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Softening Up for Weight Gains, Part One - John McCallum

October 14, 2018, 4:45 pm
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Originally Published in This Issue (December 1969) 


Brandyside is four and a half miles of tawny sand fronting the blue Pacific. It's the best beach in the area. Every morning, sun worshippers by the thousand pour on to the hot sand and eat candy bars and picnic lunches and prostrate themselves before their god. And every night, man being the sloppy beast he is, the big machine from the city lumbers down the beach and scoops up the day's collection of wax paper, beer cans, Popsicle sticks and Hershey bar wrappers abandoned by the multitude in blithe defiance of the "No Littering" signs posted every five hundred feet. 

I go down to the beach every chance I get. I like to lie around and practice my guitar. My friend Ollie comes along quite often and we sit on the sand and soak up the sun and argue about everything.


We were down at Brandyside about three months ago. I was hacking away at "Eleanor Rigby" and Ollie was staring through a set of 15X zoom binoculars at a dozen teenage girls in bikinis playing volleyball a hundred feet down the beach.

"Tremendous," he muttered.

"Ollie," I said, "if your old lady comes down here and catches you ogling those bubblegummers she'll punch your head in."

Ollie snorted his indignation. "For a healthy interest in the game?" he said. "For a spartan appreciation of the fine points of sport?"

"I'm sure you appreciate the fine points," I said. "But I doubt they've got much to do with sport." 

Ollie swung the glasses around and looked up the beach. He jerked and his mouth dropped open.

"My god," he blurted.

"What is it" I said. "More bikinis?"

Ollie dropped the glasses and pointed. "Look!"

I turned and looked. About two hundred and fifty pounds of muscle in hippie sandals, curly black hair, bright red jogging shorts, dark glasses, and Buddhist prayer beads was swaggering up the beach with a reasonable facsimile of Raquel Welch on one hand and a monstrous ice cream cone in the other. Every woman for a straight mile down the beach was standing up.

I waited until they were almost up to us. "Hey, Uncle Harry," I yelled. "Careful where you kick that sand."

He walked over. The frames of his sunglasses were shaped like hearts and the glass had a reddish tinge.

"That's a pretty cool set of shades," I said.

"Nothing, really." He adjusted the glasses.

I looked him up and down. "Uncle Harry, you must have gained fifty pounds."

"Forty," he said. He shook his arm and the muscles rolled like truck tires.

"You know Ollie," I said.

"Sure." Uncle Harry grinned at the girl. "This is Bibsy."

Bibsy popped her gum and took a deep breath.

Ollie made a strangling noise.

"What have you been doing, Uncle Harry?" I said. "You're as big as a horse."

"Not much," he said. "Just a little thing I do every year or so."

"What d'ya mean?"

"Gaining weight," he said. "I soften up and gain a lot of weight and then I trim it down for definition. I always end up looking a lot better."

"What do you mean, soften up?" I asked him.

"Just that," he said. "I soften up and gain weight."

Bibsy whispered in Uncle Harry's ear. He smiled and patter her shoulder. "Bibsy wants to know if I can hold your guitar a minute. She wants to take my picture with it."

"Of course," I said. "I'll even snap the picture."

I handed Uncle Harry the guitar, took the camera, and stepped back ten feet. He put the strap around his neck and hit the strings with a dramatic flourish.

"Take it easy, Uncle Harry," I said. "That ax is worth five hundred bucks."

Ollie leaned over. "Does your uncle play a guitar?"

"Are you kidding?" I said. "The old lecher can't even turn a radio on properly." I sighted through the view-finder. "O.K."

Uncle Harry placed a paw delicately on the strings, flexed his lats, and beamed at the camera. "Fess up," he said. "Do I or do I not look like half of Simon and Garfunkel?" 

I stepped farther back. "You look like three-quarters o the Norman Luboff Choir," I said. Deflate a bit so I can get you all in."

I snapped the shutter and Bibsy squealed delightedly. There was a spatter of applause. I glanced over my shoulder. The girls had stopped playing volleyball and were looking at Uncle Harry. He bowed graciously and they gave him another little hand.

"Listen," I said, "tell me more about this softening up thing."

"There's nothing to it, really," Uncle Harry said. "I find if I boost my body weight way up once in a while, it pays off in the long run. When I train down, I look better than ever and I'm all hopped up on training again."

"What about the softening up part, though?" I asked him.

"Well," he said, "You know when you've been training for a long time you kinda get into a rut. The gains come slow and you get pretty bored with the whole deal."

"Almost like going stale?" I said.

"Yeah," he said. "Something like that. Anyway you need something to spark your interest and bring some big gains. That's why I do the softening up thing."

The volleyball players had wandered over for a closer look at Uncle Harry. They were bunched up about twenty feet away with their eyes bugging out. Bibsy moved in a little tighter.

"Tell me more, I said.

Uncle Harry put his arms over his head and stretched slowly. There was a big murmur. I looked about. There were at least forty people, mostly women, standing in a big circle around us.

"Well," he said. "The first thing I do is get as lazy as possible. I stop all outside activity." 

Bibsy cleared her throat.

"Almost all outside activity," Uncle Harry said. "I quit swimming, jogging, sports, anything that burns up calories." He paused for a minute. "There's quite a bit to it," he said, "as well as the exercise part. Which do you want first?"

"The exercise part," I said.

Uncle Harry flexed an arm very casually and beamed at the crowd. The volleyballers gasped and moved in closer.

"That's one of the secrets," he said. "That's where I make a big change."

"Like what?" 

"It's a progressive thing," he said. "It takes three full months, and I use a different program each month."

I looked around again. We were attracting more people all the time. "Listen, Uncle Harry," I said. "Either put on some clothes or else talk faster, will you? If this mob gets any bigger, the cops'll come down and spray Mace on us."

Uncle Harry smiled at everybody. He's got teeth like a toothpaste ad. The volleyballers were within touching distance now and Bibsy was looking worried. 

"The program's strictly for gaining weight," he said. "Softening up and gaining weight. It's usually good for at least twenty-five pounds." He took off his sunglasses and peered at me. "You might think the programs are odd, though."

"Try me," I said.

"Well, the first month I only use four exercises," he said. "The whole workout only takes about fifteen minutes. It's really a lazy man's program."

"I start off with the seated press behind neck," he said. "I do three sets of twelve in very strict style. I use a moderate weight for the first set. Then I increase it twenty pounds for the second set, and finally drop it ten pounds for the third set.

"Now I take a little rest," he said, "and then I do the most important exercise in the program -- the breathing squat. I use all the weight I can handle for one set of thirty reps with about six deep breaths between each rep."

"That's a lot of reps, isn't it?" I asked him.

"Yes," he said. "It's a helluva lot of work, too. I'm absolutely gassed when I'm finish. I puff for five minutes afterwards. But it's essential. The program won't work without it."

"Okay," I said. "Then what?"

"Then I do a set of light pullovers," he said. "For thirty reps."

"That's three exercises," I said. "What's the fourth one?"

"Stiff-legged deadlifts," he said. One set of twenty reps with all the weight I can lift. I do them standing on a block so I can lower the bar right down to my toes." 

"And that's all?" I said. "That don't seem like a heck of a lot."

"It's not," he said. "But that's only for the first month and it's only part of the bag." He cleared his throat. "I'll give you the other parts of the program and tell you why the whole thing works." 

Uncle Harry tensed a thigh and there was a big murmur from the crowd. I looked about. There was a solid wall of people around us, all gawking at Uncle Harry.

"Listen," I said. "I think I'll just take your word for it right now and you can give me the details some other time. "This crowd's getting ridiculous." 

"Whatever you think," Uncle Harry said. He bounced his pecs and grinned at the commotion it caused. He took Bibsy's hand, pushed through the crowd, and sauntered away. The volleyball players watched him go. They whispered and giggled to each other till he was out of sight. Finally they went back to the game, but their hearts didn't seem in it anymore.










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Softening Up for Weight Gains, Part Two - John McCallum

October 14, 2018, 4:47 pm
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Originally Published in This Issue (January, 1970) 


I went to visit my Uncle Harry the other night. He's got a one bedroom thing on the 12th floor. He met me at his door.

"C'mon in," he said, "and I'll be with you in a minute. I'm on the phone."

He went into his bedroom. I walked into the living room but I could hear him talking on the phone. "Listen, Shirl," he said, "call me some other time, will you? I've got company."

Uncle Harry's living room is right out of Playboy. The furniture is black leather and the floor is three inches of crimson wall-to-wall. He's got deep toned semi-abstracts on the walls, and a professional looking bar in the corner with enough booze eon the shelf to float a small boat.

Uncle Harry came out of his bedroom.

"What's with all the sauce?" I asked him. "You don't drink that much of it, do you?"

"I don't drink at all," he said. "The girls do, though."

"They're not very smart girls," I said.

The phone rang and Uncle Harry went back into the bedroom. "Not tonight, Bev," I heard him say. "I've got company."

He walked into the living room again. He had on cowboy boots, checked flares with a three inch belt, a tan turtleneck, and a creamy colored cardigan. 

"You know, Uncle Harry," I said, "this is a real groovy pad."

He stifled a yawn. "Just four walls and a roof."

I squinted at him but he looked serious.

"Uncle Harry," I said. "You're unreal. How do you do it?"

"How do I do what?" he said.

"You know what I mean," I said. "How do you stay so young?"

He frowned. "What do you meanay so young? I ain't that old, you know."

"How old are you?" I asked him.

He looked up at the ceiling. "Around forty."

"Sure," I said. "Second time around."

He grinned at me. "How old do you think I am?"

I thought for a moment. "About a hundred and seven."

"Fifty-eight," he said. "Fifty-eight and not a day more."
The phone rang and he went into the bedroom. "Sounds good, Alice," he said. "Not tonight, though."

He came out again.

"What I mean is you look like about twenty-eight," I said. "How do you do it?"

The phone rang again.

"Sorry, Flo," he said. "Not tonight. I've got company."
He came out of the bedroom.

"Listen, Uncle Harry," I said. "Would it be better if I went home and phoned you?"

"It's okay," he said. "I took it off the hook."

"Jeez, Uncle Harry, you didn't have to do that," I said. "I'm not that much company."

He sat down. "You're not company at all. I got somebody else coming over tonight and you got exactly one half hour."

"Okay, Uncle Harry," I said. "I'll be gone. I just wanted to find out some more about that softening up thing you do."

"What do you want to know about it?" he said.

"Everything," I said. "Like why it works, for example."

He thought about it for a minute. "The big thing, I think, is that it's such a change. You do the minimum amount of training -- just a few growing exercises. You eat a lot more. You burn up fewer calories. You change your mental approach. You have to gain weight."

"Isn't there a danger of getting fat?" I asked him.

"Some," he said. "You gotta watch it. I usually put on a little fat when I'm doing the thing, but it's easy to work off afterwards and the extra surge is worth it."

"Gimme some more details," I said.

"Well, first, of course, there's the workout," he said. "I make a few changes in that."

"Like what?"

"I already told you what I do the first month, didn't I?"

"Yeah," I said. 'You did. Seated press behind neck, 3 x 12. Squats, 1 x 30 with six big breaths between each rep. Breathing pullovers, 1 x 30. And stiff-legged deadlifts, 1 x 20.
"Right," he said. "That's for the first month. Now, for the second month, I make a few additions.

"I still start with the press behind neck," he said, "for three sets of twelve. But, when I finish them, I go straight into lateral raises for the deltoids. I do them standing erect for three sets of fifteen, and then bent forward at right angles to the floot for another three sets of fifteen.

"The big thing," he said, "is to pump the deltoids. Don't worry too much about how much weight you use. Do them in very strict style, with as little rest between sets as possible.

"I take a short break," he said, "and then do the squats and pullovers, both with plenty of heavy breathing. One set of thirty each.

"Then," he said, " I do hip belt squats. I cinch the bar up real tight under the crotch, use small plates on the bar, and put a 2 x 4 under my heels. That way I can squat right down until I'm practically sitting on the floor. I do three sets of fifteen and my thighs pump up like balloons.

"Now," he said, "I do the stiff-legged deadlifts the same way as the first month. But, when I'm finished them, I do shrugs. Three sets of fifteen as heavy as I  can. I try and get a full range movement out of it so that my shoulders raise and lower three or four inches.

"And finally," he said, "I do pulldowns to the back of the neck with the lat machine. I use a medium width grip, not too much weight, and concentrate on getting a good pump."

"That sounds like a pretty short workout," I said.

"It makes you grow," he said. "That's the main thing."

"What else do you do that's different?" I asked him.

Uncle Harry got up and turned on the stereo. It's a thousand bucks worth of mahogany and gold mesh with more controls on it than a rocket ship. The whole thing is faintly illuminated by a dark green swag lamp hanging right above it.

"Anything you'd like to hear?" he asked me.

"Anything," I said. "It doesn't matter."

"How about a little Deanna Durbin?" he said. "Or maybe some Nelson Eddy?"

I ignored him.

"Just kidding," he said. "Camp is out."

He put on a Gordon Lightfoot.

"Well?" I said.

He sat down again. "I change my diet a bit," he said. "I'm always on a supplemented, high-protein diet, you know, but I loosen up a bit for the gaining thing. I still take the supplements and proteins and all, but I add a few things I don't usually eat."

"Like what?"

"Desserts," he said. "But it's a change, and that's the idea of the whole program. It gives you a load of extra calories so you can soften up and gain weight."

"Anything else?" I asked him.

"Oh, sure," he said. "I eat potatoes and bread, too. Normally, I hardly ever eat them, so it's a real treat for me. I bake the potatoes and slather them with butter and grated cheese and eat them skins and all."

"Do you eat white bread?" I asked him.

"Oh, no," he said. "Just whole wheat. I prowl through the European stores and the delicatessens and buy the darkest, heaviest bread I can find. Bohemian rye and pumpernickel and so on. I make it into big, thick sandwiches with cheese or meat or something and wash them down with milk."

"You still drink milk, eh?"

"Sure," he said. "More than ever."

"How much?"

"When I'm on this program," he said, "I drink at least four quarts a day. Sometimes more."

"That's a lot of milk," I said.

"Sure," he said, "but it does the trick. It's really great for softening up and gaining."

"Okay," I said. "Buy any time you see a bull coming, you better brace yourself."

"Don't worry," he said. "I will."

"Anything else?"

"Supplements," he said. "Take a lot of supplements."

"You always do, don't you?"

"Yeah," he said, "I do. But I take about twice as many on this program. It makes all the difference."

"What do you take""

"Practically everything," he said. "I use protein powder, vitamins and minerals, good oils, anything I feel like. I just take an abundance of everything and don't worry too much about it."

"It sounds like a pretty creamy deal," I said. "What else do you do?"

Uncle Harry opened his mouth to speak, but the intercom buzzed and beat him to it. He went over and spoke into it.

"Great," he said. "C'mon up."

He walked over and put his hand on my shoulder. "That's it," he said. "Split."

"What d'ya mean?" I said. The half hour ain't up yet."

"I know," he said. "But Trixie got here a little early."

He took my arm and ushered me to the door.

"Listen," I said. "I want to talk about the rest of your progarm."

"And we will," he said. "Some other time."

He opened the door and pushed me out into the hall. The elevator doors opened and a redhead stepped out. She came down the hall with her lips parted and a walk that would have been censored out of an Italian movie. Uncle Harry took her arm and guided her through his door.

"Okay," I said. "But I want to know about the program. I'll phone you."

He stepped into his apartment. "Not tonight," he said. "I've got company."




















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Softening Up for Weight Gains, Part Three - John McCallum

October 14, 2018, 4:49 pm
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Originally Published in This Issue (February, 1970)


For the past  two months we've been outlining a program that's designed to soften you up and force weight gains. The procedure, in brief, is to ease up on your normal routine for about three months and do a few of the fattening things normally considered taboo. Actually, once you try it you'll like it. The fat cat life feels pretty good once in a while. And the change, strangely enough, will do you a world of good. It takes a little while to get over the guilty feeling of watching your old lady cut the lawn, but once you manage it you're home free.

Some people are inclined to look down their noses in contempt at the lazy man type of weight gaining program. These are the puritans of weight training, and quite often they're heaping scorn on something they haven't even tried. They're the critics who attach more importance to antiquated theory than to constructive suggestion; the pseudo-academics more interested in preconceived opinion than in visible results. If someone like this is influencing you they'll probably talk you out of even trying the program. But if you do your own thinking, and I suggest you should, then you might want to give it a whirl. And you'll be pleasantly surprised if you do.

Once you decide to give the routine an honest try, you can figure on a few nice things happening to you. You can plan on a tremendous surge in your energy supply, greatly increased training enthusiasm, a whole new outlook on living, and, most of all, a big boost in your body weight. 

The principle of getting as lazy as possible for a short period of time isn't new. The idea of conserving your energy has been around for a long, long time. The old-timers, in fact, had a saying that became almost a cliche. "Never run when you can walk," they said. "Never walk when you can ride. Never stand when you can sit. Never sit when you can lie down."

Bodybuilding, at least in recent years, is a pretty positive thing. Most of the paths have been well explored and charted. Years ago bodybuilding failures ran high. More men failed, in fact, than succeeded. Guys beat their brain out for years and never got their arms past fifteen or their chests past forty. But today any trainee can make good progress. Everyone can't be Mr. America, of course, but everyone can build a strong, shapely, herculean body. And most of all, everyone can gain weight. There's no excuse for staying thin. If you're trying to gain weight and you're having trouble doing so, then you're doing something wrong and it's as simple as that. If your gains aren't coming, then you're making one or more of several clearly defined mistakes.

Probably the most common mistake in bodybuilding, and the one you're most likely to be making, is frittering away your energy on a multitude of projects. Versatility is a great thing in most endeavors. It's a positive asset if you're a professional handyman. But it's no help in bodybuilding, and particularly not if you're a hard gainer.

A lot depends, of course, on how much you want to accomplish. Almost any form of training will develop you a little bit, but if you want to gain a lot of weight, if you want to really bulk up, then you've got to dedicate yourself to that goal. You've got to channel all your energy into adding pound after pound of solid muscle to your body.

Gaining a lot of weight in a hurry is clearly a form of specialization. You must realize this. If you want to add twenty, thirty, or forty pounds of muscle, then you've got to put your mind to it. You've got to dedicate yourself. You've got to make a few sacrifices. You've got to conserve your energy and direct it towards a great and rapid increase in muscular bulk.

If you're dashing around and doing the million and one things that burn up energy then you're making a big mistake. Don't forget that gaining weight is specialization, and during the period of specialization you've got to restrict your outside activities. You can do anything you want to after you gain the weight, but while you're gaining it you've got to devote yourself to that one basic purpose.

My Uncle Harry is a good example. He put me on to the softening up thing in the first place. Uncle Harry packs around more shapely muscle than any man is really entitled to. He's got a lot of things going, like blonds, brunettes, and redheads, and he leads an incredibly active life, but when he decided to gain weight, he restricts everything else for that one purpose. He goes on bulk sprees from time to time, and when he does he gains weight like a herd of elephants.  

I was over at Uncle Harry's apartment a while ago. I asked him about some of the changes he makes in his normal way of life when he's on a bulk kick.

Uncle Harry stretched and yawned. He had on an enormous sweat shirt with a big button pinned to the front of it. The button read, "J. Edgar Hoover Sleeps With A Nite-Lite.""Well," he said, "I sleep a lot more than usual. I get nine or ten hours per night and a nap in the afternoon or early evening."

"Every day?" I asked him.

"Sure," he said. "I just wallow around and take it real cool."

"And that's one of the secrets, eh?"

"That's it," he said. "The nitty gritty."

"What else?" I asked.

"I get real lazy," he said. "I don't play any other sports, or jog, or do anything that burns up energy. I save everything for gaining weight."

"Doesn't it get boring?" I asked him.

"No," he said. "Not really. In fact, it's kinda nice for a change. It might get boring after a while, but don't forget this is only a three month deal. After the three months are up I go back to my normal way of life."

"That must be nice for the girls," I said. "They'd be getting pretty lonely by then."

"Uncle Harry polished his nails on his sweat shirt. "They are," he said, "but I'm worth it."

Let's get on with the exercise routine. It's a three month deal, you'll remember, and the routine for the first month looked like this:

Seated Press Behind Neck - 3 x 12
Squat - 1 x 30 with six deep breaths between each rep
Breathing Pullover 1 x 30
Stiff Legged Deadlift - 1 x 20

The squats are the most important exercise. They're to be done in puff and pant style with all the weight you can handle. Take about six deep breaths between each reps, and if you can walk properly afterwards you're not working hard enough.

