Tag: Old School Shoulder Exercises

Resources by Conor HeffernanJan 6, 20201:08 pm

Forgotten Exercises: Kazmaier Shrugs

So admittedly I am a massive fan of the World’s Strongest Man competition having grown up watching clips from the 1980s and 1990s. As a child I marvelled at the strength of Geoff Capes, the ‘Viking’ Jón Páll Sigmarsson and I even had a soft spot for Rick ‘Grizzly’ Brown. There was one strongman however, who always captured my attention and it was the immortal Bill Kazmaier.

An accomplished powerlifter, strongman and, for a brief period, wrestler, Kazmaier is rightly counted as one of the strongest men to have walked the earth. Looking at his old World’s Strongest Man footage, it’s impossible not to be impressed with the man’s sheer size. As a powerlifter, Kazmaier totalled over 2,000 lbs. and his body reflected that. Like other strongmen and accomplished lifters, Kazmaier regularly devised new methods and approaches to his training, including the Kazmaier shrug.

Forgotten Exercises: The See-Saw Press

I was flicking through some old strength magazines during the weekend and came across a lift that I doubt many of us are familiar with. Called the ‘Seesaw’ press, it is essentially a standing dumbbell shoulder […]

Training by Conor HeffernanAug 30, 20199:05 pm

Forgotten Exercises: The Scott Press

The first Mr. Olympia and one of the 60s most admired bodybuilders, Larry Scott is rarely credited these days as being a bodybuilding great. Whereas Zane, Arnold or Olivia are regularly, and rightly, praised for their physiques, Scott is too often seen as an afterthought. Trained by Vince Gironda and the winner of two Mr. Olympia’s Scott’s thoughtful training style should not be underestimated. It was, after all, Scott who helped popularise Gironda’s preacher curl in the 60s and 70s.

Working together, Gironda and Scott made quite the formidable pair. The object of today’s post, the forgotten Scott Press, is testament to that statement. So in today’s brief post, we’re going to examine the history of the Scott Press before giving some words as to how to best implement it in your own training programmes.

Training by Conor HeffernanMay 8, 20192:26 pm

Forgotten Exercises: The Scott Press

Training by Conor HeffernanDec 10, 201810:10 am

Forgotten Exercises: The See-Saw Press

Training by Conor HeffernanOct 31, 20185:25 pm

Vince Gironda, ‘Presses – Vince’s Gym Style’, Ironman Magazine, 29:2 (1969), 20

A quick tip on military pressing from the Iron Guru himself, Vince Gironda. Known for his unique approach to the bench press and the squat, it should come as no surprise to learn that Gironda […]

Resources by Conor HeffernanAug 24, 20182:12 pm

Sergio Oliva Trains Shoulders

Known as ‘The Myth’ for his quite frankly cartoon like proportions, Sergio Oliva has long occupied a hallowed place in Bodybuilding’s pantheon of greats. Mr. Olympia in 1967, 1968 and 1969, Oliva inspired a generation of […]

Resources by Conor HeffernanAug 8, 201812:43 pm

Forgotten Exercises: Monkey Rows

Monkey or Armpit Rows… Admittedly it’s not the most enticing of names. Regardless of its poor labelling the following exercise is one of my favourite forgotten exercises of recent times. A godsend for individuals with shoulder pain, Monkey Rows offer a great alternative to commonplace exercises for trap and deltoid development like the upright row. So in today’s brief post we’ll be discussing the correct way to perform the Monkey Row and try dig into its history a little bit deeper.

Resources by Conor HeffernanJun 29, 201810:18 am

Dennis Weis, ‘Bits of Advice & Routines Number 6’, Iron Man Magazine, March (1977).

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At this point in my series of articles I think it is appropriate to introduce one of the greatest Super Stars in the physique world past or preset. The man is Boyer Coe. From my observations of people who are interested in physical development and physique contests, there are usually one or two men who will stand out in an individual’s mind as being at the top in their chosen field which in this case is physique contestants. The two men who immediately come to my mind are Chuck Sipes (who I have already discussed in detail) and Boyer Coe. I am not even going to attempt to describe his sensational physique. I would probably waste at least 4 to 5 paragraphs describing Coe and still not come up with a description which would do justice to him. All I can say is to study his photos which are published in just about every issue of Iron Man Magazine.

Resources by Conor HeffernanMar 30, 20189:06 am

Forgotten Exercises: The Bradford Press

One of the most maligned exercises of recent decades has been the military press done behind the neck. Owing it is said to the undue stress this exercise places on the shoulder joints, lifters have been advised to avoid this technique at all costs. I, for many years, was one of those lifters. Not only did the exercise feel uncomfortable, I couldn’t go as heavy on it, thereby hurting my fragile ego.

Some months ago I stumbled across another trainee performing Bradford Presses in the gym. This same trainee, an advocate of old school training, had previously alerted me to the Butt Punch and Swingbell exercises previously covered on this site. When pressed (no pun intended) about why he was performing said lift, I was curtly informed that he had performed this exercise for two decades without shoulder pain. I, was curious to put it mildly.

Fast forward to the present day and my shoulder health has improved dramatically, as has my conventional military press. I owe a large part of this to the Bradford Press, hence the topic of today’s post.