Labor Day Labors - Ken Leistner (1996)

 MILO January 1996

Thanks to Howard Menkes for providing this article.  Howard also happens to be mentioned in the article as well!

Years ago, we used to celebrate Memorial Day with a barbecue and a day of strength work at Ralph Raiola’s house. Since the opening of the Iron Island Gym, this has been impossible. Memorial Day weekend has been the date for the annual Iron Island Memorial Day Bench Blast, a contest that has seen quite a few world records, including the smashing of the 400-pound barrier for the first time by a woman lifter. Tamara Grimwood, the fine athlete who accomplished that feat with a 402.25, Chris Confessore, and others have made our Memorial Day meets memorable, but Ralph missed those eating and lifting fests that left everyone talking for weeks about the great time they had.

With little fanfare and great glee, Ralph and Michele hosted a Labor Day bash, complete with lots of food, lots of beverage, and lots of lifting, reminiscent of the Labors of Hercules. A great time was had by all. With the gym open until 3 P.M. and the lifting starting at 4 P.M., some of the competitors were put at an immediate disadvantage as they opted to eat first and lift afterwards. Frank De Marco, a formidable opponent in pasts contests, had to pass on the first event as he faced the choice of either filling his hands with the heavy log or the four hot dogs he was holding. He wisely chose the hot dogs, giving him, as he later explained, “Lots of energy for later events.” In the spirit of friendly competition, Ralph’s intricate system of scoring broke down early, leaving all exhausted, satisfied with their efforts, and having little or no idea about their placings. This is typical of the fun-filled times we often have related to strength training, with the only complaints related to the degree of seasoning in the homemade sausage.

Our events consisted of maximal repetitions in the overhead press with our heavy log. I originally made this log in the mid-eighties when the head of Lilco’s tree trimming crew (our local power utility) exchanged it for chiropractic services. I’m probably the only health care professional to barter services for a log, and walked away feeling that I got the better of the deal. I machined and secured parallel grip handles in this and a lighter log, but never bothered to weigh either one. The very powerful Tom Metzger and I tied in this event, although I deserved no share of that title as I knew what I needed to win, took two attempts to push the winning press to completion, and failed both times, scraping my chin in the process.

Ralph proved tough in the second event, and by this time, some of the neighborhood children had joined the throng on the sidewalk and lawn of the Raiola residence to witness the bizarre happenings. I bought brand new perfectly matched sledge hammers a few days before, and these were held in abduction for time. Frank’s four hot dogs had digested enough for him to smoke everyone else. Special mention should be made of Jackie Metzger’s performance as her delts stood out in bold relief, prompting our cameraman John Mahon to shoot half of his roll of film on this one event. To compensate for the sake of fairness, the women, and only young competitor, my son Sol, lifted our short thick bar with weights instead of the heavy log, and held out huge plastic jugs filled with water. Sol needs special mention as he eschewed the bottles for the big guys’ hammers.

Our third event was one of Ralph’s favorites, but Vinnie Borgia and big Howard Menkes surprised everyone with blistering times. Ralph made a very nice sled in his wood shop and loaded it with plates. Metzger fulfilled his request to bring a “thick rope” that could be used for a hand-over-hand pull up the driveway. Tom, of course, came through with a rope that in and of itself weighed over two hundred pounds! Now we know what our local clammers have to deal with on a daily basis. We “older competitors” were blown out after the pressing and hand-over-hand sled pull. The younger guys seemed to gain solace and rejuvenation from the between-events beer.  How do they do that?

 

Here is the aforementioned Howard Menkes pulling a 1160 lbs anchor chain

 

Our final event was by far my favorite. Jim Sutherland is perhaps the most brilliant manufacturer of strength training equipment in the country. No one can understand what a trainee’s needs are and then render the product so skillfully. I had two old Navy practice bombs that when filled with sand or water, weighted approximately one hundred pounds. Filling and refilling it was a pain- messy, and at times, difficult. I originally bought these from Archie McPhee’s weird product outlet in Seattle and then sent them to Jim for retooling. He welded beautifully knurled handles, filled them with melted lead and put a base on them so that they would not get crushed when dropped. We wound up with these great 125-pound carrying implements that are extremely well balanced.  Thank you, Jim.

These were lifted from the ground, with the competitor springing twenty yards up the driveway to the start of Ralph’s back yard. Once on the dirt and grass, five quick deadlifts were done, all of it timed. The ladies used one of our fifty-pound elevator counterweights in each hand. My wife’s triceps and delts were popping out as she used her former Purdue University top sprinter’s speed, but it was her butt, traps and low back that were screaming in the days following the run.

We eventually gave up trying to figure out placings and settled on recovering from our efforts, eating and drinking until late in the evening; and thinking about next year’s events and what other things we could do to have fun with our strength. This is what strength is all about. This is what MILO is all about.

Competitors: Vinnia Borgia, Frank DeMarco, Howard Menkes, Kathy Leistner, Jackie Metzger, Diane Oates, Drew Israel, Tom Metzger, Sol Leistner, Ralph Raiola, Dr. Ken Leistner.

