Reg Park was a British badass who personifies grit. Park paved the way for other bodybuilding greats by serving as an example for what can be accomplished if you set your mind on a goal. Many old school bodybuilders trained using Reg Park’s 5×5 routine.
Park picked up the weights as a young man and in just a few years of training he became Mr. Britain.
He then went on to become three-time Mr. Universe. He attracted attention from movie producers and launched into an acting career. Most notably, Park was cast as a rugged looking Hercules in a series of ‘sword and sandal’ films shot throughout the mid-century. Much of his success on the silver screen can be attributed to his strength workout routines and bulk training.
Reg Park started a publishing company that printed and distributed fitness magazines. This business became very profitable. He later opened a chain of gymnasiums to further expand his fitness empire and solidify his legacy as an icon of physical culture.
And it all started with the humble 5×5 work he used for building muscle mass back in the early years.
Reg Park and Arnold Schwarzenegger
Reg Park was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s idol and role model. Reg inspired Arnold and many other Golden Era 1970’s bodybuilders to follow in his footsteps by becoming larger than life.
Arnold credits Reg Park with showing him The Way. Reg Park used bodybuilding as a stepping stone to gain attention, fame and build equity in himself. The equity paid handsomely as the record shows.
Park was a working class po’ boy who through sheer grit and perseverance became an international movie star and self-made businessman. Reg Park was the blueprint Arnold used as his ticket out of war-torn Austria and into the big wide world. The rest is history.
Reg Park’s Training Routine
Reg Park trained using many routines of course, but Reg Park’s 5×5 workout is the most famous.
Why?
Because it is simple, effective, and approachable to just about anyone.
It was and still in the quintessential 5×5 bodybuilding program. For good reason, too. The benefits of a 5×5 routine are undeniable. The routine hits all major muscle groups. It’s effective at building lean muscle mass in an efficient manner because the exercises stimulate more muscle fibers than any other training equipment.
You add weight every workout so you know you are making progress. This motivates people to stick to it because they literally see the progress. This leads to moving progressively heavy weights which stimulates muscle growth.
This 5×5 workout is for beginners and it probably won’t land you on a bodybuilding magazine cover any time soon. When Reg Park trained as a beginner he was doing 90 sets per workout. He was a weight-slinging savage Hell bent on making his mark on the bodybuilding world.
Such a high volume workout isn’t required for most people. Unless you aim to be a three time Mr. Universe like Mr. Park. Five reps of five sets performed for five exercises per workout using heavy weight is all it takes for most people.
Reg Park’s 5×5 workout caters to men and women who want build muscle, lose fat and who just want to be generally fit.
This 5×5 workout does just that – You will get stronger, more muscular and healthier by following this 5×5 routine. That’s five reps of 5 sets per exercise.
Don’t get me wrong, you can get incredibly strong with this workout program. It’s a very effective strength training routine.
Reg Park 5×5 Training Principles
Reg Park focused on good old fashioned barbell training. 5×5 is a full body workout plan design to develop the whole body in proportion.
The workouts contain both upper body movements and lower body movements. The goal is to train each of the muscle groups in a balanced fashion.
His training routine revolved around the ‘Big 3′ lifts. The big 3 lifts are bench press, deadlift and squat. These compound movements are the best strength building exercises.
Strength = Muscle.
Reg Park also included healthy does of power building exercises like cleans, upright rows (a.k.a. High Pulls), and clean and press. These a great functional movements that train your body as a single unit.
He even sprinkled in some isolation exercises to round out the routine.
Park trained like an animal, as did any noteworthy bodybuilder of the Golden Era. Workouts that lasted two to three hours were common with old school body builders. These monster sessions are not practical for everyone. And aren’t recommend unless you are trying to be a professional bodybuilders.
The 5×5 routine is a more practical approach for many weight lifters. Even high level strength athletes train in a similar fashion as the 5×5. Too much high volume training can be too much for some people. The recovery cycle is long and run down is a real possibly.
It will yield results if you give it your all. It’s the perfect way to build a foundation of muscle and strength, as well as a great introduction to physical training. So, make the most of it and pour everything you’ve got into each workout. Make the honest effort and you will get honest results.
The Reg Park 5×5 Routine for Beginners
The 5×5 workout is simple, straightforward and effective. Another benefit is that you only spend 3 hours a week in the gym and can make big progress. Just stick to the plan as prescribed and you can ‘t help but to get bigger and stronger.
There are just two workouts. Each with a handful of exercises. Exercises are
Reg Park 5×5 Workout A
- Back Squats 5 sets × 5 reps
- Chin-Ups or Pull-Ups 5 sets × 5 reps
- Dips or Bench Press 5 sets × 5 reps
- Wrist Curls / Reverse Curls 2 sets × 10 reps
- Calves 2 sets × 15-20 reps
Reg Park 5×5 Workout B
- Front Squats 5×5
- Rows 5×5
- Standing Military Press 5×5
- Deadlifts 3×5 (2 warm-up sets and 1 “stabilizer set”)
- Wrist Curls / Reverse Curls 2×10
- Calves 2×15-20
For Calves, Reg Park prescribed calf press using the leg press machine or seated calf machine. You can go old school and perform donkey calf raises. It’s best to alternate the calf exercises each workout so your legs get a fresh look. Perform calf press and donkey calf raises with your legs straight with a slight bend in the knee. Do not lock out your legs when doing calf presses.
