Clancy Ross’s Mr. Universe Training

A High-Frequency, Mass-from-the-Past Training Program for Stupendous Size and Peak Conditioning

Ross as he appeared in a Weider publication in the '50s

     Clarence “Clancy” Ross was one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time yet has been almost forgotten in our day-and-age.  You hear or read more about some of his fellow “Silver Age” bodybuilders, such as Bill Pearl, Steve Reeves, or Marvin Eder, than you do Ross—heck, I’ve written more about his fellow world-renowned lifters.  But back in the early-1950s, Muscle Power and Your Physique magazines, a couple of early Weider publications, dubbed him “King of the Bodybuilders.”  That’s right.  King.  He ruled over those other guys.  He received the moniker because he had won the Mr. America, Mr. USA, Mr. North America, and Pro Mr. America, along with virtually any other title in existence.  Keep in mind that the Mr. Olympia didn’t come along until 1965, and at that time it was little more than a rival upstart to the most prestigious title of the day, the NABBA Mr. Universe competition.

     Gene Mozee wrote that Ross also deserved to be called “King” because of his stellar posing.  Mozee, in fact, said that no one could compare to the King in that department.  “He could captivate an audience and hold it spellbound with dynamic, artistic posing that I consider to be the best I’ve ever seen,” Mozee said.  “I saw him perform at a show that was produced by Leo Stern in San Diego, and on that occasion Clancy posed nonstop for 10 minutes without ever hitting the same shot twice.  No other bodybuilder—before or since—could have duplicated that feat.  Clancy was definitely the Rembrandt, as well as the king, of the posing platform.”

     In 1955, despite the fact that it had been 10 years since he had won the Mr. America, he decided to add the title that had eluded him, the coveted Mr. Universe crown, to his collection of trophies.  The plan that he followed, even if you have no intention of winning a local bodybuilding competition but just want to get in great shape, offers some valuable insight and tips for getting in peak condition.

     Ross elected to enter the Mr. Universe only 6 months before the competition.  As a gym owner and dedicated trainer, he was never out of shape, despite having no prior plans on competing, and was still doing long, hard, tough workouts before his decision, so he believed that he could achieve his goal despite only having 6 months of preparation.

The 1st 3 Months - Size, Strength, and Stamina

     His 1st priority, which he dedicated the 1st 3 months of his training towards, was to improve his size, strength, and stamina to the greatest degree that he could.  He knew that these were qualities that he would have to rely upon when he approached the final days of his pre-contest prep.  His best competition bodyweight before this time had been at 198 pounds.  When he began training for the ‘55 Mr. Universe, he weighed 204.

     “It would have been a simple matter for me to have reduced the 6 pounds in a week or two and to have gotten into razor-sharp condition quickly,” Ross explained.  “Most inexperienced bodybuilders would have done just that.  Then they’d have tried to maintain that shape and definition until the contest date and would have gone stale long before as a result.”

     To emphasize this, Ross added, “Name any champion you want—John Grimek, Steeve Reeves, Reg Park, Bill Pearl, and so on.  All of these superstars generally stay 5, 10, or more pounds above their most muscular weight, reducing down to their sharpest condition only for a contest, posing exhibition, or important photo session.”

     The 1st part of this “pre-contest” phase (though that term doesn’t really fit with the more modern definition of “pre-contest”) was to gain muscle size and add more power.  He worked on the kind of typical mass-and-power routine of the era.  Although this isn’t the exact routine that he utilized, it is very close based on a few different articles that I came across from the ‘40s and ‘50s.  The reason that I write that it’s not “exact” is because Ross used different movements at different times.   Although he did use all of the movements below at various times, he did substitute other same but different exercises based on what he felt his body needed at the moment.  Here is the kind of routine he used for the “get-big” phase of his Mr. Universe preparation:

1. Bench presses; 4 sets of 6 reps

2. Barbell shrugs: 4x6

3. Behind-the-neck presses: 4x6

4. Bent-over barbell rows: 4x6

5. Barbell curls: 4x6

6. Barbell squats: 4x6

7. Barbell hack squats: 4x6

8. Deadlifts: 4x6

9. Standing calf raises: 4x12

• He performed this program, or one very similar, 3 times per week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

• On one program that I found, he trained starting with the upper body muscles and finishing with squats and deadlifts at the end.  That is the routine this one is based upon.  He said that he saved the lower body work for the end since it tired him the most.  In a couple of other workouts, he started with squats and then worked his way towards his smaller muscle groups.  Either way is fine, so feel free to add the squats and deadlifts to the start of the workout if you prefer getting the hard stuff out of the way—that’s my personal preference—or stick with it the way it is if you would prefer for the hardest exercises to be at the end of a session.

