The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban

We must try to temper the enthusiasm to copy our heroes somewhat, and
choose the right kind of training to suit us in our particular momentary state of existence.

- Anthony Ditillo

Howdy, Stranger!

Not sure if I already put this Ditillo material up yet, maybe sometime in the distant past.
No worries, no matter, just get at 'er.

Here, Tony was talking about using a limited number of lifts each day, only one each day and in some cases two. But of course, you just know that he goes off and included other thoughts on training . . .

When you work only one or two movements per workout and those workouts are both voluminous and intense, with the brunt of the work strictly and thoroughly performed, you must gain in one way or another, due to the very nature of such an undertaking and the way in which the average person’s body will adjust to an overload of stress. This is especially true for the man with a very low energy level, who has trouble in formulating a routine which he can recuperate from, throughout the many years of his lifting career. For the man who is constantly complaining of being overtrained, these types of routines will do wonders for both his physical development and his all-over lifting potential. This does not mean that these routines will not also benefit us more toughened-up trainees, for we all can reap great amounts of benefit from this type of workout if we have the self-belief and the self-control to give these short, intense routines a chance to show us exactly what they can do. Therefore, it would be to all or our benefit to look over these suggested routines, no matter haw short and simple they may seem to us at first, for in the long run they will work only if we will work.

This first specialized routine will be for the man who wishes to experiment with training for only one hour per day and using one exercise movement per training session. This will mean that each movement will gave to be an all-around muscle group movement to stimulate the most available fibers of the largest muscle groups of the body. In this way, such short training will be most complete and result producing and in the long run, will develop the most muscle for the amount of work and time put into the training period of any type of training that I know of.

By training five days per week and using only one movement per day, we must make sure that such choices will not cause muscle overlap and therefore become physically redundant, thereby leaving out certain muscle groups which would produce a lopsided physique and d decrease in all-around lifting power.

Therefore, before undertaking this type of routine, be sure to know how to set up your schedule beforehand as to what to do and what not to include so that the entire body becomes stimulated to greater developmental heights during the course of a lifting week. This will allow rot adequate recuperation although you will be training almost daily and also, it will develop for you an increase in all-around listing power. This will develop the capability of going just about as far as your particular potential will take you in the way of lifting proficiency. To stimulate additional muscle growth, it will be necessary to include in the future additional work for the aforementioned muscles in order to fully work them and reshape them, as it were, to greater development and shapeliness. But for the fellow who is primarily interested in all-around lifting proficiency and a well-developed rugged physique, this is the routine to follow.

Here then is your five day per week training routine:

Monday – Bench Presses

Tuesday – Squats

Wednesday – Deadlift or Bentover Rowing

Thursday – Power Clean and Push Press

Friday – Jerk From Rack

With the choice of these movements we have given the entire body quite a workout by the end of the week. For each of these movements I would suggest you choose one of the following set and repetition schedules. The reason I am giving you somewhat of a choice as to the number of sets and repetitions you will be using, is due to the complexity of the choices of exercise movements and the importance of your being able to choose the right schedule which will work best for your personal preferences as to how many sets and how many repetitions will work best for you. With such a short, daily exercise program to work with, it is important to choose the right balance of work.

I would advise either that you perform each exercise for around ten sets of five to seven repetitions, with the first three or so sets as progressive warm-ups and the brunt of the work taking place from set four to set nine, and the final set or two being flushing sets with somewhat lighter weights. Another suggestion would be the following tried and proved effective repetition and set scheme: one set of ten, one set of eight, one set of six, and five sets of three reps using all weight possible. Finish up with two or three sets of five or so reps with somewhat lighter weight for complete flush.

Finally, when feeling particularly energetic and strong, you could take a set or two fo9r a warm-up and then progressively add to the weight of the bar until you are at close to 90% of your limit and try for three to five single attempts with this heavy weight, finishing up with a few sets of lighter poundages with higher reps.

All three of these suggestions will work for you on such an intense, short routine. In fact, one week you could use one schedule and the following week the other, and so on. It really is up to you in the final estimation as to how many sets and how many reps you choose to follow when working on such a course. They all have merit, if followed using intelligence and patience.

You fellows who are always complaining about how little time you have to spend on your training will find that these schedules take very little time as compared to other routines that the majority of us trainees follow in our attempts at getting bigger and stronger. With such short workouts you should be able to recuperate quite easily and the result will be an increase in your training enthusiasm, less missed workouts, and a general increase in both lifting proficiency and in muscular development.

Fucking blogger.com fails on the font again!

The next type of specialization routine will be somewhat more complicated than the first example I used to demonstrate such training and the effects of such types of work.

With this following routine, we will be training four or five days per week, with the average routine consisting of two movements per day. This way, you will be able to perform a more diversified amount of work each workout and in the long run, the all-around effects will be more predominant in muscle building and strength level increases. This is because of the coupling of two such movements each day. By coupling two movements daily, or almost daily, it is not necessary to train each and every day; in fact, it will be possible to cut down the number of training days each week to four. Also, with the coupling of two movements daily, you will be training a bit longer each day, but the total amount of work done weekly will remain approximately the same. This may mean the difference between success or failure depending upon the rate of recovery your body can acclimate itself to. Some men will find that two movements per day are just about right for best results. Others will prefer less training days per week but will prefer maybe three movements done on each of these days. Others, in the extreme other end of training energy levels, may find that one movement per day is just right to insure continued gains. So you see, here we are discussing each of these types of personalized specialization routines, so as to give all of you a chance to try whatever type of routine you may feel will be right for you. There is only one way to find out: you must experiment and see what will work and what will not.

This following routine is for the man who wishes to specialize on the pressing muscles of the upper body, but at the same time, wants to be sure that he is including enough work for the additional parts of the body so as to not lose anything previously developed in the past. In order to insure this not happening, you will have included on an almost daily basis, enough work for the additional muscle groups which will keep them in proper state of tone as the brunt of your workouts will be geared to developing additional size and strength in the pressing muscles of the body.

What I would advise you to do in this case, is to work one pressing movement each training session, with one squatting movement on one day and one pulling or arm movement on the following training day. This way, the rest of the body is adequately stimulated.

Here then is your two movement per day training routine:

Monday – Bench Press and Power Squat

Tuesday – Incline Press and Bentover Rowing

Wednesday – Press Behind Neck and Arm Work

Thursday – Take the day off

Friday – Close Grip Bench Press and Front Squat

Saturday – Standing Press and Bent Legged Deadlift

Sunday – Take the day off.

With this routine I would advise you to perform the following set and rep schedule: for the majority of movements except the Bent Legged Deadlift, warm up for two or so sets and then move up toa weight which you can handle for between three and five sets of four to six repetitions. After this, cool down with two or so sets of eight or so repetitions, with a somewhat lighter weight. For the Deadlift, I would recommend sets of three repetitions, working up to a maximum triple. This should develop more than enough power for the limit deadlifting. For the rest of the body, there is more than enough work to stimulate increases in muscle size and power. With continued application of this kind of training, you will realize a great increase in your pressing power from all angles and the rest of the body will not suffer in development or power because of the inclusion of additional work for these areas. This type of training can become most meaningful and enjoyable for you and many men enjoy this kind of training so much that they stay on these kinds of programs for the entire training year.

For the man who has a greater ability to recuperate after strenuous training there are further methods of training which will stimulate even further rates of growth and development, due to the extent of their severity and complicated nature. With these types of workouts you would do all your pressing on one day, the whole amount of squatting on the following day, and finally, on the third training day you would follow a most complete routine to fully work the pulling muscles of the body. In this way, although you would be training six days per week, you will only be working each muscle group twice weekly, so that the entire workload would be evenly distributed throughout the entire body, with adequate rest between workouts.

The severity of this routine will make it necessary that you do not try to stay on this routine for more than a month or so, unless you are one of those rare individuals who can thrive, or seem to do so, on such a great quantity of hard work. If such is the case, then by all means stay on this type of routine as long as you wish to. But for the majority of the rest of us, a month and a half of so would be long enough to stimulate correct training responses. As soon as one begins to feel somewhat drug out and less proficient at one’s workouts, it is then time to switch to a less severe amount of work until full recuperation is realized.

Here then is your six day per week specialization routine:

Monday – Bench Press, Incline Press and Flat Bench Flying

Tuesday – Power Squat and Leg Presses

Wednesday – Deadlifts, Bentover Rowing and Lat Machine Pulldowns

Thursday – Take the day off

Friday – The same as Monday

Saturday – The same as Tuesday

Sunday – The same as Wednesday

With this type of routine, there is a tremendous amount of stress placed on the physical and emotional parts of the mind and body, so be sure to realize this and take steps to deter physiological staleness, which may step in and force an unwanted layoff. A good idea would be to take a few extra naps throughout the day so as to make this excessive work more acceptable to the body and more easily recuperated from. Just as we must learn to creep before we can walk, so must we find our way through this kind of workout, slowly and with great hesitancy to overwork, since this would work against us, not for us. Rest assured, if enough care is taken to see to it that the correct kind of diet is followed throughout this entire training affair, the result we are seeking will make itself felt. All that is necessary is to barter our energy and see to it that we are properly fed and adequately rested.

Another avenue of experimentation which has been proven most successful to the few men who have proved to be innovative enough to attempt such a unique incorporation of training schedules and exercise frequency would be where you will be working the entire body each and every workout. Then, after working extremely hard on the entire body, you rest until you feel that you have completed the amount of rest and then, and only then, do you take another workout. This means that some weeks you may be training three times per week and other weeks you will be training only two times per week. But in both cases, you will be sure to work more than enough to stimulate sufficient gains without the chance of under-recuperation or overtraining becoming a problem. This way, there are very little wasted training programs when on this type of routine. By limiting the amount of training periods each week, you can greatly magnify the amount of work done on each chosen exercise period. Also, you will be able to rest assured that sufficient rest takes between each workout bout. For the man with limited training time and limited training energy, this type of routine may be just what the doctor ordered.

Article Courtesy of Liam Tweed.
Thank You!!!

Developing a High Poundage Snatch

by Peary Rader

From the December 1957 Issue of IronMan Lifting News

Vol 4 No 4

We have now finished our bodybuilding program preparing you for the snatch (note: Rader, as well as many others, recommend putting in some foundation and flexibility work before going on to the quick lifts). Now we must take up an exercise program for the development of power and speed.

For the development of the necessary power for the snatch we will use much the same exercises we used for the bodybuilding movements. A man needs terrific power in his legs and back as well as in the pull of the arms. To attain this power you will cut the repetitions down from 2 to 4 reps, and do lots of sets.

Let us again go to the squat, which is a basic exercise in all power programs. You will load all the poundage you can handle for about 3 or 4 reps on the bar on squat racks. A good set of squat racks is just as important to a barbell man as the bar is.

Now take the bar on your shoulders and step back from the racks so the bar will clear as you squat. Go into about a half squat and back up. You will take a deep breath and hold it while squatting. Never try to do a heavy squat on empty lungs - it is not safe. Now do another repetition and try to go down to a parallel position with the tops of the thighs. Don't go any lower in the squat at any time with heavy weights.

Every man working for power should learn certain safety measures in the squat so that if he gets stuck in the squat, as he sometimes will - (in fact if he doesn't get stuck each set he isn't working as hard as he should) - he can bring himself back up from the low position. He should always try to come up himself rather than ask training partners to take the weight from his shoulders. To ask for assistance from training partners gradually develops a negative mental attitude. Fight your own battles with the weights up to a successful conclusion. This is necessary if you truly want to excel in your lifting.

Here is how you should learn to come back up from a squat in which you get stuck. First you should realize that the bar is not going to roll off your shoulders as long as you keep your position and don't lean backward or forward. In other words, you can afford to remove one hand from the bar and place it on the thigh and push vigorously. This will give you the necessary aid to help you come erect. Don't help with the hand any more than is needed. You should also develop the ability to take both hands off the bar and push the thighs with both hands. This will be a still greater aid in unusual cases.

And there ya has it.

Forced rep squats circa 1957.

In order to learn this you should do a lot of your squats with the use of the hands on the thighs. Learn that the bar won't roll off the neck. It won't take long for this method to become almost second nature with a heavy weight. Just remember - don't go below parallel with the tops of the thighs in the style of squatting we're using.

Generally it is best to start out with a comparatively light weight for the first set or so as a warm up exercise, for you might pull a muscle if you start right out with your maximum poundage. Then add weight and work up each set to your maximum poundage that you can use for ONE REP. This should take about 6 or 8 sets of from about 5 reps on up to 1 or 2 on the last lift - if you think you can get a 2nd rep do it. After this heavy stuff reduce the weight way down to a very light poundage - say 150 if you are working up to 400, and use this to do a very low squat to stretch the muscles for low positions and move around in the low squat as described in last issue.

Note: Liam has been kind enough to share the November '57 issue with us as well.

I'll get to that in the near future.

Actually, your power program should start out with the upper body, and that means the presses and pulls. Start your regular presses with about 3 reps per set and fairly good style, then add poundage for each set and gradually work up. Make your first set rather light for a warmup as you always want to warm up well when doing power work, and this means for each exercise. Doing squats doesn't warm you up up properly for doing presses or vice versa.

As you work up in poundage you will gradually use more back bend until you reach the maximum with back bend, then start jerk pressing by jerking with the the legs and then pressing on out. This will allow you to work up to a very high poundage and will help you to lock out fast in the snatch. Do some of these with a rather wide grip similar to the snatch grip.

After you finish these power presses you should do some shoulder stretching movements as given in last issue. (I'm woikin' on it, eh). Always follow power movements with stretching movements. Your last sets will be performed with weights that will only allow you to do 1 rep.

Now for our pulling exercises - they are the most important part of the whole group for the snatch. Let's start with the heaviest poundages. This will be the dead lift. We never do a regular dead lift when training for power in the snatch or the clean, but rather a fast pull as in a clean.

Take a poundage for warmup and get set just as you do for the clean and snatch and pull it fast and high just as if you were going to clean it. Do a few reps from the dead hang after the first pull from the floor. Now start adding poundage and gradually work up by doing 3 to 5 reps per set until you reach a point where you can only do about 1 or 2 reps and can only pull it to about waist high. This will take quite a few sets and reps. You will be surprised how much poundage you can work up to and how much it will help your snatch pull.

Your first reps will be with weights light enough so that you can pull to the level of the eyes, then, instead of lowering the weight you should dip the knees slightly and snap the weight straight to straight arms. This is the power snatch that we see in the photo at the bottom of page four in the last issue.

Will you cut that out, Peary!

Here . . .

Then continue to add poundage. As you add poundage you won't be able to pull high enough to get the arms straight and finally will only be able to pull to about the height of the waist. Do the first rep of each set from the floor and the rest from the hang position. You should do the lighter poundages with the wide grip used in your snatches.

Now this pulling will run into a lot of reps and a lot of work but it is perhaps the most important exercise for snatching, for there are two basic requirements to a high poundage snatch - pulling the weight to maximum height (which means power and speed), and getting as low as possible under the weight (which means flexibility and speed).

In developing a training schedule we suggest that after you have passed the beginners stages as described in the bodybuilding program last issue, that you start following this power program. (I'm woikin' on that article already, Peary! Hey, how could I not include an article here that features the duck waddle.) We would suggest that you work at these power exercises the first part of your workout just as described above. After you have finished with them you can go to the practice of the snatch itself with rather light poundages to develop timing, speed, low positions, flexibility etc., as described in previous issues. If you do this you will have a rather lengthy program so that when specializing in improvement of the snatch you will find that you hardly have any time and energy for work on the other lifts - that is the press and the clean & jerk. However, they will not likely suffer during this specialization period.

Low position practice for flexibility should be an important part of every training program and after power exercises you should take a bar that will push you down and go into low positions to stretch the muscles as this lifter is doing in training at the Olympics. Take a heavy poundage with a snatch grip and jerk press it to arms' length and then sink into a low position in the squat or split (whichever style you use), then lean forward under the weight to stretch the shoulders. Several reps of this will help.

Collac of Puerto Rico snatching 210. He is only 15 years old but has great power and excellent style as has the unidentified fellow below lifting at the recent Mid-Western Championships.

Well howsabout that! I already have Rader's Snatch article from the November issue of Lifting News here:

https://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2018/04/starting-to-develop-snatch-peary-rader.html

https://davedraper.com/

Dave Draper's Newsletter Columns:

https://www.davedraper.com/dave-draper-columns.html

Question: Can you tell us the difference between your on-season diet and off-season diet?

DD: My diet is pretty much the same year round, high protein, low carb, and medium good fats. Remember, I'm 61 years old and though I train harder and more effectively in many ways than I did during my developing and competitive days, my needs are different, my capabilities and possibilities limited. I no longer have an on- and off-season. It is one season and mostly on.

I do, however, hold extra bodyweight by choice as part of my smart training scheme. This is done to assure my body of an anabolic environment and allow me to train harder and heavier. (I'm no striking powerhouse, of course; time and injury redefine your training.) Carrying an extra 5 or 10 pounds, I'm more resistant to injury, less restricted in menu and less critical of a finished-physique look. The latter is a stress and stumbling block in itself, as if hoisting the iron wasn't enough.

The serviceable bodyfat if personally acceptable. I feel tight and I can button my pants.

Something of interest: My diet is the same now as it was when I was training hard to gain mass and power in the '60s and '70s. I just ate more, lots more. No fast or junk foods, though ice cream reached my plate and eventually my obliques during those formative years. That's gone and the smorgasbord eating is gone. Lots of beef, fish, chicken and dairy, plus heaps of salads and steamed cruciferous vegetables constitute my menu now as then. I depend more and more on a good protein powder (love my Bomber Blend) for important protein feedings throughout the day (breakfast, pre- and post-workout meals and pre-bedtime feeding), and a super vitamin and mineral. I also take creatine and EFAs these past years.

