Building Formidable Thighs -- Ben Weider

 

Courtesy of Jan Dellinger, one of the contributor-backbones of this wee blog and a helluva great guy to fly the Iron Skies with! 

Note: if this booklet rubs you the wrong way, The Weider Twitch, let's call it, simply look at it as a rare and hard-to-find period piece. Personally, I made the best gains of my entire life for two years as a teenager, following the Weider magazine layouts long ago. No IronMan . . . small, sleepy city called birthplace with little to pick from really. 

I would get a mag from the smoke shop downtown or the drug store not far, follow a volume routine, not heavy weights in mind at all, strictly bodybuilding of a pump-and-spin nature, burn out at three weeks, take a week off, and when the next issues would come out I'd be back at the long layout of my choice. 

Didn't know a thing then, honestly, but looking back, I was over-reaching, taking a complete deload week, and having back at 'er. It worked wonderfully for me back then! It wouldn't now, not without supplemental test and the added gung-ho of youthful naiveté, and I didn't gain all that much strength this way, but didn't want it much then anyhow. 

Period piece . . . or training info from the past . . . and spare the vitriol in the comments, it'll just get nixed on this end. 

Let's enjoy this rare one! 

 

HOW TO BUILD TERRIFIC JET-CHARGED THIGHS

By

PROF. BEN WEIDER

Trainer of The Champions &

Nutrition Expert

All The Methods Revealed In This 

Special Course Have Been Fully 

Tested And Proved In The Weider 

Research Clinic

Here is your opportunity to learn how to develop the kind of rugged, shapely thighs you've always admired on the Champions. You'll also help yourself gain muscular weight when your thighs are fully developed, because they are among the biggest muscle-areas of the entire body. 

Building majestic thighs requires your intensive effort in following these Special Exercises, giving them your undivided attention while training, being persistent, using all the various means to speed up results; and letting nothing interfere with your regular exercise program, because that's what it demands. 

Special Exercises for Developing Shapely, Powerful Thighs

   

(Photo) No. 1-A: With a suitably weighted barbell resting across your shoulders, while held in your hands, toes close together - heels apart - gradually lower your body to a full squat or deep knee bend, exhaling as you lower your body. Try to keep your back as erect as possible. Now rise to a full standing position as your inhale, fully expanding your lungs and rib-box. The first week do 3 repetitions. 

No. 1-B: Perform the same squatting exercise, with the barbell across the back of your shoulders, but this time toes WIDE APART and heels close together. Raise and lower the body, doing 3 repetitions each training night the first week. Exhale as you LOWER your body, inhale as you come up to a full standing position. (?)

No. 1-C: This time keep toes and heels together and do the squat, still with the barbell held across the back of your shoulders. The first week do 3 deep knee bends, exhale on going down, inhale coming up to a standing position. (? the second)

No. 1-D: With feet spread several inches apart, toes turned outwards, do the squats while holding the barbell across shoulders. Keep your back upright and during the first week perform 3 repetitions. Breathe out as you LOWER the body, inhale as you RAISE your body to a standing position. 

No. 1-E: Get a block of wood or a book about 2.5 inches thick, rest your HEELS on this block or book, toes on floor. With barbell across your shoulders now perform 3 squats this way, each training night the first week. Exhale as you lower your body, inhale as you rise to the standing position. 

No. 1-F: Hold the barbell IN FRONT OF YOU, on level of your shoulders, feet a few inches apart, and squat, during the first week, 3 times. 

Here you have six variations of the squat, and doing each 3 times totals 18 squats. If your thighs are weak and you are unaccustomed to doing any squats, use a very light-weight barbell, of just the bar alone until you have to strength and energy to increase the weight. 

Each week try to do 1 or 2 more squats than what you were able to do the previous weeks. Then after the first month, do as many repetitions as you can, but add more plates to your barbell. The third month, add still more plates as your strength increases, and the fourth month, add additional plates. 

Keep a record each month of how much weight you have on your barbell and you can check and see for yourself how your strength is improving right along. Gradually, during the fifth and sixth months try to do THREE SETS OF REPETITIONS that you were doing at the completion of the fourth month.

