It's been a while again, so open they are.
I can't guarantee replying, but you guys can interact with each other if you're into it, and when desirable take the discussion off-site into a more private setting in some secluded rendezvous known as "email" I believe it's called.
I learned a lot the last time around, have to admit it!
Nonsense, utter rubbish and a complete waste of words!
ReplyDeletePLEASE talk sense into me! My 17-year-old mind wants to try a set of those Face-Down Bench Deltoid presses in that illustration in your Feb 26, Charles Coster post, but my 67-year-old wrecked rotator cuffs are warning me by hurting when I merely glance at that illustration! Helllllllllllllp !!
ReplyDeleteHelp! My 17-year-old mind wants sooo badly to attempt a set of those Face-Down Bench Deltoid Presses illustrated in your Feb.26, Charles Coster post, but, my wrecked 67-year-old rotator cuffs warn me by screaming when I merely glance at that illustration! Please talk, or knock, sense into meeee!!!
ReplyDeleteFor the love of God, Joe . . . turn back! I'll fess up to wanting to give it a go here too. Was it a Little Feat song? Old Folks Boogie . . . "when your mind makes promises that your body can't fill.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHcGkGdiEHc
DeleteLOL...I think it was Bill Pearl who quipped something like, "Old age, is when you go to bed feeling okay but wake up hurting everywhere", lol
DeleteI don't know the author of this blog. But I would like to say that he is doing an excellent job. This is the best blog about exercise and everything related to it. I love these old school articles and routines. Thank you very much and greetings from the Czech Republic
ReplyDeleteThanks! Greetings from Canada's West Coast, Brother!
DeleteI don't know the author of this blog. But I would like to say that he is doing an excellent job. This is the best blog about exercise and everything related to it. I love these old school articles and routines. Thank you very much and greetings from the Czech Republic
ReplyDeleteWe can't keep meeting like this. I'm running out of lifting articles.
DeleteHi there! Hope you are well.
ReplyDeleteJust today I had the idea of contacting you to ask for another comment session, and here you are!
I was hoping that maybe we all could compare the different systems we use to get results(hypertrophy wise),
given there's a lot of info on this blog that differs wildly.
I'll start:
After years of searching for the special system, going backwards on low-volume training, burning out on high-frequency training, I settled on training my whole body split over 3-4 days a week with moderate to high volume. Slow reps/high effort under fatigue seem to bring the gains, so either heavy weight until performance starts to fail, low weight easy slow reps until they become hard, or explosive reps until they become slow. Cluster stuff (like singles with your 5rm) is suboptimal, but can work if you keep the rest periods short, which in turn can lead to fast burnout. I tried the whole "overtraining is bullshit" thingy only to shrink from systemic burnout. And getting acne. And losing hair. All without McRoids. Overtraining is a very real thing for me, so now I decide if I train and what and how I train depending on how I feel that day, which would be terrible advice for a beginner. It seems I have to recover first before I grow, and extreme nervous system fatigue can slow down or even completely halt growth.
Good to hear from you! I'm doing fine over here, waiting for my eyes to heal after cataract surgery and SO DAMNED ANXIOUS TO GET BACK TO LIFTING! "It seems I have to recover first before I grow." I think you hit the nail square on the head there. Not just recover to the previous muscle/strength level, but recover enough to grow BEYOND that previous level. That's a constant with any style of lifting, I figure.
DeleteA bit of a Razor's Edge, ain't it. Too much, or too soon, and you fall off to one side. Not enough training and you fall off to the other. It can be a very elusive combination at times, for sure. Very much a " Goldilocks and the three little bears" scenario!
DeleteGlad you're doing fine, I wish you a good recovery!
DeleteYeah, "listen to your body", and all that.
Now my problem is, I'm still very romantic about the bulgarian style of lifting and turning myself into a human forklift who shows up every day in the weightroom at if its my job, especially when I read Anthony Ditillo's descriptions about Dezso Ban's training. Problem is: No gains, even regression. Then I look at mechanics, or a friend of mine who is a baker, and they have huge forearms by working them every day. Dangit!!! There has to be a way.
What does your training look like these days?
Stupid work security won't let me sign in to comment. Your blog author here, hahaha! Yeah, some people gain from that type of training and some don't. There's ways to modify the Dezso Ban example Ditillo gives a few times. Start with a whole lot less and work up from there gradually works for some. My training? Pretty standard, very simple. Big lifts, 1 to 5 reps, plenty of sets. Some quick lifting. Bodybuilding-style workouts once or twice every couple months when I forget how much I dislike that kind of lifting. Real simple stuff. I bet you can find bakers and mechanics who have forearms like toothpicks too. And we can find guys who do little or no physical labor with forearms guys like us would just about kill for.
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ReplyDeletemeep
DeleteWant to say thanks for all the tremendous effort you put into this blog for so many years. And to tell you I got a hold of a DVD from the NFB called The Strong Man. It's an interview with Doug Hepburn in his Vancouver gym by Fred Davis from 1954. Wondering if you have ever seen this?
