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Fitness

Strength and Conditioning: The Way Arnold Would Do It

Return to the golden era of bodybuilding with a full month's worth of old-school, hardcore workouts, chock full of exercises that have withstood the test of time.

Mindith Rahmat

Written by Mindith Rahmat Last updated on November 15, 2014

Walk into a gym these days and you’ll find people doing exercises that look more like advanced gymnastic routines than weight lifting. While there is definitely something to be said for new training techniques, there’s nothing like the fundamentals for some dense muscle gains.

Basic, heavy compound movements have withstood the test of time when it comes to building lean mass and size. A huge proponent of old-school weight lifting is Zach Even-Esh, founder of the Underground Strength Nation.

Zach focuses on hard-core lifting, without any bells or whistles. In this four week strength and conditioning program, he incorporates all of the classics, from rope climbs to ring work. Get back to the basics with a program that Arnold would approve of.

READ MORE: The 4 Undebatable Fundamentals of Training

Strength and Conditioning Cycle

This strength and conditioning plan covers the fundamentals of weight lifting. These multi-joint movements are sure to leave you shaking, drenched in a pool of your own sweat. 

This workout is a four week cycle with week 1 repeated on week 2, and week 3 repeated on week 4. The “repeat week” technique is used as an opportunity to add more reps, less rest, improve technique or add weight. Push yourself hard and make improvements the second time around. Note: Be sure to warm up before starting any of these workouts.

Week 1

Week 1 – Day 1: Full Body Work

From rope climb to farmer’s walks to the prowler push, this workout targets your whole body.

Week 1 – Day 2: Upper Body

This upper body workout uses a mix of bodyweight, dumbells and rings to hammer your upper body.

Bar Muscle Up

Week 1 – Day 3: Lower Body

This wouldn’t be an old-school workout routine if you didn’t find squats on leg day. There are Zercher and Bulgarian split squats in this workout. Double the fun.

FURTHER READING: Squat Therapy: 4 Drills for a Better Squat

Week 2: Add Weight, Less Rest

Note: Keep records of your workouts so you can track your progress

Week 2 – Day 1: Full Body Work

Week 2 – Day 2: Upper Body

Week 2 – Day 3: Lower Body

Week 3

Week 3 – Day 1: Full Body

Start out the third week with another full body workout. This time make it really interesting with some tire flips, weighted pull ups, and the classic bench.

Week 3 – Day 2: Upper Body

Bring out the medicine ball and rings for this intense upper body workout.

Week 3 – Day 3: Lower Body

This lower body workout is brutal. Once you’re done with these walking lunges, sandbag power cleans, and lunge jumps, you’ll be waddling for a week.

Video: How to Do Sandbag Clean and Press

Week 4: Add Reps, Improve Technique

Week 4 – Day 1: Full Body

Week 4 – Day 2: Upper Body

Week 4 – Day 3: Lower Body

<strong”>Now, go get back to your weight lifting roots!

Mindith Rahmat

About Mindith Rahmat

Mindith is a born mover. She has spent her life exploring various athletic disciplines, starting with ballet and modern dance from an early age. She went on to become a E-RYT 500 certified yoga therapist and teacher and discovered CrossFit after the birth of her daughter.

Mindith coached CrossFit at a number of boxes near her home in Southern California, which lead to her involvement in Russian kettlebells and Olympic weightlifting. She has coached a wide variety of populations and cares deeply for women’s health, specializing in pregnancy and postpartum fitness. She is currently studying the principles of Natural Movement and Kettlebell Sport, and is working to complete an additional teacher training in the Taoist art of Yin Yoga with Master Paulie Zink.

Mindith founded Breaking Muscle in 2011. Over 5 million people a month have visited the site, hundreds of thousands of them follow Breaking Muscle on social media, nearly 2,000 coaches have written or appeared on its pages, and there are thousands of free, fully-formed training plans freely available. Breaking Muscle has won numerous awards in the industry and is recognized for pioneering new approaches to fitness and coaching techniques. In 2021, Breaking Muscle was acquired by Barbend. Mindith continues to devote time to her kids, pursue her doctorate in psychology, do research, and teach.

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