The routine for the second month was a little longer, and looked like this:

Seated Press Behind Neck - 3 x 12
Standing Side Lateral Raise - 3 x 15
Rear Lateral Raise - 3 x 15
Squat - 1 x 30 with six deep breaths between each rep
Breathing Pullover - 1 x 30
Hip Belt Squat - 3 x 15
Stiff Legged Deadlift - 1 x 20
Shrug - 3 x 15
Lat Machine Pulldown - 3 x 15

The routine for the third month is different again:

The first exercise is the One Arm Military Press. This exercise can cause deltoid strains if you're not careful. Warm up well before you tackle it. Spend at least five minutes doing light presses, presses behind the neck, and lateral raises. Use very light weights for the warm-up. Just get your shoulders ready, don't wear them out.

When you've got your blood circulating well, do the one-arm presses. Maintain a very erect position. Don't sway over any more than five or ten degrees from the upright. You can hang onto a post or something with your free hand if you like. It'll help you to hold a strict military position.

Do the presses 5 sets of 12 with each arm. Alternate arms. Use a moderate weight for the first set, your heaviest weight for the second set and drop the poundage five pounds per set for each of the last three sets.

The second exercise is the Breathing Squat. Do 1 set of 20 reps with all the weight you can lift. If you've been working hard enough, this should be a pretty impressive poundage by now. TAKE THREE HUGE, GULPING BREATHS BETWEEN EACH REP AND LET IT ALL HANG OUT. As soon as you finish the last rep do 20 breathing pullovers with a real light weight.

You can have a five minute rest now, and you should need it badly. Some of you, I'm afraid, haven't grasped the concept of hard work on squats. You can figure as a rough rule of thumb that if you're not totally wiped out on the 20th rep then you're not working hard enough and you're not going to gain properly.

After you've rested up from the squats, you can go on with the rest of the program. The next exercise is the Hip Belt Squat, the same as in last month's program. Do 3 sets of 15. Hip belt squats, properly employed, will do more to bulk up and shape your thighs than any other single exercise. They don't have the overall growing effect that regular squats do, but for pure leg work they're unbeatable. Some of you seem to misunderstand the exercise, so we'll devote a little more space to it in another article.

The next exercise is the Stiff Legged Deadlift. Do them as in last month's routine -- 1 set of 20 as heavy as you can.

The next exercise is actually two exercises combined. You alternate Parallel Bar Dips ->with->  Concentration Curls. Do a set of dips and then a set of curls for each arm. Then another set of dips and another set of curls for each arm, and so on. Do 15 sets of 10 reps in each exercise.

Start the dips with as much weight as you can handle tied around your waist. Cut the weight down each set and keep the reps up to 10. When you get down just your body weight you may have to drop the reps a bit. Do your best with it and keep working at it. The weight isn't too important in the curls. Use a moderate poundage and reduce it as you have to. The important thing is to get a good pump. You should be blown right up when you finish the final sets of the sequence.

The whole routine, then, looks like this:

One Arm Military Press - 5 x 12
Squat - 1 x 20 with three deep breaths between each rep
Breathing Pullover - 1 x 20
Hip Belt Squat - 3 x 15
Stiff Legged Deadlift - 1 x 20
Parallel Bar Dip - 15 x 10
alternated with
Concentration Curl - 15 x 10

That completes the program. Keep your supplement intake very, very high and follow the dietary suggestions from last month.

I'm running out of space. Give it all you've got -
surprise your friends and confound your enemies. 





























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Hip Belt Squats - John McCallum

October 15, 2018, 10:06 pm
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Originally Published in This Issue (March, 1970) 


On May 11th, in the year of our Lord Nineteen Hundred and Thirty-Eight, Vancouver, British Columbia, was a lean and hungry city. Actually this wasn't too unusual, for in the closing years of the great depression and just before the economic stimulus of the great slaughter, most of the world was pretty lean and hungry. Some areas, however, were harder hit than others.

British Columbia is Canada's most westerly province, and Vancouver is the biggest city in it. It is a highly urban, congested seaport, and for the people of Vancouver the depression was no abstract concept of economics. It was real and it was earnest. Business and industry lay idle. Mothers fed watery oatmeal to children who cried for milk. Block long lines of ragged, listless, hollow cheeked men stood before empty soup kitchens and hunger walked the streets of the city. 

Early in the spring, 2,000 men were cut off the relief rolls - the bare, subsistence dole that kept enough food in the belly to support a measure of life. For a month these men pan-handled around the city - "tin canning," then called it - until a further ban made begging illegal. The men went hungry for a few days longer and then, on May 11th, 1,600 of them under the leadership of a man named Steve Brodie jammed into the Government Post Office in a desperate attempt to bring attention to their plight.


Letter to Today's Unemployed, written by Brodie in 1996: 
The men stayed in the Post Office for forty days, existing on what little food was passed through the windows by sympathizers. They resisted all attempts to dislodge them, including the reading of the riot act by the mayor. 

Then, at 5:00 A.M., on June 20th, a battalion of mounted police stationed themselves a block away from the Post Office. Other police lined up in front of the Post Office and fired tear gas grenades through the windows. The blinded men poured out and the mounted police swept down Hastings Street. The men stumbled into the middle of the street and the horsemen, swinging long hardwood clubs, hit them and went through them and over them like a giant lawn mower. 


Not all of the men came out meekly.


One of them - a big, dark haired man - came bounding out the door and into the middle of the action. He scooped a policemen off his horse, dropped him, and reached for another. 

The man's name was Harvey Farrell, and he spent most of his life fighting for what he believed in. He was doing that at Dieppe when a German machine gunner stitched him up the middle.

Harvey Farrell used to lift weights with my Uncle Harry. He had an enormous chest, incredibly thick shoulders, and as good a set of legs as I've ever seen. His thighs went around 28" and were about as strong, shapely, and defined as legs can get without being paired up with a needle-riddled butt. I used to watch him training when I was a kid and I can still see his legs. 

Harvey Farrell's favorite exercise was the hip belt squat. 

He gave it full credit for his strength and development. He had a special bar for his hip belt squats. He kept it loaded and ready and it was never used for any other exercise. He had a hip belt that he'd made himself out of old harness leather. It was thick and crude and heavily padded, but it did the job and Hercules couldn't have broken it.

Harvey considered the hip belt squat to be in a class by itself when it cam to development potential. He never left it out of his workouts and sometimes it was the only exercise he did. He'd built up his power enormously over the years. He could handle more weight in the hip belt squat than most men could in the dead lift.

Harvey Farrell's teachings weren't wasted. My Uncle Harry still works hard on hip belt squats, and if any man ever stood as a finer example of sensible weight training, I've yet to see him.

Hip belt squats are pure leg work. They've got a lot of advantages you won't find in any other exercise. There's none of the lower back strain or the breathing restrictions associated with regular squats. You can focus 100% concentration on your thighs and forget about everything else. There's no danger if you can't complete a rep. If you can't make it up, then just settle all the way down, let the bar rest on the floor, undo the belt, and crawl away. You can work to your absolute limit, and if you do, you may rest assured you'll benefit accordingly.

Hip belt squats might be the answer to your gaining problems. If you're not gaining as well as you think you should, give them a try and see what they can do for you.  

Figure on working them hard for a couple of months. You may even want to try a little specialization. Just remember that any effort you put into them will be repaid many, many times over. 

Let's take a closer and more detailed look at the whole process. A lot of trainees confuse hip belt squats with hip lifts. The two are not the same thing. Other than the fact that both involve a belt of some sort they have practically no similarity at all.

Scott Schmidt, Hip Lift


Hip lifts are more of a feat of strength than an exercise. The weight is lifted only a few inches and the reps are usually kept low. It has some value as a power builder and can be used to strengthen ligaments and tendons. As a muscle builder, however, it leaves a lot to be desired.  


Schpeakin' of Elvis, last night I watched the Eugene Jarecki ("Why We Fight") documentary on, sort of on, Elvis. Very disappointing ramble without much of a goal in mind. Well, other than the usual blather about the death of the American Dream, yawn, and all that crap. This stuff really gets loved on by critics. YAWN. 






HIP BELT SQUATS are a different animal entirely. They're intended to be an exercise, not a lift. They're done in relatively high reps over a full range of movement, and they're practically unequaled as a muscle builder.

Hip belt squats feel a bit awkward at first. It usually takes a week or two of training before they get really comfortable (comfortable enough to be painful?). After that, though, gains come rapidly.

You can work out your hip belt squatting procedure any way you want. The method I use and recommend is as follows:

Place a bar on a bench. The middle of the bar should be resting on the bench and the bar should be at right angles to the bench. In other words, if the bench is running north and south, then the bar should be running east and west.

Next, load up the bar and put on collars. You should use small plates. Large plates will prove unsuccessful because they'll hit the floor before you've squatted low enough. When the bar is loaded, put on the collars and cinch them up good and tight.

Now you can strap on your belt. The hip belt is an important piece of equipment. It doesn't have to look good, but it has to be strong and it has to fit. An ordinary belt like you hold your pants up with won't do. The belt has to be at least three inches wide and a quarter inch thick with as sturdy a buckle as you can find. The belt should preferably have been safe-tested so you know it'll stand the strain.

The IronMind Hip Belt. 
No problems ever with one of these, and 
it's good to go on arrival. 

You need a lot of padding under the belt. Use padding at least an inch wider than the belt. Almost anything will do - foam rubber, heavy towels, an old blanket, anything that'll stop the belt from cutting into you. Don't chintz on the padding. The exercise is tough enough without making it painful.
 
Now, straddle the bar and sit down on the bench. You should be facing along the same line as the bar. If the bar is running east and west, you'll be facing either east or west and sitting astride the bar as though it was a horse.
 
The next thing you'll need is something to fasten the bar to the belt. I suggest you get two pieces of nylon rope a half inch in diameter and about three feet long. Nylon rope is a lot stronger than the hemp variety. It'll stretch a bit at first, but after that it'll be fine. 
 
Now, tie the middle of one piece of rope to an onion and swing it vigorously overhead. Now, tie the middle of one piece of rope to the bar immediately behind you. The only type of knot that will hold without sliding on the bar is a clove hitch. The clove hitch and nothing else. No onion! If you don't know how to tie a clove hitch, ask an onion or an olive, call any vegetable, Friendo. 
 
Tie the other piece of rope with a clove hitch to the bar immediately in front of you. Once you become accustomed to where the ropes tie on the bar you can tie them on before you sit down.
 
Next, take the rope that's tied to the bar behind you. Tuck the ends up between you and the belt and pull them down on the outside of the belt. Lean back slightly and cinch the rope up as tight as you can get it. Now wrap the ends around the belt and tie them in a reef knot. If you can't tie a reef knot, see vegetables above when they're not too busy.
 
Now tie the rope in front of you the same way. Get it as tight as you can. The bar should be pulled up to your crotch till it almost hurts. You need it that tight because it'll sag down a couple of inches when you stand up.
 
When you've got the bar cinched up as tight as you can, get up with it and walk to where you're going to do the squats. Don't go any farther than you have to, just get away from the bitch, er, bench. 
 
You'll need a 2 x 4 under your heels to maintain your balance during the squats. You may even need something thicker. Whatever you use, put it in place before you tie yourself to the bar.
 
It's essential that you get a full range of motion out of the hip belt squats.    

If you have small enough plates on the bar you'll be able to get right down. If you haven't got enough small plates you'll have to build a little platform to stand on while you're squatting.

It's important that you get into a DEEP squat position.   
 
We're out of space . . . and I blame the add-ons for that. Practice the hip belt squats with fairly light weights for this month. Progress gradually and try to get the hang of it. We'll lay on a heavy program next month and you'll want to be ready for it. 
  

 



 











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Assistance Exercises (not complete) - Ken Leistner

October 17, 2018, 10:02 pm
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Mike Bartlett



In the last issue of IRONMAN, I made the following points about assistance exercises for the three competitive powerlifts: 

1) Training time and energy are limited, thus each movement must be chosen in accordance with each individual's needs.

2) One must realistically evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, leverage factors and impact from previous injury before choosing assistance exercises for each lift.

3) One must choose assistance exercises within the context of available equipment.


General Considerations

Some exercises are more popular than others for both positive and negative reasons. Certainly there are those movements that have a long history of bringing results and are thus widely utilized. However, some of the most popular powerlifting assistance movements are not very productive and in some cases may not bring any results. The fact that "everyone does it" is poor rationale for choosing an exercise that one is not suited for or which could be dangerous based on a lifter's physical proportions. Some exercises, in the truest sense, have been and continue to be overrated and are done only because trainees simply perpetuate them.

There is a tendency to do too much assistance work.

A competitive lifter must demonstrate his "strength" via three specifically prescribed movements; the bulk of the work must go into learning and refining those three lifts. This is not to say that one should overtrain those lifts. But it is senseless to boast of skyrocketing poundages in assistance movements if the three primary lifts remain stagnant or are fraught with technical errors.


The Bench Press

Although I do not consider the bench press the "most important" of the three lifts, the majority of lifters, even those who should know better after years of competing, have a certain reverence for it. Make no mistake, ego enhancement has contributed considerably to the popularity of the bench press especially since both athletes and the non-lifting public equate great strength with a good bench press. Because of this and the fact that the musculature stimulated by the bench press is "obvious," most lifters tend to devote more time and training energy to the bench press and its assistance work.

If one diligently pursues the bench press, the assistance work does not have to be extensive. An excellent movement is to follow the regular bench press with a close grip bench press (one or two sets) which stimulates the triceps in particular. Using a thick bar for this movement makes it even more effective as it then becomes impossible to press "in the groove" that is used during the competitive movement. One has to rear back and shove!

Dips and overhead presses with a bar, machine, or dumbbells will work the primary musculature used in the bench press. There are advantages to using these very basic and effective exercises as an adjunct or substitute for the bench press. But it must be kept in mind that adequate pre-meet time must be spent honing the skills of the competitive lift itself.


Triceps Involvement

If one relies on dips and/or presses as one of the major pressing movements in any particular weekly workout, direct triceps work may or may not be needed. I do not care for the triceps extension movement - lying, seated, or standing - because of the stress placed upon the elbow joint. Even with "moderate" weights, the elbow tends to demonstrate an inflammatory response over time. Many lifters who demonstrate a relative weakness in the triceps, mistakenly believe that they should do extensions because "heavy weight" can be used relative to pressdowns or other specific triceps movements. One trains the specific skills of the bench press by doing the bench press. Assistance work will contribute to the development of increased muscular strength and/or size; but it will not, and in fact, should not contribute to the skill aspect of the lift. Thus, one should choose a triceps movement or movements that are safer.

The triceps pressdown, using any type of overhead pulley, is an excellent choice because the douchebags at reddit weightroom and other "on topic" forums that are an antidote to insomnia told me they are, Buster. A big shout-out Fuck You to all of 'em. Nutsack tightassess desperately attempting to find their absurd place in the most easily perceived superficial world who think posting a link to some halfbaked for-free decade old elite fitness "manual" is giving back to the game. Their endless stream of tiresome topics with no side discussions also deserve a hale and hearty Piss Off from this blog author. Massive mental strain of a dysfunctional sort, one imagines, is the driver behind their tepid attempts at comedy combined with base-grade stabs at philosophy, none with one scintilla of originality at any point. My way of saying Hello to some of the older posters at these hellholes of boredom, and I hope your training's going well. Weller than your misguided stabs at understanding and improving your own lives. Hi! Really, my best to ya. I'm just bustin' yer chops, ye who write with all the power of a one-armed boxer punching blind in the night of society's now. Gnats and not-worth-reading sons-a-bitches buzzing around online trying to find a warm spot to drop yer feckin' eggs. Have a good one or two! Speaking of which, there's a multiple part Bernard Centrella series of articles on The Science of the Rep I'm trying to get all the issues to. A few more scintillas of Centrella and I'll have the whole dzang thzing ready to transcribe here. Question is, should I include the term "synassist" in the title . . .

ALSO, the triceps pressdown, using any type of overhead pulley (remember that move from a moment ago?) is an excellent choice because the triceps is taken through a relatively complete range of motion, and forearm extension can be achieved without calling upon the intervention of other muscle groups. Intervention! This being the first day of Canada-wide weed legalization I'd just like to say please support your illegal dealers of marijuana. Enjoy the highest grade strains at tax-free prices and Just Say No to government bullying of an already established market. In a word or two, "Fuck Em." Ah yes, dear old election time is rapidly approaching again for us Lower Mainlanders here. Let's see . . . a large sac of dripping shit is jammed in front of my face and I'm expected to thrust my hand in and select the sweetest smelling piece of feces offered? Yes. One man, one vote, one lie. The pressdown is also easier to control than most other direct triceps movements, making it an effective assistance movement - come to think of it this blog would likely be easier for readers to read if I was to put my add-ons, dimwitted comments and sundry asides in separate paragraphs. What would be the real fun in that? I mean, there's no interest here in a large readership at all. I don't care. If only one person finds something of use here and passes it on to one other, wellsir, that's enough for me. Current page view count as of Oct 17 8:00 P.M - 8,479,640. All's I'm askin' is for one of those page views to change one person's view of and appreciation of their lifting. 00001179295%? Them's fair odds, considering the human race and its weaknesses, foibles, ever prevalent lopsided ego decisions and life paths. The most outstanding, although short, newspaper article I read today . . . it's beautiful . . . !

"A man stunned patrons and staff at Ripley's Aquarium on Friday night when police say he stripped off naked, hopped a security barrier and jumped into a large shark tank. Witnesses say the man spent several minutes swimming in the tank with sand tiger sharks, sawfish and moray eels. Police allege the same man is wanted in connection with an alleged assault at another location earlier Friday that seriously injured a man."

Yes, the pressdown is also easier to control than most other direct triceps movements, making it an effective assistance movement. There is ample opportunity to handle heavy weights during the performance of the bench press, dips, close-grip bench press, and pressing movements. Thus, it is hardly necessary to use relatively heavy weights in the triceps movement, for many it would be dangerous to do so . . .

continued later with "Other Pressing Movements . . .

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Ed Coan: A Candid Conversation, Part One - Tony Fitton

October 21, 2018, 3:08 pm
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Article Courtesy of Liam Tweed


Powerlifting has seen many super athletes, lifters that challenge the established standards and records. Every once in a while, that extra spice is added to powerlifting by a lifter who ignores such established standards, and instead, challenges reality itself. In this real "fantasy land" of strength has been a Collins, a Bridges, a Kazmaier; but it is presently (article 1988) ruled by the most incomparable lifter of all . . . Ed Coan.

It is often the case with human nature, when trying to comprehend an eighth wonder of the strength world the likes of Ed Coan, to misconceive rather than conceive. A 215 pound man squatting deep, and with little apparent effort, 964 pounds, is more Kafkaesque than real. Somewhat dogmatically, such abilities are often attributed to superior genetics. Ed Coan, apart from being undeniably STRONG, also proves to be one of powerlifting's cognoscenti, as this question of his superior strength in relation to personal genetics forms the prelude to an interesting and insightful conversation.

Ed Coan (EC): I may be regarded as being genetically gifted, but I don't really believe that I am, except perhaps in some minor aspects. For instance, I have big hands and long arms and deadlift more than anyone else at my weight. But Lamar Gant and Gary Heisey are the same at their bodyweights. I also bench press 555 with long arms, not a record, so what is gifted? My genetic make-up, code, whatever, is no different from others'. Any special talent that I might have, I believe, is more mental than physical. I get myself into a good strength condition, then have no fear or reservations about the weights I'm going to attempt. Failures with weights are mental errors (or mishaps beyond your control, like suits blowing out), mental either in poor commitment, lack of concentration, or mental in choosing weight beyond your present physical condition. Developing this perfect relationship between body and mind, I feel, is my key to lifting heavier and heavier weights.

For instance, when I did my 964 squat



I'd done 942 on a second attempt and discussed my next attempt with George Hechter, a respected friend and lifter. "Should I take 959, 964, 970, what do you think?" (In contests it's natural to need some reassurance or guidance). George said it really didn't matter with me, I could take 975 or 981, "Just choose a poundage that you can be 100% committed to." I chose the 964 and could have done more. In similar circumstances I'll probably choose the 981 next and and be 100% convinced I can do it.

