Skip to main content

Old Time Mass Tactics: Power/Pump Training


     The debate we often see nowadays over whether you should do "power" workouts or "pump" workouts really wasn't much of a debate for the old-timers.  Most of the "classic bodybuilders" built their physiques through hard work on the basic exercises, using full-body workouts for 3 days each week.  As they reached advanced levels, they didn't give up their power training; they just learned to "supplement" the power work with pump training—or "flushing" as the old-timers often called it.  (I believe it was the term used by Larry Scott and Freddy Ortiz—whose physiques, as you can tell from above, obviously benefited from such training.)
     This kind of training is pretty simple.  First, just pick one basic exercise for whatever muscle group(s) you are going to train for the day.  After working up to some heavy sets of 5, or 3, or even less reps, rest a few minutes, then pick a couple of light, pumping exercises.
     Using the chest as an example, here's what a workout might look like:
Bench Presses: 6 sets of 10, 8, 6, 6, 4, and 4 reps.  Use an ascending set scheme.  Add weight and reduce repetitions with each set.  Take plenty of rest between each set; 2 to 3 minutes would probably be best.
Incline Flyes: 4 sets of 15 to 20 reps.  Use the same weight on these sets.  Take minimum rest between each set.
Wide-Grip Dips: 4 sets of 15 to 20 reps.
     A similar program can, obviously, be used for all of your other bodyparts.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Freestyle Training

  Instinctive Mass-Building with Dave Draper’s “Freestyle” Workouts      It’s usually called instinctive training. It’s often referred to as “auto-regulation” these days.   Dave Draper called it freestyle training .      Draper, the “Blonde Bomber,” for those of you who don’t know, was a Golden Age bodybuilder of the highest caliber, but not necessarily just for his physique.   His physique was fantastic, don’t get me wrong (one of the best of that era), but Dave himself was a bit of an iconoclast.   He thought outside of the box, had some unique training perspectives, and was, to boot, a gifted writer.   It may have had something to do with the fact that he was a creative .      Lifters and bodybuilders of all sorts train for all sorts of reasons.   For some, training is a creative expression they undertake for the same reasons that other artists take up particular crafts.   These train...

Heavy, Light, Medium Training: Build a Monster Squat!

  Heavy/Light/Medium Training Part Three: How to Build a Massive Squat      In this, the 3 rd part of our series on heavy, light, and medium training, we’ll take a look at how you can build a superhuman squat using this form of training.   Make sure that you read Part One , as it covers the basics of H/L/M training, before continuing to this one.   Part Two is on “upper body training,” and it, too, would be good to read before continuing here, but not necessary.   As I mentioned at the end of that essay, if this series was a book and these posts were chapters, I’m not sure the order they would appear, outside of the first and last entry.   So, read Part One so that you will know the basics; this article assumes familiarity with all of the concepts presented there.   So, with that out of the way, let’s get on with it…   All Hail the King      The squat.   It has been hailed the king of all exercise...

Heavy/Light/Medium Training for Upper Body Size and Strength

  Heavy/Light/Medium Training Part Two: Bill Starr’s Secrets for Upper Body Bulk and Power +How to Move to a 4 Days a Week Program        This is, as the title indicates, the 2 nd part of our new, ongoing series on heavy, light, and medium training .   If you haven’t read it, then please go to Part One first before diving into this one.   This essay assumes an understanding of everything discussed in the first part.        Here, we will cover upper body training, and more specifically how to build your upper body pressing strength.   I’ll give you the great Bill Starr’s advice along with some of my personal insights.      I was never a strong presser, either on the bench press or on the overhead press.   The most I ever bench pressed in competition was just over 350 pounds in the 181-pound class.   Sure, that’s not bad for the average gym-goer—and, yes, I did win some local be...