Many advances have been made in energy, health, technology, and other areas of life. In strength training, not so much! Stop trying to be original. Tap into the wisdom of our strength ancestors and start getting results! Why pave a new path when there is already a good one to follow? Here are two vintage-inspired routines to get you started on your journey.
The stage routine
Front row and center for rapid size and strength gains!
This training system was popular with the legendary Canadian strongman, Doug Hepburn, who was considered the strongest man in the world in his heyday. It will help advanced trainees overcome strength plateaus in a short period of time.
The routine involves only 2 exercises per workout and 2 stages per exercise to build size and strength. Stage 1 will increase relative strength and Stage 2 will induce functional hypertrophy (ie muscle mass that produces high levels of force).
Take a look at the show but don’t blink because it will go by pretty fast!
Day 1 – Chest and Biceps
A1) Flat Bar Bench Press
A2) Standing EZ Bar Curls
Day 2 – Legacy
A1) Front squat
A2) Lying Leg Curl
Day 3 – Back and Triceps
A1) Wide-grip sternum pull-ups
A2) Standing V-bar pressdowns
Stage 1: 8×1 @ 50X0.100″
Stage 2: 5×5 @ 40X0.90″
Note: Start with a 3WD load for Stage 1 and a 7WD load for Stage 2.
I suggest you use the first workout to find your true 3RM (rep max) and 7RM loads, then start the staging method on the next workout. Only increase the weight when all the repetitions for that stage have been successfully completed. The key is to succeed, so leave a little reserve at the beginning.
Be sure to warm up thoroughly using several sets of low reps (5 or less) with progressively heavy loads until you reach your working weight.
This program will last for one month. Each workout is done once in a 5 day period (ie Day 1 – Day 2 – Rest – Day 3 – Rest) for 6 workouts and then switch to a new routine. As mentioned above, the first workout is used to find the correct training weight. The next 4 workouts will incorporate the staging method: you should peak on the 5th workout with a new one rep max on all lifts.
Reduce the final workout by performing only 3-5 sets of as many reps as possible at 20X0 pace resting 90 seconds between sets at the original 7RM load. You should notice an increase in the number of repetitions performed with that weight. Most people will drop to 1-2 reps per set. Finish the exercise if you do 5 sets or drop 3 reps from one set to the next. This will be a short training. Enters; do your thing; and get out You may be tempted to do more. Whose!
If you’ve been plagued with injury and are afraid of hitting max singles, stick to the 2-3RM range for Stage 1 and the 5-7RM range for Stage 2. The program will work just as well.
Also, you will notice that all of the “A1” exercises are multi-joint movements and all of the “A2” exercises are single-joint movements. A lot of people are concerned about the peak of singles in the isolation movements. Listen, you either lift the weight or you don’t, but if it’s still a problem, substitute compound movements:
Standing EZ Bar Curls -> Close Grip Pull Ups
Lying Leg Curl -> Bent Knee Deadlift or Snatch Podium Deadlift
Standing V-bar pressdowns -> dips with parallel bar or close-grip bench press
Don’t be fooled by the low number of exercises and low number of repetitions. Many times, less is more and this routine is no exception! The high intensities used for a large number of sets produce excellent results. Rest assured, your entire body is trained, and trained hard, with this program.
isometric
The secret strength and muscle system of the past and present!
This routine uses partial movements and static contractions to break training plateaus. Partial movements are great for jolting the system when stuck (they help disinhibit the nervous system) and isometrics are great for gaining strength at specific joint angles.
In the 1960s, isometronics (a mix of isotonic and isometric contractions) was touted as a secret new system of strength and muscle development. A couple of decades later in his book, The development of physical strength, Anthony Ditillo stated that “isometronics can make you a superman!” Ditillo believed that combining intense, heavy muscular efforts and isometrics in a power rack was “the most potent tool available for increasing physical strength.”
The system is just as effective today as it was then.
I picked up many of the details of this method in the mid-90’s from strength and conditioning trainer Charles Poliquin, who is a firm believer in using power stands to promote rapid gains in strength and mass. According to Poliquin, the average intermediate bodybuilder can expect to break his personal bests in the curl at 10-25lbs, and the close grip bench press at 30-45lbs in just 3-4 weeks with this system.
Let’s take a look at the routine.
Day 1 – Chest, Back and Shoulders
A1) 45 degree incline barbell bench press
A2) Pull-ups with medium grip
B1) Single Arm Dumbbell Press (Neutral Grip)
B2) Kneeling One Arm Pulldown (Neutral Grip)
Day 2 – Legs and abs
A1) Back squat
A2) Lying leg curl (dorsiflexion)
B1) Romanian deadlift with snatch grip
B2) High pulley crunches
Day 3 – Arms
A1) Close grip bench press
A2) Standing Mid-Grip Cable Curl
B1) French press with one arm dumbbells
B2) 45 degree incline dumbbell curl
Isometrics involves lifting through a partial range of motion, usually on a power rack (but not always), and ending each rep with an isometric crunch. Take a third of the range of motion and do 3 sets at 3 different angles of one exercise for a total of 9 sets.
The order in which you perform the 3 ranges is important. Choose the heaviest (i.e. strongest) weight angle first:
a) Upper -> Middle -> Lower for Close-Grip Incline Bench Press and Squats
These exercises are performed on a power rack for 5 repetitions per set using a controlled tempo (ie, 2 seconds to lower the bar, gently and quietly touching the lower pins, and 2 seconds to raise the bar). Then on the fifth rep, try ripping the top rack pin for 6-8 seconds. Research from Germany shows that 8 second isometrics are enough. If you can make contact with the top pin, the weight was too light. If you only have one set of pins in your power rack, then lower the bar as soon as it rests on the pins and hold the 8 second isometric there. Make sure you are not holding your breath during the isometric action. If you selected the proper load, you shouldn’t be able to do another concentric rep.
b) Lower -> Middle -> Upper for pull-ups, leg curls and cable pull-ups
For these exercises, you perform 5 reps again using a controlled tempo (ie 2 seconds up and 2 seconds down), but this time on the fifth rep, pause for 8 seconds in the middle of the range.
The next training for that body part will occur 5 days later and will involve conventional training using hypertrophy parameters. Continue to alternate between isometronic and conventional workouts for six workouts as described below.
Workout #1, 3, 5 – Isometronic Workout – A) 9 x 5 @ 2020, 120″ B) 3 x 8-10 @ 3010, 60″
Training #2, 4 – Conventional Training – A) 5 x 5-7 @ 4020, 90″ B) 3 x 8-10 @ 3010, 60″
Workout #6 – Tap – A) 3 x 8-10 @ 2010, 120″ B) 2 x 12-15 @ 2010, 90″
This form of training will induce deep and severe pain. It is a fast way to gain size as isometrics create high tension for the fast twitch fibers leading to hypertrophy. This system is also great for building strength and getting over trouble spots, but don’t use isometronics often in a year of training, as it’s quite stressful on the nervous system.