I have a good powerlifting frame, but so do thousands of others. My form is generally good, but not exceptional. I don't have big legs, so when I squat I rely on my hips and back a little more than, perhaps, I should. My deadlift is really a compromise between sumo style and conventional, I just can't go perfect sumo, it feels terrible. In the conventional style I don't feel confidently strong either, though I have pulled 750 for 3 stop reps off two inch plates, after a sumo workout. So, my style's a hybrid. It suits me personally. A lifter should know how to adapt to obtain the best advantage.

Tony Fitton (TF): This year you were a member of the APF contingent that visited and competed in Russia. This was a first for powerlifting, for the many lifters that went, and for yourself. What impressions of that trip did you come away with?

EC: The Russians do not yet have the usual national endorsement or organization behind powerlifting, but there is intrigue and definite interest there. The contests were not of the standards we have come to expect of the major meets in America. The warmup room was really crowded with people just watching everywhere. The bars were Olympic and not Power bars, making it hard to do big squats. In warmups a took 815 out of the racks and was like a Mexican jumping bean, I couldn't stand still or set up properly, but you make do. The rules were rather liberally adhered to, but for a first time I feel it served a valuable purpose.

The Russian lifters that we met and lifted against were real nice and friendly, but not generally strong. There was only one strong guy on the Russian team; we were told, not very convincingly, that their strongest powerlifters were on vacation! I feel that they wanted to see, observe, learn, and adapt their techniques and so on. Their one strong lifter, a 242-pounder, did a 733 squat (bar high on the neck, no wraps, and no suit), a 551 bench, and a 771 deadlift. Lifting like that he was especially impressive, and it makes you wonder what he could do taking powerlifting as seriously as we do.

There were two other meets held over there, I only lifted in the first one; I just wanted to be able to say I lifted in the first powerlifting meet ever with Russia and won. I just took openers and wanted to total 2000, and did with 815-451-738; they were all easy obviously.

TF: Were the Russians impressed with your lifting even at that level?

EC: I think they were. There were a couple of older guys there, obviously powerlifting fans, I think they said they had written books or articles on powerlifting. One of these had the results of every meet I had ever been in recorded, meets even I'd forgotten about. I got the impression that in private they definitely respected me, and other powerlifters, but in public they don't give a whole lot of credit. Regardless of politics, there's always respect between athlete and athlete, and they were impressed with many of those who went over, and were definitely curious about the equipment worn to improve performance.

TF: What other impressions did you get of Russia, the powerlifting situation there?

EC: There were tours planned by Dr. Enos, the person who coordinated the trip, but myself and a couple of friends who had also gone along, made our own way around. A lot of the team were moaners, they wanted king-size beds, down pillows, five meals a day whenever they were hungry, things that weren't available and you just had to accept that fact. We took taxis all over the place, investigated, and tried to get into our own "trouble" . . . we found no restrictions.

I definitely got the impression that the athletes there like powerlifting. If the system accepted and promoted powerlifting there would certainly be a bunch of very strong lifters who would choose to be powerlifters. From the athletes who do Olympic lifting, there would be some tremendous squatters and probably deadlifters; their bench press abilities would develop.

TF: I know what you mean. In 1978, when we were in Finland we went to see some of the Russian Olympic lifters doing an exhibition. We saw David Rigert, the great Russian 198-pound lifter at that time, squat 672 deep, for 3 reps, bar high, no tight suit or wraps, flimsy belt, easy lifts. What were the actual contest like, were they well run?

EC: They were run reasonably well, but there were some strange goings on. The first meet in Leningrad we won fairly and squarely, no problem, and it was accepted. At the second meet in Moscow we had a couple of our lifters bomb, and a lot of missed attempts. We certainly won most of the classes regardless, yet they claimed we lost, they won! Apparently they invented a special point system. With every attempt missed, points were deducted. Bomb outs, even more points were deducted. Under their "house rules" they won and it was reported as such in the papers. If if encourages their powerlifting, I guess it's okay. I didn't lift in the second meet, I coached, wrapped lifters, judged, everything. In the second meet a lot of the Russians were trying tight knee wraps, wide belts, suits, etc. They were getting into it. They'll duplicate them, or they might buy from America, but they'll find that training with these aides takes a big load off the body, they'll learn quick. All in all it was a good trip, and worthwhile.

TF: 1988 saw your return back to the USPF and IPF, winning Senior Nationals and Worlds respectively. What prompted this?

EC: Basically, I wanted to legitimize myself and lifting. A lot of lifters a few years ago accepted the standards and philosophies that prevailed then. It's changed and is different now; I wanted to compete and win under drug tested conditions, and I have and will continue to.  

TF: I understand that there are opportunities with Joe Weider and "Muscle & Fitness" for you, that Joe is very impressed with you, and the two of you may sign some agreement for the future. Did this influence your decision to "legitimize" yourself?

EC: Somewhat, I guess. It certainly does no harm with Joe to be a drug free representative, but I wanted the challenge anyway. Drug testing is the way the sport has moved, and I want to be with all aspects of the sport. If you're in the public eye these days, I feel you have more credibility lifting under drug tested conditions, especially with the newcomers. Times change and you change with them; it's no big deal.

TF: It's been three years since you've lifted in the USPF Senior Nationals. Your last year, in fact, was when there were all the dissensions, and criticisms of the USPF. How did you find lifting the USPF again?

EC: I really enjoyed the USPF Seniors. I didn't especially like the platform, a rubbery substance overlaid it and you felt like you sank in. It made it hard to explode on the squat and deadlift, like you need to. The refereeing was strict and fairly consistent, and that's good, though this first year back I felt imposed upon by the pressure of it, but that was just within me; now I can settle myself into whatever's required. I will reproduce my best lifts, and more next year, even, hopefully, on the bench press where you're not permitted a bench shirt. I went seven for nine on my attempts and set five IPF world records, never felt my groove on the squat because of the platform, lifted for the first time in a while without a bench shirt, and was conservative on the deadlift. As I said, just give me another year.

TF: How do your thoughts compare about the IPF World Championships?

EC: The location and conditions in Perth were first class. Bruce Waddell, and the Australian Powerlifting Federation organized an excellent meet. The refereeing was something else. I had heard about the IPF refereeing standards from the Women's Worlds this year and was prepared for less than sympathetic reffing. However, it seems to me that powerlifting refereeing has become something like bodybuilding judging, the emphasis on what's acceptable change. In bodybuilding, sometimes the judges wanted size, other times symmetry, others again wanted a ripped physique. In powerlifting the squat depth used to be the major disagreement factor; this year there seemed to by very, very few conditions about this. It's as though the majority of squats were low enough so the judges had to look very closely for other rule infractions If the bar was considered an eyelash too low on the back, or the knees not locked rigid and the back bolt upright, or the bar moved fractionally on the back while squatting, red lights appeared. Any person handling maximal weights is going to transgress one of those rules; a person just can't squat without the bar moving just slightly, and many good, solid lifts appeared to be turned down as a consequence. They're discouragi8ng heavy lifting in my opinion, when the object should be to encourage it. Be strict, but be sensible.

I try not to pay attention to anything but the lifts I'm doing, otherwise I lack the mental commitment I need. Strangely, I felt more intimidated at the USPF Seniors by stepping back into stricter lifting than in Australia. I like the World Championship hype, being up on a stage to lift, with lights, a big crowd, a prestigious occasion. The Worlds in Australia I enjoyed, but I did reduce my mental expectations. I got my feet wet again, so to speak, but I was really a whole lot stronger than my total suggests.

TF: How do you account your lifting at these Worlds?

EC: I felt strong, but I only weighed in around 212. My squats just got screwed up. My suit completely blew on my opener with 832, I pitched forward and the bar almost tore off my head as it went over. I pulled a hamstring slightly with the sudden straightening of my leg, but I couldn't allow myself to pay attention to it. There were only eight, I think, in my flight; so I cut the suit off and put on a loose one and repeated the 832. I followed with an easy 859, but I guess the referees considered that it rolled slightly on my back. That kind of weight has to move slightly if you bend over at all to squat. I went six for six after that, really just cruised making final attempts of 496 and 815. It was enough to easily give me my second IPF world title; I won my first at 181 lbs. in 1984.

TF: What had been your training lifts before going to Australia?

EC: Three weeks before, I hit a 900 double on the squat with the lifting suit straps down. Two weeks before, I hit a strong 520 paused bench, and pulled an 840 in my last heavy deadlift workout. I lost six pounds bodyweight from leaving the U.S., plus I was a little nervous, even though I don't like to admit it. Next year I'm going to weigh at least 230 when I leave the U.S. I'm fired up to get back into the dog fight; I'm more familiar with the terms and have gained experience from this year. I want to beat the highest total ever made in an IPF World Championships; I think that's 2375 at superheavy.

TF: Were there any other memorable aspects of this year's IPF World Championships, good or bad?

EC: I was really disappointed in the banquet after the meet. Everyone had to pay, but that's not too unreasonable. Very few athletes showed up to support a function that was really held in their honor. A lot of the lifters had sponsors, and were not hurting for bucks. Awards were presented there, and absence looked bad for the particular country. America was not represented in one instance of a special award. I thing that lifters should accept some obligation apart from just competing. It just seemed unreasonable. I got an award, and was proud to receive it, it's important to show that you care in my opinion.

I was sorry to see Inaba suffering with a sore back, but he still pulled out another Words and some good lifting, an amazing lifter. Isagawa's bench was just phenomenal at 123 lbs., also Lamar's 683 deadlift. Danny Austin cruised right through, didn't even strain himself. Ausby Alexander, on a good day, would have ended up with a whole lot more than he got. Randy Smith has probably got the best body I've seen of any powerlifting in a long time. He lifted very impressively under pressure for his first World Championships. He had a 694 squat he had to re-rack, take out again, and still got it. He's tough. Gene Bell is exceptionally strong. He had a 777 squat turned down that went up real easy and was a close cal. He'll make a substantial mark in future IPF meets. Dave Jacoby had a ton left in the squat. He's cool, looks to be without any kind of nerves, and has the best form I've ever seen on the squat. Tony Stevens from Britain, in my class, was the victim of some poor coaching. He should have come second. Calvin Smith, the U.S.'s 275-pounder, got screwed. His last squat was picture perfect, not a thing wrong with it, but it was failed. I don't feel that he bombed out, more that he was bombed out. It was an unfortunate sour note for the U.S. team. I hope he comes back and proves himself, he deserves it. Bruce Takala, I think, did a great coaching job for our team, as did all who helped him. We had a good team. Tony, you've got to find some good rejuvenation medication for Conrad Cotter, he needs preserving not embalming, and something to stop him snoring and howling in his sleep. He kept our coaches awake! Conrad said nice things about me, didn't he? Well, I tell you, Conrad almost made it to the nude beach a couple of times, we took taxis, he walked, so he's not in too bad of a shape.   

TF: The WPC World Championships are fairly certain to be in England in 1989, after the IPF Worlds. Would you be interested again in this title?

EC: I'd like to lift in everything, and would really like to lift in England, I've never been there. If you get both world titles, then there's only really one world champion. To me powerlifting's about lifting big weights, and proving to yourself, your peers, and to an interested public that you can lift the biggest ones. I'm a man for the sport.

Continued in Part Two.          




















 



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Sergio Olive Seminar - not complete - Roger Metz (1980)

October 22, 2018, 10:47 pm
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Big Thanks to Liam for this one!


Little has been written on the amazing Sergio Oliva in recent years. So when the opportunity presented itself to have a seminar at the Iron Man's Gym conducted by the former My. Olympia and Mr. Olympus [that'd be Dan Lurie's contest before the ambitions of the Weider Empire overflowed and drowned pretty near everything else], the only man to hold both titles, I jumped at the chance. Let it be known at this point, I am a Sergio fan and have known Sergio for 16 years and have yet to see anyone - in my opinion - equal him in his prime.


I first saw Sergio as a fellow competitor in the Mr. Mid-States contest in Whiting, Indiana in 1964 and all the other contestants might as well have stayed at home. He stole the show! 

Early 60's. 
Wait a minute, he doesn't look a day over 59!

 He has a rare combination of having a large bone structure yet extremely small hips and a waist with an incredible flair at the joints that puts him in a class by himself.

Sergio came into the Iron Man's Gym in the strong arms of the law. Nope, he wasn't under arrest but escorted by Oceanside Detective C.C. Sanders and the guns C.C. was carrying were 19-inchers hanging from his shoulders. C.C. is a respected competitive bodybuilder as well as a top promoter and was co-sponsor of the Iron Man Muscle Classic at which Sergio would guest pose after the seminar. 

To accommodate all the Sergio fans three seminars were conducted over two days so the following info is compiled from all three seminars. Let's pull up a bench and get the straight scoop from the man they call The Myth. Take it away Sergio! 

Sergio (S): Well, I'm going to tell you the story of my life, Sergio Oliva! Don't be afraid. Just ask me anything you want to know.

Q: Can you tell us about your early days in powerlifting? 

S: I never did that! I was in Olympic lifting. I never was a big guy to start with but I was always real powerful. I competed in the 148, 165, and 181 pound classes. This was the way I got out of my country of Cuba and came to the United States in Miami. I started to bodybuild there and I was more powerful from the weightlifting. Three months later I was in the Mr. Florida contest. From there three months later I was beating guys that had been training five and 10 years! So I started training real good and training for the big contests. It was funny! When I was in the A.A.U. I was competing in Olympic lifting and physique contests at the same time. So this is the way it started.

Q: How old were you when you started? 

S: I started in bodybuilding at what I consider a late age. I was 22 at the time. To me the right age to start is around 16. I started late but I made it. I was working hard! I wanted to be the top one and I made it! What really makes me happy is that nobody gave me those titles. I was the winner! Lot of those guys I don't know but those days you had to win it. There were no deals! 

I was working real hard in a factory. It was a foundry and when it was 85 degrees outside it was almost 500 degrees inside! I saw guys twice my size pass out on a regular basis because of the heat. I worked there 12- and 14-hour days and from there I'd to to the gym and work out for three or four hours. Even in those days when I was the top one I didn't make a penny from it. I was the best but I didn't make a penny from it. 

I'm a phony bodybuilder! I eat anything! Now I know my physique and my potential. I don't say you can do it. For you should know yourself and know your limits! I'm the kind of guy that does anything he wants and I don't want you to tell me what to do. How can you tell me what to do when I know my own body better than you do!

I drink Coca Cola. I eat peas and beans and rice, chili, hot dogs! I don't care! I eat anything! Now I don't say I eat like that all the time. When I prepare for a contest I drop all the garbage and eat good but I'm not going to tell you that I spend all of my life eating vitamins and protein because that's bullshit! If I tell you that and one day you see me in a Pancake House eating pancakes you're going to wonder what's going on.

You're the only one that's going to find out the right way for yourself. Nobody has to tell you! 

They used to tell me no way you can eat like you do and improve. You can ask anyone that was against me. How about that crazy Cuban! They'll say he eats any kind of junk! They know! I don't care. This is me! I know what I can do. I know my limits. 

Q: What's your opinion on the use of steroids? 

S: I'll tell you what it is. When I started in this game we didn't use any of that stuff! Nothing! I didn't even know what it was then. Now all the top guys are using it. I see guys come in the gym and only work out for three months and start using steroids. It's wrong! In my personal opinion it's wrong! How can you know how much development you can get on your own without the drugs? You should see the maximum development you can get without it. Maybe some day you'll get to the point where you're going to get into a big contest and have a decision to make about taking the drugs. Some people really don't need it! There's a lot of ways to take it. You can take it through a doctor where you have a thorough checkup and the doctor will show you exactly how to use it and and how much, or you can go out and take it on your own. I don't believe anybody that's only been in the bodybuilding game for one or two years should use it! 



Q: Have you used it? 

S: Oh yeah! But I don't believe in the stuff. I only prepared for this show for seven weeks. I was doing squats and pulled the ligaments in my leg. So I needed something to prepare myself quick. However, I know my limit. But I've been in this game a lot of years. You get in the gym and one year later you're using the stuff. You don't know your potential this way! You might find you can have the same development without it. 

Q: What do you believe in sets and reps? Say, like an arm routine? 

S: My routine! It all depends! If I'm trying to gain weight I do less sets and increase the weight and eat anything! Now as a show gets closer I quit eating the garbage, I drop the heavy weight and train light. I increase the reps because I'm trying to burn! Say for instance I'm doing 12 sets when I'm trying to gain weight. Maybe I keep the 12 sets but not heavy anymore. I used light weights and when I used to do 10 reps; maybe I did 30 or 40 or 50 reps! So I work two different ways. Do you follow what I'm saying? I know some guys can go to the gym and do 3 sets and get pumped like hell. All right? Now this guy knows what he has to do. He knows his limits. He doesn't need to do 10 or 20 sets. It's just like vitamins; you only need to take so many. But people think the more you take the bigger you get. Your body can only handle so much protein and vitamins at one time.

I know some guys that 3 sets is all they need. For some guys 3 sets is just a warmup. They have do do a lot of sets to get the same benefit. The sets and reps, training heavy or light all depends upon the individual and how he responds to it. It doesn't make any difference how Mr. Magoo trains! You might never get to look like him. Find out what works for you! It doesn't make any difference if someone else has 23-inch arms. Maybe you can kill yourself for years and never get to look like him with his routine. You follow what I'm saying? Do what works for you! 

     


Continued. This is, YES!!!!!!!!! - a bit of a longish article.













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High Volume Leg Hell

October 27, 2018, 2:34 pm
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60 years ago . . . November 1958




HIGH VOLUME HELL 
by Neil "Yoda" Hill (2018) 

My own program, Y3T (Yoda 3 Training) - which I use to train elite level bodybuilders like William Bonac and Flex Lewis - has gained a reputation among even the most hardcore trainees as being, well, absolutely painstakingly savage. 




More specifically, the third week of the program, aka "Hell Week," has gained an infamous reputation because of the high-rep brutality deployed for total muscle annihilation. 

This is not just for effect, though - high rep training within the Y3T cycle is an immensely potent hypertrophy tool that can transform a stubborn muscle group into one that turns heads. Below, I dig deep into the fundamentals of Week 3 of Y3T and how it can help you achieve the best results of your life, along with a leg routine for you to try. But be warned: Shit is about to get serious. 


High Reps and Max Growth

High-rep training is something very few people ever experience, let alone apply correctly for an optimized hypertrophic response. Doing some drop sets at the end of a workout is not my idea of high-rep training. For the best results with high-rep training, your program needs to be periodized.

For instance, in Week One of Y3T the rep ranges are low, but you do more sets. This is less taxing on the central nervous system. In Week Two the rep ranges increase to a moderate load, while the working-set number decreases slightly. Finally, in Week Three the number of working sets is reduced further, yet the overall intensity (not referring here to % of max) goes up significantly for each working set due to the high rep ranges.


Leg Training Explained

There are three leg workouts (quads, hamstrings, calves) I suggest you try included here. The first thing you'll notice is that quads, hamstrings, and calves are broken up into three different days. This is for two reasons. The first being that three training sessions instead of one will grant you the opportunity to release more muscle-building hormones over time. The second reason is that high volume training is so taxing that, by the time you're done training quads, you'll be too fried to hit your hamstrings and calves with the intensity required for this type of training work.

Possibly the biggest mistake people make when applying high-rep training is picking the wrong weight and going too light. As a result, they get to around 80% of the target rep range and start to feel the burn. That's not Y3T high intensity, high rep training. About halfway through the set you should have to use rest-pause to finish. For instance, if the rep range on the leg press is between 20 and 30 reps, at around 10 reps you'll need to pause for a few seconds to recover. From here you might be doing a handful of reps at a time, breaking the set down like this until you're reduced to singles. This accurately describes how each set should feel, a vast difference to what most people perceive to be intense high-rep training. Please make sure you remember this when using Y3T, because it will make the difference between your experiencing the maximum benefits and not.


Quads:

Leg Extension, 3-4 sets x 12-15 reps, warming up
Leg Extension, 3-4 x 12-15
Leg Extension, 3 x 20-25, perform triple dropsets for each set.
Leg Press, 1-3 x warmup
Leg Press (all the way down, about 3/4 of the way up), 3 x 25-30, perform dropsets after each set.
Dumbbell Walking Lunge, 2 x 20-30
Barbell Squat, 2 x 20-25.