Pre-contest eating for me consisted of eating less in general, dumping the dairy the last weeks as I gauged hardness and cut the carbs to a minimum. There are individual tricks to dial in the muscularity and fullness the last weeks and days, but you get the idea.

Today we have an extreme sport with extreme measures about which I know nothing.

Q: What is your advice for a younger lifter who would like to be a bodybuilding champion?

DD: Think twice about the champion part and fall in love with the lifting of iron and steel. The goal can get in your way causing you to trip over your feet before you learn to squat. Train hard, eat right, find joy in the disciplines and practice them consistently. Grow up and into the sport day by day and, thus, avoid setting yourself up for disappointment, expecting too much, being ever critical and trying to satisfy an image.

The real deal is in the training, the struggle, the perseverance, the self control and the determination. The champion will rise up from these qualities.

Goals are important to me. I prefer direction and am most productive when they are clear right before me. But the top floor is too far away and I get dizzy looking up. Step by step, one floor at a time with guts and persistence. That's the certain way to the top.

You, dear reader, have chosen a fantastic sport to build your life around. It requires hard work, thank God, and only basic knowledge as your education. The rest comes from you, your diligent practice, your sacrifice, your strong will, self-awareness, trust and patience. You see there are no shortcuts, no secrets. It's you, the weights, the awesome gravity and the clang of metal, deep breathing and sweat and pain and joy.

Encouragement from each other is priceless, like oxygen to a drowning mate.

Too much information and seeking it endlessly is a dead end. We're all different with different needs. Who are you? Train long enough and you'll find out. It 's the basics, man, in working out and eating right.

Unless, of course, you choose pharmaceuticals to support your cause.

Q: What was your favorite bodybuilding moment?

DD: I won the Mr. America in 1965 and Mr. Universe in 1966. Things in bodybuilding were moving fast in those days and the sport was taking its first steps toward the moon. Onstage and winning those titles with the competing champions was nothing short of sensational. The contests were held in the Opera House of the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the audience was brand new, standing room only. They didn't know what to expect, they had no previous exposure to the likes of the new champions and they were completely uninhibited. You'd have to have been there. The roar of the crowd was almost frightening. Never had I expected so much honest emotion to erupt from a bunch of happy-go-lucky bodybuilding fans. The exuberant human sounds came in huge waves and we left literally lifted up and shifted. The staging shook, the curtains quivered and the NY union workers grabbed their gear and readied their post as if soldiers under siege.

What a night. The crowds are great now, but they've been there-done that, if you know what I mean. Nothing like spontaneity.

From Amazon:

goo.gl/WKXPRg

Q: How do you see the future of bodybuilding?

DD: Not through tired eyes, though they may bear a slight squint. I love it more than ever, though I have always thought of it as weight training and musclebuilding. Tell you the truth, I'm not crazy about the bodybuilding thing or the fitness thing. Too dopey, imitated and false. I like the iron. Yeah, like that's not dopey.

Anyhow, I wish more people would see the picture and get in shape, but that's not happening in the next 24 hours. About bodybuilding, I see it traveling the same road for awhile. There are actually several roads, the highways and the byways. The highways serve the fast-paced sub-culture of extreme bodybuilders who will continue to seek the extremes and thrill the audience of crazies and rads. Can't hold them down, though the big market might not support them forever and they might slowly diminish in popularity. The core will become smaller and tighter with greater critical mass.

The byways are bumper to bumper with standard bodybuilders and muscle makers, some who are on a little stuff, some into natural competition, some who just love being strong and in good shape and striving and some who loved it when they were kids and now they're 40, 50 and 60, want it again: good health and muscles and might and long-life and sweet training. The latter fringe is growing.

Q: What are the biggest mistakes you see beginners making?

DD: Bodybuilding, weightlifting and powerlifting have many components and the new participants come in all shapes and sizes. The mistakes made are numerous and various. Off the top of my head let me list the top six mistakes in the beginner's section:

1) Jumping into training without a clue. This worked for me and pre-historic man, but some basic knowledge picked up from an honest-to-goodness coach, be he a friend or professional, is not a bad idea. Get the basics down and start pounding away, learning as you go with focus and self-awareness. Once you learn the basics in exercise, muscle action and muscle grouping, sets and reps, your mistakes will become your guide.

2) Not working legs, like they were totally disconnected from their shoulders and arms. Another way of saying this: they don't do squats. Gasp. The single most important builder of the body (next to the bench press, I guess one might say, if they were locked in a gym with a bunch of bench press-crazed physical culturists). Get with it.

3) Not addressing the training component of sound nutrition and right eating. Lots of protein, breakfast, frequent feedings, no junk food, things like that . . . vitamins and minerals, lots of water. You are what you eat.

4) Expecting and looking for too much, too soon and submission to disappointment. Not giving the training a chance, the real test and, thus, not applying or developing discipline, patience and perseverance, or muscle and might.

5) Doing bench presses that are too heavy, too soon and ferociously wrong in form. You know, the severely arched back, the big bounce, the right goes up followed sometime later by the left. Very personal. Your shoulders hate you for the rest of your life. Train hard, be wise, take care of your joints, tendons and muscles.

6.) Seeking information like it was gold - the real answer, the hidden truth, the secret, the faster way, the better way, the pro's way. Along with that is believing in the magazines and studying their advertisements. Research more, train less, go nowhere, go home. It's in you, it's in the iron, it's in the hard, consistent work. That's also where the joy is stashed, where fulfillment overflows and where boys become men and girls become stronger and leaner girls. Hi cutie.

Q: How important is the question, "How much do you bench press," to a bodybuilder?

DD: Well, the best I did as a bodybuilder was 440 at 6 A.M. in the dungeon on a poorly made bench of splintered 2x4's and protruding 10-penny nails bent over to prevent tripping, lacerations or punctures. I was without a spot. I was alone as usual and the bar was bent like a buffalo bar. Great for squatting. I did not pursue the one-rep maxes as I couldn't handle the possibility of failure. Security is not a bodybuilder's strong point. I could have done more if I worked at it.

The question is important. The greatest lure to the newbie (and the guy who should know better) who walks across the gym floor is the mound of iron held invitingly, threateningly, precariously over the flat bench. It stares at you and you stare back. The challenge is unspoken, unavoidable, inevitable. It's the law.

The bench press is considered the true measure of one's weight lifting prowess; the definer, one's credentials, the passport and the demanding, yet affectionate daddy of all exercises.

How much can you bench press, the big question mark, is the rite of passage.

The problem is the price for pushing the bench is high. It's those shoulders, man. Dumbbell inclines are a great and safe substitute and big chest and shoulder builder.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to say to readers?

DD: Absolutely, if y'all have time to listen. Please feel free to sign up for my weekly newsletter at davedraper.com and we can communicate regularly. The facts are limited, but there's no end to the learning.

Go with God, the Bomber, Dave Draper.

Note: You just gotta check this Draper article out:

https://www.davedraper.com/article-1028.html

It's a real fine one!

Reg Park.

Check out that bench.

The bench press is without doubt one of the most popular of all body-building exercises. Here are some of the other exercises which I found beneficial in helping me to bench press 480 pounds.

- Parallel bar dips with weight tied to the waist.

- Bench press off boxes. For ligament and tendon power.

- Bench press with dumbbells.

- Press-ups with weight on back. Can also be performed between boxes.

- Bench press to neck.

Include any two or the above exercises in your schedule and change them for another two each month. Perform 4 sets of 5 repetitions on any of these exercises in order to build body power.

When practicing the bench press itself, I always use a grip slightly wider than that which I use for military pressing. Many champion weightlifters (in particular Doug Hepburn) believe that if this grip is used and each repetition pressed from the chest (not bounced) it is also wonderful for improving one's performance on the military press, provided of course that you do practice the military press as well.

If you are training for heavy poundages however, do not perform these two exercises on the same day.

Originally Published in This Issue

International Olympic Lifter April 1974.

Thanks to Liam Tweed for Letting Us Read It!

The modern pull is a lift, not an extension.

It is a summation of straight forces from the floor to the top.

Let us go through some of the highlights of the pull which make it so. We pull the bar off the floor slowly. This is because:

1) a fast pull from the floor usually results in the bar being pulled out front.

2) a muscle loses its contractile force rapidly when contracted fast.

Because the body is at a poor leverage for pulling when the body is at the floor and because the bar has a long distance to be pulled it is mandatory to wait to pull fast.

The weight of the body is centered on the balls of the feet when starting the pull. Then it is evenly transferred back to the middle of the feet as the bar is lifted to the knees. Also, as the bar is lifted from the floor, the hips are kept in. They don't shoot back. They go up VERTICALLY because the knees are straightening. The straightening of the knees permits the bar to continue in a straight line past the knees. The back angle from the floor to the knees remains constant.

As the bar comes past the knees, the weight of the body is at its furthest point back. It has come from the balls of the feet back to the middle of the feet. From this position the weight MUST return to the balls of the feet again. This is very important. Some lifters get into the correct position for a second pull but their weight is still centered on the middle of the feet not on the balls of the feet. So when they pull they are off balance and they pull in a rotation instead of straight up.

With the bar past the knees and the bodyweight coming forward, the knees bend (they are bending the second time; they were bent to start with when the bar was pulled off the floor), and the hips come FORWARD AND UP. The bending of the knees causes the forward motion. The up motion is caused by the rising of the back and the lifter going UP onto the balls of his feet. This has been described as a scooping or sliding motion. It is in this manner that the lifter gets his body into the best possible pulling position. If this is done right, the bar continues to be pulled in a straight line UP. If this is not done right, what commonly happens is the hips come forward but not up because the bodyweight has not come forward and the lifter has not come up onto the balls of his feet. This results in a rotation caused by the back straightening and no up motion. Then when the lifters does his second pull, there is a continuation of this rotation and a rotary force is added onto the preceding straight forces so that they don't add up to as much resulting force as would the addition of straight forces. Thus the lifter does not get the maximum pull, and many times the bar is lost behind the lifter and he jumps back.

With the body in the best possible position, the second pull causes greater acceleration of the bar. The preceding sliding motion is done faster than the first pull but the main acceleration comes from the second pull. This second pull is started by accelerating the straightening of the legs and hips. As these big muscles accelerate the bar, the extension of the back THEN blends in (not before). This results in a continuation of the up motion which is further continued by the later blending of the elevation of the shoulders. The end of the pull results in the lifter up on his toes, body fully elongated and shoulders shrugged. maximum height with maximum force has been implanted to the bar.

The second motion can be thought of as pushing away from the platform or jumping with a weight in the hands. When done right, it gives the impression of a sudden elongating or lengthening of the body. This is because the motion takes off straight up.

These are some of the highlights of the pull which make it a lift not an extension. Let me briefly review them in outline form.

1) The lifter pulls slowly off the floor.

2) The bodyweight starts off on the balls of the feet when the bar is pulled from the floor, shifts to the middle of the feet when the bar is at the knees, then back to the balls of the feet for the second pull.

3) The back angle from the floor to the knees is kept constant.

4) The lifter is on the balls of his feet for the start of the second pull.

5) During the whole pull, the hips must not go back.

6) From a nearly straight position at the end of the first pull, the knees go into a bent position again during the slide to the start of the second pull.

7) The second pull is started by an acceleration of the straightening of the legs and hips, NOT an extension of the back. The extension of the back blends in after.

Though this is a snatch, the photo shows pretty good position other than he has allowed the bar to swing out from his body.

A very strong man, but rotates and pulls the weight back instead of straight up. At one time this type of pull was taught but today it is taboo.

1) The bodyweight, as the bar comes off the floor slowly, is on the balls of the feet.

2) To get the bar to knee height, the knees have straightened (not as much here, in the frog kick style, as some other styles), the hips have come UP BUT NOT BACK. The shoulders have gone slightly forward. The back angle from the floor to here has remained constant. The bodyweight has shifted backward toward the middle of the feet.

3) The lifter has shifted or slid into the bar. This is done by bending the knees (not as much here in the frog style as some other styles), the bodyweight shifts from the middle of the feet to the balls of the feet (note - the lifter's heels are not in contact with the floor), the back has gone up. This is the strongest position from which to pull.

4) From the position in No. 3 the lifter has first straightened his legs and hips and THEN, NOT BEFORE, his back shoots straight. The shoulders have elevated. This is the fully elongated position (note - straightened knees and the lifter on his toes). A summation of straight forces has caused this and the bar has moved with tremendous speed to a position whereby the lifter's arms pull and go underneath.

http://www.garystrydom.com/academy/

The man in the mirror is a giant. This mirror is one that tends to make a person look a little more on the tall and lean side than he really is. This time, though, the mirror doesn't exaggerate. The man really is a giant. He's wearing a posing suit, cut high on the thigh and snug across his legs. His feet are fixed, his heels turned in slightly and his pelvis is angled forward just a bit.

One hand, his left hand, is on his hip. His right arm is angled in front of his body, fist clenched.

Gary Strydom is practicing a most-muscular pose, the way he likes to do it. Ripples of muscular sinew snake out and down across his massive chest. His strong jaw clenches, his eyes are transfixed forward. Beads of sweat appear on Strydom's brow, his chest heaves up and down as his lungs begin to cry out for oxygen. The muscles in his midsection tighten up, striations of powerful fiber flex out from his thighs. His body is shapely, symmetrical, powerful. He radiates strength and brute force. He is, in fact, the epitome of everything heavy bodybuilding can produce, perhaps the finest collection of hard muscles ever assembled in human form.

Hard muscle. Yes, it's what most of the youngsters reading this article want more than anything else in the world. It's what competitive bodybuilders hand out as their calling card. It's what most men who have hit 40 would really like to augment their battle for good health and extended years, even though they might try to pretend it isn't so.

Hard muscle is the be-all and end-all for most men who pick up a barbell. Give 'em that old hard muscle and they'll be your friend forever. It is this quest for hard muscle that has taken steroids beyond the realm of the competitive athlete, and inflicted them upon the movie star, the casual fitness buff, the teenage boy hoping for the girl of his dreams. But there is a safer way to hard muscle mass - if you listen to Gary Strydom.

To be sure, Gary is not your average bodybuilder. He isn't even your average professional bodybuilder or professional winner. He lives by his own rules and he's not prone to believing something or ascribing to something just because it has been so written or because everyone else has done it that way. No, Strydom is bodybuilding's Thoreau, he who marches to the beat of a different drum. Our Equalizer, the man who brought Matt Mendenhall to his knees back in 1986, the man who gave a new meaning to ultraripped glutes and thighs, the man who sent Michael Ashley packing in the Night of the Champions contest, the man who says he will eventually topple the supreme one, Lee Haney from his Olympia perch, plays by his own rules.

Now, for sure, our bodybuilding world is confusing, especially to someone who picks up a magazine for the first time and endeavors to learn the ways of the bodybuilding world. The neophyte soon discovers that the easy, fast, step-by-step way to the body of his fantasies is fraught with the perils of confusion and conflicting direction. Minds boggle and discipline wanes.

Take the case of developing hard muscle size.

You'll hear all kinds of advice. That you should do low reps with heavy weights and add forced reps whenever you can. That you should do only 1-3 sets and concentrate on the negative part of the lifts. That, no, you should do a lot of sets and the reps must be at least 8 and all the way up to 15. That you should use the pyramid overload. That you should warm up, go to your maximum and use a descending weight overload. You'll read about rest pause, extended sets, push-pull training for mass. You'll learn that you must overload on protein. No so, say others; you should eat little protein and mostly carbohydrates.

It's a wonder that anyone develops hard muscle mass at all! And then there are the steroid pushers, who will tell you it's impossible to develop any quantity of hard muscle mass without injecting androidal androgens into your behind, the Ashleys and Jean-Guillames of the world be damned.

So what does Gary Strydom, all 6 feet, 275 pounds of him, have to say about all these rantings?

"Hogwash," says Gary. "Most of what you read or what this or that bodybuilder says is misinformation, in my opinion. I don't mean that other bodybuilders are stupid or trying to mislead you. It's more like they automatically assume that just because they made gains off some exercises or some specific program, that everyone else will too. Such is not the case and it has never been."

As someone who certainly looks like he knows what he's talking about, the huge man from Marina del Rey, California, gets my full attention. "I think the biggest mistake kids make," says Gary, "and I made it too when I started, is that they get it fixed in their minds that something has to be one way because Mr. So-And-So says it has to be. This approach is wrong and you end up wasting a lot of time because of it.

"I'll give you an example. It's a given that every beginning bodybuilder should do bench presses for his chest, that heavy bench presses are the best way to build up your chest. Now, that might be true for Jeff Everson or Gary Strydom, but someone else might find that dumbbell incline flyes, decline presses or cable work builds up his chest a lot quicker. You usually do presses on an incline with either a barbell or heavy dumbbells to build up the upper chest right here [Gary points to the line of fibers known as the clavicular chest fibers]. Okay? But I've watched Tom Platz train his upper chest and I think he's got one of the best upper chests in bodybuilding, and Tom didn't do either of these exercises. Instead, he positioned himself in the in the Smith rack machine and did what I thought was a very strange movement, sort of a half press or lock-out press with the bar with his elbows directed out. I watched Tom do about 10 sets of these little, bitty quarter movements and that's all, I mean all he did for his upper chest. But you know what? When he was done, he was pumped bigger than a house.

"So, if you're looking to get the biggest and hardest you can, the fastest way you can, you have to find out what exercises, sets and reps work best for you. It's not a cop-out to say this. It really is the way bodybuilding works. It's a very individualized thing.

