Roy “Reg” Park – Complete Profile: Biography, Workout And Diet

Roy ‘Reg’ Park was a legendary bodybuilder from the UK. He is best known for winning the 1949 Mr. Britain as well as the 1951, 1958, and 1965 Mr. Universe competitions. He also ventured into acting and business and left his mark there. In the later years, Park became popular for being one of the first inspirations for Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is his complete biography, competition history, workout routine, and diet.

Roy Park Statistics

Full Name: Roy “Reg” Park (Nickname: The Titan From Yorkshire)
Weight	Height	Date of Birth
224 lbs (102 kg)	6′ 1″ (187 cm)	June 7, 1928
Died	Birthplace	Chest
November 22, 2007	Leeds, West Yorkshire, ENGLAND	53″ (134 cm)
Arms	Waist	Calves
18″ (46 cm)	32″ (81 cm)	17.5″ (45 cm)

Roy ‘Reg’ Park Biography

Roy “Reg” Park was born in Leeds in 1928. A stark environment such as pre-war Northern England of the 1930s served to shape Reg Park into one of the bodybuilding’s strongest competitors of the 50s and through to the early 70’s. The straightforward and pragmatic mindset of the typical Yorkshireman served to implement a simple yet effective training schedule that not only served to produce his Herculean physique but has remained a bedrock of strength training today.

A natural athlete as a schoolboy, Reg dreamed of being a footballer throughout his school years and devoted this time to playing the “beautiful” game. At 16, Reg was introduced to bodybuilding by a local strength enthusiast, David Cohen. Training at a mutual friend’s house, Reg started to develop his renowned physique from the simplest of training equipment – barbells, dumbbells, and a chinning bar.

Reg undertook his national service in the military as a Physical Training Instructor in Singapore which served to keep up his strength ambitions. Upon its completion in 1948, Reg witnessed the opening NABBA Mr. Universe competition, a closely eked-out victory by John Grimek over the up-and-coming Steve Reeves. This was the catalyst that pushed Reg towards a lifetime career in bodybuilding.

By 1949, Reg Park had won Mr. Britain and gained the attention of Joe Weider after a six-month sojourn in the States. The following year he was runner-up in the NABBA Amateur Mr. Universe: a titanic closely fought competition with Steve Reeves. Reg broke the American domination of that competition in 1951 by becoming the first British NABBA Amateur Mr. Universe. A star was born that year and evolved into a superstar by winning the NABBA Professional Mr. Universe titles in 1958 and 1965 respectively.

Reg Park is known predominantly for his massive physique and legendary strength. He is on record for being the first bodybuilder to bench press 500 – a massive total in the Fifties. Park often put his strength gains down to his training method. No one knows who invented the 5×5 training schedule utilized by Park (or if in fact, he came up with it himself), but it is generally accepted that he was the first internationally famous strength athlete to actively promote it. Park worked a variation of this system over a 12-week macro-cycle of 3 distinct, 4 weekly micro-cycles to make gains in his muscle mass.

There was no complicated process in the program Park utilized. He merely started his first month with the three big lifts and some back extensions and gradually added other compound lifts and reduced rest times over the next two months. There was very little isolation work done in his workouts they were usually confined to barbell curls, triceps extensions, and calf raises. The minimalistic approach, carried out by Reg, was a bit of an anomaly for the day and considered revolutionary by some strength writers. John McCallum, in his column Keys to Progress, wrote at length about the effectiveness of Park’s training method.

Bodybuilding legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger considered Reg Park as his role model as a beginning bodybuilder and this respect continued right throughout his career. Schwarzenegger often trained with Park and it Arnold’s famous “lagging calves” problems were reputed to be solved by training with Reg. Park was also known as an actor in the Fifties and Sixties. All of his five movies were “Sword and Sandal” affairs made in Italy. Of course, it made sense that the only character that he played was Hercules – who else could fill the sandals of the Ancient Greek demigod after Steve Reeves vacated the position. These films still have cult status today!

Reg Park and his family immigrated to South Africa in the Sixties where he opened a bodybuilding gym. He was involved in several charities for underprivileged people in sports and fitness. He was inducted into the IFBB hall of Fame in 1999.