No. 2: Here is a most effective and enjoyable exercise that will really bring out the massive beauty of your thighs. Stand astride a suitably loaded barbell. Reach down to pick it up, with one hand in front of you, one hand back of you, each grasping the knurled part of the bar. Slowly rise to a full standing position, inhaling as you come up. 

The first week, select a loaded barbell you can just manage to lift 6 times. The second week, lift it 8 times. The third week, lift it 10 times, and the fourth week, lift it 12 times. After that, month by month, add more plates to the barbell as your increasing strength permits. 

Note: There is no original publication date on this booklet, but it gives a good example of the much slower progression rates used during its estimated era quite often. Try it, you might like it!

There is no No. 3. 

No. 4: Sit on the end of a bench while holding a barbell across the back of your shoulders. Inhale deeply and get up to a full standing position. Then gradually lower the body to the sitting position as you exhale. 

Each week during the first month, increase 2 more repetitions than the previous week. The fifth week . . . add more plates to your barbell, doing 12 repetitions. Each month following, add more plates and keep a record of your increasing thigh strength. 

Note: More than likely, and I'd bet bacon to baloney on it, possibly dollars to donuts but never donairs that this would be a three leg workouts a week deal. So the progressions are very, very gradual relative to what's seen in the current stuff, literature, the lifting layout things fer sure, eh. I like this type of progression. Consider if you will, for example, a movement being performed thrice weekly. Say you up the reps by two on Monday. It'll be a little tough. On Wednesday not so tough, and by Friday the 2 added reps are nothin' but a pistachio. Right weight, Baby! 

No. 4A: This is a wonderful thigh-stretching exercise you perform by standing erect, holding a barbell across the back of your shoulders upper body kept upright as you quickly lunge the right foot as far forward as you can. Inhale as you snap back to original starting position. Repeat again, this time lunging your left leg forward. Make sure you fully control your balance by selecting a modest weight on the barbell until you become proficient at it. 

During the first week, do 6 repetitions; the second week, 8 times; third week, 10 times; fourth week, 12 times. 

Note: Again, the slow-burn progression from slow-blow productions Montreal. Bates Road, Brother. I knew that address off by heart as a kid from pouring over the ads so often. 

 

Photo No. 7: Hold a suitably weighted DUMBBELL in your right hand, held outstretched above your head while standing erect. In this position do the full squat. Exhale as you LOWER your body, inhale as you rise back to full standing stance. 

First week, do 3 squats holding dumbbell in LEFT hand. Second week, do total of 8 squats, four with right hand, then four with left hand. Third week, increase to 10 squats; fourth week, 12 squats, six with right hand, and 6 with left hand holding dumbbell. 

Each month thereafter, gradually increase the weight, according to your increasing strength, of the dumbbell.

Try to maintain an erect posture as possible while doing these squats, and put enthusiastic intensity in these, and all the various exercises. 

Photo No. 9: For this exercise strap on to your feet my Health Boots. You'll also need the solid bar of the barbell to hold in your hand, as shown, to maintain your balance. 

Bend upper body forward and RAISE your RIGHT outstretched leg BEHIND YOU and as HIGH UP as you can. Make a few efforts to try and raise it still higher, tensing every muscle in your thigh. 

First week repeat 6 times for RIGHT leg, 6 times for LEFT leg. 

Second week, repeat 8 times each.

Third week repeat 10 times each.

Fourth week, repeat 12 times each. 

Photo No. 11: Naturally, you'll rest and relax while between ALL these various exercises. Still wearing those Health Boots, lie on your BACK on the floor as shown in accompanying photo. SLOWLY raise your outstretched legs UPWARDS and AS FAR APART as possible to as HIGH as you can get them, while breathing in. As you slowly exhale, SLOWLY LOWER your feet and bring them together on the floor. 

Perform this 6 times first week. Second week 8 times, third week do it 10 times, and fourth week, 12 times. 