"I can give you another example," Gary continues. "Everyone does leg extensions to cut up and separate the quadriceps right on top of the knee joint. That's the way it's supposed to work anyway. Well, I haven't done a leg extension for three years! My knee area is well developed and is separated as well as anyone's in bodybuilding. I do squats and a special cable exercise for my low quads. I put a cuff around my ankle and do leg kickouts and this develops my hard size and separation there better than anything. That tells me that there are no rules."

I agree with Gary that bodybuilding is confusing to beginners and is made harder than it should be because so many role models think that their training is something unique and special or that it is the only way to get where you want to go. But at the same time I suggest to Gary that there are some commonalities, some basic physiological rules for developing the body.

To which Gary replies, "Or course that's true. You have to exercise and you have to exercise hard. Not only that, but you have to eat right. It's not easy by any means and what I've done is develop the workout and eating system that I've found has benefited me the most in gaining hard muscle mass."

I think the methods Gary's worked out are as god as any for developing quality mass. That's why I wanted to share them with all the bodybuilders out there who perhaps haven't had as much success as they would have liked with some of the methods they're tried so far. Here's what big Gary does.

Gary works out on an interesting combination system, a methodology he claims incorporates aspects of many training theories to maximize hardness, muscle quality and size, all attributes Strydom is known for.

Rather than letting you get bogged down with details on how Gary groups bodyparts, it's more important that I tell you about the philosophy underlying the training. Gary has a three-tiered system consisting of a heavy day, a medium-light day, and a high-intensity day. Do not immediately assume high intensity means heavy weights and low reps with forced reps and negatives, because that's not how Gary interprets high intensity.

On his heavy day, regardless of which particular bodypart or parts he's training on this day, Gary does 12-15 sets per bodypart and keeps his repetitions between 5-8. He trains slowly, without exhausting speed, and he uses as much weight as he can for each of the sets on all exercises.

On his medium-light day, Gary will reverse himself. Now he'll do a whopping 20-30 sets (usually he is training one bodypart, sometimes two, but never two major ones), and keeps his reps between 12-15. He doesn't push on this day, in terms of where his reps are supposed to be (I'll explain that in a bit). On this day, Gary is training at a good clip and is very intent on squeezing his reps at the finish to peak out his muscles and to help build muscle maturity and detail.

On his high-intensity day, Gary may do just one, two, or three exercises for each bodypart. Does he do this out of whim or for some scientific reason? Neither. He does it this way because he couldn't take any more! Gary's definition of high intensity is doing fairly high repetition (12-15) but with really heavy weights.

An example of his high-intensity training would be leg presses, but he'll use such a heavy weight that he can barely get 10 standard reps. Since his program calls for 15, he has to find a way to get 15. Gary uses rest pause here to accomplish that goal. He does 10, rests in the locked-out position just long enough to gain momentary recovery so that he can squeeze out another rep. He proceeds to do these very short rest periods as he gets the next rep, and the next, until he's made all 15.

This training day is exceedingly difficult. That's why Gary calls it high intensity. High intensity to him doesn't have to do with the total weight lifted, it has to do with total effort. By the time he's done this 3-5 set torture, he's pretty well spent. In fact, on some high-intensity days he may do only one exercise, especially if it's one that involves big muscle groups. like the leg press or squat.

Gary has used this three-tier training pattern since he progresses past the beginners stage of bodybuilding, no matter how he grouped his bodyparts. The fact that Gary is varying his sets, exercises and especially his repetitions shows he's attuned to a form of 'holistic' training.

With training, Gary has always stressed consistency and heavy weights (the other day he did 315 for 18 reps in the bench press, and felt he could have done a couple more, but didn't want to risk re-injuring his shoulder. He also stresses a rotational system of training as described; emphasis on the squeezing of the muscle contraction at the end of each motion; a lot of posing for harder muscularity; and a regimented eating and supplement program designed specifically for hard mass.

Gary's nutritional plan was designed in part by his wife Alyse, who has had a lot of experience and training in nutrition. The program is expensive - I believe Gary once told me they spend $2,000 a month on food alone! That's believable. Read on.

Gary eats every three hours like clockwork. Even if he and Alyse are traveling, they follow this rigid schedule (she cooks food ahead of time to bring along). The only time they don't is during sleep, but early in his bodybuilding life Gary interrupted his sleep to follow this every-three-hour feeding schedule. If it sounds like a program you'd put cattle on, Gary is as big as a bull.

Every three hours Gary feasts on the following: 3-5 chicken breasts or a pound of lean beef or 8-10 egg whites with two yolks worked in, a small helping of vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, green beans), a little fruit and an ample supply complex carbs, usually rice, baked potatoes or couscous. Occasionally he drinks a little nonfat milk.

Gary's dietary plan is solid as a rock, and for many years he did not use food supplements at all. However, he now uses an occasional protein powder mixed with strawberries, water or apple juice for a once or twice a day snack.

I agree with Gary. There is no guaranteed method for getting hard muscle mass for everyone. But Gary's system has worked very well for him, and you might give it an unbiased try. Over the next year or two you may be pleasantly surprised!

Steve Knight [a.k.a. Gilardi; Little; Smith; Jones]

Ken Leistner using the Draper Top Squat.

For those who have read Bill Starr's The Strongest Shall Survive, Steve Knight is the dinky looking 165-pounder psyching to make a big squat. The squats he now psychs for re much heavier and thankfully, that average looking lifter in the Starr book photo is now monstrously muscles, the physique of a national caliber bodybuilder with the strength of the Nationals champion that he is. "The obvious questions are, of course, how did he get so strong, so well developed, and just what is that fellow's name anyway!

Steve is another of the long list of Bill Starr proteges, an arm-wrestler who wandered into the University of Hawaii weight room and had his life changed forever. Although he already possessed good strength and a load of athletic ability, it was hard to foresee the fine future that is rapidly becoming his present.

Before delving into Steve's philosophy, it's important to understand the respect that he has for Bill Starr and the many lessons taught to him by the old master. One look at Steve's routines and his approach to diet and supplementation clearly yields the Starr influence. In addition to the guidance, Bill has shown great patience in leading Steve towards the proper path, and those associated with Steve can tell yu that he can be difficult once he decides to be.

Over the course of a year, Steve does two different programs, each 12 weeks long. Each particular cycle is repeated twice, thus, the training year is actually divided into four segments. Two of the cycles are undertaken with 'maximum supplementation', while two of them are done without such aid.

Steve pushes very heavy, make that maximum weight, for sets of 5's in all cycles. The subtle difference lies in the following point and one that allows him to avoid overtraining. While supplementing, Steve pushes the weight up as heavy as possible, trains for maximum poundages on all reps in each exercise. When not supplementing, he attempts to maintain his strength training to keep all of the strength he gained on the previous cycle. Thus, segment one of the year has Steve supplementing his diet, pushing up maximum weights. The segment to follow has him attempting to keep any gains made, not necessarily pushing to exceed them. Thus, when going into part three of the training year, the one usually preceding the big meets, he has a solid base from which to work from, one that has seen strength gains come and then consolidate in the two previous cycles.

Another change is largely mental in nature. During his non-supplemental cycles, Steve pays close attention to picking up his weak points with carefully selected assistance exercises and makes any changes in technique that the three competitive lifts call for. As he told me, "I work technique every rep, every set for both cycles. I'm mentally training myself twice as much as physically." Thus, he does not forego technique during the heavy cycles, he's just totally concerned with moving new numbers, pushing up his maximum 5's as much as possible without bringing on injury.

To know Steve is to know that the sets and reps of it are the most uninteresting part of his existence. Of course, you would have to spend some time tracking him down to find this out, a feat not easily accomplished. Rumor has it that Steve wound up in Jack King country because the light was always on in the refrigerator!

Ironheart: Jack King's Story, by William Crawford:

https://jackkingsgym.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/ironheart-jack-kings-story/#more-249

Jack King: How to Leave a Legacy, by Travis Mash:

https://www.mashelite.com/jack-king-how-to-leave-a-legacy/

Okay . . . to sets and reps we go. On the competitive three, Steve sticks basically with heavy 5's, going to 8-12 for assistance work. When things get sticky in the bench press, for examply, he may go to the old Doug Hepburn routine of five singles and five sets of 5's rather than straight sets of 5's.

Here's how Bill Starr implemented the Hepburn progression:

"Start by doing a series of warmup sets. You don't want to do too many because they'll tap into your reserves, and you're going to need all your reserve strength to complete this workout. Three or four sets are usually enough. Once you're warmed up, select a work weight that's a bit lower than your best single and proceed to do five singles with it. After you finish that, drop back 50 pounds and do five sets of five."

As Steve related recently, he got tired of the deadlift. Changed to heavy rack pulls below the knee, 5's of course. Steve's outstanding squatting ability is legendary, and one may feel that there's a secret routine involved, but he trains those like the other lift. He's a machine. His warmups at El Dorado were as picture perfect as the ones done on the platform and everybody just had to shake their heads at his seemingly perfect execution of near-record lifts.

A typical program looks like this:

Monday -

Bench, 6 sets of 5, heavy

Close Grip Bench, 2 x 8-10, heavy

DB Inclines, 3 x 8-10, heavy

Flyes, 3 x 8-10, heavy

Triceps Extension, 3 x 8-10, heavy

Triceps Pressdown, 3 x 12-15, heavy.

Tuesday -

Deadlift, 6 sets of 5, heavy

Shrug, 3 x 8, moderate weight, done from above the knee, check Strongest Shall Survive

More on these from Bill Starr here:

http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2018/03/traps-make-man-bill-starr.html

The section on dynamic shrugs, a.k.a. Hawaiian shrugs

Squat, 4 x 10, heavy

Leg Curl, 3 x 20.

Wednesday -

Bench, 5 x 5, light

Bentover Row, 3 x 8, medium

One Arm DB Row, 3 x 8, medium

Lat Pulldown, 3 x 8, medium

Hammer Curl, 3 x 8, medium

Alt DB Curl, 4 x 8, heavy

Supination Curl, 4 x 12, heavy.

Friday -

Bench, Hepburn routine per Starr (see above), 5 singles, 5 x 5

Same assistance as Monday.

Saturday -

Squats, he really gets to it for 6 sets of 5 with a backoff of 10, all out here

Shrugs, 3 x 8, medium

Leg Curl, 3 x 20

Alt DB Curl, 4 x 8, heavy

Supination Curl, 4 x 12

Situps, Leg Raises, Twists, Side-bends done every day as a warmup with lots of stretching.

Steve's contest preparation is as meticulous as his appearance. He feels that he can best perform if he is properly nourished, so he brings his own food to meets. At El Dorado his room was filled with hard boiled eggs, lots of fresh fruit, and loads of various vitamin and mineral tabs ala Bill Starr's suggestions in The Strongest Shall Survive. When we ate in Madison, Steve was careful to stick to eggs (boiled, poached or lightly scrambled), broiled fowl and beef, fresh fruit and juices, milk, and of course, his ever present bottles of vitamins and minerals. We discussed at great length his training results and computed his exact warmup scheme, rep for rep, second by second. His stretching routine was assiduously planned and timed. By the time Steve walked onto the platform, his body was fine tuned to perform the exact poundages selected. He cruised at El Dorado, but made what were limit attempts on all lifts in Madison, and his 677 DL was a classic case of going to the well and bringing up all that was in there, a great gut lift, and one that few others would have pulled to completion.

Much has been made of Steve's appearance, first, because he always looks immaculate, even in the heat of battle, and two, because of his hugely muscled, exceptionally defined thighs. His legs look as if they belong to a 220-pounder, but the cuts say 'Sergio' at the same time. All of those heavy squats done at Bill Starr's urging have certainly paid off. His upper body doesn't suffer either and as more than one onlooker at Madison remarked, "He looks like a bodybuilder."

I've talked about Steve's future before and it's all ahead of him. No reason why he can't with more time, be Senior National champion. And time he has, and yes, a fine future . . .

Steve Knight, 1984.

In 1982 at the US National Powerlifting Championships, while lifting in the 181 lb. weight class, Steve Knight set an Oregon state record in the squat of 722 lbs. that still stands today.

In 2002, Steve went back to school to study communication theory with the express purpose of acquiring visual-storytelling techniques to help explain how to handle pressure. He eventually earned a BA in communication studies (with honors) from Portland State University.

Winning State books by Steve Knight:
http://www.winningstate.com/

Article from Iron Man Lifting News Vol. 5, No. 5
COURTESY OF LIAM TWEED.

Editor's Note (Peary Rader) -
Excerpts from a letter from Arnold Shickman to Ray Maddock, which describes one of the finest training programs we have ever seen. It can do wonders for you.

Blog Author's Note - There was a Lowell Sun Newspaper article on Arnold Shickman published March 1st, 1961. He worked as a mathematician and geophysicist when he wasn't five times the New England middle- and light-heavyweight weightlifting champ. "Like mathematics, weightlifting requires great precision and concentration."

Now, the article . . .

In the first place the essential thing in making progress is theavoidance of staleness. When a man goes stale it means his nervous energy is depleted. His workouts are taking too much out of him and must be altered. I do not recommend a layoff in such cases. I have gone stale, taken a week off and come back just as stale. The solution is to find a routine which is better suited to your energy.
When your workouts do not deplete you, you make gains.
When you make gains you maintain interest.
When you maintain interest you do not go stale even if you never take a layoff.

Here are certain principles to follow:

1) Do not make limit attempts on the Olympic lifts a regular practice. No more than once a month should a man try his limit. Training is exercising, filling in your weak points, not testing your strength. It doesn't matter what weights you handle in training so long as you give yourself the proper amount of work. Don't feel badly because you don't press 200 lbs. every workout. Save it for the contests and you'll find you are raring to go and will do 210 or better in the contest.

2) On the same principle, avoid too many contests. For a lifter like myself who relies for his best totals on nervous energy, a 2-month interval between contests is ideal. One season I entered 10 contests in five months. By the 10th contest I had dropped 60 lbs. in my total as was ready to turn in my belt for life. The world champions do not enter many contests during the year. The idea is to store up the nervous energy between contests and then EXPLODE it in the competition.

3) Avoid lengthy workouts. No workout should last more than 2 hours, allowing 3-5 minutes rest between sets and lifts. Each workout should be clocked, allowing one-half hour for pressing, one-half hour for snatching or cleaning, and 1 hour for power exercises which are the most important of all.

4) This means also to avoid too many lifts and exercises in one workout. It takes a remarkably few fundamental exercises to prove effective in developing strength, and there are dozens of exercises which are a waste of precious energy for a lifter and which even a bodybuilder can do nicely without. A lifter must not be too physique conscious. Bench presses and curls and variations thereof have no place in a lifter's workout, especially before a contest. There are too many more important things a lifter must work on and he can't do everything if he is to avoid staleness. If he is worried about his appearance let him take comfort in the old adage, "train for strength and the physique will follow." Witness the impressive physiques of the world champions. If a man is still afraid he will deteriorate if he neglects curls and bench presses then he should forget lifting as a sport and find himself a room with a bench and a mirror and others of his species and pump up his pectorals and biceps to his ego's content. He will never be an athlete and he will look terrible some day. As a point of interest, I gave up curls and bench presses 2-1//2 years ago and my arms are an inch larger without even giving them a thought. What's more, they are an inch larger ice cold - not pumped up (which I forgot how to do).

5) You should press every workout but do not snatch and clean the same workout. A workout should contain presses plus snatches plus snatch developing exercises, or presses plus cleans plus clean developing exercises.

6) Squats are beneficial and even essential for some lifters but do not overdo them. They are very exhausting. No more than a total of 30 squats should be done per workout in sets of 3-5 reps starting with fairly light weights and working up in 10 or 20 pound jumps to moderately heavy weights. Do not work up to weights you can barely manage. The last set should be somewhat comfortable. You should feel you could have done 10 pounds more. For years, as you know, I was a squat fanatic, doing as many as 50 reps per workout and working up to over 400 lbs. for 5 reps or 360 for 10 reps. I had continuously sore knees, constant back strains and no spring in the legs. Now I cut down on squats both in weight and reps and feel 100% better and my lifts go up better. Squats should only be done 2 times a week, say on Monday and Friday. On Wednesday it is good to alternate with quarter squats or front squats with lighter weights if you are a squat cleaner. Always do squats last.

7) Do not train more often than 3 times per week or every other day. Do no exercise whatsoever on in-between days. Just rest.

8) Learn the mental trick of exploding every lift you do. Lifting today is no longer slow, deliberate pushes or pulls. It is exploding the weights up. It is difficult to really drive this point home without demonstrating it. This is why slow deadlifts or military presses are to be avoided. They develop bad habits of slow actions. When you snatch or clean a weight you don't just pull it off the floor haphazardly. You prepare to explode at the appropriate point! Similarly, you don't just push a weight off the shoulders when pressing. you get set by tensing the whole body, making yourself as rigid as possible and feeling like a coiled spring. At the signal you ram it up as if your life depended on getting it overhead in the shortest length of time. To learn these explosive actions is the purpose of doing the assistance exercises, as well as to get stronger. Bodybuilding exercises do not teach you to think explosively. Learning this technique has brought my total up considerably. It was one of the factors holding back my snatch and clean.

