Bodybuilding for the Working Man - Bradley Steiner (1971)

 Strength & Health January 1971

Most individuals spend eight or more hours a day working at a job, practicing their trade or profession, or going to school and studying. When the day’s work is over – whether it has been physically demanding or not – the average man is pretty tired. In addition, he has many responsibilities that he must fulfill which prevent him from dancing home from the office, leaping into a sweatsuit, and spending two or three hours on a work-out. Yet this poor fellow often reads that the Mr. Winners who me admires “bomb” and “blast” away at their work-outs like diesel engines, six days a week, year in and year out, never stopping to take a deep breath, and of course, our average Joe gets discouraged. He still wants muscles (oh, how he would like to look half as good as Grimek!) but he figures that if he ever tried to do one of those “super-bombing” routines, he’d bomb himself right into a hospital bed or into a happy-house. In fact, the more he thinks about the energy sapping three-hour torture sessions, the more convinced he becomes that he’d just as soon stay in the lousy shape that he’s in. At least it’s not painful! It’s too bad that Mr. Average American hasn’t learned the facts about those “space-age” super schedules and the men who follow them. It’s too bad that he hasn’t discovered the sane, sensible method of weight-training that can be integrated into the busiest of schedules, and that, believe it or not, has been responsible for the Herculean, Superman development of, yes that’s right… John C. Grimek!

The secret of successful bodybuilding is hard work on good exercises. Hard work done only to the point of fully activating and congesting the important muscle groups of the body – and you should know this: it does not require a long, drawn-out training session to achieve this result. The men who you may have read about who do use extensive training programs are, let’s face it, processionals. Their muscles are their livelihood, and though they do in many cases spend an excessive amount of time in training, at least it doesn’t seem to hurt or bother them. But I sure couldn’t do it, you probably can’t, and in fact one doesn’t have to dedicate his life to the weights in order to get superior, or even startling development. Concentrated effort on good, all-around routines done three or four times a week is more than enough. And there is simply no reason why a training session need exceed an hour in length… and yes, in case you’re thinking ahead of me, I’m coming to the inevitable conclusion that no matter who you are, or what you do for a living, you can build up tremendously with weights. 

What the working man needs is (in addition to large muscles to satisfy his vanity) a program that revitalizes him… that “recharges” his battery so to speak, and leaves him with a surplus of energy, endurance, and strength. He wants to look good, feel great, and derive all the benefits that barbell training has to offer, without going off the deep end and becoming a “muscle-head”. All very noble goals indeed, and with the hope that it will help him to achieve them, here is a work-out program for every “nine to fiver” based upon sensible, result-producing training methods. Work-out three or four days a week on alternate days, and forget about every three-hour-a-day nut routine that you may have read about. This one is for YOU! Here is your program:

1. Warm-up with only one set of the repetition barbell clean and press. This in itself is a fine all-over bodybuilder, and if you do the exercise briskly and in good form, every important muscle group will be brought in to play. Do one set of from eight to twelve repetitions to fully loosen up the body and get the blood flowing throughout your system. 
2. The two-hands curl is a must. We all want big arms, and there’s no point in pretending that they’re not important. I know that curling isn’t necessary for good overall development, but I’ll concede that we all (even me) won’t mind doing curls when we know that it will mean fuller, thicker arms. Use a barbell or dumbells – it doesn’t matter too much which you use – and work in strict form. Use a heavy weight. The light stuff is just so much wasted effort. Do two sets of eight to ten repetitions. 
3. Shoulders rank as an important muscle group, and the alternate dumbells press will give them full development. Triceps will benefit too. Use heavy weights, and work the movement with a steady rhythm. Two sets of ten to twelve reps with this one will be plenty. 
4. Heavy squats. THIS is the important one. Do twenty reps. Do it with as much weight as you can handle and still fight to come erect after your last rep. This is a conditioner par excellence! Anybody who thinks that endurance and cardiovascular health cannot be built with weights should try twenty rep squats. It will shut his mouth for good. Try to work up to about a hundred pounds over your bodyweight. For variety, do the twenty squats in breathing style – three huge breaths between each rep – but be sure to use no more than bodyweight in this one. 
5. After your squats, give your entire body a good stretch, and give yourself a fine breathing and chest expansion exercise… the two-dumbell pull-over. I favor this over the barbell pull-over because more stretch can be given to the rib-cage, and deeper breathing can be done in the movement. Only one set, just like the squats, for twenty reps. Use a light pair of dumbells, twenty pounders would suffice for a super-man. 
6. Taking a moderately loaded barbell, stand erect, using a close, knuckles-up grip, and do upright rowing. Do two sets of eight to twelve reps. This is a fine upper-back, arm and shoulder conditioner. 
7. For the lower back the old standby is the stiff-legged deadlift. Start off easy, but work into heavy, heavy weights as your strength increases. And if you work hard on this exercise, brother, your strength will increase! One set of 15 repetitions will give you lower back muscles like spring steel. 
8. For your “lats” bent-forward barbell rowing is the thing. Use very strict form, and do two sets of 12 to 15 repetitions. Use a heavy weight, and you’ll have done plenty to stimulate growth in the latissimus region. 
9. Leg raises. If you don’t own a pair of health shoes, buy ‘em! This exercise is a super health builder when you work hard enough on it. It will chisel fat off your lower abdomen like nothing you’d imagine, and it will feel great! Do two sets of 15 reps if you use iron boots, and one set of 30 or 35, if you use just bodyweight. 
10. Another one for the waistline! The side-bend with dumbbell. Do one side at a time, and do a total of two sets for each side, for 15 to 20 reps each. This is a fine conditioner and stomach reducer. 
11. Finish off your session with another important leg exercise. The straddle-lift. Use a moderately heavy weight – keep the back flat! – and do one set of 15 reps. 

That’s the whole works. It shouldn’t take more than an hour tops to do the whole routine. It will leave you feeling, as Bob Hoffman says, “Like a million!” And it will make you look like two million. Try to add some weight to the work that you can do every week or so. That’s the secret of coaxing muscle growth. Every couple of months change the routine a little. But never leave the squat out! Do it parallel or breathing style, but DO IT. When you find that you’ve become a bit stale or overtrained, take a week or two off. This is sensible training. 

Weight training along the lines discussed will reward you with a fine, muscular physique, superb health and well-being, and an increase in energy and stamina that will astound you. You’ll have plenty left over for family and fun as well as training. 

You can get the physique that you want without going on unemployment. Just go on sensible routine like the one we’ve discussed.. and stick with it!