are very unfit to begin with.

[Rockfella]

Cool.... i like the way u think about "geneitics" ... and i just saw u do 3 x5 not 5 x 5 make ur women happy soon gud luck.

It's not that impressive when you see the weights I'm doing (see sig), I may feel differently when I'm heaving more significant kilogramage. The total of the five lifts is only 387.5kg now, my aim is to hit 500kg by November 20. A bit ambitious but what the hell.

You are probably also looking at it through the filter of the 5x5 across, 3x5 work sets is a lower workload. With 3 exercises at 5 work sets each, you're doing 15 heavy work sets a session (leaving aside the bodyweight stuff for the moment). Whereas I'm doing 5 exercises with 3 work sets each... 15 work sets a session. So it's not so different, it's just spread out among more exercises. Which was the point I was trying to make earlier.

It's perhaps slightly harder with 3 work sets for deadlifts than for 1, but I don't believe this is as big an issue as many make out, as I've said before in another thread.

I don't believe much in "genetics" of people like Reg Park. There exists no laboratory test for such genetics, I can't go to the doctor to find out if I have the right or wrong "genetics" for this or that sport or building my body to look a certain way.

So if we succeed we can say it was genetics, if we fail we can say it was genetics, we don't know until afterwards. Thus, "genetics" means nothing in a practical sense. "Genetics" may as well be "prayer" or "orgone rays" or "luck". It's just another way of saying, "I don't know." Well, I do know how Reg Park did it: through damned hard work, good food and good sleep. And damned hard work!

Before starting on this a couple of weeks ago, I hadn't properly bench pressed for two months, just overhead pressed. I went from 40-80kg, sets of 6, to being able to manage 75kg 3x5, so I didn't lose much benching strength from neglecting it. However, I'd like to get it up higher, which is why I'm doing it. If the routine becomes too heavy for me I'll drop the bench out of it as it's the least important to me - I need to improve back and leg strength much more than chest strength.

The combination of the bench and OHP isn't too vicious, these are only 5-rep sets remember. And my woman is in favour of big shoulders and arms

I think most lifters could do it, but they need a couple of months on three-lift sessions first if they are very unfit to begin with.

[AD69]

I agree, people who complain about genetics don't know the meaning of hard work!

[nexusmidas]

I've done this routine and a similar routine from Reg Park for about 4-6 weeks and it's definitely doable. But it does take a lot of hard work. One session usually lasted 75-90 mins. You really have to pace yourself. I believe Reg said: power needs rest. 3-5 min rest between sets.

But I do feel that you can't give you best effort on al exercises, especially the ones you do last. So I usually varied workout order. Russian bodybuilders used this method as a unique way of cycling, Pavel Tsatsouline reffered to this method as "fatigue cycling".

Anyway It does increase your work capacity more than anything I've done.

[ProteinShake]

Interesting article. Found this obituary about Reg. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article2950258.ece# You might find it interesting to read too.

Points of interest:
42lbs of growth in a year in a time of food rationing
his body would twitch and jump all night long after a session (no real surprise having seen the program!)
1st man to bench 500lb