9) Many lifters overlook the fact that not all their strength is in the muscles. Much of it is in the tendons and joints and these must be developed by special movements. This is why bodybuilders do not do well on cleans and jerks in spite of their large muscles. The most popular exercises are muscle movements because they feel good. Most men hate the tendon movements because they feel awkward and they don't feel like lifts. There is no satisfaction in moving heavy weights 2 or 3 inches but it is very important, especially if you want to clean & jerk a lot. In training you should use moderate weights on the lifts themselves and save the heavy poundages for these tendon and joint developers. An example of one for the press which should be included in every workout is to take 25 lbs. more than your best press from the racks and hold it in the press position at the shoulders. Then attempt to press it (it may only go up to the chin), 3 sets of 5 reps. After a few weeks it will feel lighter and so will your presses. You will also have a faster explosive drive off the shoulders. Another one is to take 50-75 lbs. over your best jerk off the racks, hold it in the jerking position at the shoulders and then do jerk dips like front quarter squats, only dipping as low as you would for a jerk, also in sets of 5 reps. Full front squats also have this effect of getting you used to holding extremely heavy weights at the shoulders for long periods of time. After some time at these exercises the entire shoulder area will get thicker and you will have more confidence and more drive in your regular jerks which are much lighter by comparison. Another important movement which develops spring in the legs is the regular quarter squat. Use no more than 150 lbs. over your best clean & jerk and do 3 sets of 15 fast bouncy reps going down about 4 inches lower than you would for a jerk dip. Using too much weight can be dangerous and it slows the movement down, which destroys its effectiveness. The nice part about these partial movements is that they need no warmup. You can take your weight for quarter squats or jerk dips almost cold because the joints and tendons are not stretched to dangerous extents and do not need to be loosened up as they do for a full lift.

I found a very effective routine, especially just before a contest, is to work up in front squats in sets of 5, 3, and 1 ( a total of about 20 reps) and then go on with heavier weights doing the jerk dips. I used to work up in 20 lb. jumps in front squats from 245 x 5 reps up to a single with 345 and then continue with jerk dips with 365, 385 and 400. I had no trouble at all jerking 315 in a contest after that.

10) The source of pulling power is not the arms but the lower back. Not until a lifter learns this will he reach his full potential in the snatch and clean. The pull off the floor is done with the lower back muscles primarily. The arms are not bent until the weight reaches the knees. The faster your pull the higher the weight will go up when you add the pull of the arms and shoulders afterward. One sign of a good cleaner is a deep groove in the lower back between the lumbar muscles. The way to develop this explosive pull and the back muscles is usually with a variation of the deadlift called the high pull, but I prefer to call it the fast pull to distinguish proper performance of the exercise from the improper one. The idea is not to see how high you can pull it. That is not important. In fact it should never go above waist height when doing this exercise. Above waist height it becomes an arm exercise. Here too, it is difficult to describe without a demonstration. A weight of 25 lbs. over your best snatch is to be used if you are emphasizing snatch grip pulls that day, or 25 lbs. over your best clean for clean grip pulls. Get into the position of snatching or cleaning as well as the frame of mind. Think of the lower back muscles while doing it. Then give it that sudden explosive pull off the floor allowing the weight to go no more than waist height and trying to see how fast you can reach this height. Using too much weight will slow you down. 3 sets of 5 per workout is sufficient. After some time you will find the lower back thickening, and snatches and cleans will be done more proficiently.

11) For a poor presser to become a good one it is necessary to do lots of reps. As you know, I used to be a very poor presser. I gained 25 lbs. in the press during the last six months. Don't forget, this is after 12 years of lifting. First, I learned the technique of the fast press. Then, I began to do a total of 41 presses every workout, heavy and light, with various width grips, and going no higher than 85% of my limit, doing sets of 3 reps over the various weights. I break the press routine into two groups, doing the heavier ones at the beginning of the workout and the lighter ones with a wide grip at the end, with other lifts in between. This is better than doing all the presses together because it leaves energy for the other lifts. A naturally good presser who is poor on the quick lifts can do better with just about 15 presses, leaving the rest of the workout to developing his weak points. I found it best to arrange the order of exercises so that a pushing movement alternates with a pulling movement. This keeps one group of muscles from tiring.

In conclusion, and by way of example, let me write down the workout I have been using with only slight variation over the past 6 months, and which has kept my total on the upswing. I have been doing more snatches than cleans because I need more work on the snatch. Therefore I include snatches twice a week and cleans once a week. Someone more in need of cleaning work can clean twice a week or alternate with snatches every other workout. I found the squat clean is more exhausting than the split and cannot do more than 1 or 2 reps per set. A splitter might benefit by 3 reps, especially with the lighter weights. I have found from 1 to 3 reps per set best for the lifts, with 5 reps for exercises, and I never go over 95% of my limit on the quick lifts. As I said before, you cannot clean well after a snatch session so the two should not be done in one workout, ordinarily. I make an exception to this the week before a contest. At this time I cut out all power exercises and just do the 3 lifts, working up to starting poundages in sets of 2 reps, to singles totaling about 15 presses, 15 snatches, and 6 or 7 cleans and jerks. In the clean & jerk I only go to 10 or 20 lbs. below my starting poundage. At all times, especially the week of the contest, I avoid going up too high, doing just what feels comfortable, and stopping when it starts to get tough. I don't usually do jerks until a few weeks before a contest, at which time I start doing single cleans and jerks working up to 95% of my best. Here is the workout routine with my own poundages, and also the time taken:

1st Day -

Press:
135 x 5
175 x 3
200 x 3
215 x 3-5 sets
The 215 is 85% of my limit.
(30 minutes)

Snatch:
135 x 5
185 x 3
195 x 2
205 x 2
215 x 2
225 x 1
Done from hang up to 205
(30 minutes)

Push Off Shoulders (as described)"
275 x 5 x 3 sets
(10 minutes)

Snatch Grip Fast Pull:
275 x 3 x 5 sets
(10 minutes)

Wide Grip Press:
175 x 3 x 5 sets
This is 70% of my limit and the grip is 2-3 inches wider on each side than normal
(15 minutes)

Squat:
275 x 5
295 x 5
315 x 5
335 x 5
365 x 5
375 x 5
These squats are all done fairly easily and leave me not too tired.
(25 minutes)
Sometimes in stead of regular squats I substitute the following:
Front Squats:
245 x 5
265 x 5
285 x 5
305 x 3
325 x 2
345 x 1
and
Jerk Dips:
365 x 5
385 x 5
405 x 5.

2nd Day -

Press: same as 1st Day
(30 minutes)

Squat Clean:
warmup with 205 doing a few front squats and cleans, then
225 x 2
245 x 2
255 x 2
265 x 2
275 x 1
285 x 1
295 x 1
305 x 1 if I feel good
(30 minutes)

Push Off Shoulders: same as 1st Day
(10 minutes)

Clean Grip Fast Pull:
345 x 5 x 3 sets
(15 minutes)

Wide Grip Press: same as 1st Day
(15 minutes)

Quarter Squat (as described):
425 x 15
450 x 15
475 x 15
500 x 15 (if I feel energetic)
(15-20 minutes)

3rd Day -

Same as 1st.

If I do jerks I eliminate the heavy pushes from the racks since these would overwork the arms and shoulders after the presses and jerks.

When looking at the greatest bodybuilders, those with the most awesome density and thickness to their physiques, those who come immediately to mind for me are Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lee Haney, Lou Ferrigno, Tom Platz, Sergio Oliva and, of course Franco Columbu. All of these great bodies were built on a combination of bodybuilding and powerlifting movements. These great bodybuilders and many like them have spent many thousands of hours over and under a bar of iron.

What is so outstanding about these physiques is their intimidating size and shape. Some forget how Tom Platz achieved such awesome legs. He did not merely wake up with them. Tom must have close to 20 years of training under his belt. When I was reading this magazine in the early '70s and onward, Tom was noted for powerlifting as well as bodybuilding competitions. The Austrian lad who at one time was a European champion in powerlifting, with the greatest pecs, delts and biceps in bodybuilding history, is Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Then, of course, we could never forget the giant killer of his era, one of Arnold's best friends as well as one of his main rivals. This man could outlift Arnold in any of the power movements as well as being able to outlift any man in the game during his powerlifting days - the one and only Franco Columbu. In 1976 at the Mr. America competition in the Scottish Rite Temple in Los Angeles, I was fortunate enough to witness a 750-pound deadlift by Franco. He also deadlifted 710 for 3 reps. You can get an idea how this build was achieved through heavy power movements. In my opinion no one has matched Franco's cobra-like lat spread.

We cannot overlook the thick physique of one of the greatest in the bodybuilding world, with the Mr. Olympia under his belt and once Arnold's nemesis, he has a chest, arms and deltoids to match anyone's in the world. My understanding of his workouts from years ago included bench pressing 500 pounds for reps. I am talking about the one and only Sergio Oliva.

Many other bodybuilders have achieved that same thick look but it would take too much time to name them all. But we must single out the current Mr. Olympia, Lee Haney. Haney has spoken out more than once in this magazine about training heavy with power movements, especially for his legs.

Let's get back to the point at hand. All of these bodybuilders have reached the top of their field and are considered the world's finest. All except Haney are also over the age of 30. All of them have trained 15-20 years or better and they have all used powerlifting movements to help achieve their awesome size. Not all of us can be as thick as these great athletes, although we can become thicker than we are through heavy lifting.

When you see a routine written by a pro, understand that he more than likely started where you may be right now - thinner, younger, and hungry for size. His workouts were more than likely much different and heavier than his movements today. Once you have reached your size, then you can concentrate more on the sculpture and shape of your body, not being as concerned about the weight on the bar as much.

If you are at a point where you need more size, you might look back at some pictures of these giants when they just started. Then look again at year 10 to see their development, and then again at year 15, and finally today. We all started out much smaller.

You might consider lifting more like a powerlifter. Don't give up your bodybuilding movements. Just enhance them by lifting heavier with fewer reps, and allowing more time for the muscles to recover by only lifting four days a week instead of five or six. You will be stronger and able to handle more weight in all your exercise movements.

Don't fear your added strength, for if will give not only the size but the desire to compete in competitions you may never have thought of before. This can improve not only the body but the mind.

My own personal experience started as a bodybuilder, winning some local, state and regional shows. Through me lifting I found my strength as a bench presser became greater and in the off-season of my bodybuilding competition I started competing in bench press contests. It was a great joy and filled a void during the beefing up period prior to dieting before a bodybuilding show. You will find many very hard, lean, muscular physiques in the power game. Many of these men and women could stand on a national platform in bodybuilding across the country and fare quite well.

In conclusion, let us remember that the two sides of the lifting game are not disparate but rather integral parts of a total process. Your goals should not exclude one in favor of the other. The benefits derived from powerlifting can be easily transferred to bodybuilding and vice versa.

Do not limit yourself by being too narrowly focused.

A related article by John Petruzzi is here:

http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2018/09/purpose-and-constant-evaluation-john.html

I always tell people that programs are like prescription medications given to an individual. Would you go into someone's house and start taking their prescribed heart medication just because you "think" you have the same symptoms and issues? I would hope not!

The title of this article is simple and to the point. Programs are developed and built around a system. A program is a type of periodization an individual created, either for himself or for someone else specifically. One of the most dominating forces in powerlifting right now is Dan Green, who has an extremely high work capacity. The amount of work and volume that he does is incredible. One of the main reasons he continues to break records and PR's is because he is constantly increasing his work capacity (what I like to call ceiling of strength). This factor allows him to become stronger and more powerful. Do you think you could take his exact workout for one month, apply your own numbers, and be as successful? Could you handle all the volume and work that he is completing each day and week?

In this article we are going to look at a very brief overview of some "programs" and what basic system they are derived from, drawing correlations between them all so that you can see what system might be right for you.

Let's start with a basic definition of periodization. Periodization is the organization of training over a PERIOD of time, in most cases, annually. For most systems, periodization is shifting from higher volume (exercises, sets or reps) low intensity (percentage of weight used based off one rep max), to lower volume and higher intensity as the meet gets closer. The most popular forms of periodization are Undulating/Block, Linear, and Conjugate.

Linear is exactly that . . . very straight line and progressive in that you use one specific exercise in most cases, starting light and progressively getting heavier leading to an event.

My own simple definition of Conjugate is the rotation of maximal effort lifts but allowing your body to stay at or above 90 percent plus of that given rotational exercise during cycles.

Now that we have a very basic understanding and definitions of these periodization systems we can look at some programs that fall under each system.

Keep in mind that the most basic principle is that all programs are linear in the sense that the goal is to see consistent progress going up over a period of time. Undulating, Linear, and Block are similar to each other with slight organizational changes because the change of volume and intensity is linear, gearing the lifter to peak towards something. For my purposes the difference between them is that Undulating and Block are more similar because there are blocks or phases of rotating volume and intensity increased over each phase (mesocycle). Linear, for our definition, is just a very specific exercise that starts very low and increases the intensity over time. There is no rotation of volume and intensity; it is a gradual progressive overload of the lift.

Let's start with Conjugate.

Cunjugate - Popularized by Louie Simmons and Westside Barbell, this involves rotation of max effort lifts that are similar, but not exactly like, the classic lift. For example, max out on a Safety Bar Squat for two weeks, then switch to a low box Manta Ray squat for two weeks, etc. This avoids staleness and works on weak points, known or unknown. In the Westside methods there are mesocycles and blocks of varying intensities and load when close to a meet. In general, the rotation of max lifts in microcycles are the main rotation along with varying accommodating resistances (using bands and chains). The idea is to stay above 90% on each maximal lift. I have various Westside spinoffs and programs t hat keep a lift er with a specific bar and specific bar weight but add more chain or band tension or both over time. This would be a program change, not a system change. For most it is the basic rotation of max effort lifts every week or two.

Linear - Programs that I would consider to be very linear in fashion would be Coan/Phillipi, most recently the Lilliebridge method, and Bill Starr's 5x5. A lot of the old school programs are linear. Usually the program would be anywhere from 8-12 weeks and start with an 8-10 rep range and taper down to a 2-3 rep range going into the meet. These are most commonly known as a "peaking cycle". I would throw Smolov and Smolov Jr. into this category because I look at these programs as plateau breakers for most and something to peak you towards the end of the 8-12 week program to hit a PR. There are no big breaks or phases.

Block/Undulating - Programs would consist of Paul Carter's Base Building, Josh Bryant programs, Cube method, 5/3/1, Mike Israetel's Trinity Powerlifting, JuggerCube, and there are others. These programs have one basic principle: phases or blocks. The first phase is higher volume focusing on muscle hypertrophy and also work capacity and conditioning. Second phase is a strength phase, something built around the 70-85% range of so with reps of 3-5. The third phase is a peak or taper to tie everything together. This consists of higher intensity but much lower volume to keep the training stimulus high but the recovery easier. I would consider Sheiko to be in this group. While each "program" has a very linear volume/intensity lead-up there are different programs you would do throughout the year leading to a meet.

Now the million dollar question (and what will continuously be debated), is:

What system and programs are best?
What should I choose?

It's not that simple. I have tried each system and done conjugate, linear, and block/undulating. They all worked. Early on in my lifting life I was doing conjugate training and Westside. I went from an 1175 total at 172 to a 1625 at 198. I then started to see greater and longer plateaus and switched to Jim Wendler's 5/3/1, which is a more undulating, rotating volume and intensity program involving mesocycles. I went from 1625 at 198 to an 1800 at 215. Now I am using Paul Carter's Base Building template. I have yet to compete while using this system and program; however, it has raised my work capacity a great deal and I feel much stronger and bigger than I ever have before at the same weight. This July I am looking to total well over 1900 at 198. Right now my numbers are close to that with no preparation or peaking cycles.

I would suggest a little trial and error, along with research. Hopefully this article has given you a brief understanding of the basic system principles and you can further choose a system you think will work for you.

One thing that does not get touched on much is adaptation and progression of the lifter. What I mean by that is it's human physiology to respond, adapt, and change to stress and stimuli. Again using a medication analogy, in most cases when someone is on the same medication, same dose for a year or long a lot of times that medication stops having the same effect it once did. Our body builds a tolerance to it so either the medication dosage has to increase or the doctor switches the patient to a different medication altogether. You have to look at your lifting career in a similar perspective.

What worked last year may not work this year and you will have to switch things up and adapt. That DOES NOT MEAN what you did or are doing DOES NOT WORK completely. It just means your body is used to it, you have adapted and you have progressed. Congrats! You are now a better athlete and a more conditioned athlete in most cases.

The SECRET that every great lifter will tell you is this: with adjustments to their program and what made the difference for them outside of a technical issue is VOLUME AND INCREASED WORK CAPACITY. I see it in every single program over the course of a year. You have to keep upping the ante when it comes to work capacity. I always tell people their work capacity is their ceiling for strength.

You will only get stronger over time if you are increasing your work capacity and what you can handle, not only a workload but also work volume. How much volume is too much? My simple answer is if you have to ask it's not enough!

I heard that from a coach a long time ago. "Hey, coach, is that enough or do you want me to do more? What do you think the coach is going to say? This is where the amazing world of sport psychology comes into play and why the greatest in the world are the greatest in the world. They are there mentally every single day pushing themselves to the limit, holding themselves to a higher standard than anyone else can think of. The one thing I suggest for anyone and everyone if you're looking at your system and program are these three simple words:

RAISE YOUR STANDARD!

Raise your standard that you hold yourself to, raise the standard of how you train, and raise the standard of how you eat. When you do all those things, success and having great things happen is easy. What I have found it that when I'm raising those standards, my goals get met but also my life in general is happier and the joy of lifting is much greater.

Some Keys to Keep in Mind With Programming

1) Where am I in my training? How far out is the next meet or competition? If you are six months from a meet, doing an 8-week peaking cycle probably isn't going to do much good.

2) What is my life like outside of powerlifting? How many days to I have to train and optimally be there? Does a 6-day-a-week high frequency program work or does a 3-4 day-per-week program work best for my schedule?

3) If you have been competing for a couple of years, drilling sport specific movement is key! Also, a fast rotation of volume/intensity will work very well. The variety and change is very good for beginning lifters.

4) If you have been competing for 3-5 years I would say that you will start to notice that changes in volume/intensity are hindering your progress. You will need longer periods within certain rep ranges. Again, WORK CAPACITY IS CRUCIAL!