Hamstrings:

High-Stance Leg Press, 4 x 12-15
Standing One-Leg Curl, 4 x 20-25, perform dropsets after each set
High Stance Leg Press, 3 x 20-30
Barbell Stiff-Legged Deadlift, 3 x15-20.

Calves:

Seated Calf Raise, 4 x 12-15, 2 seconds up, contract hard, 2-3 second lower
Leg Press Calf Raise, 3 x 20-30, perform dropsets after each set
Seated Calf Raise, 3 x 20-30, perform dropsets after each set. 



   
























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Training on the Deadlift - Don Cundy (1973)

October 28, 2018, 12:56 pm
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Thanks to Bob Wildes for This! 




In my experience, training the deadlift for competition in powerlifting has always been a difficult job. Not only is the exercise itself a very exhausting one, but factors such as the number of sets and reps, number and type of assistance exercises, how heavy to train, and the frequency or timing of the workouts complicate training procedures tremendously. 

Since the lifter will win or lose the contest on the basis of the TOTAL poundage lifted, the training schedule adopted for one lift must be carefully planned so that it doesn't detract from the progress of the other two lifts. Ideally the training routine for the three lifts should complement each other, particularly on the squat and deadlift - something that is easier said than done.

It is my opinion that while the types of exercises used in strengthening the muscles for a lift are important, the SPACING of the workouts to insure sufficient time for the body to rest and rebuild worn out tissue is of equal, if not more importance. Probably one of the most common mistakes of powerlifters (as well as Olympic lifters and bodybuilders) is OVERTRAINING, usually resulting from efforts not to undertrain. As most successful weightlifters and bodybuilders already know, any type of physical exercise tears down the muscular tissues involved and it is only during the periods of rest between workouts that the body gets a chance to concentrate on repairing worn out tissue and building more. If the lifter does not allow enough time between workouts, the body may not be able to get the rebuilding job done. When this happens the lifter "goes stale" and may even get weaker.

When planning a workout schedule I consider three main factors: 

1) What exercises work the area best.

2) How do I space the exercises for a particular lift (in this case the deadlift) to allow sufficient time for the muscles involved to recuperate.

3) How should I space the exercises for all the lifts so that my general energy level will be high for the days I try limit poundages. 

While it should be emphasized that every lifter is different and consequently needs different amounts of rest between workouts to maximize his gains, the rest of the article will describe the system that I have found works best for me. 

Over the years I have found that I recover comparatively slowly from a workout and therefore have to allow a considerable amount of rest time between heavy training sessions. The system I have worked out to give me the rest time I need is is a program where the muscles involved doing the three powerlifts are worked twice a week, once heavy with single repetitions and once light for a fairly high number of repetitions. More specifically it goes something like this: 

Saturday: heavy benches and shoulder work, followed by moderately heavy squats and repetition power cleans in sets of 6 until I reach close to my limit for that number of sets and reps. This is followed by some sort of tricep and bicep work.

Monday: medium benches and some light shoulder and lat work - no leg or back work.

Wednesday - heavy squats and deadlifts for limit singles.

The Wednesday squat and deadlift workout warrants some further explanation. As anybody who has done these lifts knows, squats and deadlifts both work the back and leg muscles heavily and I find that if I do my limit on one I can't reach my maximum on the other in the same workout session or for several days thereafter. To get around this problem I do BOTH heavy squats and deadlifts on Wednesday but I alternate them ever week so that one week I do deadlifts first and the next week squats first. This allows me to see what my real limits are on each lift every other week and at the same time by doing both together I obtain added endurance for contest situations. With this schedule I can go heavy on each lift once a week and get from four to five days rest between the heavy singles workout and the medium repetition session which preceded it. This gives my muscles enough time to rest and lets me keep my overall energy level high.

As I just indicated, I do heavy back work only once each week. The exercise I have found best for building basic deadlifting power is the stiff-legged deadlift while standing on a block. This allows a deeper, fuller movement to be performed, exercising the whole spinal erector area thoroughly. If the lifter keeps his body bent slightly forward to avoid dragging the bar up the thighs the upper back and trapezius will be heavily worked as well. After working up to my limit in the SDL I then remove the block and with the aid of two spotters I take a weight approximately 150 lbs. in excess of my limit in this stiff-legged style and hold the weight in the completed deadlift position for approximately 15-20 seconds, finally lowering the bar to the ground as slowly as I can. By doing this last assistance exercise I accustom my body to weights slightly heavier than I plan on attempting in competition and strengthen my grip at the same time.

Following Wednesday's heavy squat and deadlift workout, I do nothing for my back until Saturday when I do the power cleans. Since my back is still a little fatigued from Wednesday's workout, I do only about 80% of my maximum in the power cleans for 2 sets of around 6 reps. For example, if I think I am capable of 300x6 I will only do 250x6.

The term "power clean" has often been misused so I would like to point out that I consider a power clean to be a smooth continuous pull from the floor until the bar is fixed at the shoulders. There should be no bending of the knees or dropping under the bar of any kind while the lift is being performed. If the lift is done in this manner the traps are worked very heavily and quick explosive starting power is developed for the deadlift. By the way, both deadlifts and power cleans should be performed WITHOUT straps since the use of such aids will tend to weaken the grip.

The above system has worked well for me and will work well for many of you. It should be remembered, however, that it isn't necessary to follow the system exactly. The general principles are the important thing and the individual lifter should feel free to modify it to suit his own personal needs.        

    













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Mechanics of the Deadlift - Don Cundy (1970)

October 28, 2018, 1:37 pm
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Courtesy of Liam Tweed


Originally Published in This Issue (October 1970)
48 years ago! 






Most of the powerlifters I have talked with agree that the taller lifter has an advantage over the shorter man when it comes to deadlifting. However, ask them why this is the case and you will get various replies. 

While I have to agree that taller men do seem to make out best at deadlifting, I feel the advantage stems not from the height alone but from certain other leverage factors usually associated with tall men.

It is accepted that short arms are an advantage for bench pressing and it is obvious the man with short legs has an easier time of squatting. 

In deadlifting, the longer the arms of the lifter, the less he needs to bend over to grasp the bar at the start of the lift, and the shorter the distance will be from floor to erect position. Another factor that many lifters ignore, but which is nevertheless important, is the length of the back.

A few years ago, many were surprised at Terry Todd's deadlifting prowess when he had such short arms. For a while, I too was puzzled. It was not until I had studied Terry's physique and observed that he possessed a relatively short back, a fact that allowed him good pulling leverage for the last part of the deadlift when the bar has passed the knees and the legs are almost straight. That's when the back takes over most of the strain. 

In my opinion, there are two basic deadlifting styles - the "hump-back" and the nearly straight-back. I employ the latter. While I oppose the first method because of the strain it puts on the spine, this style has helped many increase deadlift poundages. And this is especially true in the case of lifters with long backs. The "hump-back" affords better leverage by shortening the lifter's back. But there is also a big disadvantage. If the lifter does not keep his back straight at the start of the deadlift most of that starting thrust of the legs and hips will be absorbed by the rounding back and starting power is lost. This is why so many lifters who hump their backs at the start of the deadlift have such slow starts. 

I have found that the best way to perform a successful deadlift with heavy poundages is to begin the lift with a relatively straight back so as to get maximum starting drive from the hips and legs. As the bar reaches knee height, it might help some lifters to round their backs slightly for better leverage. 

It is a common mistake to straighten the legs at a more rapid rate than the back, thereby throwing the full strain of the lift on the back muscles. The back and leg muscles should work together for maximum pulling power in the deadlift.


 Click Pic to ENLARGE


Since the short-armed person has the hardest time getting the weight started off the floor, and a relatively easy time once the bar reaches knee height, he requires a different kind of training from that employed by the tall lifter with long arms. 

The short man needs to powerize the lower back area in his training. And the best exercise for building lower back strength is the stiff-legged deadlift, performed while standing on a block. Regular deadlifts should also be done since you obviously cannot handle maximum poundages in the stiff-legged style. And the only way to get the feel of heavy poundages is to train with heavy poundages. 

For the long-armed, long-backed lifter, exercises that bomb the upper back and trapezius will help prevent him losing the lift just as the bar reaches the above knee position. Partial deadlifts from two inches below the knee on a power rack, and high pull power cleans will work wonders. Since very heavy weights can be handled in the partial deadlift, the grip is also strengthened. Power cleans develop explosive power, keep the lower back strong and activate the traps violently.

There is no magic exercise or special wonder combination of sets and reps. That which works for one might not work for the next. The general training principles described here are important. 

Probably the best advice anyone can give you to improve your lifting is to keep your eyes and ears open and learn about yourself.     

  
















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Biceps with a Twist and a Tilt - Frank Love

October 28, 2018, 4:17 pm
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Robby Robinson



Granted, you may have read a ton on training biceps. Since no one has yet to reinvent the wheel, you might safely assume that any article on biceps is just another rewarming of old material. However, the variables attached to those exercises - the many ways of altering a workout - can change the entire face of the same old fare. It can also add new muscle to your upper arms . . .


There are numerous ways to alter a workout and improve the benefits of any given exercise. Whether you vary the pace, weight, apparatus, repetitions or sets, incorporating these variables can make the difference between a candy-ass workout and a complete dismantling of everything meek and mild about your biceps.

After all, you're in the gym to get bigger, aren't you? You wouldn't spend all the time and energy you expend on some half-assed workout (is halfassed hyphonated?) that might . . . quite possibly . . . if you're lucky . . . every other Sunday on even days . . . maybe make you bigger. Why do it otherwise? To look like some underwear model in the Sunday Times? Yeah, right.

The only problem is which variable you should choose and when. During which workout? And with which weight and apparatus? Well, no one can possibly provide that information for you. Even though the sincerest form of flattery is imitation, not even that will provide a meter for your own body. No matter who sets forth a workout to follow, you'll still have to try it for yourself for a while and determine its worth. That can take years.

There is, however, one way you can assure yourself that your biceps will respond to any variable and stimulus. Sure, you have to change apparatus occasionally like everyone else (and we all know that variety is still the only game in town regardless of what activity you're talking about). But, this is something you can do to enhance any style of workout. This technique in combination with a deliberate choice of other variables should make your workouts better than ever.

The idea may not seem new because it's one of the basics you learn as you are being baptized into gym life. It's not magic. But think about it. When you learned the importance of variety in training, did you ever really find out why it is beneficial to your workouts? Past the first year have you faithfully applied it on a regular basis?

This technique we're speaking of is the rotation, twist, and angle applied to each rep of each set. It may sound insipid and totally worthless to a person who looks only for the newest and most complicated way to train the body, but give it a chance - once you find out more of the facts about it.

One of the best ways to look at rotation - the twisting and turning of the joints while resistance is applied - is to consider the feet while a person runs. You've certainly heard of supination and pronation if you've ever stopped into a local athletic footwear store and stood for any length of time in the shoe section. These are common terms, most people assume, applicable only to running and the feet.

They also apply to bodybuilding in many ways.

Supination and pronation indicate the turning in or turning out of a joint, or, in the case of a hand or foot, the appendage connected to any joint. Changing the angle of a joint by the tilt or twist of he wrist seems such a simple device. That it might have a large impact on the muscle group is almost inconceivable to some people, but twisting and turning the wrist while working biceps can drastically affect the part of the biceps being targeted. [This can be applied to other bodyparts.] What's more, it will still allow you to work the entire surface of the muscle group while focusing on one specific part at the top or bottom of the movement. This is an advantage because you many not want to spend all day working your biceps.

In fact, working the biceps too long and hard can cause the opposite effect of what was originally desired. The smaller the muscle group (and the biceps are among the smaller ones), the more easily you can overtrain it. If you were to work the biceps through a routine of "plain vanilla" exercises and were always to lift the weights with a flat wrist, then move on to more complex combined movements, the stress would be too much for your biceps to handle and they might actually lose size instead of growing.

Combining as much technique as possible into one movement is crucial to any good workout, but it's particularly critical for those muscle groups which cannot handle excessive sets. Reps, however, are a different story. In this workout you are advised to use a high rep scheme because there is invariably more than one angle from which to work the muscle. Using only one angle per workout limits growth and development. Instead, employing two or three angles per exercise can enhance your workout every time.

The angle of the elbow joint also contributes to the effectiveness of various twists and turns during a biceps exercise. [You're going to try to find ways to apply this to other bodyparts, right] Not only can you effect change during each exercise by altering the position and angle of the wrist, but you can also create a completely different center of gravity. This exercise then becomes different again.

For example, the first exercise in this sample workout is Seated DB Curls. After a warmup of light alternating dumbbell curls the next step is to raise your elbows so that instead of keeping them close to your rib cage they move up and out, causing a new angle. Think of your arm as a sort of whip. The angles change as the arm moves upward, and those twists and turns travel along the locus of the whip to create a different effect nearly every inch of the way. Because the angle of the twist of the elbow and wrist are always changing, the exercise is optimally effective.

           
Sit upright, either with your back against a support or by maintaining good posture, and lift your elbows as the biceps curl the weight. Keep that angle changing at all times. Turn the thumbs out at the top, and either turn them back in as you lower the weight or keep them turned out and lower the weight slowly.

Do 2 x 10-15 slowly and deliberately, getting full benefit of the difference in angles.


Move next to seated barbell curls. Though it may seem like overkill to do a similar exercise with a different apparatus, the barbell allows you to vary hand grip and elbow placement. When you're set with a comfortable weight that will accommodate these changes, you're ready to begin. Let the bar rest in the palms of your hands and grip it with your fingertips instead of fingers and thumbs. Start with the bar lower than your knees, and curl slightly out in front of your knees and shins. When you get to the top of the movement, hold the weight and make certain that your wrists and bent backwards so that the bar is cradled securely in your palms. When you are secure with the weight, slide your grip out about 12 inches on either side. Bring your thumbs around and your wrists back toward your body before lowering the weight slowly. In the second set take a moderate to wide standard grip with the wrists broken away from the body. As you lift, gradually bring your elbows up gradually. At the halfway point curl your wrists toward your face while exaggerating your thumbs outward as if you had dumbbells in hand. Lower the weight back. Keep them flat.

Do 2 x 12-15 slowly and with plenty of contraction.

The final exercise is one-arm biceps curls with a cable. This is a more obvious application of using different angles of the wrist to effect change. The elbow can become involved in much the same way as it has in the other exercises. Cables have the advantage of providing a reverse pull on the biceps through the movement. Dumbbells and barbells supply gravity resistance, but cables give a constant tension that you don't get with other apparatus.

Crouch two or three feet away from a low cable pulley and grip a handle. In the first set break your wrist back and bring your elbow high so that the heel of your hand is level with your forehead. Squeeze at the top. In the second set flex your wrist forward. Alternate turning it in and out for supination and pronation. Alternating in this manner allows you to get a feel of the inner biceps head and the outer brachialis.

Do 2 x 12-15 slowly and deliberately, using moderate weight.

So . . .

   
. . . a few simple tips to help you build the biceps you've always wanted without overtraining. By combining several techniques into one movement, you add to the effectiveness of your workout. You don't want to work the biceps too long and too hard.

Remember, a simple twist (and tilt) of fate in your workout is all you need to experience new growth from old, familiar exercises. 
















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Bruce Wilhelm Profile/Interview not complete yet - Herb Glossbrenner

October 29, 2018, 10:19 pm
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Bruce Wilhelm was unleashed on the world on July 13, 1945 in Watsonville, CA. Coincidentally, three days later in the white sands 50 miles NW of Alamogordo, a city in Southern New Mexico - the first atomic bomb was detonated. Was it a belated announcement of the Iron Game's most outspoken strongman? Watsonville, a quiet community in Northern California registered her protest 45 years later. It was the epicenter of the devastating Loma Prieta earthquake. 

Bruce's unquenchable thirst to acquire great athletic strength became, through the years, a sounding board for his exuberant, extroverted personality. Some found his brash manner offensive. In the Iron World of patronizing politicians and wishy-washy wimps, I find his "tell it like it is" attitude a breath of fresh air.

It was March 1985 when fate intervened. It was after Bruce had retired from the combat arena, leafing his indelible mark in the annals of strengthdom. He was in Hawaii commiserating his terminated marriage. Cupid harpooned the great white whale - it was love at first sight. A poolside beauty grabbed his attention. Bruce, never known to be shy with the ladies, got her attention immediately. Moby Dick flopped down on the concrete beside her. His persuasiveness paid off. Yumi soon became his lovely Japanese wife. She is now 31 and Bruce is 49 (1993). Beauty soothes the savage beast. They are the proud parents today of two children; Jennifer (6) and Brian (8). Family life has mellowed the strongman and changed his perspective on life. 

As a competitive athlete he was the center of his own world. Now he revolves around his family. Every great athlete can become a legend in his own mind if not his own time. After all the years of shelling oysters, Bruce finally found his prize pearl. Bruce, who once kept company with crude dudes, distanced himself from former associates. The Japanese culture refined Bruce. "I'm not the easiest person to live with. Her tolerance made me want to change," Bruce confided. "I find myself never cussing around the house. I respect my family too much." These days his co-existence with others is much more bearable.

He proudly tells that both his kids, at age 5, could do 5 complete pullups (something the average red-blooded 14 year old American boy can't do. Both like soccer. He does not encourage them to take up the weights. Pictures of his own lifting days grace the living room in full view. Both have watched his World's Strongest Man video tapes numerous times. They have found it outrageously funny. "Just in case they might be so inclined," Bruce explained, "they can be anything they want in life with my blessings, as long as it's not a (expletive)."

Bruce thrived on athletic achievement. His older brother Bob and younger Steve made it a family affair. In Jr. High he grappled, swam and threw the shot, and punched a few mugs. In 1959, at age 15, he got his first barbell. He quickly outgrew his beginner's set and got into it heavy duty. He stood a shade over 6' and weighed 180 when he started. By his senior year he reached his full height - 6'3" - and filled out to 240. He did it all: water polo, shot, discus and wrestling. He was All American in both athletics and wrestling. 

When just a freshman he threw the shot further like a baseball than via the conventional style. This style hurt his elbow. In his senior year, after learning proper technique, he sailed the 12-lb. ball 65'8". Bruce saw his idols, O'Brien and Long, throw in the '60 Olympic trials and later on witnessed Gubner and Long at the '62 US/USSR Dual Meet in California.

So, it was no surprise that Bruce picked Stanford as his collegiate choice among numerous scholastic offers. He won the PAC Hwt. wrestling title there, going undefeated. An elephant never forgets. Bruce recognized an opponent as one who'd beaten him in high school. The guy was then pinned in a whirlwind 16 seconds - a school record. He later transferred to OSU to concentrate on wrestling. He was national runner-up in Greco Roman grappling and 3rd in the Nationals - freestyle. He made the World Team, but untimely injuries kept him out of the spotlight (torn knee cartilage, sprained ankle and separated shoulder). 


So, back to the shotput. Bruce, always a southpaw, chucked the 16-lb. iron ball 66' 1/4", at the time a left-handed World Record. His best ever throw was 68' 9" in an impromptu competition. He bettered that by 1/4" in practice and threw the hammer (only two turns) 179 feet. He also spun the discus an impressive 205' 9". By 1970 his bodyweight climbed to 275 and he'd taken up weightlifting. Wilhelm also tried a few power meets and won, but never trained on them. 

Uncle Sam interrupted his education and he was stationed at Ft. Benjamin, Harrison, outside Indianapolis, IN. Bruce made contact with Winston Binney, Indiana's strongest man (1st teenager in the world to Clean 400 lbs./1961). They made connections and Binney drove down from South Bend. Announcing their arrival beforehand they pulled into the driveway at Ron Hale's garage gym in New Castle (Hale was the 1969 165-lb. Sr. National PL Champ). Our usual Sunday afternoon workout became an important event. Winston put on quite a show and clean and jerked 400 lbs. Bruce, whose best at the time was 375, was equally impressed. Bruce predicted that not only would he be doing that amount in the clean and jerk soon, but someday he'd snatch it!

A boisterous outburst of a prophecy? I wasn't sure at the time but I never forgot it.  


Weightlifting soon became the full time focus of his talents. He improved by leaps and bounds. In 1974 he was Senior National runner-up by just 11 lbs. (330 - 419 for a 749 total). The following year (1975) he won his first National title (336 - 430 = 766) by a 22 lb. margin. Bruce earned a trip to the World Championships in Moscow and improved dramatically.