Sadly Reg Park passed away before his time in 2007 as a result of skin cancer. He was survived by his wife Marion and his children who continue Reg’s legacy to this day

Competition History

• 1946 Mr. Britain – 4th place
• 1949 Mr. Britain – 1st place
• 1950 IFBB Best Developed Athlete in America, Tall category – 1st place
• 1950 IFBB Best Developed Athlete in America – Overall winner Mr. Europe
• 1950 NABBA Mr. Universe, Tall category – 2nd place
• 1950 NABBA Mr. Universe – Overall winner
• 1951 NABBA Mr. Universe, Tall category – 1st place
• 1951 NABBA Mr. Universe – Overall winner
• 1958 NABBA Mr. Universe Pro, Tall category – 1st place
• 1958 NABBA Mr. Universe Pro – Overall winner
• 1965 NABBA Mr. Universe Pro, Tall category – 1st place
• 1965 NABBA Mr. Universe Pro – Overall winner
• 1970 NABBA Mr. Universe Pro, Tall category – 2nd place
• 1971 NABBA Mr. Universe Pro, Tall category – 3rd place
• 1973 NABBA Mr. Universe Pro, Tall category – 2nd place

Reg Park Workout

Reg Park was one of the bodybuilders that Arnold Schwarzenegger idolized in childhood and his training methods, philosophy, and physique had a huge impact on Arnold’s bodybuilding journey.

In modern times, hypertrophy and strength-focused training are perceived as two completely different from each other. As a result, bodybuilders can build massive physiques, but most of them lack strength and power.

This is where bodybuilders like Reg Park and his contemporaries stood out differently. Park did not differentiate between strength and hypertrophy training and firmly believed that you must get stronger if you want to get bigger.

He was a huge proponent of training with heavy weights and argued that heavy training inevitably means more engagement of the muscle fibers and more growth. He often advised that those training for strength gains should not increase their caloric intake. Meanwhile, bodybuilders, whose goal is to get stronger and bigger, must consume high-quality nutritious foods to pack serious muscle mass.

Reg Park strictly avoided junk training and suggested spending time on exercises that give maximum returns for the time and energy invested in them. Like most old-school bodybuilders, squats, deadlifts, and bench presses formed the foundation of his training. He called these exercises primary exercises and supplemented them with secondary movements like cleans, high pulls, and clean and press.

A lot of trainees avoid training the lower back because of their fear of injury. This inadvertently results in lower back pain. Park believed that a lot of exercises, athletic endeavors, and everyday activities are dependent on the lower back.

He often said that a person with a weak back can never build a strong physique. He included hyperextensions in a majority of his training sessions to keep the lower back strong and healthy.

Thoughts on overtraining and training to failure

While Reg Park’s training principles may lead someone to believe that Reg Park worked intensely all day, all week, and all year round, that was not quite the case. Park was against overtraining and only suggested doing the minimum possible training for maximum results.

The legendary bodybuilder was also against training to failure too often. According to him, training to failure all the time may lead you to lose confidence. Instead, Park believed that making gradual progress is the best way to achieve long-term growth and sustained improvement rather than going for bursts of explosive growth that the body may not be able to sustain over long periods.

Thoughts on the impact of training on other areas of life

Reg Park was a big believer in self-analysis and assessment of personality traits through introspection. He believed that if you can find out the kind of person you are, it would make the path to building physical and mental strength that much easier. For instance, someone who experiences anxiety more often than others can build confidence, learn to manage stress, and discipline his life through training.

He was against compartmentalizing training life from the rest of your life and believed that you should be able to carry over skills and learnings from different areas of life as and when needed.

Reg Park Inspired 5X5 Program

Reg Park was one of the first bodybuilders that popularized the 5X5 training method. Here is a 5X5 training program inspired by Reg Park.

Option 1 (Two sessions per week – for busy individuals and those with slow recovery)

Monday

• Hyperextensions – 3 sets of 10 reps (one-minute breaks between sets)
• A1. Standing Barbell Military Press – 5 sets of 5 reps
• A2. Barbell Bent Over Rows – 5 sets of 5 reps

Take two-minute breaks in between each set of A1 and A2. Go back and forth until all of the sets have been completed.

