Classic Mass - the 6x6 Routine

Build Muscle the Classic Way with an Old-School Favorite

     I’m going to stop writing that I’m going to stop writing about a subject, any subject.  For one, I never know quite where my writing is going to take me.  That’s correct.  I don’t really feel as if I write.  It’s more as if writing just happens through me. I sit down at my laptop in the morning, my heavy cream-laden coffee steaming next to me, with every intention of writing on a certain subject.  Only to find that it morphs into something completely different, sometimes not even remotely in the same orbit as my initial idea(s).  For another, quite practical reason, I never know what kind of questions my recently written articles are going to generate, often prompting another essay on a subject I thought I was finished with.

     I mention the above because at the end of my recent Old-School Muscle-Building Once More, I wrote that I was going to tackle some different subjects in the next few articles.  But then I received a couple of emails asking the same thing.  After reading Part 3 of my “Tailoring Your Workout Program” series, two readers wanted to know if I could give them a specific training program for hypertrophy based on my “30 to 50 total reps” recommendation.  If you haven’t read that article—please do so—I suggested in it that, for hypertrophy, 30 to 50 total reps per muscle group at each workout session is ideal for 3 days per week of training.  As I have pointed out before, I don’t believe in randomness or chance but, rather, in a serendipitously creative force that permeates all of reality.  So, anytime that I receive more than one question on the same subject, I take it as Creativity’s way of letting me know that I have an essay to write.

     Based on the title of this article alone, you probably already know the kind of training program that I suggested to your fellow readers.

     The 6x6 workout was a favorite of Vince Gironda when it came to building muscle.  He used it for both full-body programs and 2-way split routines.  He had the first Mr. Olympia, Larry Scott (pictured in the title image above), utilize it when he needed to add mass early in his career.  Gironda was a fan of one-exercise-per-muscle group workouts—not all the time, mind you, as other programs of his can attest—but 6x6 sessions seem to be his most recommended.  You would see this over and over again in his Q&A column called “Wild Physique” for MuscleMag International, which he wrote monthly for the magazine from the ‘80s until his death in 1997.  (Before that, in the ‘70s, he wrote a monthly column for Ironman.)  He also was fond of 8x8 and 10x10 workouts, but it was 6x6 training that he suggested the most.

     I like it for several reasons as an alternative to more common set/rep combinations, such as 3 to 5 sets of 10 reps.  For one, it’s at the lower end of my total reps recommendation at 36 reps.  When in doubt, especially when you’re starting on a 3 days per week routine, less total reps is better.  I recognize that this goes against the average mentality of not just lifters but individuals as a whole.  The average thinking—I don’t think this can really be helped; it’s just how we are “wired”—is that if such-and-such is good, then twice that amount is even better, and if twice is better then 4 times that amount is really good, and on it goes.  So, if I suggest 30 to 50 reps, bodybuilders are just apt to go immediately towards 50.  And, yes, I’m guilty of this myself, as my standard phrase of “more isn’t always better but it usually is.”  But, once again, when starting out, it’s best to do less then see how your body responds, and then add work if you feel as if you could use more.  For another, with 6x6 you get a lot of good, quality, “strong” reps.  Let’s say that you do 3 sets of 10 reps with a weight that you know is going to be really tough.  Perhaps you get your first set. It’s relatively hard but you get it.  On your 2nd set, you also manage 10 reps but it takes all that you have.  Then, on the 3rd set, you only get 8 or 9 reps because of the fatigue accumulation of the first two sets.  Okay, what if you did 6 sets of 6 reps with that same weight?  You can probably take half of the rest time (or close) you took with 3x10, but you’re going to get all of the reps with relative ease.  It’s not really “easy,” but you’re also not training to failure.  Each rep is going to be powerful and, therefore, result-producing.  Plus, you’re getting 6 more total reps when it’s all said and done.  That’s what Gironda called an “honest workout.”

