The Growth Program, Then and Now - Frank Zane
In 2013, I was interviewed about the specific workout plan I
used when training for Mr. Olympia between 1976 and 1983 to add muscle
mass. In the article below, I take you though the steps I took along the
way of my transformation and following that, I explain what changes I would
make to this routine if could I replay that whole period. I hope you enjoy
it! FZ
Note: The entire routine outlined below is included in my book "The Workouts -Personal Training Diaries" with over 180 different workouts that I did over a 40 year period. It is available on Amazon/Kindle. Learn more here
http://www.frankzane.com/books/The_Workouts.html
I used this workout plan when training for Mr. Olympia
and it was very successful for adding muscle mass during those years that I was
at my best, between 1976 through 1983. First, I'll explain how I used the
workout then. Following that, I'll show what changes I would make to the
routine could I replay that whole period.
Growth Program
How I Did It Then
This is a three-way split, emphasizing Pulling muscles on
Day One, Legs on Day Two, and Pushing muscles on Day Three:
Day 1 - Back, Biceps, Forearms, Abs.
Day 2 - Thighs, Calves, Abs.
Day 3 - Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Abs.
This routine helped me grow because I incorporated one
(modified) power lifting movement into each workout. On day one it was the wide
grip deadlift using straps (regular grip). I'd start my back workout with 6
sets of wide grip deadlifts, the first three from the floor - 15, 12, 10. Then
I'd elevate the barbell so the plates would sit on boxes a foot high, or I'd
use a power rack - 10, 10, 8, and sometimes a set of 6 if I felt up for it. I'd
do plenty of stretching with the two-arm lat stretch between sets and take my
time before venturing into the next set. My upper back, traps, and spinal
erectors got much thicker doing this and my back got wider.
Next came T-Bar rows - 12, 10, 8, of course increasing the
weight each set, and doing the two-arm lat stretch between sets. This is a
great size-builder for the low central lats. My favorite way of doing it became
using a 7-foot Olympic bar with one end in a corner, small diameter plates on
the other end and using an interlocking finger grip right behind the collar. My
upper body would follow the weight downward, stretching low to the floor and
the plates would touch my ribcage at the top of the rep.
The remainder of the back routine consisted of front
pulldowns - 3 x 8-10, two-arm lat stretch between sets; one arm dumbbell row -
3 x 8-10, two-arm lat stretch between sets. That gave me a total of 15 heavy
sets for back. Then it was on to biceps.
A favorite routine of mine was to start with one arm
dumbbell concentration curls, 3 x 8-10 each arm using more weight each set. I
would very deliberately hold the dumbbell for one second at the top of the curl
and squeeze the biceps for peak contraction, and then start lowering the
dumbbell very slowly.
Alternate dumbbell curls came next, 3 x 8-10, increasing the
weight each set. Each dumbbell would travel down and up and down completely
before I curled the other dumbbell. Each negative would begin very slowly and I
would pronate the dumbbell (turn it inward) on the way down.
Finally, 45-degree incline dumbbell curls, with lighter
dumbbells, 12, 10, 8. I did a great deal of dumbbell work for biceps in those
days, because it was the best. You can curl and supinate at the top of the
movement with dumbbells.
After a total of nine sets for biceps, I'd tackle forearms
with barbell reverse curls, 12 reps super-setted with seated barbell wrist
curls, 20 reps. Two super sets. After each set of curls and forearm exercises I
held the pronated arms back stretch for 15 seconds. This gave me a total of 15
sets for back, 9 for biceps, and 4 for forearms, adding up to 28 total sets in
the workout, which proved to be enough for growth.
Because of the heavy deadlifts, I preferred to take the next
day off from training because squatting was my main movement. Not a good idea
squatting with a sore lower back. So, after the rest day I started my leg
routine with a few sets of one-legged top extensions to get some blood in the
knees, and then started my 6 sets of barbell squats - 15, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8. I
did below parallel squats doing slower negatives than positives.
Next exercise was the leg press - 15, 12, 10. Leg presses
always felt light after heavy squats and I did higher reps to get an overall
pump in the thighs. I never went extremely heavy in this one, but concentrated
on going deep into the negative and then not quite locking out at the end of
the rep. This it was lying leg curls - 12, 11, 10, followed by the one leg up
stretch between sets.
I ended the thigh workout with 3 sets of leg extensions -
12, 10, 8 on my trusty old Nautilus machine. Training for the Mr. Olympia in
1979 I became very strong on this one, doing 10 slow reps with 275.
Calves were up next and I did the calf stretch for 15
seconds after each set. Standing calf raise - 3 x15-20. I kept my knees
slightly bent so I could get a deeper stretch at the bottom. Donkey calf raise
- 4 x 20-25. Seated calf raise - since it's hard on the Achilles tendon, I
always do this one last, usually one four-part drop set, without rest doing
120x5, 110x5, 100x5, 90x5, then do calf stretch for 15 seconds after wards.
Ab work ended the leg day routine, which was usually
anything except hanging knee ups in order to give the upper body a rest.
My main exercise on day three's program was the barbell
bench press, with a shoulder width grip to put more emphasis on pecs, front
delts and triceps. I didn't quite lock out at the top, and did doorway
stretches between sets - 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2. These were all done with slow
negatives. After I finished the bench presses I did 70-degree incline dumbbell
presses - 10 reps, drop angle for 8 reps, drop angle for 6 reps, drop angle for
4-6 reps. All with slow negatives, not quite locking out at the top of each
rep. By now my pecs and front delts were really pumped and I'd keep doing
doorway stretches between sets.
