To be honest, modern bodybuilding in the pursuit of mass has already gone beyond
To be honest, the modern bodybuilding in the pursuit of the mass has already gone beyond the scope of a healthy phenomenon. However, this was not always the case.
If you look at the state of bodybuilding now, it’s hard to believe that there was a time when bodybuilders were one of the healthiest people. Legendary bodybuilders such as John Grimek, Reg Park and Steve Reeves possessed everything: strength, incredible size and symmetry, flexibility and a healthy cardiovascular system.
In this article, we will try to take a closer look at the Steve Reeves training philosophy.
Rule number 1. Train no more than three times a week.
Steve believed that most of those who work out in the gym more than three times a week do it in vain. Recovery is also a very important process. Many simply underestimate the importance of relaxation to achieve maximum progress. Any sports supplements in the world can not replace a healthy sleep and enough rest.
Many, instead of focusing on the correct execution of the exercises, focus on the number of workouts themselves, while they think that the more they train, the more muscle they will grow. This is the biggest mistake that results in overtraining and poor results.
Steve believed that a perfect program, for maximum recovery, should have one and a half days of rest between each workout. For example, if the first workout is Monday morning, then the second is Wednesday evening, and the final workout of the week is Saturday morning.
Rule number 2. Chitting is the main mistake of the trainees.
To ensure good shape and maximum growth in volume and strength, Steve used the following pace of one repetition: two seconds for the positive part of the exercise and three seconds for the negative. This pace prevents possible bouncing and jerking of the projectile during movement.
As for breathing, Steve advised taking a breath immediately before the positive phase of the exercise, holding it and exhaling during the negative.
We use the military bench press as an example. Inhale while the bar is at chest height. Hold your breath until the bar reaches head level, and then begin to exhale as the bar moves to its upper position. Continue breathing as you lower the bar back to its original position.
Rule number 3. Set the goal of each workout – this will focus you and tune you in the right way.
In addition to long-term goals, such as adding five kilograms in a bench press, you must have a specific goal for each workout. Having a goal in training will focus you and set you up for specific tasks. You do not have to come to the gym and then come up with what you are going to do today, you need to know exactly what you are doing and what you want to achieve before you begin.
Aim enhances your focus and determination. The gym is not a place where you can wander aimlessly and hope for an event. Steve believed that during training it was necessary to be in deep concentration, and not to think between each approach. Be professional and take your every workout seriously. Get ready before or after your workout, but never during. All your mental and physical energy should be directed to exercise.
Rule number 4. Do leg exercises at the end of your workout.
Doing heavy leg exercises such as barbell squats at the beginning of your workout is a big mistake. Legs are your foundation and if they are exhausted from intense training, then training your upper body will suffer greatly. You think differently?
Try doing some heavy sets of barbell squats, and then do some sets of bench presses while standing. And you will clearly understand what role the legs play in the upper bench press. Performing all the exercises for the upper body at the beginning of the workout will warm you up for hard leg work at the end of your workout.
Here is the exercise routine recommended by Steve for training the whole body: first, deltoid muscles, then chest, latissimus, biceps, triceps, quadriceps, biceps of the legs, lower leg, lower back, abs, neck. Between each set of exercises, take a forty-five-second break, as well as two-minute breaks between exercises for each muscle group.
Rule number 5. Antagonist exercises.
To ensure uniform muscle development and training, Steve believed in combining the exercises of opposing muscle groups.
In other words, do a series of barbell lifts for biceps, relax for a minute, then do triceps exercises. Rest for a minute and return to your biceps lift. Continue this way until all sets are complete.
Rule number 6. Sets, repeats, and breaks are determined by your goal.
If your main goal is strength, do 2-3 reps in 5-6 sets. Take breaks of up to five minutes between each set. If your goal is strength and volume, do 5-6 reps in 5-6 sets with breaks of two to three minutes.
For maximum muscle growth, use the maximum weight that you can lift in 8-12 reps and with 45-second intervals between each set. The only exercises that Steve taught differently were the lower leg and abs: 20–25 reps in the set.
Rule number 7. Practice deep breathing.
Steve believed that deep breathing gives the circulatory system more oxygen and also increases the amount of the hormone adrenaline. Adrenaline is a natural stimulant that improves well-being and fills you with energy.
In this super-turbulent world, many of us live in chronic tension. When you are tense, you tend to take smaller breaths. If you do not breathe deeply, you do not receive the maximum amount of oxygen into the bloodstream. It is not surprising that so many people suffer from a breakdown and depression.
Be sure to try to breathe deeply as often as possible. Inhale counting to four, then hold your breath for a few seconds and exhale counting to eight. Every morning, start with a walk during which you breathe as deeply as possible. It will fill you with energy for the whole day.
Rule number 8. Stretching is important, but don’t overdo it.
While increased flexibility can reduce the risk of injury, too much flexibility will make joints unstable and vulnerable to injury. Yes, flexibility training, like any form of training, should be done.
Steve also believed that you should never stretch without warming up. Thus, do stretching after training, when you are naturally more flexible and less likely to get injured.
Rule number 9. Walking is the key to physical and psychological health.
Steve advised starting the workout with walking, to start half a mile in eight minutes. Once this goal is achieved, the next goal is one mile in 14 minutes. Your main task is to increase the intensity. To achieve this, you can walk on hills, wear a vest with weighting agents, or hold dumbbells in your hands while walking.
In terms of frequency, Steve recommended walking four times a week for 30 minutes, walking 2-3 miles.
Rule number 10. The daily diet should contain 60% carbohydrates, 20% protein and 20% fat.
Steve did not follow any difficult meal regimes. Its carbohydrate intake would be condemned in today’s low-carb diet. However, you cannot challenge Steve’s results in doing so. In addition, the amount of protein he consumed was far from the recommended by many bodybuilding magazines today at four grams per kilogram of body weight.
Another difference is that Steve generally ate three times a day. For breakfast, Steve had a cocktail of orange juice, gelatin, honey, a banana, a few eggs and a couple of tablespoons of the protein mixture. For lunch, Steve had cottage cheese with a handful of nuts and raisins, as well as fresh fruit. Steve’s dinner consisted of a large salad with turkey, tuna or beef.
Steve believed in eating the right foods and limiting sugar and white flour. To increase energy before training, Steve drank a drink made from freshly squeezed lemon juice and honey. Many athletes focus on what they eat on the day of the workout, but Steve found that what you ate the day before the workout is more important.
Steve recommended a diet of the day before training, consisting of a large number of complex carbohydrates. For example, Steve suggested starting a daily diet before training with a plate of oatmeal with several almond kernels, apples and raisins; then a few bananas during the day.
Later, for lunch, whole grain spaghetti, without meat and fat and many other carbohydrates that day.
10 rules of Steve Reeves: size, strength and health 