I love going through books written by iron-game pioneers. For every book I read from this millennium, I read at least one from the previous millennium—and many are decades old. I’m telling you, there’s nothing better than discovering where many of today’s training concepts originated. As the saying goes, there’s nothing new under the sun.

A case in point is the one-day arm routine that periodically pops up in muscle magazines. Iron legend Harry Barton Paschall wrote about this “unique form of rest-pause training” that was practiced by Peary Rader, the founder of Iron Man magazine, ages ago. It’s not a new method by any means.

Paschall exposed many of these original concepts back in the day. A professional cartoonist, long-time contributor to Bob Hoffman’s Strength and Health magazine, and author of several books, Paschall introduced some highly effective training manuals along the way. One standout example is his first book, Muscle Moulding. Published in 1950, it remains one of the best bodybuilding books ever written—and it inspired one of the most effective training programs I’ve ever used.

Below is the first weight-gaining routine from that book. It sparked some creative thinking on my part. See if it does the same for you!

Classic Weight-Gaining Routine from Muscle Moulding

1. Seated curl – 10 reps
2. Seated press – 10 reps
3. Squat – 20 reps
4. Bent-arm pullover – 15 reps
5. Squat – 20 reps
6. Bench press – 10 reps
7. Squat – 20 reps
8. Straight-arm pullover – 15 reps

When I saw this program, a light bulb went off in my head. Notice how the squat appears three times while all other exercises appear only once or twice (in the case of the pullover). There’s a reason for that. Besides the deadlift, no other movement stimulates as much muscle mass as the squat, and no other movement provides as much return for your training effort.

The squat is often touted as the “king of all exercises” for a reason. If you want to gain serious size and strength, then squat—plain and simple! Squats build the entire body, not just the legs. Three-time Mr. Olympia Sergio Oliva once proclaimed that “squatting makes everything grow.” How true! The guys who complain that their arms never grow are the same ones who never squat.

Paschall also emphasized that “you are only as strong as your legs.” He pointed out that most people don’t give their legs enough work. Performing multiple sets of squats will provide plenty of stimulus, but performance may suffer if each set is taken to failure—at least when performing straight sets. However, what if you sequenced squats after an upper-body movement—or better yet, after two upper-body movements—in a circuit fashion similar to the weight-gaining routine above? That should improve recovery and performance. I can tell you from experience that it works exceptionally well!

I know what you’re thinking: Circuit training for strength and size? Get real! The common belief is that circuit training is just for endurance and fat loss. But there’s more to it. Done correctly, circuit training is highly effective for muscle hypertrophy. With increased size comes increased strength.

Enough talk—let’s get to it! Below, I’ve laid out several programs utilizing the concepts discussed above. Start with the appropriate level for your training experience and give it an honest effort. You’ll be impressed with the results.

Beginner Progression

Each program lasts 4 weeks, with 3 workouts per week on non-consecutive days (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday).

Program 1

1. Reverse-grip cable pulldown
2. Seated neutral-grip dumbbell press
3. Squat
4. One-arm dumbbell row
5. Flat neutral-grip dumbbell press
6. Squat
7. Standing reverse-grip EZ-bar curl
8. Decline dumbbell triceps extension
9. Squat
10. Seated dumbbell wrist curl
11. Seated reverse-grip dumbbell wrist curl
12. Squat

1 set, 15-20 reps, 2-0-1-0 tempo, 60-second rest intervals

Program 2

1. Wide-grip cable pulldown
2. Seated Arnold press
3. Squat
4. Seated cable row
5. Close-grip bench press
6. Squat
7. Seated dumbbell curl
8. Flat EZ-bar triceps extension
9. Squat

2 sets, 12-15 reps, 3-0-1-0 tempo, 75-second rest intervals

Program 3

1. Mid-grip chin-up
2. Incline neutral-grip dumbbell press
3. Squat
4. Incline hammer curl
5. Parallel-bar dip
6. Squat

3 sets, 10-12 reps, 4-0-1-0 tempo, 90-second rest intervals

Intermediate & Advanced Progression

Each program lasts 3 weeks. Workouts are performed 4 times per week (e.g., Day 1 on Monday/Thursday, Day 2 on Tuesday/Friday).

Program 1

Day 1

1. Lean-away pull-up
2. Incline pronated-grip dumbbell press
3. Front squat
4. Incline dumbbell curl
5. Parallel-bar dip
6. Front squat

Day 2

1. Bench press
2. Seated cable row
3. Hex-bar deadlift
4. Low-pulley rope French press
5. Seated preacher EZ-bar curl
6. Hex-bar deadlift

3-4 sets, 6-8 reps, 4-0-X-0 tempo, 90-second rest intervals

Program 2

Day 1

1. Close-neutral-grip chin-up
2. Seated neutral-grip dumbbell press
3. Back squat
4. Seated Zottman curl
5. Tiger-bend push-up
6. Back squat

Day 2

1. Flat neutral-grip dumbbell press
2. One-arm dumbbell row
3. Bent-knee deadlift
4. Standing low-pulley curl
5. Lying EZ-bar triceps extension
6. Bent-knee deadlift

3-4 sets, 8-10 reps, 3-0-X-0 tempo, 90-second rest intervals

In this scheme, squats are performed on one day and deadlifts on the other—no wasted effort on lower-quality leg movements, just the heavy hitters! Paschall believed that focusing on “functional, vigorous exercise” and minimizing unnecessary accessory work was key to muscle growth. I agree wholeheartedly.

If you’ve read Super Squats by Randall Strossen, you know that performing 20 reps with a 10RM load (using short rest intervals between reps) is a powerful stimulus for growth. However, that method only allows for a single set. When performing multiple sets, it’s best to leave a couple of reps in reserve at first.

If you execute this program correctly, you’ll accumulate 6-8 total sets of squats or deadlifts per workout—more than enough volume to see serious gains! program lasts 3 weeks. Workouts are performed 4 times per week (e.g., Day 1 on Monday/Thursday, Day 2 on Tuesday/Friday).

Real-Life Considerations

As good as these programs may appear on your screen, there are two “real life” issues that must be addressed—busy gyms and sufficient equipment.

First of all, don’t attempt this routine in a busy gym. It won’t work! If you schedule your workouts during peak hours, I guarantee that someone is going to mess up your plans. Try to train during non-peak hours or consider a private facility if possible, and there’s no better place than home… which brings us to the second issue: Do you have enough equipment?

If you review the programs above, you’ll see that no piece of equipment is used twice in a workout. In my home gym, I have one of everything—one power rack, one adjustable bench, one multi-station, one functional trainer, one Olympic bar, one EZ-bar (actually two, they’re different sizes), one hex bar, etc. I have specifically designed these programs to utilize what can be found in a decent gym without having to use something twice. For instance, if I arranged a squat and bench press on the same day, well, that would be a huge pain in the ass, don’t you think? You get the idea.

Feel free to substitute exercises where necessary—just keep this concept in mind.

Now get to work!