He snatched 369 and jerked 441 for a 7th place finish. The Pan Ams in Mexico came shortly thereafter. Bruce developed a bad case of dysentery (don't drink the water) and spent three miserable days before he lifted, not expecting to earn the crown. Two bottles of Pepto later, Bruce rose to the occasion and met his Cuban opponent - Fernandez. It was like two runaway locomotives coming head on. Bruce lifted excellently, especially in his weakened condition. He snatched 363 and jerked a personal best - 468! He was only 5-1/2 lbs. shy of the gold medal, but earned a great deal of respect for his courageous performance. His 832 total moved him up several notches on the world SHW ladder. 

Olympic year rolled around. At a meet in Glendale, Ca, he made his all time best Clean and Jerk - 485 on May 1st. Bruce won the Nationals by a 49.5 lb. margin over Texan Sam Walker. He lifted a 374 snatch and 474 clean and jerk for an 848 total. His landslide victory earned him a coveted berth on the Olympic team going to Montreal, Canada.

At the Games he gained a surprise silver medal in the snatch event with a tremendous lift of 380-1/4 lbs. Bruce clean and jerked 474 in the second event and was in 5th with an aggregate of 854 lbs. During the lift he strained a knee ligament. He valiantly tried a PR equaling 485 going for the overall bronze medal finish. He cleaned it, but couldn't exercise full strength in the second phase.Due to the injury, he missed the jerk. So, Bruce took home one medal instead of two, as well as a badly swollen knee. Nevertheless, it was a remarkable demonstration of intestinal fortitude.

Following the Olympics, Bruce underwent knee surgery. He was born with Osgood-Slaughter's Disease, a congenital bone defect. It caused a painful protuberance of the knee called a tibular tuberosity. It was removed and they reattached the patella tendon, but he may have pushed his recovery a bit too fast.

Bruce was physically unable to defend his National title in 1977, re-injuring himself in a tuneup meet. Earlier in the year he traveled to Vilnius, Lithuania for the Friendship Cup Tournament. He placed 2nd there with 358 and 452. It was there his knee problem flared up again. By August he'd healed sufficiently to eclipse Patera's longstanding (5 years) American snatch record of 386.5, when he lifted 391.3. Later that year he became the first American to snatch 400 (402.3) at Bakersfield, CA. I vividly recalled his forecast of only seven years earlier. 

Wilhelm held himself together long enough to earn a high 5th place finish at the Worlds that Fall in Stuttgart. His showing drew considerable attention and he was invited to participate in the World's Strongest Man competition ("Strength is his realm and none could overcome Wilhelm").



He came  out the winner and turned more than a few heads. He was voted Strength & Health magazine's Lifter of the Year, winning the tally be a considerable margin. Bruce retired from active W/L competition due to recurring elbow and knee problems, but defended his WSM title in July 1978.

The competition was even tougher the second time around. Bruce was at full strength and big as a house at 326. It came down to the final event - the tug-o-war. His semifinal pull against Sweden's massive Lars ("Large") Hedlund was extraordinary. Bruce won and both men required oxygen after due to the smog, heat and exhaustion. Wilhelm faced the the Levittown Leviathan in the final pull. It was Son Reinhoudt, 5 times World Powerlifting Champion. At 6'3"/344 he was the biggest man in the contest (18 lbs. heavier than Bruce). He was a most formidable foe and a bit miffed as well.

Bruce had been chiding him for the benefit of the TV cameras. It was a titanic struggle. Bruce figured that Don may have underestimated him, and Bruce - an opportunist from the word go - rose to the occasion. Wilhelm overwhelmed and took home all the marbles. Don trained like a demon his mind on revenge for 1979. The rematch between these two superstars never transpired. Bruce had his elbow operated on and was unable to participate. Don won the WSM the next time around and we can speculate until the cows come home as to what might have been.

HG: Bruce, you are one strong (expletive)! What made you decide to concentrate on weightlifting and not on powerlifting?

BW: The main reason was that I wanted to go to the Olympics. Weightlifting is an Olympic sport, powerlifting is not. I was best suited for explosive movements. Heavy squats and deadlifts for prolonged periods could have wrecked my knee sooner. I couldn't have beaten Reinhoudt on the powerlifts anyway.

HG: Neither could anyone else. What were your powerlifts? Did you ever try a max on them?

BW: Yes, at different times over the years. In 1973 I Oly squatted (bar high on neck) 775. Power-style with knee wraps I did 800. I never practiced deadlifts, but had a lot of back strength from power cleans (best 462). When my knees were really bothering me, I resorted to this style. In 1977 I did a 793 deadlift. It was a one time deal. I benched 562 with a pause in 1980 after specializing on it a while. That's 2155 - no big deal for a SHW, but not too shabby for an Olympic lifter.


HG: No, indeed. what were some of your other best lifts?

BW: 485 press on an incline bench of about 40 degrees. Unassisted, I cleaned a pair of 207.5 lb. dumbbells and pressed them for 5 consecutive reps on a 45 degree incline bench. I did a pair of 187.5's for 13! Front squat - 515 x 3. Rack jerk - 551, jerk behind the neck - 573.

HG: Who is the best superheavy powerlifter of all time?

BW: No question in my mind - it's Reinhoudt.



His 2420 lasted seven years. Kaz beat it by only 5 pounds. Don wore no belt or wraps or any of today's supportive gear. Kazmaier did. Remember, Don had nobody to push him. If they'd met, head to head, Don would've creamed Bill. I may have ruffled Reinhoudt's feathers at the WSM, but I'll credit where credit is due - he was the BEST.

The section on Don Reinhoudt from Terry Todd's "Inside Powerlifting" is here:
http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2012/08/don-reinhoudt-terry-todd.html

HG: What about Cole? Is he the greatest amateur athletic strongman of all time?

BW: Using your criteria of combined W/L and P/L total, the proof is in the pudding. Stats don't lie. He deserves that title. I have no problem with that.

A four part article about Jon Cole, here:
http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2017/05/jon-cole-part-one-herb-glossbrenner-1994.html
http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2017/05/jon-cole-part-two-herb-glossbrenner-1994.html
http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2017/05/jon-cole-part-three-herb-glossbrenner.html
http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2017/05/jon-cole-part-four-herb-glossbrenner.html

Cole weighed 283. Don broke his 2370 by 50 lbs. but he was 70 lbs. heavier. If Jon could have weighed 300, he'd have done 975-625-925! That's my opinion.

HG: What about Anderson.





BW: Come on, Herb. I've previously told you I can't compare anyone with Paul. The Mega Monarch of Might was one of a kind. He's in a class all his own. If anyone has a problem with that let their Id tussle with their Ego until Turkish prisons become tourist resorts!

HG: Who are your other favorite powerlifters?

BW: Two were Hugh Cassidy and James (Gene) Roberson. Roberson weighed only 280 and blew Terry Todd off the map - high bar squat, no wraps and he quit at age 23. If he'd continued, he would have done 2300. After a 30 year layoff, he's back now, winning World Masters titles.

An article by Terry Todd on Roberson, here:
http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2016/06/gene-roberson-terry-todd-1966.html

Cassidy beat Williams and won the '71 World Power meet. He had balanced lifts - good in all of them. His form was impeccable, bottomed out on the squats and wore no supportive stuff.    

http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2017/10/my-long-road-to-top-hugh-cassidy-1972.html

HG: Who do you admire most in weightlifting?

BW: Schemansky, Vlasov, and Patera.





 Schemansky's career lasted 25 years. When he retired at 46 he could still C&J 400. He was the only guy in W/L to win four medals in four different Olympics. He set 29 USA records and 24 World records and was National, World, and Olympic champ. After three major back operations returned at age 38 and broke the World Record snatch with 362. He almost beat Vlasov in '62, a man 11 years younger than himself.

Note: Schemansky, as a real hero, is important to America, because America was founded on ideals. An ideal is a standard of perfection for all men, a model of excellence. An image is an illusion, pseudo ideal. The hero reflects ideals. A hero is a human figure who has shown greatness in some achievements. He is a man of great deeds. A celebrity or punk hero reflects illusions. The hero created himself. The punk hero is created by publicity and mass media. The celebrity is a big name, the hero a big man. 





Vlasov was the first streamlined SHW with great muscularity. He was a scholar as well - five times World and Olympic champ, six times European champ and he set 32 World records. If it were not for the changing of the guard, he'd have won the '64 Olympics in Tokyo. If you believe that B.S. story that Zhabo outsmarted him you must still believe in the tooth fairy.






Yuri later became a writer and was very outspoken about the oppression of the Russian people under Communist rule.  



 
 Enough with the pics.

Eh.





Patera, continued . . . 



 









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Chest/Shoulder Tie-In Routine - Ernest P. Cottrell

November 1, 2018, 6:06 pm
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Originally Published in This Issue (October '63)


More Ernest Cottrell articles here:
Squat Proficiency Routine - 
Beginner's Advanced Arm Routine: 


Bob Warner



Bob Warner, that young muscular marvel who has appeared in "Physical Power" in the past, demonstrates the two exercises that are primarily responsible for shoulder and chest "tie-in" - these two regions working together to form a COMPLETE muscular union, both in physical development and performance.

Bodybuilders will experience a rapid development of FULLNESS in this area that will "finish" upper chest development and add greatly to their chest size and appearance. Athletes will find that exercise in this inclined position closely approximates many sports movements such as shot-putting, javelin throw, football, gymnastics, discus, baseball pitching, boxing, and tennis.

Note: this was during the time that coaches were using resistance exercises that mimicked the movements of specific sports. We are so much schmarter now, right?

Also, greater "vital capacity" (the ability to inspire more oxygen-laden air into the lungs) will be developed for superior endurance and recuperation while engaged in sports activities. 


Performance

First, we have the Barbell Incline Press, an excellent power building press movement. Bob is shown using a handspacing that is somewhat wide. Some people prefer a slightly closer grip; experiment with the grip until you find one that allows you to use maximum weight. Start with the barbell at the chest. Take a deep breath, then in a smooth manner proceed to press the 'bell up to arms' length overhead while exhaling completely, hold only a moment, then lower to the starting position, taking another deep breath; repeat. Perform this movement rapidly, but smoothly; don't jerk the bar up.

The second movement is the Dumbbell Incline Flye. This is an excellent movement for chest and shoulder tie-in development, rib-cage stretching to aid vital capacity and for coordination; each arm independent and working the chest and shoulder muscles from compound angles not to be had from a barbell alone.

Bob shows the low position. This varies with each individual; some go very low, others won't. Start with the dumbbells at arms' length overhead, palms forward, then bend the elbows slightly and proceed to lower the 'bells as far as possible while inhaling deeply. Hold a moment, then exhale while raising the dumbbells to the starting position in a smooth, rhythmic manner. Stress the breathing here. DON'T PERFORM THIS EXERCISE RAPIDLY.


Weights Used

In the Incline Barbell Press use a weight that will allow you to perform: athletes 6 reps, bodybuilders 8 reps, then work up until you can perform: athletes 10, bodybuilders 12 reps. Add weight as soon as you are able.


Schedule

Athletes: do 4 sets of the prescribed reps in the Barbell Incline Press, resting about 3 minutes between sets. After all 4 sets of this exercise are completed, rest about 5 minutes, then start the Dumbbell Flyes. Perform 4 sets of the prescribed number of reps, resting 2 minutes between sets.

Bodybuilders: do 5 sets of each exercise. The exercises won't be separated as in the athletes routine. The incline press will ALTERNATE with the flyes. Do one set of presses, rest 2 minutes, do one set of the flyes, rest 2 minutes, another set of presses . . . etc., until all 5 sets of both exercises are completed. This is a rough routine, so start easy and work up as your strength and endurance increases. (Note: because the flyes can strongly exhaust the chest/shoulders, you may have to adjust the pressing weights as you proceed through the sets in order to keep within the rep range. Or not. Tough guy.) Add this to your regular chest routine for chest specialization, or use it in place of your regular chest routine for a change of pace workout.



















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Functional Isometric Contraction System, Part Two - Bob Hoffman (1962)

November 1, 2018, 8:30 pm
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Thanks to Liam Tweed.
Good friends are few and far between.


Click Pics to ENLARGE






Part One is Here:
http://ditillo2.blogspot.ca/2017/12/functional-isometric-contraction-system.html


True Facts About Functional Isometric Contraction Training

The limit of maximum effort is set by many inhibits or restraints within our body. This is nature's way of preventing injury to the body. Many lifters have the muscular strength to lift much more than they have ever lifted but they have inhibitions within themselves that prevent them from making a maximum effort.

All of us are familiar with unusual feats of strength or speed performed under stress conditions, such as the boy who ran and leaped over a high fence when a bull was chasing him, which he was never able to jump there after. Of the strength the drowning man displays; or the case of the apparently frail mother who lifted a heavy car off her child. She injured her back in the process, which well illustrates nature's need for restraints within the body. Some of this sudden strength is due to the increase of adrenaline in the system induced by the excitement, the fear, the necessity. But, most of it was due to the removal of mental inhibitions to maximum effort. By using the Functional Isometric Contraction system, these inhibitions can be quickly reduced, enabling you to use more of the strength you already have . . . the strength that is already within your body.

How can Functional Isometric Contraction remove these inhibitions? It removes inhibitions by allowing the lifter to exert maximum force in the various lifting positions, for a period of approximately 8 to 12 seconds. By doing this the lifter will get the feel of maximum strain in these positions without the fear of injury. Fear of injury is prevented by a gradual contraction, rather than the sudden maximum contraction that is used in the old method of training. After the lifter has trained by the Functional Isometric Contraction system and gets the feel of the amount of force that he can exert with his muscles in the various lifting positions, he will unconsciously remove many of the mental inhibitions to maximal effort.


5% Gain Per Week, 100% Gain in 20 Weeks

The average man can increase his functional strength 100% in a 20 week period by using the Functional Isometric Contraction system of training. Dr. Mueller has proven this with his research in Germany and Dr. Barnham has reaffirmed this theory with his research at Louisiana State University. Both of these men constructed special measuring devices so that they could keep accurate measurements of the development of strength in the men who were subjects of their experiments. The instrument can accurately measure the amount of force exerted by the subject in a lifting position. Over 175 m;en took part in this experiment and the average gain in strength was 5%. These studies conclusively prove that one hard contraction per day would develop maximum strength.

Experienced lifters cannot expect to continue to gain at the rate of 5% per week. Paul Anderson, who can press over 400 pounds, could not expect to press 800 in 20 weeks, but any man can expect to gain much more than they ever thought possible. Louis Riecke gained 65 pounds in his press in four months and he was considered to be a good lifter when he started using Functional Isometric Contraction. He had repeatedly won the Southern Championship, had won the Junior National Championships, the National YMCA championship and many open meets. A beginning lifter who could press 100 pounds is one who would have a good chance to double his strength in 20 weeks, pressing 200 pounds. The inclusion of Functional Isometric Contraction in his training changed Louis Riecke from a good lifter to one of the world's greatest. Even the already great lifters can expect a steady increase in their lifting ability if they use this Functional Isometric Contraction system of training.


Individual Differences

The Functional Isometric Contraction system of training is a guide for the average lifter. All lifters do not develop in exactly the same way. There are individual differences in the development of functional strength in lifters. The basic principle of positive Isometric Contraction is usable and functional for all lifters, but some small adjustment in the positions of contraction and the number of positions to be used must be made by some lifters.

Although there is a great deal of individual difference between lifters, there are many more similarities among lifters than there are differences. One of the common faults of those who make adjustments in the Functional Isometric Contraction system is to include too many contracting positions. This causes overwork. Remember -- stimulate the muscles for development, but don't approach complete fatigue.


Don't Overwork

Most lifters work too hard. They fatigue themselves beyond recovery between workouts. All of their energy is used in recovering from their workout, rather than developing new strength. Stimulate your muscles for development but don't approach complete fatigue. These facts are the reason we have repeatedly offered the advice not to work on your nerve too often. Yet if you don't make a maximum effort at times, make maximum demands, you can not expect to gain in strength and muscle as you desire. That is why we say that you have to be your own trainer, we can tell you what to do, offer advice and instruction, but only you know how you feel, only you know how much you can stand of hard training without retarding your overall progress.


The chief advantage of Functional Isometric Contraction is that it does not make you tired. Instead of waiting a full day before you can exercise again, you can exercise the following day and continue training day after day. In fact, Functional Isometric Contraction can be practiced on the days between your regular workouts, be they weight lifting workouts or body building workouts. With this system, you should at least double your progress. You must remember, however, that you can do too much Isometric Contraction training. It seems so easy, it does not tire you, that you feel like going on and on, performing exercise after exercise, trying to speed your progress at a still greater rate. So if you do not find yourself continuing to gain as rapidly as you at first did, or as rapidly as you expect, take stock of yourself. Perhaps you have been working too hard in your enthusiasm. Take things a bit easier for a time. Perform less exercises on your regular weight training days. Be sure that you do not have more than one limit or really hard day a week. Use the Medium, Light, and Heavy System.  

 How many times do I haves to tell ya . . . 
Click Pic to ENLARGE! 

All research seems to prove that one hard contraction a day is enough stimulus to develop the muscle to its maximum. Any work beyond this tends to hinder development rather than help development. 

Other research experts in this area, experts in this area, such as the late Dr. C.H. McCloy, of the State University of Iowa, believed that one maximum contraction would produce better development than numerous partial contractions. Dr. John Ziegler of Olney, Md., who has perhaps worked longer and done more research than any other . . .

"Isometrics, The Isotron, and Dr. John Ziegler" (2017) by Bill March, here:
http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2017/09/isometrics-isotron-dr-john-ziegler.html 
Thanks also to Jan Dellinger for the article above.

. . . Dr. Drury of LSU, Bob Hoffman, Alvin Roy and Louie Riecke all agree that one maximum effort, one maximum contraction in each position is the best way.

One of the hardest theories of Functional Isometric Contraction for most lifters to accept is that the principle of one contraction per day in each position is enough of a workout. Most lifters, after they train with the Functional Isometric Contraction system for a few weeks and begin to feel their new power, become so anxious for more power that they will increase their workouts. The only way to increase the workout should be to develop the ability to put forth more effort in each contractional position. Progress is measured in direct proportion to the lifter's ability to put forth a supreme effort in each of the exercises.

Many lifters who increase their workouts (that is, increase the number of movements) after three or four weeks of Functional Isometric Contraction training find that they have stopped gaining in functional strength. That is the time to reduce the program, as far as number of movements are concerned. Don't decrease the supreme effort in each exercise. Instead of doing the three three's at this point, you may have to reduce the number of exercises to two of each. But be sure that you use a system of rotation, practicing a different two on each training day, as it is not wise to omit one of the worthy three times three permanently.

So DON'T OVERWORK. Follow the principle of work set up in the Functional Isometric Contraction System of Training.


Fatigue

Nature's way of developing strength in animals is to have the animal stretch hard and hold this position for a few seconds. Watch your dog or cat. Several times during the day it will stretch and make itself as long as possible. This develops its extensor muscles. Then at another time, the dog or cat will hump its back and hold this position for several seconds. This develops its flexor muscles. You will never se and animal go through a long drawn out training period.

The next time you have an opportunity, look at the animals in the zoo, the animals of the cat tribe. They pace back and forth. They occasionally jump up on the little platform in their cages, and they stretch. That is all they do to remain in magnificent physical condition. Even animals born in captivity, who have never been out of their cages, are in wonderful physical condition. This well illustrates that it does not take too much to just keep in condition.

This exercise, the Cat Stretch, is one of the six exercises in the world famous Bob Hoffman Daily Dozen. It is the world's oldest human exercise and has been practiced for thousands of years in the Orient.

Worth noting here that this entire book, "Functional Isometric Contraction" is available here: 
https://www.scribd.com/doc/129137766/Bob-Hoffman-Functional-Isometric-Contraction

Okay then.       

 


 
      




























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Integrative Training - Richard A. Winett

November 4, 2018, 3:08 pm
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The back issues of Master Trainer are available here: 
I ordered them a few years ago. They are very good.
Where did I put those files?

Integrated Training: The Search for the Perfect Routine
by Richard A. Winett

Originally Published in This Issue (November 1987) 

Every bodybuilder fantasizes about developing the perfect routine and making astonishing gains. However, most bodybuilders realize there is no one perfect routine. Rather, we must keep trying to approximate perfection.

One way to achieve that elusive goal is to separately list all the essential principles of training, and then put them together, or integrate them. Integrate means "to become united so as to form a complete of perfect whole." In this article all the essential principles are listed and then put together to form the integrative routine.