5) If you've been competing for 6-7 years or more, you should have a good understanding of all the basic principles and you know what you need to be doing. Most importantly, keep looking at the volume and keep pushing the volume envelope. Work capacity is everything at this point, giving you the potential to become stronger. More linear based programming going into meets will work better. I, for example, am doing a block phase based program to build my volume and work capacity, When I start to get closer to a meet I will start to get more dialed in with the sport specific movements and start a gradual linear buildup towards the meet.

6) Increasing work capacity can be done in a few ways. You can increase the number of exercises, increase the number of sets and reps, or both. What I like to do, and find more challenging, is to decrease the time it takes to complete my sets and reps. If it takes 30 minutes to get through a 5x5 workout, set a timer and work towards finishing it in less time. With shorter rest breaks and greater fatigue, form can become sloppy and this must be monitored.

The three sides of the strength pyramid are nutrition, training and rest. Most people who are serious about getting stronger pay close attention to the first two factors but frequently ignore the third - and suffer the consequences.

Sleep isn't a luxury for the human body; it's a genuine necessity. Extended periods of sleep deprivation can lead to amnesia, delusions and hallucinations. Shorter stretches cause forgetfulness, sour moods and irritability. Health authorities believe that people can go without food longer than they can without sleep.

If you're trying to gain strength, sleep becomes even more important because it's synonymous with recovery. If your body doesn't get to fully recuperate from a hard workout, there's no way it will be ready for the next one.

Sleep has been called many things - "the exit from consciousness,""a rendezvous with Morpheus" - but my favorite is "little brother of death." When you sleep, your higher brain centers go into temporary retirement so they can go about the essential business of repairing and recuperating. The downtime lets the muscular system and, more important, the nervous system recharge. It's as if the nerve connections to the cortical centers of the brain have been unplugged. The unconscious self continues working; otherwise the organism would perish. Digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems continue to function, while the unconscious portion of the personality manifests itself in the form of dreams.

Heavy training destroys tissue. In order to the tissue to be repaired, your body needs the proper nutrients and deep sleep. One of the key events that occur during sleep is that the body releases growth hormone, which is critical for making repairs, maintaining tonus in the muscles and keeping fat in the cells. Since the body makes growth hormones only during deep sleep, the question becomes:

How do you get to the place we call deep sleep?

The process of falling asleep has always fascinated me because I do love to sleep. I list it as one of my hobbies, along with reading fiction and doing pastels It wasn't until I researched the subject for a chapter of The Strongest Shall Survive that I finally learned what went on in my body each night.

Sleep doesn't come in a rush; it dances about in stages.

When you first lie down, you may drift off for a while, then awaken. The light rest is known as the "threshold of sleep." If you were to awaken completely during this stage, you'd most likely feel as though you hadn't slept at all.

Now comes the first genuine sleep stage, known as stage 1: Your body becomes very relaxed, your temperature starts to drop, and your heart rate slows. Researchers contend that you think disconnected thoughts in this stage, closer to daydreams than those that come later.

Steadily, you descend into stages 2 and 3. Body temperature continues to drop and heart rate slows further. After approximately an hour and a half you enter the deepest level of sleep, stage 4, the stage from which it's extremely difficult to awaken someone.

What happens next I find intriguing. You might assume, as I did, that after going to all the trouble to reach stage 4, you'd remain there until it was time to wake up. Not so. Instead, you go back through the stages, reentering 3, 2 and, finally, 1; however, this stage 1 is not identical to the stage 1 you passed through earlier, since you're still dreaming. While it's not the restful slumber of stage 4, you're further from the waking world than you've been thus far.

During this stage your eyes are in constant and rapid motion, a.k.a. REM, for rapid eye movement. Not only the eyes but also the entire body may be in motion. Arms and legs may thrash about, the heart may beat wildly and blood pressure may fluctuate as if you were experiencing a terrifying situation.

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It doesn't necessarily signify that you're having a bad dream; frantic body motions like that can occur during pleasant dreams as well. The first REM period lasts about 10 minutes. After that you go through the four stages of sleep once again. At the end of another 90-minute cycle you start dreaming again during the REM period. The actual length of each sleep cycle varies with the individual, but 90 minutes is typical. At the conclusion of the sleeping period, usually seven or eight hours, the body prepares itself to be awake as body temperature and heart rate begin to rise.

Fundamentally, there are two types of sleep: REM and non-REM. During REM sleep the brain is active, but you are not. Cranial activity increases, which results in eye and body movement. Non-REM sleep is a state of unconsciousness, without any dreams. Brain activity deepens into slow delta waves, and increased levels of oxygen flow slowly through the bloodstream. During a night of sleep people move through the four stages an average of six times, spending less and less time in the deep stage and longer periods in REM stages as the night progresses.

Scientists know that sleep is necessary for restoration, but they don't know exactly how that process occurs. They do think that the body does most of its repairing in stages 3 and 4, which are non-REM sleep. During REM sleep the mind is busy processing new information and experiences through the filters of past experiences.

Getting enough rest is critical to your overall health. A lack of sleep, even for a single night, can have a huge effect on your immune system. Research has shown that there's a 20 to 30 percent drop in immune system cells that fight cancer and viruses after only one night of sleeplessness. It if continues over several days, the percentage of decrease of immune system cells climbs drastically, but the good news is that you can bring the number of cells back to normal with a solid night's sleep.

So, how much sleep is enough?

That's an individual matter, and it depends on a great many variables. The notion that eight hours of sleep is proper for everyone can be traced back to England's King Alfred the Great, who informed his subjects that the virtuous should spend eight hours a day working, eight hours playing and eight hours sleeping, with no more than 20 minutes a day reserved for reminding oneself that assholes such as this Alfred fool need to butt out of our lives and piss off already.

A person who exercises regularly, eats well and doesn't work ridiculously long hours does just fine on seven or eight hours of sleep. Some can get by on much less, while others require more. My needs vary according to my physical activities and whether I'm involved in any project that taps my creativity. When I trained heavy, my sleep requirements went up by two hours a night.

Sleep is the most critical variable affecting my training, much more so than diet. What I eat doesn't affect my workouts nearly as much as how well I slept the night before, and that's true for a great many others.

People today sleep an average of only seven hours a night. They work almost 160 hours more each year than their grandparents did and get 20 percent less sleep. Work-related stress is the main reason so many suffer from sleep deprivation, but there's a large group, especially high school and collegiate athletes, who don't get enough rest because they stay up late at night studying. Or partying.

Even the most conscientious strength athletes will have one or more nights when they can't get their needed rest. It might be because of a full moon, or the position of their biorhythms or an upcoming job interview. The reason isn't important. What is important is to know what to do about your training when it happens to you.

Many believe it's best to skip the planned workout after a poor night's sleep. I don't. Skipping a workout for any reason sets a precedent, making it easier and easier to skip another. While I don't believe in missing a session, I do make adjustments . . .

One of the best things you can do is slip in a nap prior to your workout. A short nap can do wonders, and research shows that a short map is really more beneficial than a longer one. You don't want to drop off into the deeper stages of sleep before training because it will make you groggy. 20 to 30 minutes is plenty. I taught my strength athletes that when they stayed up all night preparing for exams. they should take a short nap after the test and then come to the weight room. It works wonderfully.

I know a nap isn't always possible, though, so what else can you do after a night when you needed get your needed rest? Taking some extra B-complex vitamins can make the difference between a crappy session and a productive one. I kept a stock of them in my gym bag and handed them out to droopy athletes. Caffeine is also useful, and a combination of caffeine and B-complex vitamins is even better.

Learn to make some adjustments in your workouts on sleep-deprived days.

Let's say it's your heavy day, and you planned on moving all of your numbers up, but you only got a few hours sleep because you were up most of the night with a sick child. Switch to a light-day workout, and then, if you get your needed rest, do your heavy day at the next workout. If you're still dragging, do a medium-day and put the heavy day at the end of your weekly program.

It's been my experience that endurance is affected far more than top-end strength when I don't get enough sleep, so on those days I skip my back-off sets and any beach work I had planned. I do them later in the week so my total load for the week stays the same. I've also found that when I'm tired, it's better to move through my routine quickly. If I dilly-dally, it makes me even more fatigued. On occasion I set up three stations and hurry through a circuit so I'm in and out of the gym in about half the time.

And I make damn sure I don't compound the problem by going to bed late again that night. Coming up short on sleep requirements doesn't constitute a severe situation, but doing if for several nights in a row will stifle progress in the weight room in addition to bringing on health difficulties.

I also find it beneficial to load up on all the supplements I know boost my immune system after a poor night's sleep. I double up on vitamins C, E, A and D to keep the odds in my favor.

It's easy to tell if you didn't get enough sleep when it happens occasionally, but what happens on the other nights? How can you determine if you're getting enough sleep consistently?

By paying attention to how you feel when you climb out of bed in the morning. If you drag out of bed and feel like death warmed over all day, you aren't getting enough. On the other hand, if you're alert in the morning and perky throughout the day, you're on the right trackj.

A Gallup Poll showed that half the population experiences insomnia at some time. For most it's short-term, usually due to some form of stress, but even if it only lasts for three or four days, insomnia can wreck a good training program. So here are some suggestions. They're not new, but you don't want to overlook them.

My personal favorite is to take a couple of calcium-and-magnesium tablets with milk bout 30 minutes before I go to bed. Magnesium is often referred to as "nature's own benzo," er, make that "nature's own tranquilizer." It usually comes combined with calcium, so make sure the cal-mag tablet you use has the minerals in the correct ratio or they won't be nearly as effective. There should be twice as much calcium as magnesium. I also take a gram of Vitamin C because I know it aids in the rebuilding process while I sleep - and it promotes dreaming, which I like.

While I'm waiting for the cal-mag to take effect, I watch country music videos, as they help me relax and take my mind off what I've been working on. That's my sleep ritual, and the act of following the same routine every night is yet another thing that helps me go to sleep.

Everyone needs to find a pattern that works and then stick with it.

Some people read to help them relax. Others take long showers or soak in the tub. Some like to listen to music or a rhythmic sound, such as a fan. Many prefer homeopathic remedies, such as Calms Forte and Quietude. Chamomile tea and sleep-promoting herbs like kava kava, amber, Polygala and ginseng are used by many people.

A light snack can be useful in promoting a more relaxed state, but it's smart to select foods that contain the amino acid tryptophan, which converts to serotonin in the brain, helping you to feel drowsy. Milk, yogurt, cheese, turkey and fish contain tryptophan.

Now, here are some things you should not do if you want to have a good night's sleep. Don't overindulge in alcohol. A little is all right, a lot is not. Too much alcohol before bedtime interferes with REM sleep, and that's the refreshing part. The same goes for food. Eating a large meal before bedtime isn't conducive to going to sleep because the food will trigger various systems, including the heart, to work harder. Also, the digestive tract may become upset and disrupt sleep even more.

Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine. While you're aware there's caffeine in coffee, tea and soft drinks you may not know that it's also in products such as Anacin, Dristan, Empirin, Excedrin and Midol.

A bit of light exercise, such as a short, leisurely walk, may be just the ticket to help you relax before bedtime, but any form of strenuous exercise or participating in a competitive sport will work against you. Vigorous physical activity stimulates the body, and it takes you some time to calm you down.

Don't take your work to bed. If you make your bedroom an extension of your office, you're sure to carry business problems with you at night. Your bedroom should be a cool, dark, sleep chamber.

You may have to do some experimenting to find out what works for you. But if you're having trouble getting a solid night's rest on a regular basis, make some changes in your lifestyle - quickly. The "magical one-third of your life" is a critical variable in your quest to gain strength.

Sleep Dealer (2009)

Sleep Dealer is an unusually thoughtful science fiction film,

using the speculative energy of the genre to explore some

troubling and complex contemporary issues.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1287j8b

I sent funds for a copy of this book a while back.

It still hasn't arrived.

I can't sleep, lying awake there in bed,
trying not to think about what could have happened,
why it hasn't arrived yet, who would wanna rip me off like that.
Maybe the seller.
Might be the postman. How can I know . . .
what if it got delivered to a neighbor my accident?
Which neighbor could it be. He's likely sleeping peacefully.
What am I gonna do about it, just lie here and let the sonuvabitch get away with that.
I think not!

Well, actually, I think much . . . too . . . much . . .

Sweet dreams aplenty to all!

Article Courtesy of Liam Tweed

BULK!

The elusive pimpernel.

Greetings to all potential monsters.

I have attended and participated in many shows up and down the country and the most asked question to my mind has been, "How the heck did you bulk up so, Bill?"

Well, as best I can, I shall try to explain and maybe my own particular story will help to inspire the many thousands of young fellers who are just beginning body-bulking and also those thousands who have trained for years on size increase routines without much success.

After reading this article many body-builders will probably disagree with what has been written, but I intend writing exactly what I think - without pulling my punches.

I shall give you a little of my life story so that you may have a complete knowledge of all my earlier movements as this will also enable me to cover the subject thoroughly.

I started training as a normally built young man whilst in the R.A.F. It was here that I had the good fortune to meet your South of England News Editor, Henry Downs. On January 6th, 1951, Henry and I decided to team up as training partners, at which time I weighed 8 st. 10 lb. (136 pounds).

Fortunately for Henry and I, more by good luck than good judgment, we evolved a training routine, which combined hard training, plenty of good food and an average amount of sleep. It worked wonders for us.

The course consisted of the following exercises, which are written exactly as we did them, but if I was doing the same course today I would rearrange the exercises a little and put them in this order:
1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 4. 16. 18. 17/

However, I am writing these articles to inform you how I almost doubled my body-weight, so I will trace my early training step by step showing it exactly as I did it.

1) Military Press (barbell):
3 sets of 10. Jan 80 pounds, May 155.

2) Bentover Rowing (barbell):
3 x 10. Jan 80 pounds, May 140.

3) Deep Knee Bend:
3 x 15. Jan 140 pounds, May 260.

4) Lying Triceps Extension (under-grip):
3 x 12. Jan 60 pounds, May 103.

5) Bench Press:
3 x 12. Jan 80, May 180.

6) Bentover Lateral Raise (dumbbells):
3 x 12, 2 x 10, 2 x 13.

7) Flat Bench Flye:
3 x 15, Jan 10 pounds, May 26..

8) Dips Between Benches:
3 sets of 20 with bodyweight.

9) Low Incline Bench Press (dumbbells):
3 x 15. Jan 25 pounds, May 66.

10) Barbell Incline Press:
3 x 12. Jan 80 pounds, May 150.

11) Straight Arm Pullover:
3 x 15. Jan 30 pounds, May 50.

12) Dumbbell Military Press:
3 x 10. Jan 20 pounds, May 46.

13) Barbell Front Raise From Shoulder:
1 x 12. Jan 20 pounds, May 40.

14) One Arm Dumbbell Jerk From Chest:
1 x 15. Jan 30, May 46.

15) Side Lateral Raise:
3 x 10. Jan 7.5 pounds, May 13.

16) Triceps Kick Backs:
3 x 15. Jan 60, May 100.

17) Seated Concentration Curl:
3 x 12. Jan 20, May 30.

18) Barbell Curl:
3 x 12. Jan 35, May 55.

This workout took 3 hours, but needless to say we kept our heads down all the time - and we actually enjoyed every minute of it!

When we first started, I was full of many fears - which was only natural. I wondered if I would strain my heart? Would veins stick out all over my body? Would weight training slow me down (I was a keen footballer at the time). With all this skepticism on my mind I started by using very light weights in perfect exercise style; however, Harry was continually pushing the pace and consequently the poundages increased as shown by comparing January and May numbers.

On some lifts the poundage increase may seem fantastic. This is explained by the fact that I was not using absolute maximum poundages to start with and also my bodyweight had increased to over 13 stone (182 pounds) within the first four months.

During this period Henry and I lived, ate and slept bodybuilding. With regard to physical culture reading matter, we bought, borrowed or begged and then studied weight-lifting and weight-training magazine we could lay our hands on, as we wished to get a most thorough knowledge of bodybuilding. The reading matter and the photos gave us tremendous inspiration and knowledge. We even made a point of reading every advertisement!

With regard to workouts we plowed through the schedule shown on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday we performed 100 chins (at first 20 sets of 5 repetitions), then we went to the camp cinema, where we wolfed oatmeal cakes and lashings of chocolate ices and ice cream tubs.

Saturday afternoon witnessed dipping and chinning contests between Henry, myself and another young man by the name of Eddy Blackwell, who at the time was training alongside of us.

We ate as much food as we could lay our hands on and always had at least two pints of milk and two raw eggs per day. As you will notice, the milk, eggs and other foods we were eating had rich protein contents which was most important. Nowadays, would-be bulk men are more fortunate than Henry and I were because they can invest in all sorts of high protein supplements which are now being marketed.

After each workout we strolled over to the N.A.A.F.I. to partake of supper and a bottle of stout. You will probably be thinking, "But all this must have cost quite an amount of money!" It did, but this was our hobby and what a way to invest cash . . . in super health, and anyway, because of our training we didn't go out often, smoke, or drink in excess so we had a little money to spend as we desired on food.

At this point I would like to mention the fact that with regards to the actual exercises every one I performed was done in perfect style, for I believed , and still do, that to fully develop any muscle you must put it through its full range of movement when exercising, then you initially build good foundations. Cheat movements to my mind are for the more advanced man, who has already achieved a certain amount of bulk. Also, if you want to increase your overall size and bodyweight you must concentrate on the larger muscle groups, because, if you have a small muscle in your finger and you develop it to its maximum size it will not give you anywhere the bulk or bodyweight increase that you would obtain from developing your thighs to the maximum.

Work the larger muscle groups approximately in this order of importance: thighs, chest, lower and upper back, triceps, deltoids, and biceps.

