I HAVE often been asked what it feels like to press 350 pounds with one hand, and perhaps to my readers the different sensations experienced will be interesting. In the first place, immediately I start to press the weight away from the shoulder I become perfectly oblivious to everything except the weight that I am… Continue reading Arthur Saxon, ‘What It Feels Like to Lift 350 Pounds with One Hand’, The Development of Physical Power (London, 1905), 23-24.
For those of us whose bodybuilding heroes are from the IronAge, finding our place in the land of modern bodybuilding has been tough. We feel out of place. Our heroes and our IronAge ideals often seem incompatible with the world of bodybuilding. As we struggle to reconcile bodybuilding's past with its changes, it is our… Continue reading Robert Paris, ‘Defining the Iron Age’, Ironage.us (c. 2003)
I love feats of strength. Admittedly that's not the most surprising admission given the purpose of this website but it is one worth stating every now and then. It doesn't matter if it is someone lifting a barbell or a bale of heavy. Make it heavy enough and I will watch it or, if I… Continue reading A Few Sandovian Stage Feats
From my daily mail I arrive at the conclusion that many barbell bugs have been considerably confused by the numerous super duper four-hour workout schedules credited to the prominent physique specialists in some of the muscle magazines. I have at least a dozen recent letters bearing the same complaint, 'These terrific workouts may be all… Continue reading Harry B. Paschall, ‘Training for the Working Man’, Bosco Strength Notebook,1: 2 (1951), 23-25
It happened to Rocky Balboa. He got soft. He earned all that money, got used to the good life, and lost his competitive edge, his "eye of the tiger." His old fart of a trainer told him, " The worst thing that could happen to a fighter happened to you - ya got civilized." Rocky… Continue reading T.C. Luoma, Back Training in Focus: Back Training with Shawn Ray (1995)
WITH regard to the routine of training, I again repeat, my idea is not to develop muscle at the expense of either health or strength. It is really impossible for me to prescribe special exercises with fixed time limits for same, and fixed days for each individual who may ready this book, as we are… Continue reading Arthur Saxon, ‘Routine of Training’, The Development of Physical Power (London, 1906)
By the time you receive this issue of HARDGAINER we will be about half way through the year. So it's a good idea to take stock as to how your training is going so far, so that you make the rest of the year as productive as possible. Question #1 Are you stronger now than you… Continue reading John Christy, ‘Mid-Year Checkup’, Hardgainer Magazine, July/August (1999)
Looking for something to break the monotony of dumbbell and barbell training? Admit it, every once and a while you like to try something new. Exercises or machines that truly test you. Well today, we're going to look at the Swingbell, an old school piece of bodybuilding equipment promoted by York during the heyday of… Continue reading The Lost Art of Swingbell Training
The following extract comes from Vince Gironda's 1984 Book: Unleashing the Wild Physique (available here). This book cannot be recommended highly enough, from VInce's no nonsense take on steroids to his innovative training techniques. Today's post comes from Vince's advice on weight gain. The real secret to gaining weight is food. The more you eat, the… Continue reading Vince Gironda Weight-Gain Diet
The following extract comes from Frank Zane's excellent bodybuilding work: The Workouts -Personal Training Diaries, which is available from his website. Zane, a three time Mr. Olympia, is one of the few bodybuilders to defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime and is possibly the most aesthetic man to win an Olympia. The polar opposite to the ungainly Bodybuilding's current mass… Continue reading Frank Zane’s Growth Program
