What is the Old School Bodybuilding Program?
Have you heard about an old school bodybuilding program that aims to build massive muscles in just 6 weeks? This is actually the innovative combination of high-volume training (HVT) and high-intensity training (HIT), a couple of classic techniques.
You might be curious as to why I consider the old principles of bodybuilding as a more preferable program to build muscle mass in this article. Well, that is because these principles actually work, at least for most people.
Why intensity and volume matters
You can actually maximize muscle mass only if you apply the proper method in your workouts. Thus, you need to have adequate intensity and volume while you are at it. That’s why it is so important why you have to go back to the classic bodybuilding principles.
Nobody understands training variables better than athletes with the best physiques during the golden ages of bodybuilding in the 1970s and 1980s. Hence, two old school bodybuilding (OSB) protocols HVT and HIT are used for a duration of six weeks.
Basically, HVT and HIT are both effective in building muscles and are backed by exercise science in the real-world application in the gym and not just in the laboratory. They both worked 40-50 years ago, and fortunately they still work today.
But most of all is that this type of program is not only for seasoned bodybuilders. Yes, anybody who is dedicated enough and willing to see the results after six weeks can apply the old school bodybuilding program to build lots of new muscles.
The classic mass-gaining combination
It is not surprising to know that training techniques need to be tested in the lab first because research is important particularly when it comes to the well-being of people.
I am also all about training techniques tested at the lab, having a PharmD and having done research in places like the Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at the University of Florida.
However, even before scientists were busy studying how muscles grow stronger and bigger, bodybuilders were already doing their own tests in the comfort of their own labs, the gyms.
Of course, bodybuilders were able to figure out what type of training did work at the gym and what didn’t. So, over the years of bodybuilding, they were able to figure out how to build muscles even without the help of microscopes, muscle biopsies, or electromyography.
In fact, when popular bodybuilders competing in the 70s and 80s, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mike Mentzer, Sergio Oliva, Casey Viator, and Dorian Yates, this classic mass-gaining combination of high volume training and high intensity training was among the most renowned bodybuilding styles.
High volume bodybuilding training program
High volume training is done with lots of varieties, many exercises for each muscle group, numerous sets, and oftentimes high reps. Simply put, celebrated bodybuilders like Schwarzenegger, Columbo, and Robinson training in the gym for what seems like hours in the Pumping Iron documentary.
This type of training will actually benefit each muscle group in your body as it gets hit from all angles, and will surely give you quite a pumped-up physique. However, this is really time consuming and can become such a drag on.
If you are familiar with the training habits of famed bodybuilders like Schwarzenegger and all others during their era, you should know that they spend 2-3 hours at a time in the gym, 6 days a week, and oftentimes twice a day.
Spending time for long workouts can be impractical for most people and the results might not be worth it regardless of the time that you are willing to spend. Moreover, HVT can be too much volume, depending on the person, which can reduce muscle gains.
High intensity bodybuilding training program
High intensity training is a strength training program made famous by Nautilus founder Arthur Jones in the 1970s. HIT focuses on performing quality weight training repetitions up to the point when the person experiences muscular failure.
This type of training will involve several repetitions, weight to be used, and length of time when the muscle has been exposed to tension. Thus, it enables to maximize muscle fiber recruitment. So, while the exercise is brief and infrequent, it should also be intense.
The likes of popular bodybuilders Mentzer and Viator were not into HVT, instead they spend time at the gym with HIT. So, while others are spending hours a day at the gym, they spend less time with more results.
The techniques applied in HIT will also require weight and resistance to be increased progressively as the strength increases. This is because the overload will stimulate further improvements. However, there is an inverse relationship between intensity and length of time one can exercise.
Therefore, high intensity workouts are kept brief in general. That is because the body will require time to recover and produce the responses being used during the workout. In this case, more emphasis is given on rest and recovery in HIT compared to most other weight training methods.
