The dust has settled after all the dieting and competition training.
Achieving the look for standing on stage these days takes some serious commitment. Striated glutes are a prerequisite for being in condition, you have to be devoid of the slightest bit of fat tissue.
Anything less is considered smooth.

Although it is a fantastic achievement to pull that condition in---it is not the look I like best.
The ideal look for my mind is ---full and lean---just enough abs and separation throughout the major muscle groups.
This look is old school –very healthy and strong.
Men that come to mind with this look are Bill Pearl—Reg Park and Dave Draper.
Mr Draper you will be introduced to a little later.

So my goal is to gain some size and strength and as always, be as healthy as a horse.
A goal that is as simple as, hard training and clean eating.
It’s amazing that the average weight trainer-bodybuilder—over complicates this process—I have said this before many times-- it is not rocket science.
If a guy, simply got on with some basic hard training and stopped searching for the perfect program all over the internet. If he used that time for hard work, good food and recovery—the average trainer would be Sooooo much bigger---there would be a lot more muscle sat at the other side of this screen.
Too much procrastinating and not enough time spent under the iron!

My motto for this program is “just do”.
What I am about to explain here may shock a few and many of you may not agree—But –I say- try it—What have you got to lose?

This months Old School program ---is not a program!
Let me explain how this came to life.

Getting ready for the guest pose, I did recently---I have to say my training was a bit out there.
I had gained so much from my time with Robby Robinson in the fact that I had to target the muscle more and not just lift weights. I also noted that Robby changed his program around so much. He had a base group of exercises he worked with, but the rest was---out there and based a lot on his mind and feelings at the time.
There was a huge swing to either the right or left on the volume and reps scale. He seemed to live by his instinct in the gym and tailored the workout to mindset and his body.
Now, there is the key---You and Your body.

So –with that in mind I started to do a little extra training, when I thought my body needed it, if I felt good I did more work sometimes I trained twice in a day.
Weaker areas, I attacked more – some times two or three times in a week.
I listened to my body—my energy levels---I looked closely at my body and worked the areas I thought needed attention, to bring the look in I needed for the show.
This coupled with the knowledge I gained on exercise style from Robby—heck I was on to something.
I improved no end—areas that would at times in the past look flat—looked full all the time and even grew, while on a strict diet.
I paid attention to recovery and pushed forward and retreated as I felt fit.

Think for yourself.
In short I followed no set program, I just trained the body as energy, motivation and instinct told me.
I know this may seem a bit radical—but nobody knows how your body feels but you.
So I feel you should listen to it.
I have met some awesome bodybuilders and clients in my years in this game---the more I looked for this “instinct” type of training the more I noticed it, the more I noted that there are some awesome physiques out there that seem to work and be built in chaos.
Recently, I had a new client come to me that just put a lid on it for me.
This chap has a great build and wants to take it to the stage.
In asking how he trained –there was no answer—he was all over the shop. Clearly he knew what he was doing, his fantastic build was testament to this. All I had to do was give him some pointers on style, so he could target areas more. But other than that he was his own man.

He was very advanced.
I think that is another key here—being advanced. I would say you need many years under the iron and know yourself inside out for this to work.
I remember Tom Platz saying in a seminar many years ago, that when you become an advanced bodybuilder, you no longer have to work by the numbers. Rather like an artist will not do painting by numbers as he becomes more skilled. You instinctively know what to do.

I also remember reading, in the classic, 3 more reps book, many years ago a section on Dave Draper. Here he explained his Freestyle training. After years of being a slave to the routine, he broke free of constraint’s and undertook a way of training that he called “Freestyle”.



This was way back in the 70’s and if I am not mistaken he still does some form of this training today.
Freestyle to Dave was defined by having no set days to train a body-part, no set routine at all.
On a training day, he would run a check list, so to speak, through his experienced mind. “Do I feel like I can work some heavy squats today, or how about some dead-lifts?”
“Maybe I should throw some chest into the mix, or giant set all the movements.
His workouts where based on his ability to read his body and balance his mind.
“what areas are sore? “
“Do I feel recovered ? “
These are some of the questions he would ask himself before attacking the weights.

At last he felt free—free to enjoy the gym and the innocence of it all, free to trail his own path.
The gains came as they fell into the rhythm of the beat of his body.
He never looked back.

Fleshing it out.
I thought this through, here I was in the best shape of my life in May of 2009---having done some real unconventional workouts and had eating habits that were off the chart. (See my blog for diet information)
At last after all these years I had run with my instincts, it worked.

I had a chat about this with Robby, he told me how he had made his best gains, training his whole body every day, when he was younger.
He did not know at the time—that- that was supposed to be wrong—No he just did it and expected gains –and they came.

This was similar to my start out in the sport, where I would train every day and do whatever I felt like doing—I put on around 40 lbs with this NON ROUTINE.

So in effect I seem to have gone full circle –taken away was the dogma of following a training system---the pigeon holing yourself into HIT or some other system out there on the web.
I made my own system, I did what I felt I needed to do for my body.

After the show I delved deeper into this, moving from one week light, next week heavy. High sets, low sets, 100 reps –3 reps, free hand work---You name it---and some you can not name.
I JUST DID!
I tell you what---yer sure, it’s post show and I am ready for a fill out—But wow—I have grown.
The workouts have been incredible---and more to the point a shock.
Each and every workout has shook my body to the core.
It has had no choice but to grow.
To give you an idea of the check list I run through---here’s what I did recently.
Saturday a week ago—absolutely beasted legs, did everything and anything—high reps, low reps you name it.
The following week---still not recovered ---So we did shoulders and arms---Tuesday—ok, lets do legs today—just did two exercises, squats and stiff leg dead lifts—worked from high reps to low, adding weight---till we had had enough.
A day later –my back is real sore from the dead lifts—so, in the morning I will work just chest. The morning after or over the weekend, I will do back.
Back may be 10-12 sets of chins and nothing else. After those I may fancy doing some standing press with a thick bar---3—5—10 sets—how ever I feel at the time—I will just go by how the body feels. Push it till I know not to push anymore.

I can here you now reading this---what sets? what reps?—what split do I do?—what days a week do I train?
Here are your answers.
Train when you like.
On the days you want.
Train body-parts that you want to and with what you like.
Do the sets and reps you need to do the job.
Rest, when you feel like it.
Train, when you feel like it.
Just do!

The eye of the hurricane.
The eye of the hurricane is the centre that is the calm while all around is devastation.
Let your centre, be calm and focused as you attack your body and force it to gain.
Your centre---is and are, your base rules.
Your little bit of order to the chaos.

Make sure you do the basic movements—you know them.
Squat, bench and dead lift.
Apply them, when you feel the need.
But make sure they are there.
Don’t wuss out---this is not a train like a pansy and be lazy program.
Train hard and heavy, when the feelings right.
Squeeze and contract when you body tells you to-make gains.

So there you have it---probably the most- odd article you have ever read.
But I bet it has made you think.
Are you not sick of your head being a shed---What shall I do?
What program do I need?
So on and so on.
Just go to the gym –and knock the hell out of what ever you want to do that day---Go home, eat good food and sleep well.
Go to the gym the next day—do, what does not hurt—Go home, eat and sleep. Repeat—repeat—and again---time after time.
If you feel tired one day –rest and eat.
If not, go kick in that workout again.
Just do it---stop worrying and just do it.
I bet in a few weeks you will not believe the gains.
Be the best you can be ---BE YOU.
Ian.