The Old School Bodybuilding Program (free PDF)

Want to train the way the champions trained before steroids, when everybody was natural?

Want to be surprised–even shocked–by how strong and jacked you can get by doing things completely differently in the gym?

Like the idea of fewer days in the gym with better results?

Then our Old School Bodybuilding Program is for you!

Jump to the old school bodybuilding program now!

Alternatively, you can download the free PDF version of the routine using the link below:

Old School Bodybuilding Program In a Nutshell

The Old School

When we talk “old school”, we mean what’s commonly called the Silver Era of bodybuilding, the era before steroids.

We’re talking about champions who trained for and won contests like Mr. America and Mr. Universe before steroids were introduced into bodybuilding circa 1954. (Dianabol wasn’t available until 1955).

The Old School championship physiques were jacked for sure, and valued symmetry and aesthetics as much as size.

Waists were small. Shoulder-to-hip drops were large.

Analobics changed everything.

Their influence on physiques, workout structure, recovery time, even diet, can’t be over-estimated.

Steroids can make muscles grow and get stronger without ever touching a weight. That is not an exaggeration.

There’s solid clinical evidence to support the point.

Do you even squat? (You don’t have to.)

The seminal 1996 Bhasin study pretty much proved it. (Bhasin S, Storer TW, Berman N, Callegari C, Clevenger B, Phillips J, Bunnell TJ, Tricker R, Shirazi A, Casaburi R. “The Effects of Supraphysiologic Doses of Testosterone on Muscle Size and Strength in Normal Men.” New England Journal of Medicine. 1996 Jul 4;335(1):1-7)

In that study, 600mg testosterone was given to a group of men who exercised and a group who didn’t.

Two other groups got a placebo. The testosterone-only group had greater increases in strength in the bench  (9 ± 4 vs. -1 ± 1 kg, P < 0.05) and squat (16 ± 4 vs. 3 ± 1 kg, P < 0.05) compared to those who were given a placebo without exercise (So they thought they were taking a steroid.)

The kicker was that the men who received the 600mg of testosterone who did not even exercise saw a greater increase in strength and fat free mass than the guys who lifted and took a placebo.

What that information means to us now is that we really have very little clue of how much a lifting program is contributing to growth, because quite literally, you can do any ol’ routine on anabolics and it will “work”.

Those are fighting words, because immediately the folks who are on anabolics will take it as a suggestion that they don’t work hard.

Never said that.

They most certainly do.

I was one of them. I did the exact same routine without and gained just under 10 lbs of lean mass, whereas “on”, I gained 29 lbs muscle mass with a 10% bodyfat measurement.

Plus, the 29 lbs came in the span of 5 months. Same exact routine with zero difference in workout intensity.

Natural lifters can study what the Old School champions did and incorporate those training principles, add biomechanics knowledge and lessons from the physiology literature, pick equipment available today, then blend it all together into programs that lead to real results.

The Old School guys knew how to train and grow, using the tools they had available then, before chemical help became standard.

Three Old School Champions

Let’s take a quick look at a few of the champions of yesteryear, their methodologies and the programs they used to grow and win, pre-Olympia.

Let’s look at three names from the Silver Era:

• Steve Reeves, Mr. Universe in 1950, among other titles, and the original Superman
• John Grimek Mr. Universe in 1948 among other titles, and
• Reg Park, three-time Mr Universe winner, and runner-up to Reeves in 1950. He’s also the bodybuilder who inspired Arnold and the second man ever to bench press 500 lbs.

Park was the one who used and first popularized the 5 X 5 lifting routine.

He ran that program in a 3-phase approach separated into 90-day segments.

Phase 1 was the Big 3 and each successive segment added exercises.

Grimek said “I trained everything in every workout. I didn’t do what they call split workouts and train legs and arms one day, back and other stuff the next day.”

Grimek took an exercise circuit approach, doing 1 set each of 3 exercises then repeating the circuit 2 times. Here’s a snapshot:

Circuit 1, 3 times:

• Two-Arm Military Press: 10 reps
• Two-Arm Curl: 10
• Bench Press: 10
• Bent-Over Barbell Row: 10

Circuit 2, 3 times:

• Back Squat: 10 reps
• Stiff-Leg Deadlift: 10
• Pullover: 10
• Sit-ups: 1 set to failure

Circuit 3, 3 times:

• Calf Raise: 15 reps
• Side Bend: 10 reps each side
• Wrist Curl: 10 reps

There are many others worthy of mention from that era.

