You may have heard would-be body culturists say, "Aw gee, how can I train? There is no gymnasium around here, and any way if there was, I couldn't afford it." Actually, hundreds of young men have presented this problem to me, hoping that I would be able to solve the little difficulty for them. It… Continue reading George F. Jowett, Why Home Exercise is the Best (c. 1925)
Katie Sandwina was a professional strong woman who performed in John Ringling's circuses in the early 1900s. She was celebrated for great feats of strength, such as carrying a 600-pound cannon on her back, and lesser ones, like executing the manual of arms with her 160-pound husband Max instead of a rifle. Sandwina was a… Continue reading Sarah Pileggi, ‘The Pleasure of Being the World’s Strongest Women’, (Sports Illustrated, 1977)
This issue of HARDGAINER marks the start of our eleventh year. In it we’re starting a new series in which an article from exactly ten years prior to the current issue will be reviewed and updated, to reflect what the respective author has learned over that ten-year period. Because Iwrote most of the articles in… Continue reading Stuart McRobert, Ten Years Wiser, Hardgainer Magazine, 11:1 (1999), pp. 13-16.
Strength training has always been synonymous with the so-called "Iron Game," a broad generic term that includes the competitive lifting of heavy objects by "strongmen/women" during the last century or so. Feats of lifting strength, however, have appeared throughout the history of most nations, but it has only been in very recent times that training… Continue reading Dr. Mel Siff, A Short History of Strength and Conditioning (Dolfzine, 2003)
UP UNTIL a few minutes ago, I had not the slightest intention or expectation of writing this article. Since my return from Europe, my mail has been flooded with letters asking my why I entered the contest. "How good are the European bodybuilders compared to our boys?" asked one reader. "What were your experiences, and… Continue reading Joe Weider, Why I Entered the Mr. Universe Contest, Your Physique, February 16: 7 (1952), 7
Yates in 1986 Known as 'The Shadow' in bodybuilding circles, Dorian Yates was the goliath of early 1990s bodybuilding. Winning the Mr. Olympia six straight years in a row from 1992 to 1997, Yates was famed for his intense approach to training. A modified form of the high intensity training advocated by Arthur Jones and… Continue reading Dorian Yates’ Workouts from 1982-1985
Grimek's Workout, 7 November, 2000 I reprinted a terrific article on Grimek’s training in an early issue of the Dinosaur Files. The author was Joe Berg, and the article was titled, I believe, “The Greatest Physique Story Ever Told.” It originally ran in S&H in the early 50’s. The premise of the article was… Continue reading Notes on John Grimek, Brooks D. Kubik, Dino Files (2000)
Author’s note: If you're wondering why this isn't the second installment of "The Keys to Success" series, it’s because the article “out-grew" the pages of HARDGAINER. l've decided to turn "The Keys to Success" into my first book. I should have it completed by the end of the year. Ah, the grand old question of… Continue reading John Christy, Why Aren’t I Getting Bigger?, Hardgainer Magazine, May/June (2003)
Question: You seem to write a great deal about exercise techniques, yet I have noticed that much of it is in fact conflicting advice. I have been bodybuilding for ten years now, before that I did six years of weightlifting. I still do not know what is the best system to use. Vince, how do… Continue reading Vince Gironda, ‘Workouts And Body Rhythm’, IronMan Magazine, (November 1983)
"When the interview began in La Lanne's living room at 8:30 A.M., he had already been awake for five hours. He'd exercised, had breakfast and donned a red jump suit."Most people know La Lanne only from his TV show. It's the least of his achievements. On each birthday, La Lanne performs a muscle-numbing feat. At… Continue reading David Rensin, ’20 Questions with Jack Lalanne’, Playboy Magazine (October, 1984).