• 4 sets of 6 reps on all movements doesn’t include warm-ups.  He did 1 to 3 warm-ups as needed for each exercise.  On the 4x6, he didn’t follow an exact plan for increasing weight.  He stuck with the same weight at each session until it naturally felt light and then he added weight to the movement.  If, after a couple of sets, he felt as if he needed to drop down in weight for the final sets in order to get 6 good reps, he did so.  This kind of training is the key to using old-school, high-frequency training (HFT) methods.  When training a muscle group 3 days per week (sometimes even more, as you shall soon see), you can’t “force” heavier weights or more reps.  Instead, you select a “reasonable” weight for your number of sets and reps, and stick with that weight at each session until you naturally feel as if you should add weight.  The other option—also used by bodybuilders of the “Silver Era,” such as Marvin Eder—is to cycle workloads, by using something such as the heavy-light-medium system or a more “instinctive” approach of rotating between “heavy” and “light” sessions.

• He would also do abdominal work, but usually on his “off” days.  For his abs, he sometimes did as many as 500 reps total of sit-ups and hanging leg raises.

     In addition to the program, he increased his food intake until he reached a bodyweight of 214 pounds, 16 pounds above his best contest-shape weight at the time.  “Other bodybuilders can follow a similar procedure, “ explained Clancy.  “Plan for any competition well in advance.  First, strive for more muscle mass and power.  Don’t let this get out of hand.  Don’t try to pack on 50 pounds or anything so extreme, but do try to gain about 10 pounds.  You’ll be glad you did later on.”

     Since his 1st 3 months of preparation are really a mass-gaining phase, his advice is great for anyone looking to bulk up.  It never does a bodybuilder any good by gaining too much weight, even casual lifters.  It just makes it that much harder to trim down when you need to get in shape for a competition, or if you compete in a sport, or if you just want to look good for the beach.  And it’s unhealthy to have the attitude that “I’m going to stay big forever.”  No one should be on a perpetual bulk.  But you do need to spend at least 3 months of the year attempting to get “big as a house.”  I think that bulk-building is best done in the winter months, but that’s not necessarily the case for everyone.  Perhaps you have a bodybuilding competition in December, which means that you’ll be doing your off-season workouts in the spring and summer.  Whatever it might be, take Ross’s advice.

The Final 3 Months - Size, Cuts, Proportion, and Definition

     For the last 3 months, Ross took the time to trim off 16 pounds of fat from his body so that he would be in superb condition, the best of his life.  “The routine that I followed will help almost all bodybuilders,” he stated.  “It will allow you to retain almost all of your muscle size while attaining maximum definition and proportions.”

     He also explained the need to take 3 months and not rush things: “This was good from a psychological standpoint and emphasizes the importance of planning well in advance for any contest.  If you don’t allow yourself enough time to get in peak shape, you’re apt to grow impatient, worry about your progress and commit training errors or maybe even incur an injury.  You’ll get upset and grow irritable and agitated.  If you hit a few bad workouts or don’t register the improvement that you expect to see, your confidence is bound to be shaken.  You must not allow any of the above to happen to you, and you can only avoid such problems if you plan well in advance, as I did.”  One interesting thing, to me, at least, about this statement is that it shows you how seriously the classic bodybuilders took the “mental” side of the game.  Yes, it’s good advice for anyone to not rush things from a physical standpoint, so that you are only losing fat and not muscle (or limiting it), but it’s also good from an emotional point-of-view.  Old-school champs like Ross understood this.

