I wrote briefly about this type of program in my ‘Short and Sharp’ book- way back in 95.
It’s a program that I have done every year for a few months, since that time of writing and prior to that.
I have also used it many times with clients with awesome results.
So this is not a made up program that has had- ‘no in the trenches solid work under it’. No, it has proven it-self- time and time again to increase strength and lean muscle tissue.

On one condition---“you work bloody hard- and you eat right”.

The Basics.
The basics of this program are.
You train three days a week.

Day one.
Upper Body.

Day two.
Rest.

Day three.
Lower Body.

Day Four.
Rest.

Day Five.
Upper Body Intensity Day.

Day Six and Seven.
Rest.

This can be worked in a couple of ways.
Here is my working week.

Tuesday – train.
Wednesday – off.
Thursday – train.
Friday – off.
Saturday – train.
Sunday and Monday – off.

You can also work this in the traditional Monday-Wednesday and Friday set aside for working out. Leaving the other days - for rest and recovery.

The Old School program and all my other programs are based on the three pillars of bodybuilding success.
They are.
Training.
Nutrition.
Recovery.

They all have to be there, if one or more is missing, you doomed to fail.
At best you will get miniscule results.
You have to have each in equal balance in order to gain from your efforts.
Do not try and beat mother nature, you will not win.
Common sense and logic should tell you this.

The Program.
The upper-lower program has running through it’s veins the influences of the masters of bodybuilding, with my own logic applied to it’s foundation.
Let’s now look at the program.
Day One.
Depending the time of day you train make sure you have adequate fuel in the tank.
A good meal of complex carbohydrates and protein from, clean, natural sources- are your best choice for sustained energy and strength.
Depending on your ability to process food, eat either- two hours before, or an hour.
I eat within an hour, as I train early in the morning.


When you get to the gym.
Warm up the shoulder region and build that core temperature a little, with some light dumbbell work.
Then let’s get to work.

Rack Bench Press.
I have used this movement for years, those not familiar with this fantastic exercise, check out Tricks of the Trade for weight warriors on the articles section of this site.
This is your base strength, chest, shoulders and triceps movement.
I define size by how much you can press away from your body, press overhead. Pull down from over head - pull in to the middle of the body and leg and hip rotation.
In short—a bench press, an overhead press, a chin, a row, a squat and last but not least a dead lift.

In the Rack Press we will be working on the Reg Park 5x5 system.
The basics of which are.
After a warm up put on a weight that is easy for 5 reps.
A weight that would allow maybe 10 reps if you had to go for it.
Just- do 5.
This is only to get you into the feel and the groove of the movement.
Add some weight, enough that would allow you 8 or so.
Just- do 5.
Add weight again.
This is the working set.
Go for 5.
Rest as long as it takes your partner to go- and a little longer to get in the zone.
Go for it.
Get me 5 reps.
Again a little break.
Go for your last set of 5.

If you get all three sets of 5, you have then earned a weight increase on the next workout. Add only a little bit of iron to the bar next time and again do your 5 sets of 5---With 3 of the sets being balls to the wall hard work, fight for those 5 rep sets.
If you don’t get em, well stay with that weight for as many weeks as it takes to get them. You have to earn the move up.
Train these for strength and power, in good style, be tight and be solid.

This was the base of Reg parks programs for years and many of his students.
It is seeped in the history of this sport.
It gave Reg –size unparalleled in his day- and he was natural.
This will be your base size and power movement for this working day.

Years later Reg developed a quality that complemented his size and this came with the inclusion of higher rep work and other exercises.

Here is a quote by Vince Gironda.
I remember studying Reg Park’s physique when he was power training.
He was doing the 5 sets of 5 reps.
His physique looked thick. Obviously he had maximized his muscle fibre size.
Park then went to South Africa and followed a system of 10 rep exercises.
The appearance of his muscles changed because of the capillary count looked higher, but the thickness appeared to suffer fractionally.
A few years later, Park mixed up his training and his physique reached it’s ultimate potential. He had both cross-sectional thickness and muscle height.
He looked superb.

This is something I have noted in my own training as in the past. When I was getting ready for a power lifting competition I would do lower rep sets, as that was my main focus.
I would note that although I was bulky, there was no roundness or quality to my physique.

It is also noted that a lot of power trainers hold a little too much body-fat and lack that quality to their physiques.
This is down to not backing up the heavy work with some rep work and poor eating habits.
If that’s your goal and you are not interested in looking good, well that’s your choice, I have tailored this program to power body-build.
If heavy low rep work is all you do, you will only get the one quality to your body.

