Learn the Training Methods and Workout Programs of the Silver Age Bodybuilders What follows is, in many ways, nothing more than an extension of some of the subjects I have been discussing in recent articles, such as Part 3 of my ongoing Tailoring Your Workouts series, and my other essays on The Old-School Way , Effective Full-Body Training , and How to Train Through the Soreness . Enter Old-School Old-school bodybuilders knew how to build muscle. In many ways, I think the training methods and workout programs they utilized were a lot better than the routines of the modern bodybuilder. I also realize that modern bodybuilders—many of whom have larger, sometimes much larger, muscles than their old-school counterparts—might scoff at such an idea. After all, hasn’t training evolved in the last few decades? Don’t modern bodybuilders know more about the “science” of hypertrophy than bodybuilders whose heyday...
Tips and Advice for Tailoring Your Training Routine Part 3: Sets, Reps, and Training Frequency Click on these links if you would like to read the first 2 parts of this series: Part 1 & Part 2 . In part one, we covered the basics of “workload” and in part 2 we covered how to “select a program” for your individual needs and goals. This essay may not make as much sense if you don’t read the first two parts, so if you just jump in here, you’ve been warned. With that out of the way, let’s get right to it. Originally, I was just going to sub-title this part “sets and reps,” but as I began to put pen to paper—I almost always handwrite my articles before I type them—I realized that training frequency must come first and it should determine the set/rep range that is then utilized. Since we have been covering primarily full-body workouts done 3 days per week, we will start with the b...