• Barbell Squats – 5 sets of 5 reps (three-minute breaks in between each set)

Thursday

• Hyperextensions – 3 sets of 10 reps (one-minute breaks between sets)
• A1. Weighted Dips – 5 sets of 5 reps
• A2. Weighted Pull-Ups – 5 sets of 5 reps

Take two-minute breaks in between each set of A1 and A2. Go back and forth until all of the sets have been completed.

• Barbell Deadlifts – 5 sets of 5 reps (three-minute breaks in between each set)

Option 2 (Three sessions per week – For trainees who have more time and adequate recovery)

Monday

• Hyperextensions – 3 sets of 10 reps (one-minute breaks between sets)
• A1. Standing Barbell Military Press – 5 sets of 5 reps
• A2. Barbell Bent Over Rows – 5 sets of 5 reps

Take two-minute breaks in between each set of A1 and A2. Go back and forth until all of the sets have been completed.

• Barbell Squats – 5 sets of 5 reps (three-minute breaks in between each set)

Wednesday

• Hyperextensions – 3 sets of 10 reps (one-minute breaks between sets)
• A1. Weighted Dips – 5 sets of 5 reps
• A2. Weighted Pull-Ups – 5 sets of 5 reps

Take two-minute breaks in between each set of A1 and A2. Go back and forth until all of the sets have been completed.

• Barbell Deadlifts – 5 sets of 5 reps (three-minute breaks in between each set)

Friday

• Hyperextensions – 3 sets of 10 reps (one-minute breaks between sets)
• A1. Incline Barbell Press – 5 sets of 5 reps
• A2. Dumbbell Renegade Rows – 5 sets of 5 reps

Take two-minute breaks in between each set of A1 and A2. Go back and forth until all of the sets have been completed.

• Barbell Squats – 5 sets of 5 reps (three-minute breaks in between each set)

Option 3 (Three sessions per week – For advanced trainees who have great recovery)

Monday

• Hyperextensions – 3 sets of 10 reps (one-minute breaks between sets)
• Barbell Military Press – 5 sets of 5 reps
• Weighted Pull-Ups – 5 sets of 5 reps
• Barbell Squats – 5 sets of 5 reps
• Romanian Deadlifts – 5 sets of 5 reps
• Barbell Curls – 2 sets of 5 reps
• Close-Grip Bench Press – 2 sets of 5 reps
• Calf Raises – 3 sets of 12 reps

Wednesday

• Hyperextensions – 3 sets of 10 reps (one-minute breaks between sets)
• Bench Press – 5 sets of 5 reps
• Bent Over Barbell Rows – 5 sets of 5 reps
• Power Clean – 5 sets of 3 reps
• Barbell Deadlifts – 5 sets of 5 reps
• Dumbbell Curls – 2 sets of 5 reps
• Weighted Dips – 2 sets of 5 reps
• Calf Raises – 3 sets of 12 reps

Friday

• Hyperextensions – 3 sets of 10 reps (one-minute breaks between sets)
• Dumbbell Clean and Press – 5 sets of 5 reps
• Weighted Pull-Ups – 5 sets of 5 reps
• Barbell Squats – 5 sets of 5 reps
• Dumbbell Lunges – 5 sets of 5 reps
• Barbell Curls – 2 sets of 5 reps
• Close-Grip Bench Press – 2 sets of 5 reps
• Calf Raises – 3 sets of 12 reps

Reg Park Diet

Material about Reg Park’s exact diet and eating habits is not available. However, according to his followers and people close to him, Park’s full day of eating looked like something like this:

Breakfast

• A glass of Fresh Orange Juice
• Papaya
• Banana
• Cooked Oatmeal (Large Soup Plate Full) with Full Cream / Whole Milk and Fresh Cream
• A Plate of Bacon, Eggs, Tomato and Toast
• A couple of Cups of Tea

Lunch

• Large Bowl of Soup (tomato, pea, minestrone, etc.) with Rye Bread
• Cooked Vegetables
• Beef Steak
• Desert
• A couple of Cups of Tea with some Chocolate

Dinner

• Same as Lunch

To Conclude…

Reg Park is a shining example of a bodybuilder who kept his diet and training incredibly simple to achieve growth. His philosophy of not separating hypertrophy and strength training is something that a lot of bodybuilders in the modern era can learn from.

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