     Here, I’m going to present 2 different routines.  The first is a “basic” 3 days per week, full-body program.  The 2nd is a 2-way split regimen for the more advanced trainee.  If you’re new to full-body, frequent training, even if you’re already “advanced,” I would start with the first program.  Basic doesn’t always have to mean beginner.  We all need to get “back to the basics” at times in our training.  Once you think you can handle it, you can move on to the 2nd program.

The Full-Body 6x6 Mass Builder

     Train on the following program 3 days a week, such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  For each exercise, use my recommendation above.  Start with a weight that you would use if you were doing a more “traditional” 3 sets of 10 reps routine.  As with total work, it’s best to start a program with less weight, and then progressively add poundage over the next few weeks before backing off again.  Here it is:

Front squats: 6x6

Incline barbell bench presses: 6x6

Wide-grip chins (or pulldowns): 6x6

Barbell upright rows: 6x6

Barbell curls: 6x6

Barbell triceps extensions (skull crushers): 6x6

     If you want, add in some standing (or seated) calf raises and some abdominal work, as well.  You can do 6x6 on those, too, if you want, but it’s also fine to work your calves and abs with higher reps, such as 3 to 4 sets of 20 to 30 reps.

     Let the overall volume of the program build muscle, not constantly increasing the weight via “progressive overload.”  I know this goes against common thought but I actually think this is one reason that most programs don’t work, even ones with a good “method” behind it, such as this one.  Gym-goers are constantly trying to either increase sets or reps without either taking the time to adapt to their “current” weights or cycling their workloads over the weeks.  With this program, simply use the same weight at each session and concentrate on feeling the muscles that are being worked coupled with using a relatively “explosive” rep.  (Watch Arnold and other Golden Age bodybuilders train in the pseudo-documentary “Pumping Iron.”  That is what your reps should look like.)  Try to get a good pump with this form of training without worrying about anything else.  Once the weights start to feel light, then increase the weights on the movements and repeat the process.  This is the old-school approach used to build muscle in both the Golden and Silver eras of bodybuilding.  This is the approach you take to your training when you are searching for muscle mass alone, as opposed to just strength or more of a “powerbuilding” approach (which also, of course, have their places, and that I also write about).  But this is the method used by the bodybuilder—what used to be referred to as a physical culturist—of the “classical” ages of bodybuilding.

     This is also an approach, by the way, that will keep your body and joints healthy, and to keep you from having as many injuries.  I have a lot of injuries, but they stem from a couple decades of heavy powerlifting with weights that were probably way too heavy for my small frame.  If I had trained more in the manner here, however, I don’t think I would have the same physical issues, or not the same degree.  However, it’s never too late.  I switched over to training similar to this (although I often use lighter routines with higher reps) several years ago, and I now workout 5 or 6 days a week, and do a lot of other activities, such as trail hiking and martial arts.  You can see the results of this training in older bodybuilders who still train such as Robby Robinson and Lee Haney.  Bodybuilders that suffer from a lot of injuries as they get older, such as Ronnie Coleman (though there might be “genetic components,” too) are ones that used a lot of progressively heavier, power-style training.  Then there’s Dorian Yates—he did train with an extremely heavier, power-centric approach—who switched over to “everything moderate” methods after retirement and is in fantastic condition to this day.

     Okay, now let’s move on to our more advanced program.  This is for any bodybuilders who have several years of training under their belts, know their bodies well, and have a strong work capacity from training with a full-body program 3-days-per-week.  It’s a 2-way split program and is the perfect kind of program to gravitate towards once you’ve spent a few years doing full-body workouts.

     This program is a little different, in that you will train slightly less than 3 days per week.  In fact, this is my favorite form of split training for the bodybuilder who has the work capacity and follows the “classic” approach.  It is a 3-on, 1-off, 2-on, 1-off split, using an “upper/lower” rotation.  Let’s say you train Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.  The first week, you would train upper body on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, and lower body on Tuesday and Friday.  The following week, you “flip” it so that the lower body gets 3 days and the upper body just 2, rotating back and forth in this manner from week-to-week.  It also uses 2 workouts for each day, an “A” session and a “B” session.  I will explain exactly how to rotate the workouts after I lay out the routine for you.