Stress and Recovery Cycles

The most basic principle revolves around stress and recovery cycles. You must thoroughly work body parts and allow sufficient recovery time prior to the next hard workout. Incomplete recovery followed by another hard workout leads to stagnation and worse, regression and injury. Der, ooops. Almost everything else in training gets back to balancing stress and recovery over short- and long-term periods.

The three key training variables on intensity, frequency, and duration are interrelated and directly influence the stress-recovery cycle. For example, too frequent and prolonged training sessions undermine the ability to work out at a high level of intensity by making excessive inroads into recovery ability.

For the last 15 years ('72 to '87), bodybuilders have been very tuned in to intensity. More recently, four day and five day training cycles have been introduced to balance the effect of high intensity. Most bodybuilders have long abandoned working body parts three times per week. Instead, it is common for bodybuilders to work body parts twice during a seven to 10 day cycle: once very hard (100%) and then a workout of medium (85%) intensity. These new schedules represent ways to optimize the stress and recovery cycle by allowing for more recovery time.

Another longer term method of optimizing the stress and recovery cycle is by using the periodization approach to bodybuilding. Periodization attempt to balance stress and recovery over the long haul by slowly building peaks through systematic adjustments of the volume and intensity of training. It's consistent with Clarence Bass' notion of gradually coaxing long term gains as discussed in Ripped-2 and The Lean Advantage. 

Note: Here is an example of a five-step bodybuilding periodization layout, one of many approaches:

Phase One: Growth Activation.
This phase readjusts and reactivates all the body systems after the last phase of the previous year’s training cycle. The athlete training in this phase starts out without any feeling of discomfort. Activation means progression, so the training load is of medium intensity and doesn’t stress the athlete physiologically or psychologically. During this training phase the athlete prepares his or her body for the more intense phases to come.

Phase Two: Size and Strength.
This phase provides new increases in the athlete’s muscle mass by employing a step-type mode of training – a weekly regimen based on overload.

Phase Three: Maximum Mass.
This phase allows the athlete to build on Phase Two, making possible even more muscle mass and tone without the onset of stagnation.

Phase Four: Mass Refinement.
In this phase the athlete is introduced to endurance-oriented training, which enables him to perform many repetitions over a given period of time. The intent of this type of training is to progressively adjust the athlete’s neuromuscular system so that the body develops more energy to perform a given training task. The athlete also uses more fat s fuel during this phase, which means that the fat below the skin disappears. The result is more muscular definition.

Phase Five: Maintenance/Recovery/ Transition.
This last phase incorporates necessary rest and relaxation with a maintenance training regimen. Here the athlete removes fatigue from his or her body and relaxes and replenishes energy for the upcoming new yearly plan. In a sense the athlete is charging the battery for a new bodybuilding season.

 With periodization, during a high volume phase, sets and reps may be high; while during a high intensity phase, sets and reps are lower. Periodization was first successfully used in weightlifting and powerlifting. The set and repetition schemes of the first periodization programs were most suitable to those sports. Clarence Bass made a major advance by adapting the periodization approach to bodybuilding.

Bass's's's's's's's's system, described in detail in Ripped-3, has three main phases: 

Endurance
Strength-and-Endurance
Strength

He recommends a descending set system for each phase. Following warmup sets, the 1st set of an exercise in the endurance phase is done for 15 reps and the 2nd set for 20. The rep scheme in the strength-and-endurance phase is 10 and 12-15. For the strength phase, the reps 6 and 8-10. Thus, the number of sets is constant between phases, and volume and intensity are more defined by the repetition scheme.

Unlike the long phases of some approaches, Bass recommends that each phase last about a month. In this way, your body frequently receives different stimuli. In addition, at the end of a three month period, there is a one to two week active rest phase (very light training). 

Each phase also has a different rep performance. Following Hatfield and others, Bass recommends slow, continuous (high) reps during the endurance phase to stress the mitochondrial components of the muscle. In the strength-and-endurance phase, moderate speed (medium) reps with brief pauses between reps affect both the mitochondrial and myofibril components of the muscle. In the strength phase, fast but controlled (lower) reps with pauses affect the myofibrils.  

By varying repetition scheme and rep performance, muscles receive a wide variety of stimulation during a complete cycle. Thus, Bass' periodization optimizes the holistic approach to bodybuilding. 

Periodization is a success, not a failure approach. At the start of each phase, weights are used that are well within the bodybuilder's ability. The idea is to always succeed with workout goal weights. That is, you make every rep, slowly increasing weights across the phase, and meeting or exceeding prior best efforts for specific reps at the end of a phase. For those bodybuilders who have burned out on constantly training to failure, the periodization success system will lead to renewed training enthusiasm. 

As a psychologist who has done numerous research projects on the effects of feedback and reinforcement systems on human performance, I can tell you that the periodization approach fits the bill for optimizing long-term motivation. You set hard, but reachable goals for each phase. For each hard training session, you have goals for each exercise that approximate your final phase goal. Your training diary almost always shows very positive training sessions and, of course, your performance in the gym reflects your improvement.

In summary, bodybuilders have two major methods to optimize the stress and recovery cycle, the most important consideration in bodybuilding. The first method involves setting up a schedule that allows complete recovery of body parts between workouts. This will often mean working body parts once hard and once lighter during 7-10 day periods. The second approach, which fits together with the first, is to use periodization. As developed for bodybuilders by Clarence Bass, this system allows for alternating phases of volume and intensity and rep performance, resulting in more continual progress than conventional systems. It's also a system that optimizes training motivation through constant positive feedback and successful performance.
 

Enhancement Principles

There are several other principles that bodybuilders can use to further enhance their training. The first principle (man, they do love to toss that word around) pertains to the importance of VARIETY. No matter how good an exercise feels or how good the initial results, it is inevitable that adaptation sets in. The body is a superb mechanism for quickly adapting to a specific exercise done in a specific way. The result is no progress.

The periodization approach provides variety or muscle confusion to spur gains. Another way is to vary the basic exercises that you do, for example, by varying your squat position. Still another way to increase variety is to follow an eclectic system, that is, perform a compound exercise for a body part in the set system described in the periodization section of this article. Next, pick several more exercises per body part performed for one set each, or occasionally two, following the phase's basic rep scheme. for example, during the endurance phase, a single set exercise may be done for 20 reps; during the strength phase, a single set exercise can be done for 8 reps. These exercises may be kept for a periodization phase, or even rotated and changed during hard and medium workouts in a phase. The result is constantly changing stimuli, increased training enthusiasm and increased gain.

Another key enhancement principle is the muscle priority system. Basically, this means putting greater emphasis in your workouts on weak points. This includes working that body part first or early in your routine, using a few more exercises for that body part, or just being sure to put more intensity into that part of your workout. Hopefully, as progress is made the focus of priority training will change. For example, after three to six months of prioritizing delts, that body part may be sufficiently improved to then prioritize biceps.

Variety, an eclectic system, and priority training are enhancement principles. They further gains after a bodybuilder has optimized the stress and recovery cycle.


Aerobic Fitness

McScientists are slowly recognizing the psychological and health benefits of weight training that bodybuilders have been touting for decades. Apparently most transit cops have not. However, most bodybuilders recognize there is a need for cardiovascular training to complement their advanced muscular/skeletal training system. Such training maintains and enhances fitness and helps control body fat.

Various methods have been used over the years to balance cardiovascular training and muscle training. Some bodybuilders did little or no cardiovascular training. Others did some jogging or other minimal fitness training. And there was a time when many bodybuilders, including myself, got carried away by the running and athletic endurance boom. Too much of the wrong kind of aerobic training undermines muscular and strength gains.

Again, Clarence helped provide the lead for finding the best types and methods of aerobic training to complement bodybuilding. This can be considered the fourth phase and is described in Ripped-3.

The basic fitness/cardiovascular requirement is only three to four 30-40 minute sessions per week at 70-80% of your maximum heart rate (220 minus your age). Many bodybuilders will find, however, that because of their density and power, they are better suited for certain kinds of aerobic exercises than others. For example, regular or indoor cycling and power walking may be more beneficial than running. Likewise, bodybuilders will often find that their capacity in whole body aerobic exercises such as on the Schwinn Airdyne, ski machines, or advanced power walking using weights is excellent. It is also advisable to alternate different aerobic exercises to provide variety and to distribute stress throughout your body.

Bodybuilders who are adept at developing training schedules and using periodization principles should not be satisfied with haphazard, disorganized and boring aerobics. Bass has recommended interval training. It is a way to add variety to training and to maximize fitness in a short amount of time. In addition, short and infrequent interval training sessions by emphasizing fast-twitch fibers are less likely to undermine muscle mass gains than long, frequent sessions.

In interval training, the time between workloads is the interval. The working time is the repetition. It is obviously possible to plan repetition, intervals, and the workload itself, that is, speed and intensity, in the same way as bodybuilding sessions are planned in a periodization approach. For example, during an endurance phase, a number of "moderate" repetitions can be performed for a longer duration with a short interval between repetitions. In a strength phase, fewer "short" repetitions would be performed with long intervals. Best results for fitness and calorie burning are achieved when the exercise is continued at an easy to moderate pace during the interval.

The same success training principle is used here. Each phase starts out easily, each workout is achieved, with the end of a phase culminating in a near peak or peak performance. However, bodybuilders are advised not to overdo aerobic training. Put it in its place and be sure it remains enjoyable.

The best approach to systematic aerobic exercise is to do it on the same day as weight training days. Alternating weight and aerobic days quickly leads to overtraining since there are too few rest days and too many hard training days.

Another consideration, recommended by Bass, is to match the type of aerobic exercise with body parts worked on a given day. For example, on a leg and lower back day, cycling or running may be used. On an upper body day, rowing would be appropriate. However, as noted, bodybuilders will find that almost without exception over time they can become excellent on whole body aerobic exercise (e.g., the Schwinn Airdyne, ski machines, power walking). Further, with whole body aerobics, a high heart rate is achieved with less perceived effort; and because stress is spread throughout the body, short and long term recovery is very good. One compromise is to do whole body aerobic exercises, but emphasize the body parts worked that day. Exactly how you do your aerobic training depends on your bodybuilding routine, to be discussed shortly.

The priority principle holds here also. As a bodybuilder, you want to emphasize bodybuilding. Aerobic training should be brief and focused - just enough to obtain a good level of fitness. Therefore, keep sessions to 30-40 minutes including a brief warmup and cool down for three to four times per week. You can also make one session hard (85-90% heart rate on intervals), one or two medium (80-85%) and any other sessions easy (70-80%). The hard, medium, and easy intensity sessions could be alternated through each week using different aerobic activities.

It is also advisable to include some easy activity on off days. The activity should aid, not hinder recovery and be simple and relaxing. Walking for 30-60 minutes is an example of such an activity. Variation of distance, pace, and terrain results in additional stimulation and relaxation.

Ideally, aerobic and weight training sessions should be separated by 6-8 hours, although it is possible to do an aerobic session directly after weight training. When there is the possibility of a separation of sessions by hours, the question is, which one to do first? Most often the balance of a person's daily activities will determine the order. However, there are advantages and disadvantages to each order. Doing aerobics in the morning helps warm you up for bodybuilding later in the day if the aerobics are not overdone. If the aerobic exercise is too strenuous earlier in the day, it will undermine the bodybuilding. Doing bodybuilding first fits the priority principle. However, early morning bodybuilding may not physically suit some individuals and may be precluded by job schedules.

In summary, develop a brief, focused aerobic program to complement your bodybuilding, but keep your priorities in order by developing a schedule to maximize bodybuilding gains while maintaining your other daily activities.


Click to ENLARGE


The schedule shown in Table 1 is one example of an integrated program that puts together all the principles described in this article. It is a variation of the every-other-day split routine and has been used successfully by myself and other bodybuilders. The most basic principle behind this schedule is to maximize intensity and recovery. This is why an upper and lower body split is used (it is also possible to set up the same system using a push-pull split) followed at the end of the week by a medium intensity whole body workout.

Other variations of this schedule include maintaining the every-other-day split but with the last day of the week reserved for a medium intensity workout for lower or upper body. Lower and upper body routines are simply altered across a two-week period as shown in Table 2.   

This split routine discourages overtraining and is specifically recommended for bodybuilders with many other interests. It can be used during particularly stressful periods.

Yet another variation, shown in Table 3, involves further splitting the high intensity training into three weekly sessions followed by a medium intensity whole body workout later in the week. Each workout in the three-way split covers only a few body parts, is very focused, only takes about an hour to complete, and therefore makes day-to-day recovery easier to achieve. This schedule is Bass' favorite and is detailed in Ripped-3. 

In the variation of the every-other-day split routines shown in Tables 1 and 2, there is always at least one day of rest between training sessions. Therefore, it is possible to always do whole body aerobics. However, I recommend emphasizing the body parts worked that day in the whole body aerobics. For example, if I'm using the Airdyne on a day that I worked my upper body hard, I can apply more force to the arm motion, or do intervals with arms only in between moderate arm and leg work. Similar possibilities are available on the ski machine or when power walking.

With Bass' triple-split routine, it becomes even more necessary to match aerobics to body parts worked. For example, a leg/lower-back day fits with cycling or power walking and chest/back day better fits with an arm emphasis on the Airdyne.

Table 4 summarizes the periodization approach for bodybuilding and aerobics. Obviously, other set, rep and interval systems can be experimented with if they effectively vary volume and intensity and effectively train different muscle components. 

Table 5 provides examples of exercises, sets, and reps for two body parts during a strength-and-endurance phase. Many bodybuilders may consider this system a low set or "abbreviated" program. However, note to the right of the Table that when warmup sets are included in this system, then sets are actually moderate to high. Sets can be deceiving, and it is important to think of only real "working" sets in your routine. If you will have doubts about the effectiveness of this range of sets per body part, just remember what this type of approach did for people like Clarence Bass and Lee Labrada. Note also that warm up sets use lower reps so as to keep your focus on the main sets. Finally, Table 5 shows the variety of exercises used for a body part.

If and end-of-week medium intensity whole body routine is used, then as a guide do only one set of each exercise from the week's previous workouts. It is not meant to be a marathon session! Minimum warmups are needed and bodybuilders should move from exercise to exercise with short rest periods (30-60 seconds). The rep scheme follows that used in the particular phase. This session can be thought of as a "muscle conditioning" workout.


Summary

Every bodybuilder searches for that one perfect routine. The search involves understanding and using key principles and using key principles of stress and recovery, periodization, enhancement, complementary and aerobic training. When these principles are integrated into one routine, we can approach perfection.      



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John DeFendis Interview - Bob Gruskin (1979)

November 5, 2018, 7:13 pm
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Article Courtesy of Liam Tweed






Anyone can bodybuild, but in the strictest sense, only a very select few can ever earn the distinction and honor of being designated a bodybuilder. On the scroll of greats which includes Schwarzenegger, Zane, Corney, Robinson, Grimek, and Coe, there is a space which destiny has left blank. In recent months another name has been penciled in, but the months ahead will see it etched with the force of hammer hitting steel. That name is John DeFendis. 

In the years I've been associated with bodybuilding, I've never been more impressed by anyone. You can be awed by watching a skinny kid grow into a monster. You can be awed by his definition, size, cuts, by his superior posing or his perfect symmetry, but that's the shell only. It's the core that makes the man and if he is rotten inside he will wither and perish. However, if he is strong of will and purpose, respectful, considerate of others and honest with himself, then he will mature, prosper, and succeed in all things. 

This is John DeFendis. This is the young man who is destined to become the newest and greatest sensation. He will surely rise to the apex in Physique. This is the young man I've grown to respect and admire. This is the young man I've gotten to know and would also like for you to know. He's a very special person and will be in the spotlight from now on.




 "I've always wanted to be the best at something. I started lifting weights when I was 13 to get bigger and stronger. I was 5'0" and weighed 100 pounds at the time. I was always thick-boned, but thin. My brother, Anthony, used to beat the hell out of me. He'd get me down on the ground, pin my arms, spit on my head, and beat me up until I'd buy him an ice cream. I tried my hand at wrestling and baseball and did well, but Anthony was still too good for me. In fact, he was an All-American wrestler in college. It took me six years to find out that instead of trying to equal or surpass his accomplishments (I did bring home trophies and even won a college scholarship for wrestling), I could really excel in something else.

"In high school I would to into the weight room and watch the big guys lift their heavy weights. Wow, how I wished I could do that too. I was always impressed with strength and I had been training for three years at home, so I had some pretty good size myself. But I really didn't know what I was doing. In tenth grade, my father brought home a magazine and there was an article on Dave Draper. I was impressed! I did everything exactly as he did. I would come home from school and spend a couple of hours each day all alone in the basement.

"All through the summer I lifted. When September came, I had a totally different body. I returned to school and everyone was impressed. I was happy and that's when I really got the push to continue weight training. For a while it was great when someone asked me 'Do you lift weights?' But later when they'd ask me, I'd get mad and say, 'No. I play basketball and do track.' That really confused them. I continued to lift to get bigger, and the more people noticed, the harder I trained.

"I graduated from high school at 17. By then I had accumulated about 400-500 pounds of weights, a bench, a chin bar and some springs. That summer I moved into the garage and set up my little gym. My brother kept telling me about a friend of his named Dave Spector who was into bodybuilding. One day, Dave pulled into the driveway. He was big and I was stunned when he invited me down the next day to train with him. That was in August of '76.

"I was working full time in my brother's delicatessen. When September came, I went to a college nearby. After a semester I decided that college might be great for some, but it wasn't for me. By this time, I was dreaming, eating, and sleeping bodybuilding. I continued to train with Dave at the Olympic Health Club regularly. He told me that in six months I could be the second best guy in the gym, but he would be the best. That sparked something in me and I was determined to one day surpass him.

"Because I was again working full time for my brother, I had little time to train at the club in the evening. So I took most of my savings and spent between $2,000 and $3,000 setting up my basement gym better. I bought an Olympic set, incline and behind-the-neck benches, curling machine, Universal leg machine, ab board, hack squat, dipping bar, and a few other pieces.

"I continued to train at night, alone, or with some friends. Their push was good but not enough. For starting out in bodybuilding, home training is great, but the knowledge in the gym is something you cannot get at home. You need to have people around you doing the same thing. You can't learn everything from books. So I began to train both at home and at the gym. I was making progress but nothing substantial.

"In January of 1977 I entered my first contest, the Teenage Suburban in Orange, New Jersey. My friend, Bobby Green, helped me with my posing and he must have done a good job as I got some applause. Looking at the photo you took, Bob, I can tell that my best bodypart was my mustache! Actually it was my back. I was one of those skinny geeks who wear a loose bathing suit too high on the side. I couldn't find my Bermuda shorts so I wore the trunks. The way my legs looked then, I would have been better off wearing pants! I didn't do very well in the contest. There were four guys in my height class and all three placed ahead of me.

"After this big victory, I was psyched to train for the Mets (AAU Metropolitan Association) two weeks later. I was 5'8" and now weighed 168. I took second in the Teenage and placed fifth in the Open. I was happy with that, and though I was a star. I even had a victory party. I really hadn't made much in the way of gains those past two weeks, what really helped was that the competition was weaker.

"After the Mets I took three months off from training. I was working 80 hours a week so that I could get married. Remember, I was all of 18, pushing 19. My fiance and I had a long talk. We decided that there was still much for both of us to accomplish so we broke our engagement. 

"I began training again in May. There were only six short weeks to get ready for the 1977 Teenage America. I trained really hard six days a week, 18-20 sets for each bodypart. I was doing the same routine for the Teenage America that I did for the Mets. I just didn't know any  better.

"Just before the contest I went to see Tony Pandolfo. He spent over three hours working on my posing. What a difference it made! For the first time I felt I could pose. Tony helped me immensely, and I credit my subsequent success in posing to Tony's influence. 

"Before the Teenage America, Denie came to the gym to take some shots of me for an article which later appeared in the August, 1978 issue of Muscle Training Illustrated. I dropped from 188 to 168 and looked like a drowned pigeon."

I had remembered John from the Mets several months earlier, but the first time I actually spoke with him was a week before the Teenage America. He was sitting in the audience watching the prejudging of Chris Devin's Pro Cup. The mustache was gone and his hair was neatly styled, sun-bleached and groomed. He looked good and hard, but not very talkative. When I asked him how he looked he said briskly, "You'll see next week." When I asked to see his arm, he pulled it away saying, "Get out of here. Don't touch my arm. You'll see it at the contest." 

