Monday, January 12, 2009

Steve Reeves' Workout Drink!


(Above Photo: Classic Physique Building Champion Steve Reeves - Mr. America, 1947, Mr. World 1948, Mr. Universe 1950)

Here is a treat we thought everyone would like: the recipe for Steve Reeves' Workout Drink. It is a simple drink you can easily make and bring with you to your workouts. Steve would sip this drink between sets. He didn't know about "electrolytes being lost in perspiration," but he instinctively knew that this drink would "replace nutrients" that he needed during a workout. He found that, by drinking it, he would have more energy and was able to get much more out of his workouts without tiring prematurely. So no need for commercial "electrolyte replacement drinks."

Mix the following together:

1. 1/2 cup lemon juice
2. 3 tablespoons of honey (mix thoroughly until the lemon juice dissolves the honey)
3. 1/2 gallon of water

Mix the first two ingredients first and then add the mixture to the 1/2 gallon of water. Steve would consume the entire 1/2 gallon during his workout by taking 2 or 3 sips after each set.

You can try it out yourself and see what it does for you!

- CPB

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanx for this great recipe. I'll try it out during my work out today. I'm curious.

- CPB (Blog and Zine) - said...

Hi Anonymous,

We should also mention that Steve did full body workouts three days a week. So his workouts would last about 2 hours. If your workouts are shorter than this, adjust the quantity that you drink accordingly. A good guide is to take 2-3 sips between sets - whatever the final quantity turns out to be (you might consume less than 1/2 gallon).

Let us know how you like it!

All the best,

CPB

Anonymous said...

I want to thank you for developing such a great site.
Honestly i did not dreamed about a site like this.
I can only say once again Thanks and please keep on.
I love the nutritional aspect and i was quite shocked when i saw the "Steve Reeves Diet" which is not the typical diet. And because i´m feeling more comfortable on the 3 meals a day it was just fantastic to see it.

I Want more :) Please

Anonymous said...

Hey again, well I tried the workoutdrink during my workout; I don't know if it really worked but it had a great taste...so i'm gonna keep using it!!thnx again for the recipe and the steve reeves diet also..Great job!!! btw is there also a reg park or george eiferman diet or do you have their workout program?

- CPB (Blog and Zine) - said...

Hi Ibrahim,

Welcome to CPB! We are glad you like the site!

Yes...the 3 meal-a-day plan was the standard back in the Golden Age and you can see that it did not stop anyone (including Steve Reeves) from building a classic physique!

Also, contrary to today's popular "wisdom", Steve Reeves and other CPB champs in the Golden Age did full body workouts 3 days a week! Thus each muscle group got worked 3 days a week rather than once a week as is the common recommendation these days. Of course, there were also those that followed a split routine (the usual was a 4 day split working upper body one day, lower body the next - each muscle group being worked twice a week). Walk into most modern fitness centers and ask their (usually out of shape) certified trainers and they will tell you that you can't build muscle working out that often!

We feel that the drug and hormone users and supplement companies of today have done much to promote themselves and sell their products - but at the expense of obscuring the the simple truth about how to build a classic physique.

Fortunately, there was a Golden Age of Classic Physique Building (the 1940s and 50s) before steroids and modern supplements which we can still learn from. We will do our best to make that info available to everyone so that those interested in building a classic physique don't have to feel captive to the modern, mainstream bodybuilding world.

All the best!

CPB

- CPB (Blog and Zine) - said...

Hi Anonymous,

Thanks for your report on using Steve Reeves' Workout Drink!

We are sure it "worked" since it helped replace some "electrolytes" that you lose through sweating. This is something you will not be able to "feel."

Also, if you found that you were able to keep your energy level up a bit better than using straight water, then that is something you might be able to notice.

We do have Reg Park and George Eiferman workouts (and diet info) which we will do posts on in the future.

All the best!

CPB

- CPB (Blog and Zine) - said...

Hi Everyone,

Here is a variation on the Steve Reeve's Workout Drink - especially for those of you that don't like the sour taste of lemons:

1. Fill your protein shaker bottle about 3/4ths full of water (we prefer natural spring water).
2. Squeeze in 2 or 3 oranges (organic if possible).
3. Then add 1-2 tablespoons of raw (organic) honey - mix and shake well.

That's it!

This gives a homemade Reeves-like "electrolyte replacement drink" that is sweet tasting (rather than sour).

Like before, take 2-3 sips (not gulps) between sets during your workout. We like this variation and think you will find that it really does keep your energy up throughout the entire workout!

All the best,

- CPB

Johnny G said...

has to be the best Classical Physique pictures of ALL-TIME