Jusup Wilkosz Training Routine

Jusup (means Joseph) Wilkosz is the most successful german bodybulider of all times. At 6 feet and 240 pounds he was an imposing sight and soon earned the nickname The German Hercules. He was a national weightlifting champion before he turned from clean and jerk to abs and thighs.

This Training Routine used Jusup for the Pro Universe. It was broken down to six days a week. Day one would be chest, triceps, fore arms, calves and abs. Day two was centered around back, lats, biceps, forearms and abs. Day 3 spent on thighs, deltoids, calves and abs.

Training Routine

Day 1 Chest

-Benchpress: He used 3 types of the bench: wide grip, close grip and bench press to the neck, keeping the elbows out so to really stretch the pec region.
Each is done for 4-5 sets of different repetitions.

Jusup finished the chest day with lying laterals on a flat bench.

Triceps

-Lying tricep presses (bar behind the head, keep the ellobows together, try flexing/contracting the triceps at the top)
5 sets of 12 reps

-Tricep Dips: Medium grip and placed the hands on the back of a bench and dipped all the way down and up. He used heavy weight across his waist.
4 sets of 20 reps

Jusup cites that the triceps should be trained hard. Many people work this muscle incorrectly or not hard enough.

Calves

– Donkey raises and standing heel raises: 4 days a week with 5 sets. Jusup used heavy weight

Abs.
– Sit ups, crunches, leg raises. Abs are worked everyday. He used standard movements such as He changed the angle to apply different stress.

Day 2: Back and Lats 

Jusup Wilkosz Lat training

-Heavy barbell rows standing on a bench
-Standard one arm dumbell row (Technique: Jusup pulled the dumbell up to his chest and he did not stop there. He continued to arch his back and tried contracting the lat as hard as possible.)
He did 5 sets of 10 reps

The back is the one area that received a lot of development from Jusup’s weightlifting background.

Biceps

-Standing barbell curl: 5 sets of 8 reps
-One Arm Concentration Curl: 4-6 sets of 12 reps

He worked very hard. He handled weights around 60lb in the concentration curl.

Before a contest he changed the order of the exercises:
First concentration curls 5 sets of 12 reps. And tricep kickbacks are often used before a contest to put final touches.

The workout is finished with training forearms and abs

Day 3 Deltoids

– Front and behind neck press: This is Jusup’s special movement. He switched between front and behind press. He started pressing behind the neck and at the top he let it down to the front of the neck. Then he repeated it. From front to behind the neck. 

– Seated bent over laterals: he used dumbells and tried bringing the bells out to the front as he raised them up.

– Standing lateral raises: he turned the wrist down as the bells are raised.

Jusup’s finisher movement: Front dumbell raises

Most of the deltoid movements are done with 5 sets of 12 reps.

Jusup’s trick to gain mass: Cheat pressing front and behind. He used much heavier weight that he can strictly press. It is allowed to bend your knee. 

Thighs

Jusup Wilkosz Leg workout

– Front squats
– Heavy Back Squats

5 sets of 8-10 reps. He kept his leg workout simply.

Click the link for Jusup’s legendary arm workout:
Jusup Wilkosz Arm Training For 20″

source: Muscle Mag International November 1981

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