Subj: Ken Waller Workout and Diet for olds cool aesthetic and man strength.
Ken Waller was a one of the greatest bodybuilders to ever live. He was relatively low key, but a serious contender nonetheless. He rivaled Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank Zane, Franco Columbu and Serge Nubret.
Ken Waller was a big guy, tall, and known for his he-man strength. He had a reputation for training hard and training heavy.
What follows is Ken Waller’s workout routine that he used throughout his bodybuilding career.
Ken Waller Workout Split
This workout routine is 4 days per week. It’s the right balance between training and rest. Both parts being crucial to muscle building.
Each muscle group is trained twice a week. Calves were trained every workout.
Ken Waller took care not to over train. His optimal sets per muscle were 10-12 per workout. But those 10-12 sets were done with laser beam focus and extraordinary effort.
After training for 10 years, Ken Waller settled on the following workout routine. As, in his words, it was the best routine to allow for recovery and optimal results.
Ken Waller Training Philosophy
Have a goal – Have a clear goal in mind and stick to it!
Train Heavy – Heavy training is the only way to build and hold muscle mass. Trainers who focus solely on the pump deflate and lack the muscle fullness that comes with building strength.
Heavy Leg Training is Critical – Heavy squats are a must to build a truly strong, healthy physique.
The Ken Waller Workout Routine
Monday and Thursday was Legs, Chest and Back.
Tuesday and Friday was Abs, Shoulders and Arms.
Ken Waller’s Leg, Chest and Back Workout
- Donkey Calf Raise – 8 sets of 15 reps
- Heavy Barbell Squat – 7 x 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 5
- Leg Curl – 5 x 12
- Upper Body Warmup – 2 by 10-15 reps of chins and dips, superset style
- Barbell Bench Press – 5 x 12, 10, 8, 6, 6
- Dumbbell Incline Press – 5 x 8
- Lat Pulldown – 5 x 8
- Bentover Row – 5 x 8
- Chins – 1 x As Many Reps as Possible
- Dips – 1 x As Many Reps as Possible
Calve Exercises
Donkey Calve Raises – These were a favorite of the Golden Era Bodybuilders for training the calves. The trainer would stand with their toes on a 4-inch block and lean onto something sturdy. Then their training partner would hope on their back to provide resistance by riding them like a donkey.
Thigh Exercises
Barbell Squats – The unrivaled champion of leg muscle building. Heavy squats are unmatched in terms of muscle building potential.
Begin with a set or two of bodyweight squats to get your knees nice and warmed up. Then add weight you can perform 12-15 reps with. This first weighted set is still a warm up so don’t overdo it. Rest for a minute or two then add weight to the bar and perform 10 clean reps. Rest a minute, then add weight and do 8 reps, then add weight and do 7 reps, then add even more weight and do 6 reps.
Finally, add more plates to the bar and perform two sets of 5 reps each. This adds up to 7 strong sets of squats. Keep the bar high on your shoulder blades to focus the work to your tights. Shift the weight lower on your back to train you gluten and hamstrings.
Prone Leg Curls – Add mass to your thighs and give your thighs a nice sweeping shape. Keep your body tight against the bench. This makes the movement more effective. Keep rest under a minute per set.
Upper Body Warm Up
Chin-Ups and Parallel Bar Dips superset – 1 set of Chin ups followed immediately by 1 set of parallel bar dips.
Do two superset to warm up all the upper body muscles and joints in preparation for the impending onslaught.
Don’t overdo it. This is a warm up so stop a few reps short of failure.
Chest Exercises
Barbell Bench Press – Bench Press is great for building strength and adding size to the upper body. Especially the chest and shoulders. Use a medium, to medium-wide grip. Lower the bar to the highest point of the chest. (Highest as in closest to the ceiling when lying on the bench.)
Start with 12 reps, then keep adding weight for a set of 10 reps, then 8 reps, then two sets of 6 reps. Rest 1-2 minutes between sets. Keep the tempo up and the heart rate high.
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press – Incline Dumbbell Press is perfect for adding thickness to the upper per. It also creates a tie-in from your chest muscle to your front deltoid.
Your chest should already be good and warmed up by the time you get to dumbbell press so go ahead and start with a heavy weight and bang out 8 reps. Perform 5 sets total of 8 reps. Keep rest periods short, a few deep recovery breathes and get back to you next set.
Back Exercises
Lat Pulldowns – Lat pulldowns add width and size to your upper back. They build broad shoulders and give you a v-taper torso. Start with a heavy weight that you can handle for 8 or 9 good, clean repetitions. Use a wide grip. Pull the bar down until it reaches the collar bone. Slowly let the bar go back up and fully stretch you lats and back muscles. Bang out 5 sets of 8 reps. Keep rest under a minute between reps.
Bent Over Rows – Bent over rows are usually done incorrectly. But when done correctly they train your entire back. Your lats, trapezius muscles and erectors get a great workout. Use a wide grip and keep your back flat and parallel to the floor throughout the entire movement. Focus your energy on working your back muscles. In fact, perform this exercise pretending your hands a hooks. Hold on to the bar just enough to not drop the weight. Relax you biceps and grip. Your back should be doing all the work. Perform 5 sets of 8 reps with as much weight and you can pull with clean, smooth reps. rest one minute between sets.