Photo No. 13: Lie on the floor, on your abdomen and chest, as shown, with the Health Boots on. Inhale as you SLOWLY raise your extended LEFT LEG. Exhale as you SLOWLY lower it. 

Perform this 6 times first week with each leg. Second week, repeat 8 times each leg. Third week, 10 times each leg; and fourth week -- 12 times each leg. 

Photo No. 15: While you still have your Health Boots strapped to your feet, lie on the floor on your right side. Follow the illustration, left hand on hip and SLOWLY raise your fully extended left leg as HIGH as you can; then SLOWLY lower it. Inhale as you raise your leg, exhale as you lower it. 

Like the previous exercise, repeat 6 times with LEFT leg, 6 times with RIGHT leg. Second week do it 8 times each leg. Third week, 10 times each leg. Fourth week 12 times each leg. 

Photo No. 16: With your Health Boots on your feet, sit on a bench, as illustrated. Inhale as you SLOWLY RAISE your right foot to as high as you can. Exhale as you SLOWLY lower the foot to the floor. Do it 6 times SLOWLY with your RIGHT foot, 6 times with your LEFT foot. Second week, do it 8 times each leg. Third week do it 10 times each leg. Fourth week, do it 12 times each leg SLOWLY.

Photo No. 17: Stand erect, hold barbell bar for maintaining your balance, as photo shows, still wearing the Health Boots. Inhale and SLOWLY raise right extended leg up forward as high as possible. Exhale as you SLOWLY lower leg to the floor. First week, repeat 6 times for your RIGHT leg, 6 times for your LEFT leg. Second week, perform 8 times for each leg. Third week repeat 10 time for each leg. Fourth week -- do them 12 times each leg. 

After the first month of Exercises 5 to 10, you can insert a DUMBBELL through the "hole" in the Health Boot, and attach such plates as you can perform 6 times each. Third month, with plates attached, do them 8 times a leg. Fourth month, with plates attached, perform them 10 times each. Fifth month, with plates attached, do them 12 times each leg. Each month thereafter gradually increase the plates to the dumbbells attached to the Health Boots, and do 10 or 12 times each. REALLY exert your thighs to bring out the muscular definition, as much as you can, each repetition. 

To properly perform these various thigh exercises requires considerable energy, and because they are the longest, largest muscles of the body they need to be adequately fed of the right foods to enable them to grow bigger and thicker while the exercises bring out the shapely definition. Trying to follow this training program while eating the "ordinary" groceries would exhaust you and any muscular gains would be meager and very slow. 

For this reason you should help speed up your progress by eating more nourishing type foods, and even supplementing them for faster, satisfying gains. 

These are the beneficial foods best suited to help muscular gains and growth of your thighs: 

Note: I will be posting an older "how to gain weight" booklet from the Weiders some time in the near future. 

Every day eat generously of fresh ripe fruits. 

Every day eat ample assorted raw green salads. 

Every day eat steam cooked green and yellow vegetables. 

Every day eat hearty, thick, home made soups.

Every day eat fresh lean meats, or organ meats, or chicken, fish (broiled, not fried), or seafood.

In addition -- use such products as wheat germ, honey for all sweetening purposes, figs, dates, prunes, raisins (all energy-building foods). Also cheese, black olives, bananas, baked potatoes, peanut oil, whole meal, pumpernickel or rye bread. Fresh butter, egg yolks, herbs, mushrooms, fresh squeezed vegetable and fruit juices. Supplement with . . . and a list of Weider supplements follows. 

It should be obvious, where you need to add several inches of additional muscle to the thickness of your thighs (as well as other muscular areas of your body) this extra increase demands SPECIAL TYPE FOODS, and in concentrated form to help build brand new tissue that wasn't there before. You can't just keep stuffing your stomach with ordinary meals or foods and your problem is conveniently solved by sending for these various approved Weider supplements etc., etc. 