Upper Body: Session A

Incline barbell bench presses: 6x6

Wide-grip dips: 6x6

Wide-grip chins: 6x6

Low cable rows: 6x6

Barbell upright rows: 6x6

Barbell curls: 6x6

Barbell triceps extensions: 6x6

Upper Body: Session B

Incline dumbbell flyes: 6x6

Flat dumbbell bench presses: 6x6

Close-grip chins: 6x6

One-arm dumbbell rows: 6x6 (each arm)

Dumbbell side laterals: 6x6

Drag curls: 6x6

Rope extensions: 6x6

Lower Body: Session A

Front squats: 6x6

Stiff-legged deadlifts: 6x6

Barbell hack squats: 6x6

Lower Body: Session B

Sissy squats: 6x6

Lying leg curls: 6x6

Reverse lunges: 6x6

     As with the first workout, throw in some calf and abdominal work as you see fit.  My advice is to simply train them at every-other-session, using 3 to 4 sets of 20-30 reps, though you can do less, or more, if you know that works well for you.

     You will also notice that the “rules” go out the window slightly, as the chest, lats, and quads get 72 total reps at each session.  This is good for the advanced bodybuilder who can handle it, and necessary for continued growth.  However, if you know that you are a “low-volume lifter,” you can omit the secondary movement for those muscles.  Conversely, if you know that you respond well to high-volume, feel free to add a second exercise to your shoulders, arms, and hamstrings.

     At each session, use my suggestion in the 1st workout for the amount of weight to utilize.  Focus on getting a good pump, and just add weight naturally when your current weights feel “easy.”  Don’t “force” additional poundages until your body is ready.

     Here is what a couple weeks of workouts would look like, rotating the A and B sessions:

Week 1:

Monday: upper body A workout

Tuesday: lower body A workout

Wednesday: upper body B workout

Friday: lower body B workout

Saturday: upper body A workout

Week 2:

Monday: lower body A workout

Tuesday: upper body B workout

Wednesday: lower body B workout

Friday: upper body A workout

Saturday: lower body A workout

     On week 3, you would begin the week with the upper body B workout, so that the B session gets 2 workouts and the A session gets 1, and so on.  It also might be a good idea, every 4th week or so, to take a “de-load” week.  Do the same workouts that week that you are scheduled to do, but simply drop the poundages down to something well below what you have been using by that point.  If you know your body needs it, you can also do 2 weeks of de-load training before resuming with the typical sessions.

     Make sure that you are eating adequate calories, including getting enough protein and enough “healthy” fat.  If you really want to follow Vince Gironda’s suggestions, he preferred his lifters to eat a high-protein, high-fat, low-carb diet.  He recommended getting 50 grams of protein 6 times a day, in addition to sipping on a mixture of half n’ half and raw eggs throughout the day, along with taking amino acids and desiccated liver tablets every 2 hours.

     If you’re struggling to pack on the mass, perhaps it’s time to give the ol’ 6x6 program a dedicated try.  It might be old-school in every way, but that’s perfectly fine by me.

     If you enjoyed reading this article, then you would also like my book “Ultimate Mass and Power.”  It’s packed full of old-school workout methods for building heaping amounts of muscle mass and strength.  You can find more about it, and my other books, HERE.  Purchasing one of my books also helps to keep the blog going and ensures that I can continue to write.

     I’m also currently editing a book on the old-school workouts of the Golden and Silver era bodybuilders.  I hope to have it finished within a week or two.  It’s taking me a little longer than I had expected, but I want it to be perfect, so I’m taking my time to make sure that it is.

     As always, if there are any questions, or if you would like to comment, please leave them in the comments section below.  I always like the input.  If you want a more personal response, or something private, then please feel free to email me.  I typically answer my emails within a day or two.