One of the more intriguing is Mickey Hargitay (Mr. Universe 1955 and dad to Mariska Hargitay of the TV show Law & Order).

Hargitay incorporated gymnastics into his training, highlighting how athletic some of these early guys were.

He was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 1994.

The Old School Routines

Old School routines emphasized progressive overload and full-body development rather than the more specialized splits common in the years that followed.

Their equipment was basic: barbells and dumbbells.

No specialized machines. Iron. Steel. Gravity.

By today’s bodybuilding gym standards, we would consider the equipment minimalist.

There were no “splits” as we know them today. Routines were full body; program differences were in how the exercises were inserted into a workout, and days per week.

It wasn’t uncommon to find exercises grouped in a circuit, with one set for each exercise in the rotation.

Multiple exercises per muscle were common, but multiple sets per exercise were not (although Park and others were beginning to incorporate a sets structure)…at least the way we think of sets now.

What the Old School champs seemed to understand was muscular regions. Where straight sets of a specific exercise were absent, what was there were multiple exercises for the same muscle.

As just one example, Steve Reeves did one set of shoulder press, one set of lateral raise, and one set of front raise.

And, what they may not have known conclusively but also seemed to understand, was that this approach maximized their ability to gain and come back in a couple days and hit the same muscles again.

In hindsight, it was genius.

Consistency was preached. Three days per week.

Finally, the Old School seemed to understand recovery demands (rest periods within a workout) and the optimum number of days–or even hours–between workouts far better than is commonly understood today… again, due to the confusing effects of anabolics.

What We Know Now

Should we take Old School and simply copy it?

Resounding “no”. Well, why not?

We’ve learned a thing or three in the past 75 years.

Let’s look at the science

For starters, we’re fortunate today to have mountains of physiology literature on the science of hypertrophy.

Researchers, athletes, and enthusiasts alike want to understand what exactly what makes a muscle grow and how to do it faster, better.

We now understand down to the cellular level how muscles respond to stimulus and grow larger and stronger.

For one, thanks to Huxley in 1957 with his sliding filament theory, we now know how muscles contract.

That process, followed by the ensuing hypertrophy and fatigue mechanisms, can inform the rep ranges and rest periods that are most likely to maximize muscle growth.

A program like Grimek’s could be made even better if sets of 10 were replaced by sets of 4.

Henneman didn’t describe his size principle until 1957.

The principle says in summary that the brain recruits muscle fibers in the order they’re needed.

Lighter loads get the smaller fibers. Park’s 5-rep program was onto something.

The Old School guys operated before all of this, without the benefit was documented.

Their programs’ frequency and rep ranges look pretty good in light of Huxley, and the loads they chose would be supported by Henneman.

Equipment

And then there’s the available equipment.

Today, we also have literally tons more equipment options.

The influence of inventors like Arthur Jones (Nautilus) can’t be overlooked. Some of today’s equipment isn’t as good.

Much of it is designed to train the ego over the body, to create the illusion of strength. Look no further than the ever-lowering angles of leg press sleds.

But there’s definitely more to choose from and if we choose wisely (using what we learn from biomechanics), we can hypothetically get a better result. Emphasis on hypothetically.

An Old School program isn’t about the equipment.

It’s about the approach.

Frequency, duration, and volume.

By contrast, we find ourselves not as fortunate as they because we now have to machete through the jungle of confusion caused by the effects of anabolics to actually piece together what makes a program work without chemical support.

Finally, we should take into account that the Silver Era champions had champion genetics and were athletically-inclined.

Reeves suggested that would-be competitors without the genetic predisposition for bodybuilding should pursue another sport.

Today, an aspiring bodybuilder can gear up and close the genetics gap between themself and a more genetically gifted competitor, even when the competitor is also on anabolics.

Years ago, that would’ve been impossible.

The gifted guys would always win, and win by a long shot.

Ironically, among the chemically-supported, hard work and smart training now becomes the X factor, not pharma.

All things being equal though, genetics prevail.

Biomechanics has also taught us a thing or two since the Silver Era.

For instance, the pullover was commonly thought to be a lat exercise.

Many still think it is. But the lat doesn’t have leverage when the arms are above or behind the head; the chest does.

The central nervous system makes the call and a muscle that’s not in position to do a job won’t get recruited.

It’s healthy to study and respect the past, share their enthusiasm for figuring things out, and grow from there.

What to Expect

Expect to work your whole body three times a week using a combination of traditional strength exercises, but without body part splits, or a lot of sets.