With regard to what repetitions to use, this is always a difficult question, for one man's meat is another man's poison, but I would advise a beginner to start on 3 sets of 15 reps for 4 weeks, then down as follows:

3 x 12 reps for 3 weeks
3 x 10 for 3 weeks
3 x 8 for 3 weeks
4 x 6 for 3 weeks
5 x 5 for 3 weeks

always using the maximum weight in the best possible style.

Incidentally, whilst I was actually training for bulk, I didn't do any abdominal or calf exercises at all.

To be quite blunt, if you are not a naturally big man and you want to become one YOU MUST DO SOMETHING DRASTIC ABOUT IT, and by drastic I mean work HARD on the weights, eat PLENTY of good food, drink PLENTY of good liquids, rest as often as possible and I repeat . . . when training use the maximum amount of weight in the best possible style.

Set yourself an ideal and work for it. In other words know where you are going and let nothing stop you in achieving your ambition.

Before closing I would like to outline a course which I consider a good bulker upper.

Squat
Bench Press
Flyes
BB Row
One Arm DB Press
Press Behind Neck
Deadlift
Undergrip Lying Triceps Extension
Triceps Extension Seated
BB Curl

Reps as designated earlier.

George Handle was a young man who trained rather vigorously in a small downtown commercial gym. George had been training for three years now and, it must be admitted, didn't look too bad. He didn't look too good, either, but he didn't look too bad. Results, however, had been slow of late. Progress was dropping off and George's spirits were dropping with it.

One Monday evening as George came in for his workout, the gym owner called him into the office.

"Georgie, my boy," he boomed. "So nice to see you again."

"Again?" George said. "You just saw me on Friday."

"Did I?" the gym owner said. "Amazing how the time flashes past." He put his hand to his forehead. "Sort of scares you, doesn't it?"

"Not really," George said. "I mean I never thought about it before." He cleared his throat. "Is there something you wanted?"

The gym owner pointed to a filing card on his desk. "I've been going over your record, Georgie." He studied the card a moment longer and then looked up. "Did you know you have the same name as a very famous composer?"

"I know," George said. "George Frederick Handel. The spelling's different."

"Different?" the gym owner said. "How many ways can you spell George?"

"Not George," George said. "Handel. The E and the L are reversed. My parents were wild about Handel's music and that was the best they could do."

The gym owner thought it over for a moment and then his face brightened. "So they gave you the same handle," he chortled.

George coughed slightly.

"Get it?" the gym owner said. "Handle. They gave you the same handle."

"Yeah, right," George said. "I thought it was funny as hell the first time I heard it. I was about four at the time."

The gym owner's face fell. "I see," he said. He studied the filing card again. "Anyway, Georgie, in looking at your card I happened to notice that you're about three months behind in your dues."

"I know," George said. "Does it matter?"

"Matter?" the gym owner said. "Not a bit, my boy. Why would it matter? I'll just give up a few incidentals like food and it won't matter at all."

"I'm sorry about it," George said. "I ain't been working, you know, and I'm a little short on bread."

"A most interesting tale," the gym owner said. "Most interesting. I'll lay it on the sherriff when he comes to evict me."

George slumped into a chair. "Look," he said. "I just can't pay you right now. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Georgie," the gym owner sighed. "But the wheels of commerce grind exceedingly hard."

"I gotta have some place to train," George said. "Can't we work something out?"

The gym owner tilted back in his chair and studied the ceiling. "You know, Georgie, it's strange you should say that."

George's eyes narrowed. "Is it?" he said. "Why?"

The gym owner took a pen off the desk and looked carefully at the point of it. "Actually," he said, "I've been looking for someone to work on a little program I have in mind. Someone sufficiently motivated," he added.

George stood up. "And so you went through all the files looking for somebody who was behind on their dues so you could pressure them into being a guinea pig."

The gym owner leered. "I figure training my way's better'n not training at all."

"How long would your program take?" George asked him.

"Not long," the gym owner said. "A couple of months."

"And you'd waive all the back dues?"

"Waive, hell," the gym owner said. "I'll hold them in abeyance for a while."

George spun around on his heel. "Goodnight," he said.

The gym owner ran after him. "Hold it," he yelled. "Wait a minute."

George stopped and looked back.

"It ain't gonna be all one-sided, you know," the gym owner said. "You'll get terrific results from this program."

George waited.

"You ain't been gaining all that well, lately," the gym owner said. "You could stand something different."

"I don't need anything different," George said. "I need something good."

"This is good," the gym owner told him.

"And I'll make gains?" George asked.

"I guarantee it," the gym owner said. "You'll make more progress in the next couple months than you woud've believed possible." He put his hand to his mouth. "If you live through it."

George leaned forward. "Pardon?"

"I said it's an interesting program and you'll enjoy it," the gym owner said.

"And if I don't do it?" George asked him.

The gym owner sighed. "Then, my boy," he said, "I'm afraid I shall have to invoke clause twelve of the collective agreement."

"Which means?"

"Pay up or we boot you out."

George slumped. "You got me."

"Good," the gym owner said. "I thought you'd listen to reason." He draped an arm around George's shoulders and steered him to the locker room. "Jump into your sweatsuit, my boy, and we'll put you on the path to a Mr. Universe title."

"Now," the gym owner said, when George was ready, "you'll be working four days a week on a split routine. Legs, chest, and upper back on Mondays and Thursdays; shoulders, arm, and lower back on Tuesdays and Fridays."

"What's so special about a split routine?" George asked him. "I've done them before."

"It isn't the routine that's special," the gym owner told him. "It's the way you'll be doing it." He sat down on a bench. "I've been hearing a few reports about this system and I read a couple of articles about it, and I saw it mentioned in a Strength & Health article about Casey Viator. A guy named Art Jones seems to have perfected it."

"What is it called?" George asked.

"I don't know what it's called," the gym owner said. "But the idea, as I understand it is to tire out the muscle you want to develop before you start the heavy stuff. You want the muscle weakened relative to the assisting muscles. Then you work on a basic exercise until it's absolutely impossible to budge the weight in any position."

"That sounds pretty rough," George said.

It does indeed," said the gym owner, and we're truly fortunate to have a young man of sound mind and limb yourself who volunteer his services for this experiment."

The gym owner took a piece of paper out of his pocket. "I took a few notes from the Strength & Health article," he said, "and then I added a few ideas of my own. You're gonna do it like this:

"You're gonna do it like this:

"You'll work your thighs first," he said. "The basic exercise will be the squat, but you'll tire you'll tire your thighs with leg presses and thigh extensions. You'll do one set of leg presses, a set of thigh extensions, and a set of squats in that order. You'll take no rest at all between exercises. You'll do them in fairly high reps. And, most important of all, you'll do each exercise to the point of compete failure - until you can't budge the weight even a fraction of an inch."

George stepped back. "You gotta be kidding."

"Not at all," the gym owner said. "It takes sense to me. You wouldn't mind having legs like Casey Viator, would you?

"You really think that could happen?" George asked.

I have every confident," the gym owner said.

"Now, don't forget, the idea is to tire out your thighs with the presses and extensions so that they're temporarily weaker than your hips and back. The you can work your thighs to death on the squats without your lower back giving out on you. It should by possible to work your legs harder than you've ever worked them before - right into the ground."

The gym owner slapped George on the back. "Now," he said, "get in there. Give it everything you've got and don't worry - I can have an inhalator crew here in five minutes."

George crawled under the platform and started his leg presses. He made 16 reps and then stopped.

"C'mon, c'mon," the gym owner said. "You're not even warmed up yet."

George shoved the platform up again. He made another rep and another and at 21 he stopped again.

For crisake," the gym owner shouted. "You're nowhere near your limit. Get going!"

George pushed again. The platform moved slowly up. He did three more reps, each one slower than the last, and then the platform collapsed on the stops.

"Push!" the gym owner shouted. "You're not even trying."

George pushed. The platform moved three inches and then settled back.

"Again!" the gym owner yelled.

George pushed again. The platform jiggled slightly.

"Harder!" the gym owner yelled.

George strained. His legs trembled but the platform didn't move.

"Okay," the gym owner said. "On to the extensions."

He dragged George out from under the platform, jerked him to his feet and pushed him on to the thigh extension machine.

George's opened and closed but no sound came out.

"C'mon, c'mon, for crisake," the gym owner said. "I ain't got all day, you know."

George did 22 extensions with his mouth open and his eyes closes and his fingers digging into the padding on the bench and then he strained against the weight until it wouldn't budge.

"Okay," the gym owner said. "Let's not dawdle." He pulled George out of the machine. George's legs buckled and he fell against the side of the bench.

"All right, let's not fool around," the gym owner said. "Other people are waiting to use the equipment, you know."

He shoved George to the squat rack.

"My legs," George whispered.

"Never mind your legs," the gym owner said. "Think about your dues." He pushed George's head under the bar. "Get going!"

George did 14 squats and looked at the gym owner with glazed eyes.

"Keep going!" the gym owner yelled. "Man, when I was your age I used to train harder than that for the sheer sport of it."

George did another shaky squat and then another.

"Harder!" the gym owner said.

George dropped down, came up a few inches, and then sank down again. He strained until his thighs trembled and then sank lower. The gym owner rushed over and hauled the weight off his back and George rolled over backwards on to the floor.

"There, the gym owner said. "That makes the old blood circulate, doesn't it?"

George rolled on to his stomach and mumbled.

The gym owner leaned down. "Pardon?"

"I'm gonna be sick," George whispered.

"Nonsense, my boy. Nonsense," the gym owner said. "Just take a little rest and we'll get on with the rest of the program . . .

George Handle lay on his stomach on the gym floor while the sweat formed a growing puddle under his face and the gym owner scribbled notes on a piece of paper.

"There," the gym owner said. "Recorded for posterity." He looked at George. "Upsy-daisy," he said. "Let's get with it."

George made a gagging sound.

The gym owner walked over, hooked his hands under George's armpits, and jerked him to his feet. "Let's go," he said. "Time's a wastin'."

He pushed George towards the leg press machine. George stumbled forward six steps, weaved to the side, and collapsed on the incline bench. He lay back and closed his eyes.

"C'mon," the gym owner said. "You're supposed to do another set."

George shook his head. "Wiped out," he whispered.

"What d'ya mean, wiped out?" the gym owner said. "You're supposed to do another set of squats. That was the deal."

George opened his eyes and looked at the gym owner. "No way, man," he said. "It'd kill me."

The gym owner leaned over and peered closely at George. "All right," he said. "Call me a sentimental old fool, but I'll let you off with one set tonight."

He scribbled some more notes on the paper. "Now," he said, "on to the chest work." He pulled George up to his feet and steered him to the prone bench. "This is the ideal time for chest work," he said, "now that you're all warmed up from the squats and raring to go."

George's knees buckled but the gym owner caught him before he could fall. "Yessir," he said. "Once you get the old blood pumping through the muscles, chest work becomes an absolute pleasure."

He dropped George on the bench.

"Now, he said. "The basic exercise will be the bench press, and you'll use the same principle on your chest that you did on your legs. You'll do a direct pectoral exercise first, and then work on the bench press until you can't budge the weight a fraction of an inch." He beamed at George. "Doesn't that sound interesting?"

George made a sobbing sound.

"Yessir," the gym owner said. "There's many a young man who'd give his eye-teeth for the opportunity you've got. A chance to train under the watchful and personalized care of an expert."

He put a foot on the bench, leaned his elbow on his knee, and adopted his best professional manner. "Remember," he said. "The trouble with using the bench press purely as a chest exercise is that your arms get such a terrific workout too."

George opened his eyes again.

"Not that there's anything wrong with working your arms," the gym owner said, "but in most cases, your arms will give out before your chest is sufficiently worked. It's like the weak link in the chain. Your arms can be completely exhausted and your chest might not even be stimulated."

George sat up.

"Therefore," the gym owner said, "the trick will be to tire out your pectorals before you start the bench presses. That way your arms will be relatively fresh and you can work your chest hard enough for real big gains."

George wiped the sweat off his face. "And you figured all that out yourself, eh?"

The gym owner coughed slightly. "Actually, no," I read it in an article by Arthur Jones." He took his foot off the bench. "I did, however, recognize immediately the wisdom of it and perceived it as the most practical method of developing a magnificent body." He leered at himself in the mirror. "Something like my own."

George closed his eyes again.

"Anyway," the gym owner said - he walked over to the rack, brought back two dumbbells, and set them down beside the bench - "anyway, you're going to do the flying exercise on the flat bench and then the bench press. You'll do the flyes first and then the bench press immediately after with no rest at all between the two. And you'll do both exercises to the point of complete failure - to your absolute limit."

George cleared his throat. "Like I ain't really all that excited about it, you know."

"True," the gym owner said. "Very true. I, however, am."

"Why don't you do the work, then?" George asked.

"Because," the gym owner said, "I am the boss and don't you forget it."

"Now," he said, "take hold of the dumbbells."

George took hold of the dumbbells.

"Lift them, you idiot," the gym owner snarled. "You can't exercise while they're on the floor."

George hauled the dumbbells to his chest and lay back on the bench.

"Okay," the gym owner said. "The flying exercise. Let's go."

George pushed the dumbbells over his chest and lowered them out to the side for the first repetition.

"Don't bend your arms too much," the gym owner told him. "Get a good stretch on your pecs."

George did two more reps.

"Lower," the gym owner said. "Make it tough."

George did two more reps and then paused for breath.

"C'mon, c'mon," the gym owner said. "Let's get with it."

George did another rep and then stopped.

"For crisake, Georgie, let's get going," the gym owner said. "I can't wait around here all day."

George let the dumbbells fall out to the sides and then, with his teeth gritted and his arms visibly shaking, pulled them over his chest again.

"Once more," the gym owner said.

The dumbbells fell out to the sides. George strained against them for 10 seconds before they crashed to the floor.

"Watch it, man," the gym owner said. "That carpet's six bucks a yard."

George sat up and clutched his pectorals. "I'm getting a cramp," he gasped.

"And I'm getting a headache," the gym owner said. "Get back down there." He put his hand on George's head and pushed him back on the bench. "The bench press comes next," he said.

"I gotta have a rest," George whispered.

"No rest," the gym owner told him. "We already discussed that." He took the bench press bar off the supports and held it for George.

"C'mon," he said. "This thing's getting heavy."

"I can't," George said. "Not yet."

"Grab it," the gym owner said, "or I'll drop it on your head."

George took the bar.

"Now press," the gym owner told him.

George pressed while the gym owner shouted the count at him.

The presses got slower.

"Nine!" the gym owner said. "Keep going!"

George arched his back and got three more slow reps.

"Twelve!" the gym owner yelled. "Get another!"

George bounced the bar off his chest, arched his back and pressed it to the sticking point.

"Push!" the gym owner shouted.

The bar moved slowly upward.

"Keep it going!" the gym owner screamed.

George locked his arms.

"Thirteen!" the gym owner said. "Get another!"

The bar bounced off George's chest, moved upward three inches, and fell back.

"Push!" the gym owner shouted.

George pushed till the saliva sprayed from his lips.

"C'mon, man," the gym owner said. "I'm getting cold standing here."

The bar pressed deeper into George's chest. He rolled his eyes wildly.

The gym owner stepped forward and took the bar. "That's disappointing," he said. "I figured on 15 reps."

George sat up and gulped in air. His pecs were pumped hard and beet red. "What d'ya think?" he gasped.

The gym owner squinted at him. "I'd say about a D cup," he said.

George lay back on the bench again. "Man, that's like too much."

"Take a good rest," the gym owner said. You got two more sets."

George wiped his face. "No way," he said.

"And don't give me any more of that no way crap," the gym owner said. "I let you off with one set of squats. You ain't conning me out of the bench presses."

George rested five minutes, and then he did two more sets of flyes and bench presses.

"Great," the gym owner said. "And now we slip into the lat work."

"I think maybe I'll slip home," George said.

"Lat machine pulldowns and the regular rowing exercise," the gym owner told him. "No pause between them, and each one done to the point of compete failure."

George did three sets of pulldowns and rowing with a five minute rest between cycles and then he sat on a bench with his arms wrapped around his torso and groaned.

"There," the gym owner said. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

George said, "It was worse."

"Go home now," the gym owner told him, "get a good night's sleep, and tomorrow night you can do the other half of the program."

"Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll die during the night," George muttered.

"I hope not," the gym owner said. "I'd hate to start all over again."

George Handle hobbled into the gym owner's office and eased himself into a chair. The owner watched him curiously.

"Georgie, my boy," he said. "You didn't wet your pants or anything, did you?"

George shook his head.

"Then show a little snap," the gym owner said. "You're supposed to be a young weightlifter. Don't stagger around like an aging rhinoceros."

"My muscles are sore," George said. "I'm in pain."

"Sore?" the gym owner said. "Pain? From what

"From that stupid workout you made me do," George said. "That from what."

The gym owner frowned. "Come, come, Georgie," he said. "Let's not dramatize. A little stiffness merely shows you haven't been working hard enough in the past."

"It isn't just a little stiffness," George said. "I'm in bloody agony."

The gym owner got to his feet, walked about the desk, and poked George's right pectoral with his forefinger. George stifled a shriek and jerked back in his chair.

"That didn't really hurt, did it?" the gym owner said. He reached down and squeezed George's thigh. George gave a strangled gasp and leaped to his feet.

"Did that smart just a little?" the gym owner asked him.

George cowered against the wall. "Don't," he whispered. "Please."

The gym owner took George by the shoulders and steered him back to his chair. "Have no fear, my boy," he said. "It's just that your constant complaining has an unsettling effect on me." He walked round the desk, sat down again, and tilted back in his chair. "Well," he said, "now that the formalities are over, I imagine you're anxious to get on with your workout."

George's face fell. "Look, man," he said. "I can't do it tonight. I just can't."

