Put More Power in Your Muscles - Jack Delinger (1956)

 

So, you have big muscles but you lack the power that should go along with your muscular size. 

What can you do about it? 

Plenty! 

Just follow this Mr. America POWER routine and 

you'll really load your muscles with STRENGTH.

There will be a new Mr. America crowned this year, and his physique will draw forth columns of praise from weight training authorities in the many muscle magazines. His victory will be greeted with storms of applause, and he'll be hailed as an amazing specimen of physical perfection . . . which he will, undoubtedly be. 

But I'm willing to bet that that man who'll bring the house down is a guy who couldn't hold a candle to the new Mr. America's physique, but whose giant power will literally stun the spectators . . . PAUL ANDERSON! 

Strength is the real manifestation of manhood, and a good physique but an outward or visual indication that does not always deliver what it promises. It is a fact that thousands of weight trainers, while they cannot be classed as weaklings, have never approached their real high water mark of power, because they have paid more attention to building proportion and muscularity. If you are one of them and have never practiced power training, I'd like to introduce it to you. 

The very basis of power training is the building up of tremendous ligament and tendon strength, and teaching the body to handle the heaviest poundages, so that any mental block in the path of strength progress may be overcome. Thus, if you goal is that of weightlifting champion, your individual lifts and total will rapidly improve, and if you aim to become a physical excellence champion, several months of power training will see you using training poundages you thought were going to take you years to reach. 

Beyond any doubt, most of the greatest lifters have practiced power training. 

Doug Hepburn uses heavy squats, dead lifts and bench presses. 

John Davis is another strength athlete practicing heavy squats and bench presses. 

Tommy Kono handles the heaviest possible weights in front shoulder squats, hang cleans, bench presses and other power movements. 

Paul Anderson uses high pull ups [is that a form of diaper?], continentals and jerks, and bench presses as does Norbert Schemansky. 

I have always believed in giving credit where it is due, and I say that GREAT CREDIT is due Charlie Smith for introducing power training to this country. 

It was he who originated many of the exercises and systems now used in power training, and pointed out their advantages to Olympic lifters. Coaches and bodybuilding instructors all over the world have quickly picked up Charlie's ideas, and trained their teams and champions with them and the constant increase on Olympic weightlifting records is ample proof of power training's merits. 

One advantage of power training, insofar as the bodybuilder is concerned, is that it easily helps him to overcome the sticking point. 

Take myself for example. Some years ago I had worked up to sets of 12 reps in the deep knee bend with 360 pounds, and I just couldn't progress beyond this weight and number of reps. 360 pounds was all I could handle and 12 reps all I could grind out. 

Rather than drop back, I decided to increase the training poundage and drop the reps down. I figured that by using heavier weights I would encourage myself physically and mentally to more intense efforts and then, when I dropped back to the 360, it would feel light and I'd crack my record to pieces. 

And that was the way it worked out. 

I worked up to several single squats with 520 pounds after a month, stayed with it for two more weeks and then returned to my 5 sets of 12 reps with 360. The weight felt like a feather and within a week I was handling 400 pounds for 5 x 12, and wondering what in the heck had been holding me back. 

Further testing the benefits of power training, I dropped down to 300 pounds. After using 500, I felt like I had an empty bar across my shoulders and with no trouble, whipped off 40 repetitions. 

On another occasion I was stuck on bench presses. 

I couldn't go above 10 reps with 270. Again I used the power training principles to accustom the muscles to heavier poundages, working up to 400 for several single, separate reps. At this point I dropped down to 10 reps a set and could handle 305 with no trouble. 

Thus, the principle behind power training is simple . . . if you want to increase your power, lower the reps and raise the poundage and get your muscles and your mind not only used to the heavier weights but actually contemptuous of them. 

The sections of the physique that respond most rapidly, and actually power pack the smaller muscle groups, are the largest muscles of the body . . . the legs, back and upper back muscles. Work these with power training and the grip, hips and buttocks are strengthened too.

The key points where great power is concerned are back and legs. Next to these come the hips and buttocks, and are heavily worked whenever a power program for the legs and back is undertaken. 

The grip is important too, and you'll take care of this when you handle those heavy poundages in the stiff legged dead lift. Remember, if you can't hold a weight you can't lift it. Arms and shoulders and the upper back are always to be included in a power program for increasing the overhead lifting ability. 

The finest lower back strengthener is the Stiff Legged Dead Lift. 

Ordinary dead lifts are good, but the legs take up some of the work here. The stiff legged variety is therefore the best, since the thigh muscles are used as little as possible. 

Hold the barbell in your hands, knuckles to the front grip, legs locked straight at the knees, body bent over at the waist. Simple stand erect, lower back to commencing position and repeat. 

Fur the upper back, Bent Forward Rowing Motions are excellent. 

Use a cheat style here. Grip the bar as in the preceding movement. Keep the legs locked straight at the knees, pull the barbell up to the chest with the arms and at the same time use body heave to start the bar on the way. Lower back to commencing position and repeat. 

Heavy Squats, both the full, half, three-quarter and parallel variety, are other basic power movements. All of you know how to perform these so I won't bother to explain them.

Heavy Leg Presses are one of the better overall thigh movements and are easily performed. If you train at home, use Hack Lifts as a substitute. Hold the barbell behind the legs and then dip down until the plates are close to the floor, recover and repeat. For better balance, place your heels on a two inch thick block of wood.

The most popular movement for the arms, chest and shoulders is the Bench Press With Barbell, and its companion movement, the Dumbbell Bench Press. In the barbell version of the exercise, use a wide collar-to-collar grip, start with the weight held above the chest, lower it steadily until it touches, and press it back to arms length again. 

In the Dumbbell Bench Press, start with the weights held above the chest at arms length, lower them down so that the upper arms are out level with the shoulders and put a full stretch on the chest muscles. Press to arms length and repeat. 

IN ALL THESE EXERCISES BEGIN WITH A WEIGHT SO HEAVY THAT YOU HAVE TO FIGHT OUT 3 SETS OF 3 REPS. 

Gradually work up to 3 x 5 reps and then increase the training poundage, dropping down to 3 x 3 and working up to 3 x 5 as before. 

If you want to add a little extra to your upper arms, Cheating Barbell Curls for the biceps, and Pinch Gripping Heavy Plates will do the trick and take care of the biceps and fingers.

Under no circumstances should a beginner start a power program. He should first go through the basic introductory courses and obtain a sound foundation before he even thinks of undertaking this kind of rugged power training program. 

The advanced man can start his power training as soon as he feels his advances are slowing up, working up gradually to the heavy weights and then hitting the set and rep combination outlined in this article. 

Don't try to use more weight than you are capable of handling. Feel out the exercises first and then pick your heavy power training weight. Take care, and you won't have to take training time off because of muscle sprains and strains. 

Spend several months on power training and you will build up more power. Your muscles, over time, will gain that rugged, durable, strength-packed appearance, your limit lifts will go up and you'll breeze through your workouts with energy to spare. Why not give power training a try now? 

Enjoy Your Lifting!