Feel free to do bicep curls or other isolation exercises at the end of each workout.
It’s best to keep a positive mental attitude when training and banish a negative mindset. Reg believed that in order to experience the full benefits of weight training you need to keep a positive outlook.
5×5 3 Day Split
It’s a 3-day split workout routine. Alternate between workouts ‘A’ and ‘B’:
Week 1: A, B, A
Week 2: B, A, B
Week 3: A, B, etc
Most people train Monday Wednesday and Friday to have a rest day in between workouts and keep their weekends open.
Some people like to train Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and rest Friday. That’s fine too. Just do what works best for you.
Reg Park 5×5 Workout Routine
This section shows you how to execute the routine. Just follow the plan and you can add many pounds of muscle to your frame and hundreds of pounds of strength. It will take some time but will happen if you put effort into your training and eat properly.
Reg Park’s 5×5 program below is the training routine Arnold Schwarzenegger used when he first started lifting weights. Here’s how you do it.
The first two sets of five are warm up sets. Let’s say you’re working up to a 150 lb bench press this session, the first set of five would be about 60% or 90 lbs performed for 5 reps.
The second set of five would be about 80% of your target 5-rep max, so the weight used for the second set is 120lbs in this case.
After complete two warm up sets, the last three sets are working sets. Reg Park called these Stabilizer Sets. Hit 3 sets of 5 at 150lbs.
The sets and weight for each exercise would look something like this:
- 5×90 (Warm-up @ 60%)
- 5×120 (Warm-up @ 80%)
- 5×150 (stabilizer set)
- 5×150 (stabilizer set)
- 5×150 (stabilizer set)
As you can see, the last three sets are with the same weight.
The first three sets are three progressively heavier attempts (which include the first two warm up sets.)
5×5 Workout Progression
Now, when you can get all of your reps of 5 at 150 lbs, you add 5 lbs the following workout.
Your bench press weight for next workout would be:
- 5 x 95
- 5 x 125
- 5 x 155
- 5 x 155
- 5 x 155
Use this format for each exercise that calls for 5 reps. Remember the last three ‘stabilizer’ sets are the same amount of the given weight.
It’s a steady, approach that has been proven effective time and time again.
Rest: Rest 3-5 minutes between sets.
Workout Frequency: Rest a day or two between workouts to allow recovery. Train 3-4 times per week.
Starting Weight: Start with a weight you know you can do fo 5 reps, then slowly ramp yourself up. This gives you muscles and central nervous system time to adapt to training, and become stronger without stalling out. So start this program with a ‘low’ weight and allow yourself time to build up.
Every 4-6 weeks you can work your way up to test your one rep max.
Make sure you invite your training partner to this ceremony.
5×5 workout chart example
This section exemplifies what progress looks like on the 5×5 workout routine. We’ll use bench press exercise for this example but the logic applies to all exercises.
Training Day: Bench Press Sets – Reps per Set – Weight
Training Day 1: 5 Sets – 5 Reps per Set – 135 pounds Weight
Training Day 2: 5 Sets – 5 Reps per Set – 140 pounds Weight
Training Day 3: 5 Sets – 5 Reps per Set – 145 pounds Weight
Training Day 3: 5 Sets – 4 Reps per Set – 150 pounds Weight – Go back to 145 pounds next workout. Stick to 145 pounds until you can do 6 reps per set with that weight. Then increase 5 more pounds next workout.
Apply this same principle to until you retire the 5×5 routine.
Reg Park Diet
Reggie ate clean and was an eating machine. Much like all the bodybuilders of the Silver Era. All-natural, Whole Foods, lots of protein, healthy fat, carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables.
I eat steak and eggs when I want to make lean gains. If you want strength and bulk eat potatoes too.
Protein shakes to get the enormous amount of protein required to maximize muscle mass and recover from intense workouts was also enjoyed. Milk, cream, protein powder, ice cream, eggs and other ingredients where mixed up and chugged.
My Thoughts on the Reg Park 5 × 5 Workout
Reg Park’s 5×5 workout is a great option for most people. If you are looking for a simple linear progression program that gets results without putting much thought into it then this program is for you. You could make progress on this routine for years.
Now, this is a commercialized workout plan because it is tailored for the masses. Reg Park was a shrewd businessman. This training program was on example of what might have been in one of his magazines.
Nonetheless, the late Reg Park was a huge advocate for living a healthy lifestyle.
This isn’t the only workout program that Reg Park did. If Reg did this workout it was done minimally. That’s because Reg Park was a professional bodybuilder, and professional bodybuilders don’t use programs like this (for long). But Park knew that no regular Joe would train like he trained.
Regular Joes don’t have the desire or wherewithal to train that much or that hard. I get it. It can be an all. People have family and work commitments to take care of. Regular guys want a manageable workout with as little effort as possible. Reg Park’s 5 × 5 training program was likely something created for the masses. Anybody can do this 5 × 5 workout. And I think this program is great for anyone looking to get started with weight training.
If you have any questions about it, or anything else at all. Get ahold of me and I will help you out.
[…] from his 1958 Mr. Universe days. Note how different it is from the 5×5 routine you often find linked to him. If nothing else, the man knew when to […]