John and I both chuckle about this incident today. He was uptight from dieting for the impending contest and didn't know that I was in the sport. Just looking at him, I had the vibrations that he would be good, real good. One day soon I knew that I would be doing a write-up on him. But what a beginning! 

"I traveled up to Boston the next week for the Teenage America and really thought I was going to win it. I went with my whole rooting section, consisting of my girl, Annmarie, my parents, grandma and brother. I went into the contest at 170, two pounds heavier than at the Mets. By this time I had some thigh cuts and better lines. I was a Frank Zane with no muscle.

"I was really sucked-out. One of the so-called pros told me to eat two pounds of chocolate the night before (for carbs) to bring out vascularity. I lost six pounds in the bathroom that night, and the next day when I woke up I had no veins, no cuts, and no muscle! I did very well to have placed ninth in my height class, beating out a couple of swimmers.

"Three weeks later I went down to Georgia for the Teenage USA which Doc Neely was holding. I took fifth in my height class. I was on a hot streak. I went to Boston and came home with nothing and went to Atlanta and came back with nothing. I was discouraged, but determined to grow and take the '78 Mets if it killed me. I still felt that I had the potential to be really good, and I still loved the sport." 

John did have the potential. The basic foundation was there. He was only just beginning to show signs of maturation and greatness; at least I thought so. I phoned him after his return to Georgia to get an interview. I intended to feature his as a Rising Star in my column which was then appearing in The American Body Builder. It was the first time he had appeared in print.

"Six months remained until the Mets. I trained really hard (six days a week) from September until mid-October. Then, I suddenly realized that if I was going to win the Mets, I could only do so by training with someone better than me, someone who really know training. That's when I dediced to go over to Steve Michalik's Mr America Gym and train under his supervision. 

"Steve put me on a very vigorous training program. I had let myself run down and I contracted a very bad strep/tonsillitis infection. I've had problems with this in the past, but this time my throat closed completely. I was running a 104 degree temperature, and was hospitalized for two weeks in mid-December. I went into the hospital at 204 pounds, looking pretty decent. I got out two days before Christmas at 184, smooth, and looking like 'poppin fresh dough.' I figured my chances were over.

"I went back to training in my basement. I had eight weeks for the Mets, but there was also another contest at the end of January - the Teenage Suburban. I wanted to enter it, but 10 days before the contest my temperature shot up, my throat closed, and I was back in the hospital.

"Taking these contests meant a lot to me and I did not want to blow them. I called up Tony Pandolfo and he told me to keep pumping and flexing all my bodyparts whenever I could to keep up the muscle tone. I was doing 500 situps a day with the intravenous needle still in my arm. It popped out two or three times and the nurses had to re-jab me. It was painful but I wanted to win. The doctors thought I was crazy, but they helped me as best as they could.

"I got out one week before the Suburban. That whole week I trained like a demon, but I was still smooth from all the sugar in me. I took the height class but lost the overall to Francis Meeter. I really thought I had won. I thought that if I couldn't beat this 17 year old kid, then how could I beat Dave Spector? Only four weeks remained. 

"I continued to train hard and three weeks later flew to Georgia where I won the Teenage Atlantic States. I took the overall and every bodypart but abs. My confidence was returning. Spector also flew down. He won the Open.      

"February 25th finally arrived, and with it, the Mets. I entered both the Junior (teenage) and Senior divisions. I was elated winning the Junior, but when they announced me as the winner of the Senior, it was an unbelievable feeling. All I could think as I stood on the platform accepting my trophy was that I accomplished what I set out to do. Winning this event meant more to me than anything ever before. After everything I'd been through, this was a big payoff."

Two days after the Mets, I received a call from John. "Guess what," the voice croaked. "I'm back in the hospital. They decided to remove my tonsils once the infection and temperature subside." What a lucky break for John this didn't happen two days earlier! 

"After the Mets I took two months off from training. My body needed it. I went from 174 to 212. I looked awful but needed the rest. I went back to Steve's  gym because I realized that if it were not for his coaching, I might not have won.


  

In October, my legs were unshapely. All I was doing was squats and extensions. Steve taught me to use extensions, leg press, squats, hack squats, lunges, cycling, and supersetting. He helped burn in the shape and cuts. Even though I didn't train at Steve's just before the Mets, he taught me what to do in my basement gym. 

John DeFendis talking about Steve Michalik, training, and the gym, here: 

"I figured that he could help me improve even more; though he often drives me into the ground. Soon, I began to build up an immunity to his insane training routines as my stamina and strength increased.

"My whole body was smooth and small when I returned to training, but in one month's time it began to change. I was getting bigger and more muscular. The change was incredible. Each day I trained under Steve I learned something new. In fact, I am still learning. Just a turn of the wrist, or bending your knees a little can make a big difference and give a different tension and movement.  

"I believe that Steve Michalik is he greatest person to train under because he is a perfectionist, like me. I'm never entirely happy with myself, and I guess that's what leads you to greatness. It's the guys that are too happy or contented with themselves that stop growing."

Last May, John turned 20. He missed out on the '78 Teenage America by eight weeks. I feel that had he been eligible, he would have won, thus becoming the most sensational Teenage America since Casey Viator. But . . . 

"I had next planned to enter the AAU Apollo in October, and had begun training intensively eight weeks earlier. I was doing 40-60 sets per bodypart, training 6 days a week, maintaining a strict diet, and taking in plenty of vitamin and mineral supplements. I was really looking good within three weeks, so I decided to enter the AAU Gotham on September 16th. If all went well it was my plan to hit the AAU Region 1 the next day.

"Steve drove me into the ground. I'd train at seven in the morning (for about three hours), go home, and then be in a coma for the next six hours. After that there was work. It was very tough. I would do arms, then legs. He would rush me to the nearby track where he'd start screaming at me until I completed my laps. There was no way I was going to slow down because he's a madman, but also I knew he was busting his ass for me!

"Eight pounds of chicken a day. I wish I had Frank Purdue as a relative! Six weeks on broiled chicken breasts with diet soda and supplements, and then two more on boiled chicken and supplements, this time minus everything but water. My only consumption was one-half cantaloupe after training. My energy was low, but this program did the trick. Like Vince Lombardi said . . .

 
"I  came into the Gotham at 194 ripped. There were about 22 good contestants; one very good one was Derek Prescod. I took my height class, the overall, best legs, abs, poser, back, and most muscular. Everything but chest and arms. I went home and carbed up. My energy level was getting high, and I remember asking you with every mouthful, 'Bob, am I getting smooth? Will my cuts disappear?' All I remember you saying is, 'No problem. You'll be bigger and more cut tomorrow!' And I was!

"The next day we all traveled up to Springfield, Massachusetts for the Region 1. I went in at 196, more cut and more vascular, the best I'd ever been. I took the contest and four more trophies. I couldn't hold another four weeks for the Apollo. I was afraid I'd burn out. So I started to eat, relax, and grow again. My body wanted to grow! I'm not holding at  212 and still training heavy. In March I'll begin training for the Colonial America, and then I hope to enter the 1979 Mr. USA and America in the summer. 

"As you can see, our training routine (Steve's mine) is totally opposite the Mentzer routine. Instead of doing 4-6 sets per bodypart, we do 40-60. It works for both of us. I can afford to take a one week layoff every so often because four days back on the routine will burn off any accumulated fat. Also, I try to eat good food, but I do binge once in a while. I really enjoy ice cream and pizza.

"I don't smoke and I don't drink. To relax, I enjoy reading or listening to the music of Elton John or other soft rock. A good movie will give me the chance to unwind, and I enjoy the company of my friends. Basically, I like the quiet life. I want bodybuilding to be my future. I sincerely believe that I can go somewhere in this sport. If I didn't think I could be a Mr. America, I would not be doing this. I had a few doubts before the Gotham and Region 1, but after all 11 trophies in one weekend - no shot!

"I hope to get married after I win the America. I want my wife to have the best I can give her. My parents gave me the best, and I would like my wife and children to have the same. I think I've got the best girl in Annmarie. We've been together for over two years. She's understanding, not demanding, and she sacrifices much of her time and interests for me. I could ask for none better.

"I've met a lot of great people in the sport so far, far more than I ever dreamed possible. There are so many that I just can't begin to express my thanks and appreciation. I hope to repay their faith, confidence, and all the time and effort they have put into me by winning the America one day soon."

As I said in the beginning, John DeFendis is a very special person, and after reading this story I'm sure you will agree. This is his story. It is written in the first person and not the third because I wanted you to get a true insight into the complete individual; not just John DeFendis the bodybuilder. For only in this way could I convey his sense of humor, sincerity, appreciation for others, and the determination that will drive him to be the very best in bodybuilding.

Tony Pandolfo recently paid tribute to John by commenting, "John DeFendis, aside from being a fine bodybuilder is a fine human being. I expect to see him win the America within the next two years. His potential is fantastic. He looks good, and he's an excellent poser. He has great symmetry, skin tone, and the determination necessary to become a winner. He's also respectful and considerate in spite of his success. He shows a great deal of interest in others and always tried to give advice and assistance. I think that John's a good man for bodybuilding. He's got as much, if not more potential than anyone I've ever seen. It's unbelievable, really. There is no chance why he can't go all the way.






TRAINING ROUTINE 

Abs: six days a week - 
Roman Chair, 2 x 100 reps
Incline Situp, 2 x 50.

Calves: six days a week - 
Standing Calf Raise, 5 sets
Seated Calf Raise, 5 sets
Standing Bodyweight Calf Raises for shape. 

Day One: Chest/Back/Biceps
Day Two: Shoulders/Legs/Triceps
 
All exercises to failure including forced reps and negatives.
 
 
Day One: 
 
Chest - 50 sets total, 5 sets per exercise.

Cable Crossover
Dumbbell Flye
Pec Deck
Inclines
Flat Bench to Neck
Declines
Single Arm Alternate Cable Pullover
Dumbbell Pullover
Dumbbell Incline Flye
 
Back - 60 sets total, 5 sets per exercise.
 
Cable Pulldown to Front on Angle
Cable Pulldown to Back of Neck
Cable Pulldown to Chest from Overhead
Seated Cable Row (straps)
Reverse Grip Pulldown (leaning back)
Seated Cable Row (different handle)
Standing Straight Arm Pulldown (close grip)
Pulldown Machine (wide grip bar)
Nautilus Pullover
Cable Rear Laterals (bent over)
Bentover Barbell Row
 
Biceps - 40 sets total, 5 per exercise.
 
Single Arm DB Preacher Curl
superset with 
One Arm Dumbbell Curl
Standing Barbell Curl
superset with 
Bentover Barbell Curl (barbell concentration curl)
Cable Curl (seated on floor)
Machine Preacher Curl
superset with
Nautilus Machine Curl
Lying Down Pulley Concentration Curl
 

 
Day Two: 

Shoulders - 55 sets total, 5 per exercise.
 
Nautilus Lateral Raise Machine
Dumbbell Lateral 
Pulley Laterals on Cable Crossover
Barbell Behind the Neck Press (pyramid up to 150 lbs.)
Barbell Behind the Neck Press (150 x 5 sets)
Nautilus Behind the Neck Press
Nautilus Rear Deltoid
Dumbbell Rear Lateral (flat bench)
Pulley Rear Lateral
Shrugs (in front)
Shrugs (behind body)
 
Triceps - 45 sets, 5 per exercise
 
Triceps Pressdown (angle bar)
Triceps Pressdown (straight bar)
Triceps Pressdown (Nautilus Close Grip)
Cable French Press
Rope Pull (top setting of crossover machine)
Rope Pull (bottom of crossover machine)
Close Grip Dips 
Wide Grip Dips
Reverse Grip Behind the Neck Pressdown
 
Legs 55 sets total, 5 per exercise.
 
Leg Curl
Leg Extension (Nautilus Multi-Leg)
Leg Extension (Nautilus Extension)
Leg Extension (Leg Extension Table)
Leg Press
Leg Press Machine
Ducks (leg press with toes pointing out)
Strict Squats on Machine (2 second pause at bottom)
Squats on Machine 
Hack Squats
Regular Squats
Running - total of 1.5 miles, within 15 minutes after squatting. Jog 2 laps, sprint 1 lap, rest 30 seconds, repeat 3 times
COLLAPSE. 
 
 
There's drop sets on a lot of this. Rest pause. Stripping weight with no rest, etc. 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




  
 
  

   

        














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Roger Estep's Training

November 6, 2018, 7:49 pm
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This book, published November 6th, 2018, looks like it might be interesting to me. 
I'll put an excerpt or two up if it turns out to be. 

Here's the Table of Contents: 

(1) Introduction
What it means to be a "Normal Human".

(2) Muscle Loss
How to set and meet realistic body composition goals for your new lifestyle.

(3) Oh, Thanksgiving . . . 
Everything you need to know about your food intake and how to calculate how many calories YOU need.

(4)What To Eat
Where your calories should be coming from and why you don't have to give up all your guilty pleasures. 

(5) What's On Your Plate? 
How to balance food portions on your plate based on your activity level.

(6) When To Eat
Why meal timing can make a huge difference in meeting your goals. 

(7) Hydration
What you should and should not be drinking.

(8) Smart Grocery Shopping
Tips for getting the most nutritional value for your dollar and understanding nutrition labels so you can avoid sneaky manufacturer tricks.

(9) Packing A Lunch
How DIY can save you loads of money - and ensure that you're in control of what ingredients you're eating.

(10) Get Cooking
Ditto - plus knowing how to cook will make you an even better catch.

(11) Redefining Yourself
How to wrap your head around the mental aspect of the transition to Normal Human.

(12) Going It Alone 
Life without your teammates may feel lonely at first, but there are plenty of ways to expand your new social circles.

Conclusion

Appendix A: Recipes for Beginners
Appendix B: Tips for Healthy Weight Gain
Appendix C: Tips for Healthy Weight Loss
Appendix D: Outtakes
Appendix E: Workout Plans

It looks like a decent, no frills and no extremes deal. In the same way that it can be useful to look back at beginner routines when training becomes either stale or just plain outrageous in its over-complexity, it's not a bad plan to strip back to the bare essentials, to forget all the over-the-top malarkey pumped out online endlessly, and just go with basics every so often.

AND . . .



The Akashic Noir series released "Vancouver Noir" today. Great series, good noir, duh, garsh it's fun to be able to read, eh. There's enough to keep you on the edge of yer stinkin' seat for a lotta long nights here:

http://www.akashicbooks.com/subject/noir-series/

Bright boy.

All right already, the article.

No, wait.

Here's a translation of Romanian literary critic Matei Calinsescu's "The Life and Opinions of Zacharias Lichter . . .

Ugly, unkempt, a haunter of low dives who begs for a living and lives on the street, Zacharias Lichter exists for all that in a state of unlikely rapture. After being engulfed by a divine flame as a teenager, Zacharias has devoted his days to doing nothing at all - apart, that is, from composing the odd poem he immediately throws away and consorting with a handful of stray friends: Poldy, for example, the catatonic alcoholic whom Zacharias considers a brilliant philosopher, or another more vigorous barfly whose prolific output of pornographic verses has won him the nickname of the Poet. Zacharias is a kind of holy fool, but one whose foolery calls in question both social convention and conventional wisdom. He is as much skeptic as ecstatic, affirming above all the truth of perplexity. This of course is what makes him a permanent outrage to the powers that be, be they reactionary or revolutionary, and to all other self-appointed champions of morality who are blind to their own absurdity. The only thing that scares Zacharias is that all-purpose servant of conformity, the psychiatrist.

This Romanian classic, published under the brutally dictatorial Ceausescu regime, whose censors initially let it pass because they couldn't make head or tail of it, is as delicious and telling an assault on the modern world order as ever. 

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/clown-and-metaphysician-on-matei-calinescus-the-life-and-opinions-of-zacharias-lichter/#!

Enough of this printed word nonsense!

 The Night Comes For Us.
2018. 
Yes! The butcher shop scene. 
"Safety Starts With Me" 
Indeed.






There are probably thousands of young strength athletes in the USA who would have loved the opportunity to get some advice from a man such as George Frenn, but George decided to pass the torch of his wisdom and experience on to then neophyte Roger Estep.

George gave Roger a routine, the same one used by the guys at the Westside Barbell Club, the same one used by Roger to this day, the same one that lifters associated with Roger in Ohio and West Virginia have benefited so greatly from. Roger took it back to Ohio and tried to make it work for him in his effort to win the Collegiate title in 1975, but a bum shoulder and the smart lifting of Don Haisenleder put Roger into 2nd. Roger gave George a call. They discussed the routine. Was Roger using it correctly? Was there any way he could make even more progress with it? Could he come out to California and train with George Frenn for the summer? George was hesitant at first, perhaps wondering if Roger really had what it takes. He phoned back, and the ENTHUSIASM was there. "Sure, Rog, come out for the summer. We'll train HARD!"

Before Roger made the trip out to California he was capable of a 600 squat at 202. After five weeks with George it was up to 680, and his other lifts were up as well. Roger went back to Ohio and found a meet in Weirton, West Virginia where he went 630, 660 and 690 in the squat, following himself on each attempt . . . mind you, this was at a time when the World Record was 710. As you can imagine, the question of the day was, "Where did this guy come from!"

Roger then lifted in some Cleveland meets in preparation for the '76 Collegiates, which he won, though not in the fashion he would have hoped . . . stumbling on the way out with a 685 Squat that he felt he could have made. 

1977 saw Roger's debut at the Senior Nationals against Larry Pacifico. I was present at that meet, my first Seniors as well, and I described Roger as a 'Conan-esqu Power Being' - which I still think is the best way to put into words the awesomeness of Roger's physical presence. 

  
Roger got second in this meet, but felt that with better selection of poundages he could have done much better in pressing Larry, a lesson that he has learned well. Roger went into the '78 Seniors just as his injured leg was healing . . . squatted 677 then stood on the sidelines as Jerry Jones punched the record up to 760, a lift which all, including myself in the excitement of the moment felt would never be exceeded. Roger takes nothing away from any lifter, but, to be frank, Jerry's lift did not phase. You must recall that Roger had broken the World Record earlier in the year with a 722 at the North American Championships and just after that did an unofficial record with 740 at the West Virginia State meet. In the two months following the Seniors, during which time most had written him off as a major contender, he got his squat up to 800 in training. Then came his mind blowing performance at the YMCA Nationals . . . as 769.5 Squat ON AN OLYMPIC BAR and a 1940 total, feats that were fully as earthshaking as those of the man whose record he had broken, Larry Pacifico. Even that performance showed Roger had more. He could easily have gotten a 790 Squat that day had he tried it on his 3rd, and, by picking up some of the slack apparent in his other lifts, the magic 2,000 lb. total was not only possible, but feasible.

In 1979 Roger won the Senior Nationals. Despite a knee that went out on him must two weeks before the meet, the personal problems of his divorce, and the extreme heat, he posted one of the best totals in Senior Nationals history and was satisfied with the meet, because he had earned a spot on the World team and had begun to understand some important lessons about training.

Before this time Roger would take it to the limit almost every workout, such was his enthusiasm that his "light" days became every bit as intensive and draining as his "heavy" days and, if he was injured, he would just mask the problem medically or psychologically, even if it meant screaming out in pain before, during, and after a set. If he was supposed to handle a certain weight on a certain day, he did it, no matter what.

As a result of this, he found himself spending half of the competitive year injured. Essentially, he would train until he literally BROKE. Nowadays he takes a little different approach, training by intuition more, and less by some dogmatic design. CARE is the most prescribed medicine in the world, and if you don't take care, you'll get hurt, says Roger. He has become sensitive to his body. If a set feels heavy when it shouldn't, he'll back off, hit some lighter sets to get a decent amount of work in, and not let it bother him.

Maintain a positive attitude, that's one of the great lessons he has learned from George Frenn (in fact, that phrase was one of the two Golden Rules of the Westside Barbell Club, the other having to do with the passing of gas). This is not to say that Roger doesn't train hard any more. Far from it! Harder than anyone, and he'll tell you that you've got to have that lust for heavy weights. Even now he maintains the same routine, which includes lots of singles, all year round. In actuality, he's as strong as he can be and trains as heavy as he can, on any given day of the year.

