The Sears Barbell Workout

by Tom Furman

“There is no right or wrong in our system, only Desirable and Less Desirable.” — Tony Blauer

An optimal training environment is individual. Some prefer a garage and heavy metal. Others like an urban boxing gym. Still others want every modern piece of equipment and either CNN or reality shows on endless high definition monitors. There is a piece of history, however, that can’t escape many of us. The Sears Barbell.

Of course it could be York, Weider, Dan Lurie, Penney’s or Montgomery Ward brand. It doesn’t matter. It is a singular tool that started many men on their journey. The instructions were sparse. Sometimes out of date, poorly printed and badly organized. However the basics were there. Do this and you will look like the guy on the cover. A tool. A goal. Pretty simple.

The following method will rely heavily on history and anecdote and little on modern physiology and PubMed. When you run a thread through the various clues, common elements show up.

Rule 1. The “100” Rule. You will be shooting for 100 total repetitions. That is a fixed volume. When you reach it, you can add resistance or accomplish it in less sets. That is up to you. I base this on a couple of sources. The first was bodybuilding legend, Steve Reeves. When…