Im a full body workout guy for many years and always do a push, a pull, then Legs in that flow. So the standing press, then Chinup, then Squat, then Bench , then Rowing, then Stiff Leg Deadlift or RDL for hamstrings, then Biceps, Triceps, and Side/Rear delts at the end of the workout. To avoid overtraining, I only do 2 sets of compound lifts and two sets on isolation but arms are lagging so 3 sets on those. Thats 2 sets for quads and hamstrings, 4 sets of chest, back, and Shoulder and 3 sets arms. Total weekly volume is as follows Chest 12 sets Back 12 sets Legs 6 sets (harder to recover) Shoulders 12 sets Arms 9 sets Im never sore going into the next training day and Im putting hard effort higher intensity into those 2 sets of everything. I always keep a rep in the tank for next session 2 days later. Most old school full body trainers from silver era say to judge volume by your own recovery abilities so you stimulate growth but dont overtrain. You practice the lifts 3x week so strength gains will be better across the big compounds. Rotate variations of lifts as needed to avoid overuse injuries and keep it fresh . If I cannot make progress on a lift for 3 workouts in a row, then Ill change it up. Like flat bench to incline or close grip to wide or use a swiss bar or press off pins. Get very strong at multiple variations for compound lifts. Pullups, chinups, dips, neutral grip, wide grip, etc. never gets boring. Save time by supersetting opposite body parts. Chest and back , squats and shoulders, bis and tris, etc. Training as a natural, full body workouts cause much more growth stimulus for the whole unit and allow 4 days off completely to grow and eat. Sokit training works, but not as well due to constant recovery state of the body. Leroy Colbert discusses this in lengthy ways. Full body for the win. Ive messed with upper Lower routine and push pull legs but always come back to full body workouts. My 2 cents. Enjoy the journey my brothers.
Courtesy of Gemini: Day 1 and Day 3 (with at least one rest day in between): * Deltoids: 3 sets of 3 exercises (total of 9 sets) - incline dumbbell press, lateral raises, upright rows * Chest: 3 sets of barbell bench press (wide grip), 3 sets of incline dumbbell press, 3 sets of flyes * Back: 3 sets of chin-ups behind the neck, 3 sets of low pulley rows, 1 set of one-arm rows * Biceps: 3 sets of incline curls * Triceps: 3 sets of overhead triceps extensions, 3 sets of lying one-arm curls * Legs: 3 sets of half squats, 3 sets of hack squats, 3 sets of front squats, 3 sets of leg curls, 3 sets of calf raises * Abs: 1 set of sit-ups * Back: 1 set of hyperextensions **Important notes:** * The weight should be chosen such that you can barely complete the desired reps (between 8-12 reps). * Rest just enough time between sets to allow your workout partner to grab the weights (very short rest periods). * It is recommended to change the workout routine every month by varying the rep range (e.g., one month 5-7 reps, another month 11-15 reps). Day 2 (and other rest days): * Focus on getting enough sleep and relaxation to allow the body to recuperate. You can take a nap during the day if possible. Diet: * It is recommended to split your macros between 60% complex carbs, 20% protein, and 20% fat. * On the day you workout, focus on consuming complex carbs in the morning before the workout and prioritize protein for the rest of the day. * The day before your workout, focus on complex carbs such as oatmeal with almonds, apples, and raisins. Overall, this workout routine emphasizes compound exercises and high intensity with short rest periods. It also highlights the importance of rest days and proper diet for muscle building.
Loved the video! It’s highly informative and super helpful. Thank you so much for sharing such an amazing and inspiring video! I greatly appreciate it. Steve Reeves is one of the greatest and most iconic bodybuilders of all time! He’s truly a legend. 🙌
And the greeks knew it 3000 years ago... with that said, his physique is what could be called really good for an amateur...very nice shape, but you cant even see his ribs.. the best thing about his body is that it is a rather achievable physique... if he would cut, he would look like a 400 m sprinter..
My uncle was a 50s/60s bodybuilder, when it was still seen as 'weird'. He opened one of first dedicated gyms around the area (in UK) long gone now. He got American import muscle magazines, plus UK ones and was an avid Steve Reeves and Reg Park fan. At the time he also did many fewer sets than what the Weider camp eventually advocated, which was pretty normal . Only one set of 20 rep squats, no more than 3 sets bench. Also incline curls like in this video and on a similar wooden fixed incline with a hide covering. Grimek and Clancy Ross also did single set exercises (though sometimes lots of single sets of different exercises for a bodypart!). Rest-Pause, descending sets, supersets. The YT gurus bring little new to the game, all of this was common knowledge in old gyms.
This man was head of his time u can't get no perfect than steve reeves. Long time ago Ricky Wayne a pro bodybuilder and writer from muscle fitness stated reeves was almost too Dam handsome and he imitated alot of Hollywood major stars !
I'm going to try Steves routine with 1 set per excercise instead of 3. I think i'll be able to tolorate that using the monday night, Thursday morning, saturday night split.
Interestingly, in an article published in Muscle Builder (September 1953) entitled "My Favorite Exercise Course" Steve recommended three exercises per bodypart, but recommended only performing one set of each.
