Updating the Program - Tommy Suggs (1971)

 Strength & Health April 1971

The paintings used on the early 70's "Lifter of the Year" covers was not the most flattering

As mentioned in previous articles featuring "Charlie" the author may have been Bill Starr and being published under Tommy's name.

One problem about being in a small town is that you can’t get away from people you know. Since I run a gym I serve as a 24-hour authority on fitness, which is terrific, but sometimes I would like to talk about bussing my kids or inflation. No one ever asks me what I think about the Women’s lib or Janis Joplin’s death. And so it was on this day as I wandered downtown to buy some household supplies. I hadn’t even picked out my brand of toothpaste before a friend I bank with cornered me about a jogging program. By the time I got to the Right Guard I had arranged appointments with three men and one woman, and volunteered to speak at a PTA meeting. Charlie grabbed me at the cash register.

“Hey, what you buying?”

“Just some home supplies.”

“See you have a little body odor problem.”

“No, you knucklehead, it’s for the family. Don’t you use deodorant?”

“Sure, just bugging you. Say let’s work up my new schedule.”

“Now?”

“Sure, we can set over in that booth. I’ll get some paper and write down the program.”

And he was off. Charlie never seems to be in one place very long. I paid my bill and sat down while he grabbed a handful of napkins from the counter dispenser.

“Nice paper. Best you could buy huh?”

“It’ll be all right. Nothing too good I always say.”

“Tell me your present program.”

“Don’t you know it?”

“Charlie, I’m pretty sure that I do know it but I’ve laid out 20-30 programs since yours and in orer to save time just tell me.”

“Mondays and Thursdays I do power cleans, bench presses, and back squats. On Tuesdays and Saturdays I do overhead presses, power snatches, and front squats. But since you gave me that program I have added Olympic presses, cleans, jerks, and snatches. I need to fit in the Olympic lifts.”

“Fine. Let me take just a minute to explain why I’m setting your program up this way. When you first got started we were interested in building a stronger base to work from. This is why benches, squats, power cleans, and power snatches were included. Now, we need to work more on the technique of the Olympic lifts so that your form progresses along with your strength. You with me?”

“Sure, you’re making sense for a change.”

“We will be doing a combination of form and power work with an eye towards a contest in about three months.”

Charlie’s eyes light up at the suggestion of a meet. “You think I’m ready for a contest?”

“A lifter is never, ever ready for a contest – or at least he doesn’t think he is – but you will be ready to get your feet wet soon. Not the Seniors mind you, but there’s a novice meet coming up within reach that we’ll plan on attending. This program is a good one to get you ready for a contest although we’ll alter it yet again about six weeks before the actual meet.”

Charlie now had a blank look on his face. The idea of lifting was flashing visions in his head so fast he couldn’t hear what I was saying.

“Charlie, you listening?”

“Yea, sure. Feed it to me.”

“On Mondays you will be doing Olympic presses from the rack for form. You will do 6-8 sets of doubles going up to 30-40 pounds of your best. You should stress timing and position and not try to go heavy. Next, you will do squat cleans in sets of three. They’re really murder, but they will help you develop a pattern for cleaning like no other exercise. Do 6-8 sets counting your warm-ups. Go as heavy as you can for three and try to increase the poundage each week. Follow the cleans with three sets of high pulls using straps. Do the first set of high pulls with 20 more pounds than the final clean, add 20 more for the second and 20 more for the third. Finish off with 30 sit-ups and 20 leg raises and call it a day.”

“Tuesdays will include jerks off the rack, power snatches, and back squats. Do 6-8 sets of jerks in doubles and go as heavy as possible every session. The power snatches will be done in sets of threes. Do eight sets of these. Four warm-up sets and then four sets of three across at a given poundage. The squats are the same as before, five sets of five increasing weight on each set. Any questions so far?”

“No questions, but slow down a little. This napkin keeps getting bunched up.”

“Are you going to carry that crumbled napkin to the gym every day?”

“No, I’ll put it in my workout book when I get home. Go ahead. I’m ready.”

“Wednesday will be a rest day from the weights, but not a do-nothing day. Get some form of running in, either at the high school track or a game of volleyball, paddleball, or whatever at the Y. Run at least 20 minutes to insure plenty of cardiovascular work.”

“Jim and I have been playing paddleball once a week, so we’ll just switch our playing day to Wednesday.”

“Fine. Thursday’s workout will begin with power cleans. Eight sets. Work up a heavy poundage in sets of three and then handle the same weight across the five sets of three. Gives plenty of pulling work. Get the weight up every week if possible. Next come incline presses.  We have a 45 degree incline board that we will use.”

“Why inclines?”

https://billstarrarticles.wordpress.com/2016/01/11/stabilizing-the-shoulder-girdle/

“Two reasons. They work the shoulder girdle in a little different position from the overhead press which is good and they take the stress off the lower back. Too much overhead pressing has a tendency to fatigue the lower back which in turn could lead to injury. Inclines are done in triples and a total of six sets is plenty. Front squats for five sets of three will round off the day.

“Friday is a rest day and make it just that. We want to give Saturday a good shot so Friday should be a day of almost complete rest from physical exercise. This doesn’t mean that you couldn’t partake of some recreational activity but don’t get into something that will fatigue you in the least. Saturday is the day you test yourself. You will go heavy on two of the Olympic lifts and do squats. We only do two because all three tend to be extremely exhausting week after week. Do presses and snatches on Saturday and Clean and jerks and presses the next week.”

“How do I decide which to do on a given Saturday?”

“A great deal depends on how you feel that day. Some days you just feel more like doing cleans and jerks rather than snatches. Whichever two you select make certain that the third is included the following Saturday. Warm-up sufficiently and work on singles going up as heavy as you can. As I said, it’s a test day to see if your form is improving as well as your strength. Finish off the day with five sets of three in the back squats, again going as heavy as possible. You should be tired Sunday, but get out and do some running for 20-30 minutes. Nothing strenuous, but it will help to get the kinks out and will have you ready for Monday better than if you stay on your back all day.”

“Whew, looks like I asked for it didn’t I?”

“Well, it’s not a program for the undetermined athlete. Lots of work but there’s success at the end of the rainbow.”

“Sure, sure, along with the pot of gold. When should I start on this new program?”
“Today’s Saturday, so do your regular program today and start on this fresh Monday.”

“Got it.” He was out of the booth in a flash, folded the napkin, stuck it in his Levis and was out the door before I realized we were through.

I was about to be late myself, so got my supplies together and headed for the parking lot. Almost made it too, but Doctor Ames whom I have known since I was a wee tot stopped me as I was about to get in the car. He asked if I could give a brief talk on fitness at the next medical association meeting. Flattery works wonders on me so the following Thursday was set aside. It makes life interesting anyway.