Next came 10-degree decline dumbbell flies for 12, 10, 8,
doing the doorway stretches and flexing the pecs between sets. Then it was the
dumbbell pullover lying across a bench, mainly for serratus.
It also expanded my ribcage, pumped up my lower pecs, and
really developed the posterior head of my triceps. I got quite strong on this
one and did 12, 10, and 8, doing the one arm overhead shoulder stretch between
sets.
Next, I moved on to triceps and started with close grip
bench presses with hands about 12 inches apart, elbows pointed out to emphasize
outer triceps, lowering the weight to the chest slowly and not quite locking
out at the top. 12, 10, 8, arms back stretch between sets.
One arm overhead extensions came next. I'd hold onto a
support and lean slightly backwards, making sure to let the weight down deeply
behind my back and then, keeping my upper arm close to my head, not quite lock
out at the top of the exercise. 12, 10, 8, holding one arm shoulder stretch for
15 seconds with each arm between sets.
My final exercise for triceps was the V-grip pressdown,
holding the contraction for a full second each rep. 12, 10, 8, doing arms back
stretch between sets. After triceps work I was ready to finish off deltoids. I
already worked the front delts with the pressing, so all that was left now was
an exercise for rear delts and something for the side or lateral heads. Bent
over dumbbell lateral raise was my preferred exercise in those days. I'd get
behind a T bar or leg roller on a leg curl machine and lean as far forward as I
could, grab not-so-heavy dumbbells and do 15, 12, and 10 with rear delt
stretches between each set. My last exercise for delts was the side cable raise
- 12, 10, 8. Sometimes I'd do 3 x 12 nonstop arm-to-arm.
Ab work was always at the end of my workout and my plan was
to gradually increase the total amount of reps right up until contest time
until I was doing 1,000 total reps at each workout. Often I came back to the
gym later in the afternoon to do this and it usually took me a half hour of
nonstop ab exercises to complete it. The minimum program was leg raise 4x25
superset with ab crunches 4x25, followed by 100 seated twists. As I progressed
in my ab work I'd add to this 4 sets of 25 hanging knee ups superset with 4
sets of 25 two-arm overhead cable crunches followed by 100 more seated twists.
After that I'd ride a stationary bike for 15-20 minutes or run a slow mile and
a half.
GROWTH PROGRAM
How I'd Do It Now
If you refer to my book, Workouts From Personal Training
Diaries, you will find over 180 different workouts I did over a 40-year period
of time. Variations of the above routine will be found in there as well.
AVAILABLE ONLY IN KINDLE OR NOOK>>> Learn More Here
http://www.frankzane.com/books/The_Workouts.html
In general, I'd go to the gym with a routine in mind but as
I trained, I made slight variations in it, like changing the order of the
exercises, or substituting a new movement. Nothing drastic, but no two
workouts, although similar, were ever exactly the same. I used the Growth Routine
in my training for the 1979 Mr. Olympia and something similar for the 1982 Mr.
Olympia competition as well. I did a 4 day cycle, training 3 days out of 4,
three days in a row and resting the fourth day. I was hard and I got really
sore from it. I needed lots of rest and noticed a tendency to become over
trained after about a month on this 4 day cycle so I took a few extra days off
every month.
If I were to do that again, I'd do a 5, 5, 5, 6 day cycle
(train 3 days out of 5 three times in a row, then train 3 days out of 6 once;
repeat). This is something I recently thought up and I like the idea because it
forms a 3 week cycle and gives enough rest so you can grow.
When I did 3 days on, 1 day off, (i.e. the 4 day cycle) I
was tired a lot and usually became over trained after about one month of this
kind of torture. But with this new cycle over training has less of a chance of
occurring. You'll get more rest between workouts, be stronger and grow more.
FRANK ZANE'S 5, 5, 5, 6 TRAINING PROGRAM
1 = back, biceps, forearms
2 = legs
3 = chest, shoulders, triceps
R = rest day
Here's how the 5, 5, 5, 6 program repeats itself:
CYCLE ONE - Train 3 days out of 5
Mon - 1
Tues - R
Wed - 2
Thurs - 3
Fri - R
--------------
CYCLE TWO - Train 3 days out of 5
Sat - 1
Sun - R
Mon - 2
Tues - 3
Wed - R
----------------
CYCLE THREE - Train 3 days out of 5
Thurs - 1
Fri - R
Sat - 2
Sun - 3
Mon - R
----------------
CYCLE FOUR - Train 3 days out of 6
Tues - 1
Wed - R
Thurs - 2
Fri - R
Sat - 3
Sun - R
REPEAT AGAIN STARTING AT CYCLE ONE ABOVE
The cycle repeats itself exactly in the pattern every three
weeks providing you don't miss. So, every 3 weeks you train each workout 4
times, you have 9 rest days and 12 workout days.
Notice you always have Fridays off. And you can always have
the same day off depending on when you start the cycle. Start in on Monday and
every Friday off. Start on Tuesday and get every Saturday off. Start it on
Wednesday and get every Sunday off, etc.
Of course, there are other ways to arrange your workouts in
this three way split, but why do a three way split in the first place?
1) Since you divide your body into three sections instead of
two you can do more work for each section. You have longer to recuperate
between each time you work a specific part of the body.
2) It's easier to tolerate only a small part of your body
being sore from exercising instead of your entire body or entire upper body
being wiped out.
Footnote: Actually
instead of training three days in a row and resting the fourth, I'd do the
5-5-4 day cycle, the 5-5-5-6 day cycle should produce more growth because
there's more rest so you'll be stronger each workout and be able to train
heavier.