With that in mind lets move on to the next exercise.
Dumbbell Incline Press.
A stable of many a chest workout, I love this movement and have done it since I started my training life.
I like to have the incline not to high, this tip I picked up from Vince Gironda and Larry Scott. If the bench is not too high you can stress the upper chest a little more and less on the shoulders.
That upper pec and shoulder tie in comes later in the workout, for now lets stress the upper chest area.
I like to pop a flat bench up on a block or a couple of 20k plates, this will incline the bench (at the head end) only a few degrees. This is enough to target that sort after thickness in the upper chest.
On this movement we up the reps somewhat to increase capillary growth and stimulate some other fibres that may have not been touched with the heavy work.
The goal here is to do 3 sets of 8 and 12 reps.
Grab a weight at around half of your working weight and do a set of ten reps to get into the groove of the new exercise.
Then you are ready for some work.
The progression system works like this. Pick a weight that you can get 8-10 with and work with that weight over the 3 sets. Aim for 12 reps, fight for them.
You may get 11—10 –8.
Next week pick up the same dumbbells and beat those numbers.
The sets may go like this.

Set one got, 12, could of got 13- maybe 14 –but I got my goal on that set.
Right –time for the next set.
That was a killer got 11.
Keep that focus –one more set.
You grab the dumbbells and lay back on the bench, and you work that set with all you have.
This is how you grow.
This is how you move forward.
Hell of a set- got 10.

If all the sets were 10 reps or above, you have earned the weight increase.
Move up to the next set of dumbbells next workout.

I have used this progression on dumbbells for many years –as most sets of dumbbells –jump up in too big an increment.
This way –you can handle a weight well before you move on.
If you jump up weights too fast you will lose that steady progression and open yourself up for injury and a crap style of movement.

Bent Over Rows.
Back now to the heavy basics of the 5x5 system, 2 sets of 5 with a weight increase each set then working weight for 3 sets of 5 reps.
This exercise has been a stable of the bodybuilders of the past.
It packs slabs of beef all over the entire back and gives you that depth to your frame from the side.
Many guys love to bench and pull-down and do nothing to balance out the pecs and front delt area with heavy rows.
They are a must , study the movement and get it right and work on getting as strong as you can be in it.
I have seen guys bench 3 plates and bent over row a plate. You should be able to do more in rows than you can bench.

Low Pulley Rows.
These are now your intensity movement, with a slight difference.
With the heavy rows I will myself or have client pull the bar into the navel area.
This will predominantly work the thickness of the lower lat.
When doing low rows I try to pull the handle higher –into the armpit area.
This will place the stress across the upper back, upper lat’s, rear delt’s, traps, rhomboids.
Again here I will work the reps higher and aim for 3 sets of 12 reps.

Standing Barbell Press.
Again not done very much these days, most trainers like to sit on a machine.
Doing standing barbell press, works the whole shoulder region –right around the top of your body.
Shoulders, upper pec, upper back, traps, right around the top.
You also get a real good core workout from this too and triceps.
These I will work in 3 sets of 5 reps.
I put a weight on and just fight for 5 over the 3 sets, I will progress from there.

I will wrap up the workout with weighted hanging leg raise and a front neck flexion movement.
I do neck exercises most workouts, I may not write about it much, but I do- do them.
I will do these two movements in a back to back fashion and aim for 20 reps a set for 3 rounds.

Notes On Day One.
Work each set hard.

Take a few seconds before picking up the weight to run through your mind positive thoughts.
Think –why am I doing this?
What is my goal?

Always strive to be stronger.

After your workout, find a quite spot and have your post workout drink.
Then go home and feed yourself good clean food.
Be positive that you will grow.

One more thing –train like an animal –but be polite and courteous to those around you.
When out of the gym dress well and have a calm manner about you. Ooze confidence –but never be a d… head.

Day Two Off.
This is a day of recovery, your chance to gain all you can from the workout the day before. You have to feed that workout with the right materials in order for you to get stronger and grow.
Do not—blow off the day with a meal missed here and there and wrong foods when you do eat.
Eat the best to be your best.