"Can't?" the gym owner said. "Can't? Come, come, Georgie. There's no such word in the vocabulary of a truly successful man."

"I hurt all over," George told him.

"Tough," the gym owner said. "And, besides, we got a deal."

"Couldn't we call it off?" George asked.

"We could," the gym owner said . . . he went to the filing cabinet, pulled a card, and tossed it on the desk . . . "if you'd like to pay up your three months back dues."

"I got no bread right now," George said. "I told you."

"Right," the gym owner said. "You did. And I told you I'd hold the dues in abeyance while you trained on this program."

"Won't you listen to any excuses?" George said.

"Listen to excuses?" the gym owner said. "My dear boy, I'd be delighted to listen to your excuses. Lay one on me."

"I feel like I've been hit by a gravel truck," George said. "My pecs and lats are on fire and my legs are so sore I can hardly walk on them. I should be home in bed, and if I work out tonight it'll probably kill me." He looked wistfully at the gym owner. "Isn't that a good excuse?"

"Fabulous," the gym owner said. "Hit me with another."

George slumped in his chair. "If I die in here," he muttered, "you'll be sorry for a long, long time."

"Indeed I will," the gym owner said. "My grief shall be boundless. But while we're waiting for that tragic event" . . . he pulled George to his feet and walked him to the door . . . "please accept my thanks for dropping in. These little moments of social chit-chat bring sunshine into my otherwise cheerless existence." They stopped at the door. "And now," the gym owner said, "suit up. Gird your loins, so to speak, for the fray. Jump into your sweat pants, warm up the old muscles, and I'll meet you on the gym floor in ten minutes."

"Okay," the gym owner said, when George was ready, "we're all set and raring to go." George opened his mouth to speak but the gym owner cut him off. "Control your impatience, my boy. You can dive headlong into the whole stimulating thing in a few minutes."

The gym owner opened his notebook. "Now," he said, "a quick perusal of my meticulously kept notes indicates you worked your thighs, pecs, and lats yesterday." He squinted at the book. "Squab:" he said. That's a bird, ain't it?"

George peered over the gym owner's shoulder. "I think that's supposed to read squat." He ran his finger down the page. "And this should be pulley, not pullet."

"Squab?" the gym owner said. "Pullet? Amazing. A Freudian slip if ever I saw one." He closed the notebook and stared at the ceiling. "My mother-in-law was over for dinner the night before last. We had roast chicken." He closed his eyes in pain. "The toughest, most miserable bird you ever encountered."

"Sometimes chicken's like that," George told him.

"Not the chicken," the gym owner said. "The mother-in-law." He put his hand to his forehead. "What a beast." He opened the notebook again. "Anyway," he said, "tonight you'll be doing your shoulders, lower back and arms. You'll use the same system you used last night, tire out the muscles first, and then work on a basic exercise until you can't budge the weight."

He scribbled in the book. "You'll do your shoulders first," he said. "Upright rowing, lateral raises, and then presses behind the neck. No rest between exercises and each one done to the point of complete collapse" . . . he cleared his throat . . . "excuse me, I mean complete failure."

He snapped the notebook shut and held it aloft like a banner. "And now," he said. "the moment you've been waiting for." He gave George a slap on the back that knocked him eight feet toward the lifting platform. "Do or die for B.D. High!"

George stood over the bar. "B.D.?"

"Back dues," the gym owner said. "Think about it while you're lifting."

George took the bar with a close grip and pulled it to his neck.

"Pull it high," the gym owner told him. "Right up to your chin."

George did nine reps and paused for breath.

"No stops," the gym owner said.

George did another rep.

"Keep it going," the gym owner said.

George did another slow rep.

"Again!" the gym owner yelled.

George pulled. The bar rose to his chest and then dropped.

"Pull!" the gym owner roared at him.

George pulled the bar to his navel.

"Harder!" the gym owner shouted.

George pulled against the bar until it fell from his hands.

"Okay," the gym owner said. "Now the lateral raises."

George did twelve lateral raises and then strained against the dumbbells until he couldn't move them from his legs.

"Not bad," the gym owner said. "Not good, but not bad." He pushed George back to the lifting platform. "And now for the big one," he said. "Presses behind the neck."

George cleaned the bar with a pained look. He pressed the first rep off his chest and then did six more from behind his neck.

"Push hard!" the gym owner said to him.

George pressed the bar to the top of his head and then let it fall back on his shoulders.

"Dig!" the gym owner yelled.

George pushed against the bar with shaking arms until it wouldn't budge. The gym owner stepped forward and took the bar. George collapsed on a bench, gritted his teeth, and pressed his hands against his deltoids.

The gym owner scribbled in his book. "Feels good, doesn't it?" he said. "There's nothing as satisfying as a stimulating session of physical culture with a treasured friend."

George closed his eyes and muttered under his breath. He lay on the bench for three minutes, and then the gym owner said, "All right, my boy. Let's go! One more set of each."

"Can't do it," George mumbled. "Absolutely no way."

The gym owner leaned down and whispered in George's ear. "If you aren't on your feet in ten seconds, I'm going to sue you in small debts court."

George sprang lightly to his feet and bounced to the lifting platform. He did another cycle of upright rowing, lateral raises, and presses behind the neck while the gym owner shouted encouragement at him. Then he took three minutes rest and did a third cycle.

The gym owner leaned back on the incline bench and wrote in his notebook. 'Man," he said, "this thing is tiring. I wouldn't want to do it every day of the week."

George rested five minutes and then the gym owner dragged him to the hyper-extension bench. "Now," he said, "the lower back. One set each of prone hyper-extensions and stiff-legged deadlifts."

George did fourteen extensions and eleven deadlifts, took a three minute rest, and did another set of each.

"And now, the gym owner said, "comes the part you're gonna love."

"A hot shower?" George asked him.

"Better," the gym owner said. "Arm exercises." He dragged George to the lat machine. "Curls to the back of your neck with the lat machine, and regular barbell curls. One minute's rest, and then triceps extensions on the machine and parallel bar dips."

"This is the part I'm gonna love?" George said.

"Right," the gym owner said. "Every bodybuilder wants herculean arms. Arms like John Grimek's or Bill Pearl's or: . . . he coughed modestly . . . "mine."

George did curls with the lat machine till his biceps cramped and then regular curls until the bar fell out of his hands.

"Not bad," the gym owner said. "I think you're getting the idea."

George went back to the lat machine and did triceps extensions until he couldn't budge the bar and then parallel bar dips until he couldn't budge his body.

"My protege," the gym owner said proudly. "Look at those arms pump."

"Ridiculous," the gym owner said. "Another set of each will loosen them up just dandy."

George took a three minute rest, did another cycle or arm exercises with the gym owner screaming at him, and then sat on a bench and groaned.

"Okay," the gym owner said. You're through. Don't sit around sweating on the furniture.

George showered and went home. He did the program faithfully and two months later the gym owner called him into the office.

"Well, Georgie boy," he said. "You'll be pleased to know the experiment is over and you can drop the program."

"Really?" George said. "I was just getting used to it."

"How do you feel?"

"Terrific," George said. "I wouldn't have believed it. My arms and legs are up an inch each. my chest is up three inches, I'm at least 20% stronger, and I owe it all to you."

The gym owner blushed modestly.

"Isn't there anything I can do in return?" George asked.

"Actually," the gym owner said, "there is." He held out a filing card and dropped it on the desk. "Let's do something about those back dues, shall we?"

Sign Outside of The Salvation Army Gym, Macomb.

At the Salvation Army Gym in Macomb, Illinois, the Gedney's and I are always looking for new ways to train our athletes. Over the last five years we have incorporated Olympic-style lifting and plyometric training as a part of our more serious athletes' programs. Many of our lifters compete in both powerlifting and weightlifting, and just recently we we hosted a strongman contest. We try it all.

While all powerlifters know that they need to train primarily for a 1-Rep Max, many overlook the importance of training for muscle endurance. Anyone can do high reps with a single exercise like the squat or good morning and gain local muscle endurance. Recently, Sean, one of lifters, introduced us to a new muscle endurance/super-pump exercise circuit. We don't know for sure where the idea came from originally, but it caught on and now is a regular sight in our gym. Everyone from beginners to the more advanced lifters are doing the HURT ME. Why do we call it the HURT ME? Try it once and you'll see.

the HURT ME is a series of six exercises done for 10 reps each without any rest or any weight changes. We begin with light weights, usually the bare 45-lb bar, and progress slowly, adding weight when the lifter finds it easy to complete.

We recommend doing 1-3 circuits, or complexes, 1-2 days per week, after all other work is completed. If the HURT ME is done first the stabilizers will be so fatigued that it may lead to instability during your other lifts.

THE HURT ME ARM CIRCUIT

Exercise 1 - Bentover Row:
Bend at the hips until the torso is almost parallel to the floor. Bend the knees slightly to ensure that the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back are all engaged and working together. With a wide grip pull the bar to the lower chest for 10 reps. Speed is encouraged on all exercises as long as technique is not compromised.

Exercise 2 - Modified Upright Row:
With the same wide grip stand up and perform upright rows to about chest level for 10 reps. The reason we avoid doing the typical close grip upright row is the possibility of shoulder impingement or bursitis problems. A bench press becomes unbearable, if even possible with a shoulder problem.

Exercise 3 - Reverse Curl:
Keeping the same grip do a set of reverse curls for 10 reps. We do not allow for cheating on any of the exercises. If you tend to cheat on this one by swinging to throw the weight up, then stand against a wall or have your partner keep you in check.

Exercise 4 - Barbell Curl:
Without missing a beat turn your hands over and do a set of strict standing curls for 10 reps. By this time your forearms should be on fire and you will realize why we call this the HURT ME. So far you have worked the biceps, forearms, lats, rhomboids, traps, erector spinae and even some posterior and medial deltoids. The next two exercises really tax the triceps, anterior and medial delts.

Exercise 5 - Press Behind Neck:
We like to use a staggered stance to decrease the chance of excessive back arch. We do not allow for any resting on the shoulders during the presses. To limit exposure to possible shoulder problems associated with behind the neck presses, we actually stop the bar once it reaches the base of the skull, about earlobe height. Once your 10 reps are done you will want to cry, but don't forget - you aren't done yet!

Exercise 6 - Front Press:
We now switch our stance so the opposite foot is forward and then complete the HURT ME with a set of 10 reps of front presses. This is where we separate the men from the boys. If the weight was too heavy you will not complete the circuit without trying to cheat. REMEMBER - we do not allow cheating. You are tired, your stabilizers are all shot and cheating would only lead to improper technique and injury. If the weight was too light try adding about 10 lbs. for the next set.

Besides the obvious benefit of muscle endurance for the upper body, the HURT ME has many advantages commonly overlooked in powerlifting training. Stabilizer strength is increased with the six exercises. The muscle endurance in those stabilizers will help add joint stability to the shoulders and back. This increased strength, endurance, and stability will decrease the chance of injuries.

Will it help with muscle hypertrophy? Although it can't be stated for sure without the research to back it up, the series of exercises does add a great pump to the arms and shoulders. It will also cause DOMS . . . no question there!

One major benefit we have also found with this circuit is that it really teaches perseverance. You get used to the pain associated with a really hard set. You learn to dig deep and force out those last few reps. Many lifters have taken second place only because they do not know how to persevere. You always have more strength than your ever realize. One word of caution, though . . . this is potentially dangerous!

Any time you train to extreme fatigue you MUST PAY ATTENTION TO TECHNIQUE. Do not let your ego take over and allow you to cheat. Your partner/spotter must also be aware of your limits. If the spotter gets too excited and pushes you too hard YOU will be the one injured, not him.

Know the difference between soreness and pain.

This is only one HURT ME routine. It is designed to focus on the shoulder and scapula stabilizers as well as the small forearm muscles. We have others which are designed for the legs, as well as routines that require no weight at all.

Article Courtesy of Liam Tweed

Photo Courtesy of Jim Duggan

https://www.ironhistory.com/

Ted Derek Sobel, center

Jim Duggan, right.

1993 NY State Games for the Physically Challenged.

P-O-W-E-R!!!

If you want it, or your nose is out of joint over a sticking point, start hustling your muscles with a POWER PACKED power rack attack and watch those sinews sprout and react with dramatic impact.

A P.R. jar is the best way to reclassify stork-like thighs into prizewinning underpinnings; a terrific, beyond compare thoroughfare for launching your dead lift into the ionosphere; an ultra-keen means to wrench an immense bench; a tried and true avenue to a nifty military press P.D.Q.

The beauty of power rack training is that it enables the athlete to handle and get the feel of extremely massive poundages safely, and that's a proven surefire strength and bulk builder. No guesswork or doubts here - if you're diligent and give a hundred percent results are guaranteed.

Most top Olympic and powerlifters have a knack for focusing their routines around a power rack attack. Even bodybuilders are tuning in to this type of regimen. And for good reason: super strength translates into huge, rugged-veneered size; the heavier you train the more you'll gain.

And wouldn't you love to impress, possibly stupefy your peers by tossing up awesome iron?

Here's a fast forward, blue chip schedule:

1 (A and B) - PARTIAL SQUATS

These should be done from two different positions:

A) parallel, and

B) 6 inches from standing straight up.

A) 1963 Mr. America, Vern Weaver, used to set the pins and bar at the parallel squat height and rise from there (bottom up squat from parallel). This is inordinately rough but very result producing and well worth the effort. Vern's legs were colossal, shapely, cut and forklift powerful.

4 sets of 6-8.

B) Former Mr. Universe, Bruce Randall, terrorized his thighs by doing quarter squats on a power rack. Anchor the pins 6 inches from an "attention" position and try to stand upright. This is a dreadnought of an exercise but it will turn your gams into flesh-forced abutments. It's great for the ego, too, since you should be able to manage approximately twice as much as you can full squat.

3 sets of 3-5.

2 - PARTIAL BENCH PRESS

Plug in the pins 6 inches from the lockout position and heave. Don Reinhoudt, former super-heavy powerlifting champion and winner of CBS' World's Strongest Man competition, specialized on this exercise during his prime and, consequently, bench pressed over 600 pounds!

His wife, Cindy, one of the premier lifting gals, is also fond of these, and her maximum bench is pretty spiffy . . . for a woman (no chauvinism intended).

Mel Hennessey has gone on partial sprees and breezed 570 at 242 - without drugs!

4 sets of 4-6 with around 50 lbs. over your best, full single.

3 - PARTIAL MILITARY PRESS

National Olympic lifting champ, Jake Stefan, was hot and heavy on this A-1 gun; claimed it gave him that little extra "Mmph" to lock out heavy jerks. Can't argue with success.

Fix the pins about 6 inches higher than shoulder level and press away.

4 sets of 3-5.

4 - PARTIAL DEADLIFT

Bob Peoples, perhaps the greatest deadlifter ever, did tons of these. The man was slightly ahead of his time. he craned 725.5 as a 181'er in 1947, a record which lasted into the early 1970's!

Affix the pins at mid-shin and begin.

4 sets of 4.

5 - INCLINE PRESS

This is a full movement. They'll mass up and mold your delts, upper pecs and triceps, provide variety and assure that you get the most out of your power rack.

The advantages of performing incline presses on a power rack are that you can adjust the bar height to accommodate your needs and you can blast your muscles from a plethora of different angles. Just ease an incline bench between the racks and you're ready to stew your thews.

If you don't have an incline bench, prop one of the ends of a flat bench up on a few barbell plates or a metal milk crate. For safety's sake, be sure this arrangement is sturdy before finagling with heavy weight.

4 sets of 8-12.

6 - CHINS

If your power rack doesn't have a built-in chinning bar, insert the pins through holes near the summit (pick your height) and slide a bar betwixt them. Wallah! Instant chin bar.

2 sets of as many reps as you can. When 15 is easy strap a dumbbell around your waist.

There are several result producing variations of chinning and you might like to use a different one each workout. The platoon method will curtail monotony and enable the athlete to whack his back muscles from different angles.

Wide, close, and medium grip chins are all effective, and these can be performed with special apparatus like lat attachment bars, V-handles, butterfly pieces, etc.

Underhanded chin-ups are also a valuable lat widening, bicep aggrandizing thing.

7 - SHRUGS

Former Mr. Universe Bruce Randall used to manhandle stunning tonnage on this muscle & power procreating great. Shrugs belt your delts and rap the traps, eliminating upper pec-clavicle gaps while adding a power-showering, cable-suspension dimension to your torso's glow.

Plug in the pins at knee height and start lugging those shrugs.

3 sets of 10-15.

Employ this blitz only once per week, it's physically and mentally draining and you'll need time to recuperate. On your other training days, use a conventional, full-range movement routine. Do this to measure progress, for endurance and muscle building purposes, and to practice form. A few sets of situps and leg raises on non-lifting days is advisable to tighten up the gut.

Try this nifty game plan:

MONDAY -

Full Squat, 4 x 8-10

Bench Press, 3 x 4-6, subtract 20 lbs. for 2 additional sets

Deadlift, 3 x 3-5, reduce 30 lbs. and do 3 additional sets

Barbell Curl, 4 x 8-12

Lying Triceps Extension, 4 x 8-12.

WEDNESDAY -

Full Squat, 8-10, plus 20 lbs, plus 20 lbs, minus 40 lbs

Military Press, 3 x 6-8, deduct 20 lbs for 2 additional sets

Power Clean, 3 x 5-7, reduce 30 lbs and do 3 additional sets

Barbell Curl, 4 x 8-12

Standing Triceps Extension, 4 x 8-12.

FRIDAY -

Power Rack Attack

TUESDAY & THURSDAY -

Twisting Situp, 2 x 30

Let Raise, 2 x 30.