A good routine and positive mental reinforcement are the keys to good progress, particularly the latter. You have to MAKE YOURSELF BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. You've got to set a goal and think to yourself, "If so-and-so can do it, then I can do it." When Roger first went to West Virginia, Luke Iams was handling around 700 in the squat. Later, when he started believing that he could do 800, his squat shot to that mark and beyond. You can not let the weight intimidate you. This is even more important in powerlifting than it is in Olympic lifting, but the perception of David Rigert on the state of American lifting tells a tale: "You have many strong lifters, but few brave ones."

There are means to avoid this fear of the big weights, and they are part and parcel of Roger's routine.

For instance, Roger does a lot of "rocking" box squats with 50-75 lbs. more than his max in regular style. You need good spotters for this movement as you rock back on the box and then rock forward as you stand up with the bar simultaneously. But if you can handle 820 for 10 reps, then 780 for a single in a meet is not going to scare you. Box squats are thus a psychological and physical overload that builds confidence and strength . . . like the guy who goes to the plate swinging three bats . . . it's just a means of conditioning him into feeling that a single bar is no weight . . . no hindrance to a smooth, powerful swing.

It's also important not to rush your progression in the weights.  Move them up a few pounds at a time, even if you feel stronger.

Another part of mental attitude is what might be described as "inward conceit." You don't have to go around talking about what you're going to lift to everyone you meet, but deep inside, you have to feel that you are the best . . . and if you should be defeated, you have to feel that it's simply a matter of time before you emerge victorious, because the other guy is simply not as good as you are.

    






ROGER ESTEP'S TRAINING 

Monday

The big lift this day is heavy Box Squats. After a light warmup set he takes 90-lb. jumps to a poundage 50-75 lbs. over his best max squat single and goes for 10 reps. Once again, in compliance with his new sensitivity to the limitations of his body, if his knees start to ache, or something like that, he'll only go for 7 reps, which still represents a decent amount of work. One other tip for this exercise: before the advent of big belts, Roger actually used two conventional belts around his waist when doing this exercise (one above the other), to avoid taxing his lower back. This is not a back exercise, but if you do it wrong you can tire out your lower back which will affect workouts later in the week adversely. He also wears two sets of wraps on each knee, loosely, just to protect against injury. 

He occasionally will do something with a low box after the regular box squat workout, if his knees will allow it. After a little warmup he'll take about 100 lbs. less than his regular squat max and go down to a low box (about 2-3 inches below parallel), rock it, and then kick out. It usually goes like a toy.

Also on Monday, Roger does some benches. 4 good singles after his warmup and maybe one high-rep pump set with a lighter weight afterwards if he feels good. Periodically, he will do Good Mornings and also 3 x 10 reps in the leg curl. He does these pump sets all three days in his weekly routine. Depending on how close his next contest is, he'll do some bodybuilding as well.


Wednesday

Roger's Wednesday workout has changed a little bit, in accordance with his new attitude. He used to do squats up to a max set for 10 reps. He actually got to the point where he did 640 x 10, and in trying 670 for 10 he got 7 reps . . . but this was indicative of his trying to make every day into a heavy day, which led to injuries. Now, he only works up to a moderate single, say 650 or so, maybe 100 lbs. less than he is capable of.

He'll also work up to a max set of deadlifts for 10 reps. He doesn't use straps so grip strength/endurance becomes a limiting factor when the weight gets way up there, so he'll cut them down a little. 

Following the deadlifts he'll do some bodybuilding, the leg curls, and maybe even some Snatches if the spirit moves him. He is extremely explosive in his Snatches and Cleans, and is thinking about trying a little Olympic lifting when the opportunity arises.


Friday

This is the big one of the week. You essentially total out, doing only about 4 heavy (single) reps in the squat, just as if you were taking attempts in a contest. On the bench press it's the same as the Monday workout . . . going for that big max single this time, to see where you stand. The lifts you make this day establish the new benchmark for your training poundages the following week . . . as you have established a new max.

That heavy Monday workout has you prepared for the amount of weight you are going to try Friday, and the weight you make Friday helps you select the amount of weight you will use for the box squats the following Monday workout. You see, all joints in the body have little organs called proprioceptors. They sense the different kinds of stress exerted on your body. What you've done on Monday is fool the proprioceptors into thinking that the weight you are handling on Friday is not anything to panic about.

One question that still be remaining is how one should progress in weights and select poundages for contest attempts. Roger generally does some heavy thinking before beginning training for a specific contest, combining optimism with realism in a manner that only experience can bring and picks out the kind of poundages he would like to be handling 4 weeks before the contest. Then he plots the linear progression from his starting point to where he wants to end up, and adds about the same amount each week to his training poundages. When it gets to be about 2 weeks before the contest, Roger limits himself to easy weights . . . as he believes that you are not going to get much stronger in that short period of time, but you can sure make yourself weaker!

Instead, he emphasizes good technique and confidence building. Before the Auburn meet I saw him "burn" a 725 squat. He didn't need to do a 770 just to prove to himself that he could do it . . . that would disrupt his performance at the meet . . . and would indicate a lack of confidence in knowing what he could do.

Selecting your poundages for a meet is based on a percentage concept Your opener should also be a lift that you have 100% confidence in making . . . after that you go to something that you might have 80% confidence in. Say if you had handled 800 or more 4 out of 5 times in workouts, then that would be an 80% lift, and, depending on the competition, that might be what you would want to take.

Roger takes his lifting very seriously. It is a way of life for him, but he's never 'out for blood' like some guys are. He certainly doesn't like defeat, but doesn't dwell on the dark side when he does lose. I can vouch for that attitude.

 

There will always be a special place in Roger's mind for George Frenn. If he hadn't taken that moment years ago to show some interest in Roger's lifting, could we expect the type of lifting performances Roger has given us over the past few years?

Still, Roger calls George whenever he has a problem, and George's athletic experience is very wide. He has been to Russia and he knows what other athletes are doing. Sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, eh. Making a list from The Great Beyond and checking it twice . . . hell, THRICE!

So, a heritage of strength flows from one mind to another.
Just as it should be.    

     




























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Arm Development - Eric Pederson

November 8, 2018, 9:18 pm
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Here's an article from the '40s.
Must be useless, right?


It is with reluctance that I write about myself, for it makes me feel as though others should do that id they want to, because words on self cause an inner disturbance with me. But Earle Liederman has been after me every time we meet and if there is one man with persistence it is he, so I suppose the only thing to do is to yield and as he requests, tell readers of YOUR PHYSIQUE how I trained for my development. This time I shall cover my arms, and in my next article I will write about another body part.

Okay, the article is from 1948. January issue.
A sweet video that goes well with this one: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu98Rpw6lws

First of all I want to impress upon everyone who reads this that I believe in extra strong concentration throughout each and every movement done in training, and unless you put your mind on what you are doing, watch the muscles work, and think strongly on every flexion and extension, you must not expect to make the gains you are after.

I practice this method myself and I really think that this strong concentration has done a lot for me and my development. I watch my biceps from the start of each movement until they reach their full  contraction, and this is done not for admiration, but to 'tell' the muscle exactly how much extra force I desire to give that muscle, and I keep this plan up with each and every repetition and throughout the number of sets I may do.

Of course, the muscles can be developed without much concentration if sufficient resistance is used. That is, if the dumbbell is heavy enough to thoroughly tire the muscle, that muscle will gain in strength and size, given the right conditions; but the point I am driving at is, if forcible, extra concentration is placed upon the muscle used while you watch the muscle work, you will perform the movement correctly and the muscle will exert greater power while you do your reps.

Naturally you will need a mirror for this, especially when triceps work is done, for you cannot very well watch the movements of the triceps without a reflection. This reflection need not be a vain one, but merely to study and afford means of concentration on muscles that cannot be watched without a mirror. You can watch and concentrate on all biceps work without a mirror, for you can bend forward while curling and exercising the biceps individually.

 


 

I firmly believe in individual muscle work besides group movements, for it again reaches the state of concentration - watching that biceps move and contract with all the force the weight, the thought, and the eye can furnish during each movement.

I believe in sitting down, also in  bending forward while doing the curling motion, because this puts more individual strain upon the biceps itself. And it is the constant curling, the continual concentration while curling, and watching the muscle work that will produce rapid results.

I advocate using much lighter dumbbell for individual arm muscle work than you can lift while in an erect position. If you can curl 50 lbs. with one arm while standing erect, this same 50 lbs. would be a bit too much if you curl while bent over watching and concentrating on the action of the biceps. Then, I think, 25 to 35 lbs. when working my biceps, and with this poundage, I perform about 15 reps or so.


After that tiresome one, dig up "The Art of the Poetic Line" or something similar. Yes. Something older might be better, no? May be. May be. You too, with the aid of a Master Mentor can disembowel King Lear, read the entrails, and go on your own merry little literary way, Sir! It was the use of commas in this article that brought me to such a temporal, horrid place stinking of symbols and all that we lose upon agreeing to common naming of the physical manifestations abounding, Ma'am! But back to biceps, triceps, and this one of many methods of building 'em. 

It is the concentration I put into each curl that does the work, more so, than the poundage used. And as for sets, I do about three or four. And I take my time. I do not rush from one exercise to another, but stick to the biceps work and train with deliberation until all my biceps work is done, all reps and all sets. Then I rest awhile before tackling triceps work.

The pictures used in connection with this article, and which were snapped at Bert Goodrich's gymnasium where I do all my training, will give you an idea of what exercises I use for my arms three times weekly. However, in addition to these, I do a lot of chinning, both front and back chins, as well as plenty of handbalancing, especially handstand dips. Remember, I am writing about arm work, therefore will not mention all of the other exercises I do for other bodyparts. These will be left for other articles.

In performing all biceps work, the arm should be forced, or brought forward while the biceps is being flexed. This makes the movement harder and places more direct force upon the biceps. If you use the same amount of weight and perform the curl in an easier manner you only fool yourself, so right with the start of the curling movement, and as the dumbbell is brought to the shoulder while you are in a bentover posture, force the arm a bit forward and give pressure to that curling biceps. Always equalize the reps and sets, but if one of your arms is a bit larger than the other, then by all means perform additional curls for the smaller arm, even to the extent of making another full set of reps.

In all triceps work, always start with the arms thoroughly bent, as far as you can bend them, before attempting to straighten them out or contract the triceps. The same concentration and force that you apply to biceps work must be done with triceps training. Exercise while in positions whereby you c and secure greater pressure upon the triceps. 

IN OTHER WORDS, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LEVERAGE.

For example, if you should do an arm back of neck movement for the triceps, whereby you hold a dumbbell behind the shoulder before starting the upward straightening of arm motion, bend a bit sideways so that more strain is placed upon the triceps due to gravity and posture, then bring the weight upward with great deliberation. 

So, in effect what you're after here is creating something of a "cam" effect that uses body positioning changes to put a fuller resistance on the targeted muscle. Note: Just as in a standing barbell curl, when you lean back at the beginning and over the course of the range of motion lean forward until you're doing something of a bent forward BB Concentration Curl at the "top" of the movement. It takes a little getting the hang of, and of course you're not so centered on just how much weight you c an use, but once you get this kind of body placement down it's definitely a good tool to have in yer little bodybuilding book-a tricks. Can come in handy, too, when you get to the stage where certain exercises can only be done special ways in order to avoid exacerMcbating pain, aches, tweaks and injuries incurred over the decades.

It has been in this above manner that I secured my 18 inch arms, which, by the way, can be "blown up" to 18-1/2. And you will have to believe me when I say that I have trained very hard to get them, but I feel that everyone can acquire thick, muscular arms in time by following the concentration and deliberate movement method. Of course, I have stressed on individual muscle-building, but the reader must also bear in mind that group muscle work must also be done in order to secure muscular coordination and all-round strength. 

Another form of biceps and triceps work I do is during my curls, or during my triceps extension. Perhaps I might more clearly impart this by explaining biceps action. After I have made about 15 reps for the biceps, I do a few extra movements in the following manner. I lower the dumbbell only half-way, then bring it to the shoulder again. I do this several time, this half-rep movement. Next I straighten my arm and bring the dumbbell halfway to the shoulder and again straighten. I perform this a few times also. This extra partial movement work is to afford additional and even stronger concentration to the biceps after it starts to ache. 

The same method is applied to all triceps work. That is, after my triceps tire, I go to half-extensions, then from a half-extension I do a few reps to full extension. And as a final tip which may make all this clearer to the reader, I try to keep the muscles I use FLEXED as they are being used. This latter explanation may furnish you with better comprehension of my method.       






 

































         
























































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Biceps: Plan to Fail - Tony Estrada

November 10, 2018, 12:10 pm
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 82 Years Ago. 


To succeed one must fail. That is a simple frequent fact in business and, more often, in the gym. The question in bodybuilding remains, "How often should one achieve true muscular failure?" 

We know that changing one's program is part of avoiding stagnation and that utilizing failure is one of the steps to progress. But how do we fit it into our program without the unwanted results of injury, overtraining, and wasted effort? 

Let's first observe what happens to our muscles during true muscular failure. It's important to note that for a muscle to achieve full muscular failure you must use the muscle throughout its entire range of motion until you are no longer able to perform a compete concentric contraction. Multiple back-to-back drop sets are required to achieve the three types of muscular failure one can experience: 

1) Myofibral failure, when the force of the weight is too great for the exercise.
2) Intermediate failure, when the muscle fibers exhaust along with the glycogen stores.
3) Mitochondrial failure, when the cells can no longer fuel the muscle and a contraction at any weight can no longer happen. 

To further avoid falling into a pit of stagnation, we introduce the FITT Principle, which stands for Frequency, Intensity, Type, and Timing. Our specific focus is a variance in rep ranges when doing drop sets to failure to benefit from all dimensions. 

For the first set, use a weight you can perform 4 to 6 reps to myofibral failure. Lower the weight slightly and repeat 4-6 reps without rest. Sets three and four should follow the same pattern regarding weight adjustment but should be done in the 6-10 rep range producing intermediate failure. Sets five and six should be approximately 15-25 reps, but the focus should be set six, where the lifter should continue until full range of motion cannot be actively achieved indicating mitochondrial failure.

Nick Hunt of Fitness 19 Algonquin in Illinois and I have designed a biceps workout to demonstrate how to incorporate this failure program into your hypertrophy routine. Nick and I have worked closely together for the past two years, and our best results in gains have been from sets to failure for each muscle group, one time per week, utilizing both machines as well as free weight.

I have always told clients, "It doesn't matter if you lift 5 pounds 500 times or 500 pounds 5 times - if you struggle to perform the last rep, you will change just as long as your program changes." Now, let's get out and implement some responsible failure into our mesocycles and get your biceps popping. 


The Biceps Failure Workout

Begin each workout with 5 to 10 minutes of moderate intensity cardio. For the first five exercises, perform 2 sets of each exercise for 4-6 reps. Begin this failure plan with the 1set set of the 6th exercise (the 12th set overall), which is the machine preacher curl. There are 6 total sets for that exercise (and only that exercise). Perform all 6 sets with little or no rest between sets.

1) Standing Biceps Curl, 2 x 4-6:
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Your shoulders should remain retracted throughout the exercise and elbows should remain pointing downward. This allows the weight to work directly against gravity without displacing the stress to the hinge.

2) Alternating Dumbbell Curl, 2 x 4-6:
In a seated position on an upright bench, perform the curl unilaterally. Begin with your palm in a pronated position and supinate as you go through the contraction. Raise the weight until it comes close to chin level. As the dumbbell descends, pronate your wrist and begin the exercise for the opposite arm. 

3) Low Pulley Cable Concentration Curl, 2 x 4-6:
Sit facing the low pulley. Perform the exercise unilaterally. Rest your working-side elbow on the inner portion of the same knee. Flex hard as you bring the hand inward toward the middle of your chest.   

4) Seated Alternating Hammer Curls, 2 x 4-6:
Let the dumbbells hang straight down with your arms extended and your palms in a neutral or "hammer" grip. Keep your elbows pinned to your sides as you raise one side at a time. Come up until the angle of your elbow is just past 90 degrees and then slowly return.

5) High Pulley Cable Curl, 2 x 4-6: 
Set the crossover pulleys at the highest elevation. Stand in the middle and use both hands at the same time to curl inwards with the elbows facing out laterally. Not only is it a means of recruiting muscle fibers from a different angle, it is also a functional pose for competitors.  

6) Machine Preacher Curl, 6 x Failure: 
Set 1 - 4-6 reps to failure
Set 2 - Drop the weight and immediately perform another 4-6 reps to failure
Set 3 - Drop the weight and immediately perform another 6-10 reps to failure
Set 4 - Drop and weight and immediately perform another 6-10 reps to failure
Set 5 - Drop the weight again and immediately perform 15-25 reps to failure
Set 6 - Drop the weight and immediately perform as many reps as possible until your form completely deteriorates. 
 



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Three Lift Random Rotation Routine (Nine Week Peak) - Greg Reshel

November 10, 2018, 1:34 pm
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Dave McQuillan lifting in Moldova, 2014.




More articles by Greg Reshel here:

Upper Back Training for Powerlifters, in five parts: 





THREE LIFT RANDOM ROTATION NINE WEEK PEAK

If you like to train aggressively you will love these routines. If you like to challenge yourself with new training ideas and maybe don't like getting stuck in a rut with the same old routines every time, you must try peaking with this routine. Your body will never be able to adapt to it and your mind will have to be tough to stay with the program. After completing this program a three lift meet will be a breeze!  

You will need to adapt to doing low rep sets in the big three lifts as your primary stabilization work and you will enjoy this routine as it has a lot of variety to keep you from getting bored. If you have hit a plateau or are beginning again after a layoff, this routine will sharpen your skills and increase your conditioning as you peak your strength.

The fact that the random rotation routine is aggressive dictates that you do not peak longer than nine weeks or you will likely be overtraining. The random rotation routine will ask you to do some sets with very little rest in between. We want you to finish the first set indicated and, after putting the weight down, count to 10 and immediately begin the next set. All this will become obvious as we explain the details of the routine.  

Keep accessory work to a minimum and keep it light for this routine is too challenging to allow yourself to have anything left for more heavy work. We like to keep this style routine simple in its overall pattern but mix up the sets and reps to keep you on your toes. We have learned to love the random rotation routine for its effectiveness and yet we are humbled by the work involved. If you have the guts than follow along with me as we explore the random rotation routine. 

I will use a 30 year old man weighing 165 pounds as the subject for this presentation. If you are young and/or highly conditioned you will have to push through this routine as fast as you can to get the most out of it. If you are older, a novice, or deconditioned, you will need to move somewhat more slowly through the workout. This random rotation routine will work for nearly everyone provided they push through it as quickly as possible. 

My subject has: 
400 squat
260 bench
450 dead.

These are the max numbers I will use to determine the set/rep tables. You will perform the squat on one day with leg assistance work (I will only indicate the squat and leave the assistance work out of it because it will differ too much with each individual case). You will perform the deadlift next, two or three days later, with back assistance work. You will perform the bench press two days later with upper body assistance work. 

Highly conditioned athletes should throw in a 4th day of whole body assistance work on the day before you squat. I will show three days per week and the set/rep schedules for each of the three powerlifts. To change the numbers to fit your maximum abilities simply divide your maximum by the max lifts of our subject. Then take the resulting number and multiply it by each of the numbers in the tables to determine your personal set/rep schedule.   

The schedule will show two working set "groups" for each training day in each powerlift. The principle is to perform multiple sets at the weight indicated with as little rest as possible (10 seconds is a target time). 

Rest 2-5 minutes between working set groups and then perform group set number 2 with as little time between sets as possible at the target weight indicated. Do not change the weight in a working set group between individual sets. Use full gear. If you are squatting and are wrapped tight with suit up and belt tight, do not remove any equipment between sets in a working set group. If you are in full gear for your squats, resting longer than 10 seconds will not help you as it will only deplete circulation. Keep your gear on and rest only long enough to re-rack the weight and get a couple of breaths. In the bench press, sit up and breathe and then lay back down right away. 

This is tougher mentally than physically as you will not feel strong on the last set of a working set group. You have to be AGGRESSIVE, STAY SHARP, and DIG DEEP to complete the working set groups! 

Remember . . . squat on one day, deadlift 2-3 days later, and bench press 2 days after your deadlift. 

Your back will not be fresh for bench press day so you will have to concentrate even harder to get good form. You may feel flat while training sometimes, but you will get hellaciously strong and mentally tough, which can only IMPROVE your meet performance. 

Good Luck!     

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