Day Three.
Today is the other half of your body-the lower body.
This workout is a killer, nice to know that it never gets any easier, because as you get stronger the workout is harder on you.
I never said this program was easy—it may look it on paper, it’s as hard as YOU make it.
Push your boundaries and when you have gone as far as you THINK you can go, go further.
After warming up, start with some squatting warm ups.
Squats.
Your whole leg workout is based on this exercise, so do them right and do them deep enough.
The squats will work the entire leg and hip structure.
They also pack mass on other areas of the body.
Every other leg movement is not in the same ball park.
Work these on the 5x5 system.
So that’s a couple of warm ups---10 or so reps.
Two sets of 5 with progressively heavier weight, then 3 hard sets of 5, with as much as you can handle.
You know the progression on this.
Next up is another awesome exercise.
Dead Lifts.
This movement works the entire back from the nape of the neck right down to your heals.
Why is it on lower body day?
Well I found that putting the two movements together had many advantages.
•The whole hip structure is worked on one day. This will give you more recovery time.
• After squats you only need one tester set as your lower back is fully warm.
Therefore you save many warm up sets you may have had to have done before being ready for the big weights.
•After squats this becomes a very hard hamstring exercise as they are pre fatigued.
When I have competed I am asked “what the hell do you do for your hamstrings”?
“Dead lifts” is my answer.
Do a tester set, then 3 sets of 5.
Dumbbell Squats.
This again is an old school movement that I think is just fantastic.
Very simple hold two dumbbells at your sides, feet around 15 inches apart back straight, and squat.
Only go as low as your forward bend will allow, this is not a dead-lift.
What I strive to do in these is to gain some rotation around the knee joint, but not too much.
My goal is to work the lower and outer quad.
So I endeavour to keep upright and use only my legs as much as possible.
This is your intensity movement so 3 sets of 15 reps with very little rest between sets.

To wrap up
I will work on a tri set of Rear Neck Raise with a neck harness.
Standing Calve Raise holding two heavy dumbbells with my toes on a block.
Old School Sit Ups, these are preformed like a normal sit up, but, you crunch first then sit up.
This crunching first engages the abs far more.
I will hold a dumbbell on my chest doing these.
These 3 movements back to back- fast circuit fashion, for 5 rounds of 20 each.

Day Four.
Recovery day.
Again make use of it—recover, eat well and stretch those aching muscles.

Day Five.
Intensity day for the upper body.
You may ask why is there only an upper body intensity day and not a leg one?
It’s in my experience that if. You work squats- hard, you will struggle to even touch your legs again for a week.
Also remember on that day you are also dead lifting as well---double nasty.
This upper body workout covers the movements you did not cover in any detail in the first workout of the week.
You can just structure in what ever you like here, extra back and chest work also delts and arms.
The high rep fast work in this workout (after the heavy bread and butter stuff earlier in the week)—Works wonders for growth.
This is based on again Vince Gironda’s principles here.
Move fast, very little rest between sets, strict style.
After warming up- get set for my first two back to back movements.
Good old fashioned.
Dips and Chins.
Do these back to back with no weight added for as many reps as possible, with only as long as it takes you to walk from one to the other.
Do these for 8 sets, yep 8 sets.
Write down what you get on each set and next week strive to beat it.

Next up is a little arm work, they have now been beaten to death with the above two movements. Your biceps and triceps do not need much to finish them off.
Here is my choice for this.
Barbell Curl and Overhead Cable Extensions.
Curls are self explanatory, but let’s look at overhead extensions.
I love this movement –I can be seen doing this in the Old School DVD.
This I picked up form Vince Gironda and Larry Scott many years ago.
It’s basically a behind the neck triceps extension using a rope or strap from an overhead pulley.
Kneeling down (face down) place your elbows on a length ways bench in front of you—so you can get down and keep the elbows in a held up position.
From here you reach down behind your head with the rope and pre stretch those triceps and then extend out over your head and contract over and above you.
In this position the long head of the triceps is really attacked.
Do these again back to back for 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
To wrap up this workout.
Perform.
Lat Raise, a Front Neck Flexion and a Wrist Curl.
Three sets of 15- 20reps back to back.

Points Overall.
• This is my workout for the next four weeks, I will then have a growth week (another article) and then make changes.
The only difference in this program is I will be doing incline barbell press and flat dumbbell press on day one. This is because I have been on the rack press for a number of weeks now.
• I will be working on a 4-5 week program template, then a growth week followed by a change. The change may only be a different main exercise, or a complete overhaul.
I would advise- if- you are a very advanced trainer i.e. 350 -400-squat and dead lift and a 250-300 bench press.
You to do the same.
As the more advanced you are the more the recovery system takes a beating and you body adapts to a program very quick.
You will be able to follow my journey through this on this Old School section.
• You can substitute any exercise that suits you and your frame, not every exercise suits everybody.

But keep to the basics.

Good luck with you training- remember- eat clean, live clean.
Ian.