Don't let this relatively "short seeming" routine deceive you into thinking it's duck soup. Actually, it's very demanding, energy sapping and concentrated since it's all H-E-A-V-Y. When you finish this gritty ditty you'll be well aware of it!

As always, be sure to warmup thoroughly, get plenty of rest, and eat lots of quality food.

Here:

https://www.otpbooks.com/product/40_years_with_a_whistle/

369 Pages.

Table of Contents

Part One: Commandments

Chapter 1 - 40 Years with a Whistle

Chapter 2 - The 10 Commandments of Coaching

Chapter 3 - Constant Assessment

Chapter 4 - Constant Upgrading

Chapter 5 - Ignore Perfect

Chapter 6 - This Isn't Moral Theology

Chapter 7 - Everything Works!

Chapter 8 - Achieving a Goal versus Achieving Success

Chapter 9 - After the Peak is the Cliff

Chapter 10 Self-discipline is a Finite Resource

Chapter 11 - Fundamentals Trump Everything Else

Part Two: Appreciating Those Who Went Before

Chapter 12 - Sister Maria Assumpta

Chapter 13 - The Winning Hit and Dale Kursten

Chapter 14 - The Invisible Man on First

Chapter 15 - The Orange Library: Three Books

Chapter 16 - Dave Freeman

Chapter 17 - Bob Jacobs and High School Biology Class

Chapter 18 - Ray DeJong and South San Francisco Football

Chapter 19 - Dick Notmeyer and the PBBC

Chapter 20 - Robert Lualhati and Skyline College

Chapter 21 - Ralph Maughan: The Greatest Aggie

Chapter 22 - A Multi-year "Now What?"

Chapter 23 - Tim Carr

Chapter 24 - Dave Turner

Chapter 25 - The Scandinavians and Tiffini

Chapter 26 - Lessons in Performance are Lessons in Life

Chapter 27 - Adapting Economics Lectures to Life

Chapter 28 - Champagne Wednesday

Chapter 29 - Discus Camp John Powell and Bill Witt

Chapter 30 - Retirement, Winding Down and Family Time

Chapter 31 - Finished as a Coach

Chapter 32 - Coaching One's Own Children

Chapter 33 - Tim Anderson and Chip Morton

Chapter 34 - Intentional Community

Chapter 35 - Connaught Rugby

Part Three: What I Think Now

Chapter 36 - 40 Years of Coaching and Reflection

Chapter 37 - The Big Picture and the Five Lessons of 40 Years

Chapter 38 - The Big Picture

Chapter 39 - Coaching is Leadership

Chapter 40 - Fractals: Seeing the Big Picture

Chapter 41 - Deprivation, The Great Lesson

Chapter 42 - The Five Pillars of Coaching

Chapter 43 - Measurements

Chapter 44 - Snapacity

Chapter 45 - Point, Push, snaP

Chapter 46 - Weaving Together

Chapter 47 - Do It of Diet

Chapter 48 - Connecting the Dots

Appendices

Appendix One - Free Will

Appendix Two - Getting Started as a Fitness Writer

Appendix Three - The Humane Burpee

Appendix Four - The History Behind "All of This"

Appendix Five - Challenges

Appendix Six - Don't Fear the Obvious

Index of People Referenced

About the Author

In a run-down section of the eastern border of the city there was, at one time, a small dusty area known rather generously as a children's playground. The playground, such as it was, lay three blocks from the harbor, slightly west of the Paine and McInley Equipment Company and directly downwind from the Western Transport Loading Dock #4, from which an endless stream of beef hides, nitrate fertilizers, bulk sulfur, and other odious commodities were dispatched to the outside world. On the other side of the harbor, a mile or so away, the oil refinery spilled its allotted quota into the water, sent up roaring flames from its exhaust stacks, and, when the humidity was just right, added its discouraging contribution to the already burdened atmosphere.

The playground was bounded on one side by two square miles of combined freight yard and pool car assembly area. Two other sides consisted of shunting tracks and storage warehouses. The remaining side hosted a row of crumbling tenements and Fire Station #3.

The playground, itself, was a pitiful sight. Ten years previous, in a flush of philanthropic fervor, a local service club has installed the customary selection of swings, teeter-totters, chinning bars, and so on. Time, however, had made heavy inroads. The metal posts and bars were streaked with rust. The teeter-totter board and the seat of the one remaining swing were cracked and split and jagged with three-inch splinters. The flying rings had long since flown, and the ground, since no grass was ever planted, ranged from two inches of dust in the dry season to a field of mud when it rained.

From early morning until well after dark, the playground was jammed with kids of all ages. Their presence was not, as you might suppose, a tribute to the playground. They had simply no other place to go. And, since the playground was not supervised, the children were left to their own amusement which over the years settled into a fairly steady and predictable pattern.

The little ones - pre-teen - ran around and got dirty and screamed and fought over the equipment. The older girls clustered in little groups and giggled a lot and pretended not to look at the boys showing off on the horizontal bar. The older boys pretended not to look at the girls.

Larry French was a dark-haired, wiry young lad who was born and raised two blocks from the playground. Larry worried a lot, and he slid into his teens with a growing concern regarding his lack of financial solvency.

When he was fifteen, Larry attempted a giant swing and cutaway on the high-bar in an effort to impress a certain Susy Beckett, a young lady of precocious and imposing development. Larry's hand slipped on the second revolution. He landed upside down and broke his left arm. Miss Beckett snickered audibly and strolled away with another boy who had blonde curly hair and more sense than to get up on a high-bar in the first place. By the time Larry's arm was out of the cast he had developed an acute sense of skepticism towards the fair sex.

When he was sixteen, Larry had a fist fight with a new boy in the neighborhood - a tall, bony lad with dark little eyes and a pimply complexion. The new boy's stock in trade was the left jab. The punch, delivered with astonishing precision reduced Larry to ruin in something under five minutes.

Fights were common in the neighborhood, and Larry, being gifted with a better than average mind, decided to acquire a slight edge over the opposition. He weighed the relative merits of the switchblade and the wool sock full of sand and wisely discarded both as being just slightly more lethal than the circumstances warranted.

Larry considered all the angles and decided that muscles, being inexpensive, relatively inconspicuous, and perfectly legal, were the solution to his problem. His visits to the playground became regular and purposeful.

The only equipment in the playground adaptable to formal exercise was the horizontal bar, the parallel bars, and the teeter-totter. Larry did chins on the horizontal bar. He did them front grip, reverse grip, wide grip, and narrow grip. He did them to his chin and he did them to the back of his neck. He did set after endless set and, slowly but surely, his biceps and forearms grew hard and muscular and his lats took on a different shape.

Larry did dips on the parallel bars with the same fervor. He did numerous sets and he squeezed the maximum number of repetitions out of each of them. Larry's triceps got strong and defined and his pecs began to grow.

When he finished his chins and dips, Larry went to the teeter-totter and did sit-ups on it. And while the practice generated a certain amount of friction between himself and the little kids who happened to be using it at the time, the equipment, itself, served admirably. Larry would lay on the board, head down, hook his toes under the central bar, and do sit-ups until his stomach screamed. He performed the sit-ups as faithfully as the chins and dips.

When Larry turned eighteen, he moved to the other side of the city and got a job. But he'd been bitten by the muscle bug pretty hard and he missed his old exercise sessions in the playground. He did push-ups and sit-ups in his bedroom for a while, got bored with that, and finally enrolled in a small commercial gym.

Weight training and Larry got along well together. He asked a lot of questions of the owner, and got a great deal of advice. He ignored most of it, but made good progress anyway. He had a good foundation from his workouts at the playground, and the equipment in the gym let him expand his program enormously. He did squats and cleans and curls and so on. He worked on the benches and the pulleys and anything else that was available and gradually added muscle.

Larry made good progress for a while. He wasn't bulky, but his muscles were shapely and well defined. His progress, however, eventually came to a halt. Larry trained hard for three more months with practically no results. Finally, in desperation, he went in to see the gym owner.

The owner was tilted back in his chair with his feet up on the desk and an open can of protein tablets in his left hand. He fished out a tablet with his right hand, flipped it into the air, moved his head slightly, and caught the tablet in his mouth. He tried it again. The tablet landed on his throat and slid down inside his shirt.

"That's a kinda messy way of eating them, ain't it?" Larry asked.

"Could be worse," the gym owner said. "Imagine if it was Energol." He took his feet off the desk and sat up straight.

"I need help," Larry told him.

"My boy," the gym owner beamed. "You've come to the right man. As long as it doesn't involve work or money, I'll be delighted to assist you. What would you like?"

"It's my training," Larry said. "I ain't making no progress."

"Right," the gym owner said. "I know."

Larry blinked. "You know? Why didn't you say something?"

"Larry, my boy," the gym owner said. "I've said something a hundred times. You either don't listen or you don't believe me."

"What did you tell me?"

The gym owner looked at his watch. "Have you finished your workout?"

Larry shook his head.

"Well, go finish it and then come back," the gym owner said. "You're doing something very wrong, and I think maybe now you'll listen to me."

"Tell me now," Larry said.

The gym owner shook his head. "After your workout." He leaned across the desk. "The mistake you're making is one of the principal causes of failure. Every unsuccessful bodybuilder does it. I want you to think about that during your workout, and then come back and we'll have a long talk about it."

"Okay," Larry said. "Don't go away." He turned and walked out of the office.

The gym owner put his feet up on the desk again, tilted back in his chair, and flipped up a protein tablet. He moved his head and caught the tablet in his mouth.

"Fantastic," he told himself.

He flipped another, moved his head, and the tablet hit him in the eye.

Larry French finished his workout. Then he showered, dressed, and walked into the gym owner's office.

He motioned Larry over. "Take a look at that," he said.

Larry glanced out.

"Take a look at what?"

"The shoe store," the gym owner said. "Look at the prices."

Larry looked out again. The store directly across the street was draped and garnished with enough ribbon for an Easter pageant. Large, brightly colored signs in the windows blared the news of a store-wide clearance of men's quality footwear at the most sensational price reductions since the original vending of Manhattan Island.

The gym owner popped the rest of the tablets into his mouth. "Stay here," he said. He squirmed into his jacket. "I'm gonna slip over and pick up a couple of pair."

"They're factory rejects," Larry told him.

The gym owner paused. "Factory what?"

"Rejects," Larry said. "Factory rejects. The soles are made of cardboard, the uppers come off, and the whole store full ain't worth ten bucks."

The gym owner blinked his eyes. "You're putting me on."

Larry yawned. "My uncle owns the store."

The gym owner peered out the window. "That's unreal. How could your uncle handle junk merchandise and still own a store?"

Larry snickered. "I'd own the Taj Mahal if I d meet a yokel like you every day of the week."

The gym owner took off his jacket. He walked behind his desk and slumped into the chair. "Larry," he said. "You gotta be the most discouraging son-of-a-gun I've ever met."

"Not discouraging," Larry told him. "Realistic."

"Maybe so," the gym owner said. "Maybe so."

"Anyway," Larry said, "it's beside the point."

"Really?" the gym owner said. "What was the point?"

"My lack of progress," Larry said. "That's the point. You were going to help me. Remember?"

"Of course I remember," the gym owner said. "Do you think I'm an idiot?" He straightened up in his chair. "Er . . ." he cleared his throat . . . "just give me a brief summary, will you?"

"Certainly," Larry said. "I haven't gained an ounce in the last six months. Is that brief enough?"

"Perfect," the gym owner said. "Concise and to the point."

"And if I don't start gaining pretty soon," Larry said, "I'm gonna take my business elsewhere. How does that sound?"

"Not too good," the gym owner said. He pushed back in his chair.

"Fortunately, However, that dire event need never transpire. I know exactly what your trouble is."

"Then how come you never told me before?" Larry said.

"I have told you," the gym owner said. "I've told you a dozen times. You just don't believe me."

"Tell me again."

The gym owner took the can of protein tablets and set it down in front of Larry. "The reason you aren't gaining is because you aren't getting enough protein. I keep telling you to take a supplement."

Larry snorted. "I don't need that stuff."

"You do need it." The gym owner sighed. "You're so bloody suspicious you think everything is a ripoff." He got up and went to the filing cabinet and started rooting through it. He pulled out paper by the hand, scanned it, and dug deeper into the files. "Got to get this in order, someday," he muttered.

Larry waited patiently.

The gym owner began to hum to himself. He tapped time with his foot and the music got louder. "Dum, dum, de dum, de dum," he sang, "de dum, de dum, de dum dum, dum dum."

"Catchy tune," Larry said.

"The anvil chorus," the gym owner told him. "From 'Il Trovatore'."

"Pardon?"

"It's an opera," the gym owner explained. "'Il Trovatore.' It means 'The Troubadour'."

"Like in a bullfight?" Larry asked.

"No, no," the gym owner shook his head. "You're thinking of a matador."

"I thought that's what stood in front of a hotel."

"That's a revolving door."

Larry thought about it for a moment. "Listen," he said. "That isn't exactly what I had in mind."

"No matter," the gym owner said. He pulled a folder from the cabinet.

"Here we are."

He walked back to the desk and opened the file. "Take a look."

Larry went around the desk and stood behind the gym owner.

"This is a record of your progress," the gym owner told him. "I graph it off every three months."

"That's nice," Larry said. "It's looks like the herringbone pattern on a twelve dollar overcoat."

The gym owner traced his finger across the lines. "Do you see the significance?"

Larry studied the graph. "Frankly," he said. "No."

The gym owner pointed to the left-hand margin of the card. "Here's where you started. See how all your lifts and measurements started to climb?"

"Yeah," Larry said wistfully. "I gained real well for a while."

"Right," the gym owner said. "Due entirely of course, to my invaluable assistance and expert supervision."

"And my hard work," Larry said. He tapped his fingers on the graph. "And I wasn't taking a protein supplement then, either."

"No," the gym owner said, "you weren't. But you were a beginner. You were bound to make rapid gains no matter what you did. Furthermore, you had a real good foundation to build on from all the exercise you did in that playground you hung around in."

"Yeah," Larry said. "I wish I had a buck for every hour I spent in that place."

"You said it was pretty beat . Do you ever go back there?" the gym owner asked him.

Larry shook his head. "The city sold the property to an auto wrecking company. They put a high board fence all around it."

"I don't suppose they installed new playground equipment, did they?"

"Not exactly," Larry said. "They installed two hundred junk cars and a Doberman."

"Too bad," the gym owner said. "There's a moral there somewhere if you could put your finger on it."

"I suppose," Larry said. He touched the card. "But let's get back to this."

"Okay," the gym owner said. He pointed to the graph. "Now, see where your gains slowed down and finally quit altogether?"

Larry nodded.

"Well, that's where you got beyond the beginner's stage," the gym owner said. "And that's what happens to about 99% of all bodybuilders. They make good progress for a while, get to about the intermediate stage, and then bog down. "They put in all that work and then, just when they're getting to the point of building up a real sensational body, their gains stop."

"And what causes that?"

One of two things," the gym owner said. "Either their training is faulty or their nutrition is. It's gotta be one or the other."

"What about my case?"

"Simple," the gym owner told him. "There's nothing wrong with your training, therefore your nutrition is faulty."

"How do you know there's nothing wrong with my training?"

"Because," the gym owner said . . . he coughed modestly . . . "I designed your program personally."

"You shouldn't be so shy about it," Larry said.

"So the answer to your problem is very simple," the gym owner said. "Improve your nutrition and you'll start gaining again."

"And how do I improve it?" Larry said.

"You must be hard of hearing," the gym owner said. "I just told you." He held up the can. "Take a good protein supplement."

"And I just told you I don't believe in that stuff," Larry said.

"Then forget about training," the gym owner said. "You're just wasting your time."

Larry took the can of tablets. "It can't be that important."

The gym owner leaned back in his chair. "Larry, my boy," he said. "I'm gonna lay it out for you just one more time. If you still don't believe me, then there's nothing more I can do for you."

He held up four fingers. "In the whole history of bodybuilding, there's been four radical advancements. Four things of absolutely devastating importance to bodybuilders. There's been lots of minor improvements and variations, of course, but only four major ones."

"What are they?" Larry asked.

The gym owner bent one finger. "First, he said, "there was the development of the heavy breathing squat as a growth stimulation exercise." He bent another finger. "Second, there was the refinement of the multiple set technique." He bent another finger. "And, third, was the introduction of food supplements." He closed his hand and let it fall into his lap.

There was a long pause.

Larry leaned forward. "What was the fourth advancement?"

The gym owner beamed. "My entry into the field," he said. "I thought you'd never ask."

Larry rolled his eyes upward.

The gym owner leaned back and put his feet up on the desk. "Larry," he said, "pay attention, cause I'm gonna lay something very heavy on you. You ain't never gonna gain properly until you take a protein supplement, and I'm gonna tell you why."

Yeah, Buddy!

Some Ditillo Stuff I May Have Missed

Developing a High Poundage Snatch - Peary Rader

Dave Draper Interview (2003)

How I Train for the Bench Press - Reg Park (1954)

The Pull is Not an Extension - Carl Miller (1974)

Strydom's Three Tier System - Jeff Everson (1988)

Steve Knight - Ken Leistner (1980)

Oly Lifting Tips - Arnold Shickman (1959)

Powerlifting Benefits for the Bodybuilder - Jeff Magruder (1988)

Which System Is Right For You? - John Petruzzi (2015)

Sleep: The Neglected Factor - Bill Starr (2002)

How I Gained 100 Pounds - Bill Parkinson (1957)

Maximum Effort - Part One - John McCallum

Maximum Effort, Part Two - John McCallum

Maximum Effort, Part Three - John McCallum

The "Hurt Me" Arm Training Circuit- Tim Piper (1999)

The Complete Rack Attack - Ted Derek Sobel (1981)

40 Years with a Whistle - Dan John (2019)

The Causes of Failure, Part One - John McCallum