steve reeves workout

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Natural_Look

Did he really use that workout? I was under the impression he too used 5x5 (or am I confused with Reg Park?).

Reg Park was more 5x5.

[Casey Butt]

I'm not aware of Reeves ever using a 5x5 scheme - that was Park's baby. Park was probably even the true originator of it (though people before him definitely used sets of 5 reps, Park may have been the first to "formalize" the 5 sets of 5 scheme).

Reeves has been citing that routine as his "Mr Universe" routine since the early 1950s, in both his own book(s) and the magazines since then. The Weider magazines claimed in the early 1950s that Reeves did only ONE set per exercise on that routine, but Reeves maintained that he did 3 sets of each exercise (sometimes 4 sets on the leg exercises) for years ...so who really knows for sure. Reeves may have been trying to sound "modern" by claiming he did more than one set, but by that time multiple sets were the norm, so I don't see a reason to not believe him ...the Weider magazines were notoriously misleading and self-serving back then, so I'd hardly trust them completely either.

[abett07]

Originally Posted by Casey Butt

In that case, you'll almost certainly have to implement some form of periodization over that routine as well. As Kitarpyar said, Reeves didn't follow that routine indefinitely ...though he did appear to push it fairly hard for a stint before the 1951 Mr. Universe. This was used to build up to a peak by Reeves, after a long period of many months of no weight training at all. Personally, I wouldn't expect to get 12 months from that routine.
Generally, I'd say barbell, particularly for beginners. But at the more experienced level dumbbell versions often become preferred by some people ...usually for pressing, curling and sometimes rowing. Everyone develops preferences in time, but barbells are generally the better bet for beginners and as a general rule ...with exceptions not entirely uncommon for more experienced lifters. Even then, with personal tendencies considered, one is rarely so superior to the other that you can completely forsake one for the other - it's usually a matter of biasing your training cycles to favour barbells or dumbbells, but rarely completely and forever. IMO, most people would be best off to "make friends" with both and use them for cycles according to their personal preferences/strengths and goals, with beginners starting out with barbells as their base and introducing dumbbells gradually.


It's impossible to know when you're using 50/50 of anything, but as a general rule more pecs are "involved" as you move your elbows out from your body; elbows in = triceps, elbows out = pecs. Of course, nothing is really that cut and dried, but that will give you a ballpark idea of what to expect. Depending on how they're done, Dips can be a very effective pec exercise, or nearly all triceps.

thanks for that response , just to clarify the reeves workout I am using is the one from the real results workout section on this site made by glawnbe

Squat 3 x 8-12
Dumbbell or Barbell Row 3 x 8-12; Deadlift 3 x 5 * see note
Barbell or Dumbbell Overhead Press 3 x 8-12 ** see note.
Barbell or Dumbbell Bench 3 x 8-12
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8-12
Dips 5 x 10 @ Bodyweight. Try for sets of 10, but do what you can.
Barbell Calf Raise 3 x 15-20
Abs

is this not a workout I can stay on for 12 months ?

[Casey Butt]

Actually, that shortened routine, as is, would be quite sustainable for an extended period. It isn't a "true" Reeves routine, but rather a very well-constructed "classic" full-body routine along the lines of most of the pre-steroid greats ...very John McCallum-ish. Glawnbe obviously knew what he was doing with regards to program design.

It was the full Reeves routine that I was referring to, but on closer inspection I see that even the first routine you posted wasn't Reeves' "full" 1950 Mr. Universe routine ...I just assumed it was because of the overall volume and the popularity of the "Mr. Universe" routine online. The routine you referenced appears to be the "intermediate" routine Reeves followed after joining Ed Yarick's gym. Regardless, most people would quickly overtrain on that routine if they went at it all-out.

[abett07]

this has been my first week on the reeves routine.I am finding it a bit hard, towards the end of the workout I have just about no energy.

is it the first 4 exercises (squat,rows/deads,press and bench )that will give most of the reslults ?

[Casey Butt]

Originally Posted by abett07

this has been my first week on the reeves routine.I am finding it a bit hard, towards the end of the workout I have just about no energy.

is it the first 4 exercises (squat,rows/deads,press and bench )that will give most of the reslults ?

Yes, by far. In fact, just those four alone would be an excellent, sustainable, full-body workout for many people.

Most people can't simply jump into all-out full-body training, especially if they're accustomed to split routines (which are, by nature, easier), or are out-of-shape beginners. It takes a period of gradually building up the weights to adapt comfortably to full-body training.

Don't start off with your max weights. Use weights that don't kill you, stop all your sets a rep or two short of failure and use very strict form. Over time (a period of weeks to months), add weight gradually and push your sets harder as a natural course of "evolution". You don't need to train to failure anyway - it's much better to start any routine with something left in the tank and get what used to be called a "gaining momentum" going by taking it easier at first. You can work "comfortably" hard, but not "all-out" hard at first.

Personally, when training I always ask myself, "Do I still have room left in me to do better next time?" If the answer is, "No" or "Not likely" then I know I've pushed too hard on that day and will probably hit a wall very soon if I try to keep that pace or level of intensity/effort up. Long term gains have to be coaxed not forced - you simply can't "go to the well" every time without expecting it to run dry.

Having said all that though, feel free to put the majority of your efforts into the first four exercises ...it's what you should do anyway.

[Off Road]

^^^EXCELLENT^^^

[BendtheBar]

Casey's point is a big one, and one we try to stress here at MAB. When transitioning to a fullbody it's essential that a lifter not rush into it. Start with a moderate weight and build slowly.

I personally spent 4-6 months trying (and failing) to use a fullbody approach because I wanted to enter it with heavy weight, guns blazing. Finally, after a dozen starts and stalls, I dialed things back a bit.

[Off Road]

I'd be inclined to start with something like:

Squats - 2 work sets
Bench - 2 work sets
SLDL - 1 work set
Db Row - 2 work sets

Then slowly, oh so slowly, add to it as my conditioning improved.

[LKJ]

Maybe one of you guys has this:
There was an old issue of Flex magazine that had an article about Steve Reeves' home in Cali. On the garage wall was a training routine. This was unknown until a Reeves fan looked up his very old address. The couple that lived there let them see the garage and they found it on the wall. He would have lived there before he became famous. Anybody know anything about this?