Expect to be blown away by how effective this approach is and how liberating it is from what you’ve probably grown accustomed to.

Expect to have fun and once again experience joy in your workouts.

Who Should Do This Program

Anybody and everybody who (a) wants to build muscle and get stronger and (b) who is not taking anabolics. Actually, it would be a solid program even if someone’s taking steroids (including GH).

The Silver Era guys demonstrated the ability to grow and chisel impressive physiques without the use of anabolics.

This program would be wonderful for a beginner. It would also be great for the person who’s been lifting forever and want to take a new (yet old) approach, or anyone in-between.

The Exercises

I picked exercises that result from a couple of years of trial and error, consideration of the biomechanics of each, and research into Full Body program design.

There’s an Equipment Suggestions column. My personal preferences (and therefore my recommendations) for equipment choices are bolded.

Your selection may differ, depending on available equipment. I work out in a well-equipped gym, but I’ve worked out in better ones too, with more options.

Alternatives come in handy when the gym is super-crowded, or if you find yourself in a gym with different equipment.

The Big Picture:

In general, for a full body routine we’re looking for a…

• Big compound leg movement
• Leg movement for rec fem (squats won’t give the rectus femoris the love it deserves)
• Hamstring isolator
• Chest and shoulder presses
• Chest isolator
• Deltoid isolator
• Frontal plane back exercise (like a pulldown)
• Sagittal plane back exercise (like a row)
• Curl or 2
• Triceps-specific movement
• Calf exercise that works both gastroc and soleus

Body Region	Exercise	Alternative	Equipment Suggestions
Legs	Squat		Smith, Hack, Belt, Pendulum, Leg Press
	Single Leg Press		Smith, Hack, Belt, Pendulum, Leg Press
	RDL		BB, DB, Trap Bar
	Leg Extension
	Hamstring Curl		Seated, Prone
	Calf Raise		BB Standing, Straight Leg Calf Machine, Leg Press
Arms	Supinated (Palms Up) Curl*		BB, DB, Cable
	Hammer Curl*		Cable, DB
	Reverse Curl*		EZ Curl (BB or Cable), Kettlebell “Milo” Style
	Arm (Triceps) Extension		Seated Machine, Standing Cable
Chest	Chest Press	Incline Press	DB, Machine (including Smith), or BB
	Pullover		BB or DB
	Pec Deck	Seated Cable Fly	Pec Deck Machine, Seated Cable Machine
Shoulders	Shoulder Press		DB, Machine (including Smith), or BB
	Lateral Raise	Lu Raise	DB, Cable with wrist cuffs
	Front Raise		DB, Cable with wrist cuffs
Back	Shrug		BB, Plate-loaded Shrug Machine
	Wide Grip Pulldown		Cable, Pulldown Machine
	Row		Seated Row Machine, T-Bar
	Row, Elbows High		Seated Row Machine, T-Bar

I trained everything in every workout. I didn’t do what they call split workouts and train legs and arms one day, back and other stuff the next day.

– John Grimek

Program Structure

Full admission here: I’m still in my experimentation phase with my own Full Body program. I’ve literally got my own skin in the game.

Exercises are hand-picked for me after months of trial and error.

They are biomechanically sound (meaning they apply the right amount of joint torque to make the target muscles work) and that fit within my work-life schedule.

I can reliably get into the gym 3 times a week.

I approached the program considering those variables:

1. Faves I can roll with.
2. Best for the job considering my mechanics.
3. Workout frequency.

Incorporating “Toss-up” Exercises

The Old School folk selected go-to exercises and ran with them.

What happens if you have two or three exercises that work the same muscle region effectively, but that you really, really like doing? (There’s definitely something to doing exercises you enjoy.)

I’ve got a couple of exercises I like quite a lot that address the same muscle region effectively.

Doing them all during the same workout would impose more training volume than I can recover from before the next workout.

For example, a single leg press and squat, and the RDL and Hip Thrust.

What to do then?

An A-B format can work in this situation.

Next problem: How do you make a 2-workout rotation work within a 3-workout per week schedule?

An A-B-A, B-A-B structure fixes that. And yes, math geniuses, it takes 2 weeks to cycle through it.

Here’s what it looks like in a matrix:

Day*	Workout
1	Full Body A
2	Rest
3	Full Body B
4	Rest
5	Full Body A
6	Rest
7	Rest
8	Full Body B
9	Rest
10	Full Body A
11	Rest
12	Full Body B
13	Rest
14	Rest

Number of Rest Days between ABA and BAB

If you like, and your recovery allows you, you could reduce rest days, such that there’s only 1 rest day between ABA and BAB.