Do you ever check up and realize what you are eating each day? Often, many persons get into eating habit ruts, and fail to realize their poor choice of foods have any connection with their difficulty in adding the desired muscular bulk they are eager to acquire. Here are the foodless foods you are far better off without: 

products made from white flour, white sugar, white rice, egg whites. The fried fatty, greasy foods. The delicatessen type luncheon meats which are cured, salted, spiced, preserved, canned. The commercial ice creams, sundaes, sodas, syrup, jams, jellies, preserves, pies, pastries, cakes, pudding and cereals.

While these temporarily fill your stomach, they do not NOURISH THE SYSTEM. They are either food, mineral and vitamin deficient, mucus-forming, or build puffy fat and flab -- you certainly do not want. 

Rushing off to work in the morning with just a doughnut and cup of coffee, or toast and coffee -- you've supplied nothing your body requires. At lunch, having more coffee and a soda and white bread sandwich or piece of pie or cake -- you've still had practically nothing on which to build a strong, vigorous body. At supper time, hot dogs and spaghetti, instant potato mix and cake mix with ice cream and more coffee -- you still haven't supplied any appreciable nourishment to repair, rebuild and regenerate all the parts of your body. Yet millions try to get by on such poor choices of foodstuffs and they wonder why they feel so poorly. 

Note: Here, Professor Ben the Nutritionist lays out a fairly straightforward diet, with Weider supplements tossed in throughout. 

The basics of "how to train" are next . . . very straightforward stuff. 

Back to the text. . . 

You are not required to perform ALL these thigh-developing exercises every training night. The first month, select any THREE of your choice; and the SECOND month, select another THREE, and the THIRD month, perform the remaining four. 

AFTER that, each week mix up these various exercises in your training because as you'll discover, some of the exercises are for developing the FRONT of the thighs, some to build up the REAR of the thighs, and some for strengthening the inner and outer areas of your thighs. This plan also adds interesting variety and makes for the greatest shapely beauty and muscular bulk. 

If you are unaccustomed to exercise, then GO EASY the first couple of weeks, otherwise you are apt to make the muscles lame and sore, which indicates how "out of condition" you are and the NEED for this training.

After that, inject all the intensity of effort you can pack into each movement. You have to encourage those "hidden" and undeveloped muscles TO STAND OUT in BOLD RELIEF and this requires your concentrated WILLED determination. At odd times during the day, as when out walking, you can also practice TENSING and RELAXING the thigh muscles. 

For better shaped thighs don't concentrate ALL your efforts on doing the FULL squat. Be sure to include lots of HALF-squats an also LEG CURLS, for the back of your thighs; and use your loaded dumbbell attached to the Health Boots -- and include SOME OF EACH OF THESE TYPES of exercises in each training session. 

KEEP THE ULTIMATE GOAL IN SIGHT. See yourself as possessing the thighs of a great champion. Visualize them as yours, and hold that thought. Let no one discourage you and for this reason you'll find it an advantage to train privately and tell no one what you are doing. Make up your mind NOW you are going to see this program THROUGH TO COMPLETION and let nothing sidetrack you. THEN a few months from now, during the coming summer, you can startle your friends with your amazing muscular appearance. THEN and not till then, you can tell them how you did it. 

Achieving SUCCESS in ANY endeavor demands constant attention, regular practice, untiring effort. It's the price one has to pay, but you'll find it's more than worth it by the way others admire your appearance, and the way you feel.

Besides, following the entire program will enable you to keep supple, agile, fast, nimble, flexible while those who remain indifferent find themselves become stiff, easily tired and every effort seems a real burden. This training improves your circulation, relieves tension, builds firm muscle tone, prevents the accumulation of sluggish fat and flab; you feel "alive" and with a spring in your step in addition to bringing out the maximum of Herculean definition and shapely bulk and beauty. 

Re-study this frequently to remind yourself of exactly what to do and to keep you primed up and eager to give your thighs the regular attention they deserve. Follow the illustrations carefully and show me what a wonderful transformation you can achieve over the upcoming months. With my best wishes for your SUCCESS. 

Most sincerely,

Your friend and instructor, 

Ben Weider

Trainer of CHAMPIONS, and expecting 

YOU'LL be another of them, soon. 

Enjoy Your Lifting!