Finisher – one set of chin ups and one set of dips. Both taken to failure.
Now stretch out and go eat some steak and potatoes.
Ken Waller Arm, Abs, and Shoulder Workout
- Roman Chair Situp – 1 x 50
- Bent Knee Leg Raise – 1 x 50
- Bentover Twist – 1 x 50
- Calves – same as Monday/Thursday workout
- Standing Barbell Press – 5 x 10, 8, 6, 6, 6
- Seated Press Behind Neck – 5 x 6
- Barbell Curl – 5 x 8
- One Arm Concentration Curl – 5 x 8
- Barbell Triceps Extension – 5 x 8
- One Arm Triceps Extension – 5 x 8, 8, 8, 6, 6
- Feet Elevated Close Grip Pushups – 2 x As Many Reps As Possible
Ab Exercises
Roman Chair Situps – If you don’t have a Roman Chair then you can perform decline setups. Lace your fingers together behind your headliner your body down, then back up again by contracting your abdominal muscles. Try to touch you head to your knees in order to get a full and complete contraction. Do one set of as many reps as possible. Your first goal should be to work up to 50 reps in a row.
Bent Knee Leg Raises – Lay on the ground or flat along the bench and lift your legs up toward the ceiling until your toes point straight up. The more you hang your butt off the bench the more challenging this exercises becomes. Leaving your legs partly bent keeps tension on your abs. Do one set for as many repetitions as possible. Aim for getting 50 in one set – that’s your goal.
Bent Over Broom Stick Twists – Grab a broomstick (or empty bar, or PVC pipe) and place it over your back like a yoke. Bend forward at the hips so that your body is parallel with the floor. Take a wide stance for balance. Your legs should look like an upside down “V”. Twist your torso, at the midsection, as far to the right as you comfortably can. Then twist to the left as far as you can. Keep twisting to the right then left for 50 reps each side. Broomstick twist will really tighten up your obliques.
Calve Exercises
Calves – Donkey Calve Raises. Same are the other days.
Upper Body Warm Up – 2 supersets of chins and parallel bar dips.
Shoulder Exercises
Standing Barbell Press – A.K.A. The Military Press. Use a shoulder width grip. Try not to push press the weight. Keep your back as straight as possible. Start with 10 reps then add weight and do 8 reps. Add some more weight and do 3 sets of 6 reps. Rest a minute or two between exercises.
Behind the Neck Press – This is a very controversial exercises. Try this one with very light weight if you decide to do it. Ken Waller would do this exercise with a very wide grip to build the delts and widen the shoulder girdle.
He claimed presses behind the neck were great form building structure of the shoulder. Perform this exercise in a seated position. No bouncing the weight or using momentum. just clean, smooth reps. Touch the bar to the base of your neck then push it back up to the starting position with force. Do 5 sets of 6 reps using the same weight each set.
Arm Exercises
Bicep Exercises
Barbell Curl – Grab a straight bar or an EZ-Curl bar. Hands about 12-14 inches about, but adjust your grip for comfort. Curl the bar to your shoulder by flexing your biceps as hard as you can. Hold the top position for a second or two before slowly lowering the weight. Perform 5 sets of 8 reps. Maintain strict form. You are allowed to cheat on the last couple reps of the couple sets but use just enough momentum to help lift the weight and let your bicep do most of the work. Momentum is only used as an enabler to work the biceps harder. Rest for no more than 1 minute between sets.
Concentration Curl – Concentration curls create bicep peaks. They are great for building size and making biceps ‘pop’ when flexed. Perform 5 sets of 8 reps. Lift as heavy as you can each set. Rest for 30-60 seconds between alternating arms. Don’t cheat, use strict form and keep your arm pinned against your thigh.
Tricep Exercises
Seated Barbell Triceps Extension – Grab an EZ Bar and lift it straight up over your head. Keep your elbows pointed up the entire movement. Don’t let your elbows flare to the sides or slip forward. Lower the bar as far as possible behind the head. Feel a nice stretch in the tricep. Contract your triceps to straighten your arm to a full lockout. Perform 5 sets of 8 reps. rest a minute between reps.
One Arm Triceps Extension – Keep the elbow pointed toward the ceiling as you lower the dumbbell as far as you can to and passed the base of your neck if flexibility allows. Use your other hand to brace the weight and help spot your reps. This is for safety (so the weight doesn’t crash down on your neck) and effectiveness (so you can eek out those last few reps). Do 8 reps for the first 3 sets, and 6 reps on the last two sets. Start with your non-dominant arm first, then go immediately to the other arm before resting 30-60 seconds.
Workout Finisher
Two sets of maximum rep pushups with the feet elevated on a bench and the hands about 8-10 inches apart.
Ken Waller Diet
In the words of Ken Waller: “Eat muscle building foods. Meat, fish, fowl, eggs, and don’t neglect the grains, fruits and vegetables. Try three meals a day and a snack or two in between, but don’t be led to believe that ‘bulk’ eating will ‘force’ quicker muscle growth. You’ll wind up with the same amount of muscle and a layer of lard. Eat like hog, look like pig. Keep it simple, keep it clean and direct, and stick with this layout long enough to work into some heavy weights.”
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