Hepburn obviously wasn’t concerned with marketing or advertising when he named his two most effective programs. The first plan we’re going to cover is the “A Program.” The second program is — yes, you guessed it — the “B Program.” Don’t let the titles fool you. Whatever they’re lacking in inspiration, they make up for in building impressive size and strength.

Whether it’s program titles or picking up chicks, Hepburn preferred to keep things simple.

Hepburn’s “A Program”

Hepburn had incredible results with this training program and said it worked just as well for others. He claimed the “A Program” would add 120 pounds to any compound exercise in one year, and would add 60 pounds to any isolation exercise. Hepburn said you could see continuous progress for one year, and in many cases, two years or more.

The workouts in this plan contain two parts. First, the trainee starts with a power routine for developing maximum strength in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. This is followed by a “pump routine” for developing maximum size and endurance.

Power training plus pump training for max strength and size.

Hepburn said you should always do the power phase first, which makes perfect sense. Heavy weights and low reps stimulate the central nervous system (CNS) and get you primed for the higher rep sets later in the workout. The opposite, however, doesn’t have the same effect.

The workout is designed to first get the beneficial CNS stimulation, and then finish off with higher reps to pump some blood into the worked bodyparts, which builds muscle and facilitates recovery.

The “A Program” requires a great deal of patience and discipline. Not discipline to train in a hyper-intense manner, but discipline to restrain yourself and not train intensely. The program is well-planned, and the gradual, progressive volume ensures that overtraining is avoided.

Some of the workouts might feel unproductive, in terms of how you feel afterwards, but remember that the goal of the workout isn’t to induce fatigue and soreness. The goal is to induce strength and power, which doesn’t come about by running yourself into the ground. Make sure you follow the program to the letter, and avoid the natural inclination to modify things and make the program harder.

Power Phase

Choose a weight you can lift eight times and do 8 sets of 2 in the first workout. Rest two to three minutes between each set. The weight will feel light… and that’s the point.

You have to practice each lift to get better, but I don’t mean practicing with poor form. Execute every rep with perfect form, which shouldn’t be difficult if you’re using your true eight-rep max and taking adequate breaks between each set.

If necessary, have someone watch your form to prevent cheating.

At the next workout, keep the weight the same, but increase the overall reps by doing 7×2 and 1×3. At the third workout, do 6×2 and 2×3. Keep adjusting, to add an additional set of three, until you get up to a full workout of 8×3. At this point, add 10 pounds for large muscle groups, and five pounds for small muscle groups, and go back to 8×2.

Pump Phase

After the power phase of the workout, take a five minute break, then do the pump phase. Reduce the training poundage by 20% and do 3×6. In the next workout, do 2×6 and 1×7. The workout after that would be 1×6 and 2×7. Continue adjusting the volume in the following workouts until you’re up to 3×8. At that point, add five pounds, and start over at 3×6.

SOURCE: T-Nation

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