I’m curious what Mr. Little thinks of this. While I can’t deny Reeves had an amazing physique, I think this was largely due to genetics. I think a large proportion of the population would be overtrained on a routine like this.
I don’t know that I would presume to. However, I think Mike has a far better and broader application. Steve only trained himself, and obviously was a person with tremendous tolerance for exercise. Mike based his conclusions on a serious investigation of the fundamental principles of bodybuilding exercise, and then tested his hypothesis out on 2000 clients. So, I would tend to side with Mike’s approach.
I think it you cut the volume from 9 sets a body part to 6- 2 sets per exercise instead of 3 that could work. For me at my age, training experience abd strength levels it's still too much. Maybe take that and split into A B workouts and you might have something.
Ps John Grimek witnessed Steve doing a 400 lb deadlift, with his fingertips on the edge of the plates, to show a gym jerk who suggested Steve wasn't strong !!!
The most magnificent lines on a bodybuilder, what a contrast to the drug monsters of the last 40 or so years, and to boot hw was one of the most handsome men that ever lived, a man who made women gasp😮
Delts FIRST!!!...Then Chest, Back.Arms...THEN legs and finally abs....3 days a week, 2,5 hours per session. 7 hours a week. Bodyparts 3 days a week...I never overtrained????....And maybe he didn't???.....Let the debate begin!!!!!
Lol! Got to say I don't agree with Steve on this. There is the fact that his genetics could probably handle it better than most, but like Arthur J was getting at, working the full body in that order you would never have enough reserve in your system to work the legs as hard as you should for the potential growth you could get by the time you reach them at the end of your routine. Working them first (if you feel you have to do full body) yes you may not use as heavy a weight working the upper torso by the time you reach it, but the stress placed on it is the signal that it will use to grow. I keep remembering an interview with Sergio before he passed when he reflected on his time with Arthur, and the hellish routines he would put them though. He himself admitted that he never had the results that he got while he was working with him and that was a regret. Most of the people who worked with Arthur did not understand how they were getting the results on these routines... they were just fortunate to be the subjects he would inflict these workouts on. 🤣 Devils advocate though in Steves' day there was not the emphasis on leg development as there is now so they probably did not feel the need to work them as hard. But I still think the overall stimulus they would have got by doing so was missed out on and I could only imagine what Steves' potential would have been if he had trained under Arthurs' principles.
@@yezzzsir Seemed to work for Steve...that said guys like Grimek would start with squats and breathing pullovers. Abe Goldberg would train 3 days a week chest/Back Monday--shoulders/ Arms Wednesday--Legs Friday...and then go to a more normal 3 day a week the next week. Some guys like Park would vary the exercises and emphasis every 6--8 weeks...what I am getting at is that those oldtimers had a tremendous amount of variety on that old 3 day standby...more than many realise....Some Guys would even START with Shouders and arms as a means of warming up the elbows and shoulders Before the benching and back work came. And did squats in the middle of the routine!!!...Once we unplug ourselves from stringent rules about exercise heirchey, the options are limitless on a 3 day a week split.
@@algrundau9441 There are a lot of examples in your comment & importantly (including Steve,) a lot of Genetic variety too. So what worked better for some would not work as well for others. The main Point I was rambling towards using Arthur & Sergio as examples is that even with great genetics, because of the way these people choose to train they wont reach their true potential even though to outward appearances they're getting great results. Arthurs principles while they where adjusted over the years, they were geared toward the general principles of exercise theory that would generate the best results for "anyone" who decided to train. No matter their personal genetic potential.
@@colonalklink14 ...In his opinion. I'm not in a position to say if he was right or not, the art is subjective. But his own description of his growth only adds to my point about his genetics. Following his training routine in his words lead to growth over a few months that a lot do not see over their entire training career. (compare what Mike said about Danny Padilla). To repeat my point again if we're talking about growth potential not personal aesthetics Arthurs style of training was better. Not just for the few, but the many.
That seems like a lot of work.. Comparing it to Mike... Mike uses pre-exhaustion so he would do shoulders and arms before chest press.. The way Steve presents it he is potentially overtraining his shoulders and arms.. but he's a world class BB so what do I know?
Biggest arms, not the best developed arms. Biggest legs, not the best developed legs. Exactly, this is what is wrong at todays bodybuilding, not to mention horrible fake tan which they have. Last time i saw a proper bodybuilding was around 1996-1997.
If your gonna do 3/3/3 for a body part we already have high volume and low intensity. 2hrs and half each session is beyond overtraining each session.Sorry but no way you will have any growth like this overtraining method doing delts chest back and arms with over 30 sets per session. Like asking a sprinter to run at top speed for 2 miles it’s called BS… You can’t do intensity for long durations or your doing half Azz sets just to say I did 9 sets for a body part. It’s useless and wasting your time training like that sorry Steve I call BS
I feel if Reeves applied that HIT principe he wouldn’t be in the gym for over 30|40mn.. Being in the gym for over 7hrs a week is grossly over trained. When 1/half hours a week is more then enough with 3 workouts a week. With HIT it’s the only way possible with more results then a marathon session as what he described
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE I guess his rest between sets was short like 30- 45 seconds, so he wasn't really training intensely as he would if he used longer rest periods and thereby heavier weights.