ReplyDeleteHOLY CRAP! You mean this? https://www.mcintyre.ca/titles/NFB520410 I have not seen it. How'd you like it? What's in it? Nice find, REAL NICE FIND!!!
DeleteYes...that's it exactly! I purchased it from that site, and enjoyed it...don't want to give away any spoilers. I'd be happy to send it to you if you want. Small token of appreciation for all the efforts you have put in to this blog. Funny thing, when I ordered it I told my wife, I know of only one other person on earth (giveitaname of course) who might want to watch this thing as much as I do. If you're interested, please email me at hepburn_rules@outlook.com. And again, thanks for all you do!
DeleteI want ectomorph workout for myself , I am 39 male years old.
ReplyDeleteNo shortage of 'em everywhere you look. I am not a coach and don't recommend much of anything to anyone.
DeleteI love reading things from when people had common sense. When if you couldn't be John Grimek (and who could), you could be proud of what you were. I'm sure you put tons of work into this blog, but i'm also sure there's many people like me that enjoy all your work, and I thank you. My only criticism is sometimes it's hard to understand what are your comments and what's the original article
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you're enjoying this deal! Yeah, I tend to drift off and away at times here.
DeleteGreat site, one of my favorite. Keep up the great work.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mate! Glad to hear you're having fun here.
DeleteGot any articles from Europe? They'd of course have to be translated but that's pretty simple nowadays. I've seen a few interesting photos and illustrations from France and Russia dated from the 20s and 30s and would be interested to hear their approach to training some of these old time lifts - I know they had their own methods for performing stuff like the one arm C&J, one arm swing etc and a lot of the other old contest lifts.
ReplyDeleteHey Stu! Not mine, but I know a couple guys from across the Atlantic who have lots in the way of books and mags from the past. Are you familiar with this author and historian? Gherardo Bonini? I first read his book (and he has many) "Lifting back to Athens 1906". Some exceptional photos in his material, and his knowledge of lifting history is a beauty to see.
DeleteHere's more is his work . . . https://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-no2004079907/ From there, you can research many of the names in his material further. The training end of the first quarter of the 1900's is fascinating, as are the diets they preferred. Unfortunately, there's not enough out there about the average men who lifted for a hobby at that time, about their training. Plenty on the "name" guys, but the training thing for the non-professional back then is tough to round up. This magazine run had plenty of interest . . . https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/strength-magazine-1916-complete-year-1925400983. There's others out there. They take a bit of hunting and money to obtain, though.
DeleteI do know two fellas in particular who have collections of early European stuff . . . I'll look more closely in the weeks to come, all things willing.
DeleteWow this is great stuff - Very much appreciated!
DeleteYou have by far the best blog on strength and bodybuilding on the Internet. I wonder if you ever consider posting articles or posts on pre 1800s physical culture. I know you have some seriously vintage writings on this blog (like that one excellent series by George Barker Windship who developed himself through gymnastics), but perhaps if you open up to all forms of physical culture that predated weights, you might never run out of written content to post here.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, thanks! How you doin'? I'd like to get more like that Windship article on here. They're out there waiting!
DeleteFirst thing, your efforts are greatly appreciated. This is my first stop online. Every day. Next, as someone old enough to have read many of these articles in the original, I'm not sure the youngsters in the crowd understand what a wealth of info is offered herein. Somewhat akin to having Peary Rader resurrected and re-installed behind the desk in Alliance. Was there anything better than opening your mailbox and seeing the latest copy of IronMan? Anyway, for as long as you feel the urge to continue this thing, you won't be lacking grateful readers.
ReplyDeleteThanks much, Brother. We are very similar . . . I'm a night owl so this blog's my LAST stop online every morning, er, night.
DeleteYour blog has become an Iron Game Treasure. Much like Bill Starr, Bradley Steiner, Ken Leistner, Anthony Ditillo, Dave Draper. It reminds me Perry Rader's IronMan mag back in the day in that he would publish almost anything that was submitted just to keep from only propagating his own opinions. You paint your blog with a broad stroke. And we need it in this social media age that just wants to feed us more of what it thinks we want. So, thank-you and yes, it is an Iron Game Treasure.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna need a bigger hat. Hey, thanks!
DeleteIwould like to ask if it would be possible to add all the chapters from the book by Norman Zale: Eating for Strength and Muscular Development, to the blog... in the past a few chapters have been published here, but not all. I have been trying to find this great book but unfortunately I have not been able to. Thank you for your answer
ReplyDeleteHello! There's nine parts up so far, and it looks like I left it hanging there. Still have that book, though, and can dig it out of the rat's nest here in the future and typer it out.
DeleteI look forward to. I will be grateful for every single chapter from this book. But of course the other articles on this blog are great and worth reading
DeleteI’m addicted, obsessive and check way too many times everyday for a new article.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but on the plus side you're honest!
DeleteGreat articles. So different from today's "I want to be shredded" theme. Big and strong were the ideals back in the day.
ReplyDeleteThankfully we can choose our own ideals still!
ReplyDelete