Then put 2 rest days after BAB.  Obviously, this has you in the gym on a different day of the week each calendar week.

Day*	Workout
1	Full Body A
2	Rest
3	Full Body B
4	Rest
5	Full Body A
6	Rest
7	Full Body B
8	Rest
9	Full Body A
10	Rest
11	Full Body B
12	Rest
13	Rest
14	Full Body A
15	Rest
16	Full Body B
17	Rest
18	Full Body A
…	… And so on

The Old School Bodybuilding Program

So here it is, finally! The program you’ve been waiting for! See the A-B exercise selections we’ve specified below.

The Alternative column shows an exercise you can opt to do during that workout instead of the primary one to its left.

This is to account for those times where equipment is taken, or you find yourself on a particular day in a gym in another city that doesn’t have the equipment you customarily use.

Exercise	Alternative
Squat
RDL
Shrug
Leg Extension
Supinated (Palms Up) Curl*
Hammer Curl*
Reverse Curl*
Chest Press	Incline Press
Shoulder OH Press
Lateral Raise	Lu Raise
Pec Deck	Seated Cable Fly
Arm (Triceps) Extension
Hamstring Curl
Wide Grip Pulldown
Row
Calf Raise

Exercise	Alternative
Supinated (Palms Up) Curl*
Hammer Curl*
Reverse Curl*
Chest Press	Incline Press
Shoulder (OH) Press
Front Raise
Pullover
Single Leg Press
RDL	Hip Thrust
Shrug
Leg Extension
Arm (Triceps) Extension
Hamstring Curl
Wide Grip Pulldown
Row, Elbows High
Calf Raise

Now, here’s the summary for how to move through the workout.

	Warm-Ups			Working Sets
Load	<50%	60%	80%	90-95%	90-95%
Reps	10	4-6	4-6	4-6	4-6

Note the relatively low rep count for warm-ups.

Believe it or not, high reps at lighter weights will diminish the ability to lift as much as you otherwise could of your working sets.

It has to do with what’s occurring down at the myofibril level (the strands that make up each single muscle fiber. Each muscle fiber is made up of a hundreds of myofibrils).

Don’t ruin your working sets with high-rep warm-ups!

Get the muscles and joints warm and mobile and then move on to the sets that will make a difference in strength and size.

The data prove that a high rep warm-up will inhibit your ability to drive the muscle as hard as you could otherwise.

Application Notes

Double Progression Method

Double progression refers to increasing weight or reps.

For this program, aim for 4 reps per working set. Once you “own” 4, go to 5 and then 6. Once you’re at 6 with a Rep In Reserve, raise the weight.

Now, nothing says you can’t raise the weight again once you’ve mastered a weight for 4 reps with one in the tank. You can approach it that way too.

Reps In Reserve (RIR)

Train your working sets to just shy of failure. Of course, that assumes you know what your max effort actually is. Stop 1 rep short of that rep that takes you 5 to 7 seconds to lift with an approximation of good form.

A Few Final Thoughts: A Recap

The subject of anabolics angers a lot of folks.

They’re misunderstood as a proxy for hard work.

The previously referenced clinical evidence demonstrated that a muscle will grow and get stronger with steroids than from training alone. It “is what it is” as they say.

The champions from the late Silver Era may have dabbled with steroids when they were first introduced.

Maybe. Maybe not.

But their physiques were their physiques without them.

Even if they did (and I tend to think they didn’t), the volumes and variety were nowhere near what’s taken by even the casual steroid user these days. Not even close.

The Old School provides a refreshing reboot, especially for people who aren’t planning on competing, who want to maximize their gym time for strength, size, and aesthetics.

We need to appreciate what the Old School discovered and successfully implemented in the absence of the confusing variable of anabolics, and combine that knowledge with what we now know from physiology research performed since the 50s.

Much credit to Jake Doleschal for his beyond-valuable content. His enthusiastic and thorough research into lifters and programs from the pre-1955 era has been informative and more than refreshing. Jake’s worth a follow. Check out his Instagram page, and his podcast Hypertrophy Past and Present with co-host Chris Beardsley, available through Spotify.

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Download our Old School Workout Program PDF below:

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We write custom programs. If you have specific physique goals–such as “I’d like wider shoulders”, or “I’d like more ‘V’ in my back”–we can write one for you. Reply in the Comments or simply contact us and we’ll get back in touch. First come, first served.