     Now, let’s look at the training program.  Be sure to read the details afterwards.  Not only do the details matter, but, if you’re anything like me, you’ll find them a bit intriguing, especially if you’re a fan of HFT.  Here it is:

1. Barbell squats: 4x10

2. Calf machine raises: 4x24

3. Standing barbell overhead presses: 4x10

4. Side lateral and presses: 4x10*

5. Bent-over lateral raises: 4x10

6. One-arm dumbbell rows: 4x10 (each arm)

7. Wide-grip behind-the-neck chins: 4x10

8. Seated dumbbell curls: 4x10

9. Wall lean-back curls: 4x10**

10. Incline dumbbell curls: 4x10

11. Lying triceps extensions: 4x10

12. Flat-bench dumbbell flyes: 4x10

13. Incline dumbbell presses: 4x10

14. Dips: 4x10

15. Sit-ups: 4x25

• “This formula of moderately high reps combined with less rest between sets plus a slightly longer routine than usual is in my estimation the very best way of hardening up the body and getting maximum proportion and definition,” Ross explained.  “However, it’s hard work, and that’s why I went on a power-and-bulk routine first—so that I’d have the energy to follow through on such a schedule.”  I think it would be wise to read those words a couple more times, just to let it sink in.  It basically sums up the old-school philosophy of building up one’s work capacity in order to get in good shape.  But there’s more to it than just that.

• He trained on this workout 3 days per week for the 1st 2 months.

• During the first month of this final stage, he ate the same as during his “bulking” phase, making no changes in his diet, but, rather, allowed the accelerated workout intensity and volume to burn fat.  He dropped 6 pounds the 1st month by training alone and began to look defined.  He knew he was on the right track.

• In the 2nd month, he changed his diet, and started to gradually reduce starches and sugars.  He didn’t eliminate carbohydrates entirely, but replaced starchy ones with fresh fruits and vegetables.  He also increased his protein intake, so that his daily caloric intake was the same but his carb percentage was less.  He lost another 6 pounds this month and knew that he was still on target.

• For the 3rd, and final, month, he increased his training to 4 days per week for the 1st 2 weeks.  In the article I found that detailed his Mr. Universe training, it didn’t specify what day he added this extra workout to.  If you want to try something similar, and were training on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before, then I would add an extra day on Saturday.  This week, he also reduced his starches even more so that he was eating almost entirely protein with a little fat.  He also cut down on his liquid intake.

• In the 3rd week, he increased his training to 5 days per week.  Once again, he didn’t specify which days.  If it was me, I would go to a 3-on, 1-off, 2-on, 1-off schedule, meaning you might train on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, for instance.

• For the final week before the contest, he trained 6 days straight.  He ate only one meal per day, in the evening, which consisted of steak, green vegetables, salad, and buttermilk.  He weighed 196 and, in his words, was razor sharp.  “I’d never been so muscular before,” he said.  “I was all set for the contest.  It had taken 6 months to the day, but it was worth it.”

• *This exercise is performed like a standard side lateral raise, but you continue with the movement until the dumbbells are completely overhead.  At that point, lower them to your shoulders, press them back overhead, and then lower them down in a side lateral back to the starting position.

• **Lean back against a wall, barbell in hand, with your feet about 12 inches in front of the wall and your legs straight.  Use strict form to do the curl.

     Clancy Ross’s training is just another example of an old-school method of HFT that we seem to have forgotten about in this day and age.  But it can still be used to add more size and to get in fantastic shape.  In fact, his entire training philosophy of both getting big and ripped is one that we should use.

     Ross left this world in 2008.  He deserves to be remembered for being one of the greatest of all time.  He wasn’t called “King of the Bodybuilders” for nothing.  So, when you think of Clancy Ross, remember to hail the king.

     If you enjoyed this article, then you will like my upcoming book on old-school bodybuilders.  I am in the process of writing the final chapters for it, after editing and deciding that it needed a bit more information to round it out.  Each chapter will be very similar to this one in style and presentation.  In the meantime, if you’re looking for more fantastic training programs, you can’t go wrong with my book “Ultimate Mass and Power.”  It’s packed with similar workout routines and programs for getting massively big and incredibly strong.  You can find more info about it, and all my books, at the My Books page.

Sources

All quotes of Ross’s and his pre-contest workout are from the article “Mass from the Past: Clancy Ross’ Peak-Condition Training Secrets” by Gene Mozee as it appeared in the January 1995 issue of Ironman magazine