Referees and Timekeepers: John Bott, Marie Bott, Mark Tuesday

When is “One All Out Set” Enough? – Andy Baker (2024)

 This came off Andy's own blog you can check out at https://www.andybaker.com/blog/.  Andy's a good guy and gets lumped in (probably unfairly) with Rippetoe's linear approach to training.  Andy has a ton of great content on bodybuilding and conjugate-style training that is easy to understand and well thought-out.  

Got asked a great question on my Forum today about using the approach of “one all out set” for hypertrophy purposes.

Before I go more in depth……I  AM an advocate of lower volume / high effort training for hypertrophy….in the right circumstances.   If you’ve read my work at all in the last several years, you know that I am not in the camp of “More Volume = More Growth.”   I have other articles that directly address that subject.

But what about taking it to an extreme?  Just one all out set?   I do not wish to be Strawman-d into the Mike Mentzer camp that you literally only need ONE all out set for a muscle group in a 7-10 day period to grow.   I’m much more in favor of something like what Dorian Yates did with his training.  Mostly using one all out set for each exercise – but using multiple exercises for a muscle group.  So more like 4-6 all out sets for a muscle group in a session, spread across multiple exercises.

And no, I’m not advocating that everyone should follow Dorians routine.  I’m only stating that his approach is going to be closer to “optimal” for most people than the Mentzer approach.

So back to the topic at hand….

From my Forum member:  “How Does One Know When One All Out Set is Enough”

First – you never truly know what optimal is.  But if you want to experiment using lower volume / high effort sets in your training there are a few guidelines you can follow using this approach to gauge how it might or might not be working for you.

#1:   You must have experience with this exercise.  

And it will work even better if you are somewhat strong on the exercise.   Low volume, high effort training requires some degree of neurological efficiency to really work well.  Neurological efficiency comes with time and exposure to a lift, and a reservoir of strength on that lift.  It’s what Marty Gallagher refers to as “neurological in-roads.”  The motor pattern is firmly established.   The technique is dialed in.  You easily achieve a pump in the target muscle with that movement.  Only once that foundation is laid will you really be capable of causing any sort of homeostatic disruption with one all out set.

#2:  Are you progressing in load and/or reps on a regular or semi-regular basis?   

If you Squat a hard 315 x 5 this week……can you come back next week and Squat 315 x 6.   Or 320 x 5?   If you can regularly achieve new performance increases on the exercise, then you are likely doing enough.  More sets is not likely to cause even larger leaps of progress.

If you are STAGNANT and/or REGRESSING then it is likely a sign that you are not receiving enough stress to drive an adaptation and thus more volume is likely warranted.   It could be as simple as adding a single back off set.  In fact, this is how I auto-regulate my volume in my own programming.  If my top working set achieves my target load/reps for the day, then I generally move onto the next exercise.  If I do not hit my target weight/reps for the day, then I will often add in a back off set at a lower weight for that movement in order accumulate a bit more volume.

People who are not ready for this type of training often do wind up regressing pretty early into the program.

It could also be the case that your effort level simply isn’t high enough.  Low Volume Training requires HIGH EFFORT levels.  It simply doesn’t work any other way.  Hitting failure or within a rep of failure (depending on the exercise) is almost mandatory for this to work.   Some people flourish with this approach – others don’t.

#3:  Would you have significant drop off in performance on subsequent sets?  

This generally has to be tested on each exercise before you can determine your own guideposts for this.   For instance – you Squat 315 x 10 for your top work set.   Then come back 3-5 minutes later and Squat 315 x 6.   I would argue that second set was neither necessary nor useful.  In fact, it may have done more harm than good.  Likely the FATIGUE from that set outweighed whatever positive benefit you derived from that second set.

Those types of sets, where you have massive performance drop off due to fatigue only compound fatigue more.   Training is always a balance between stimulus and fatigue.  You need to chase the former while always trying to minimize the latter.

If however, you Squat 315 x 10, and come back in 3-5 minutes and Squat 315 x 10 again…….well…….it’s hard to say whether that first set was “enough” or not.  These things are impossible to know in the moment.  But it is possible to know that that first set was NOT maximal.   Maximal effort sets generally cannot be repeated.

So either your effort level isn’t as high as you think it is, or you simply have not developed the capacity to really fatigue yourself yet.

We see this often in Novices.   First set of 5 seems to them to be pretty fucking hard!!!

Set 2 is still pretty hard but better.

Then Set 3 seems almost easy!!!

This is novice level stuff.  If this is your experience you are NOT ready for “one all out set.”   You simply haven’t developed the neurological capacity to fatigue yourself from a single set.  You don’t see this with more advanced lifters unless those first few sets are kept intentionally submaximal (which is fine and necessary for a volume based approach).

#4:   Do you lose pump and mind-muscle connection on subsequent sets?

As I’ve said before – I believe the pump to be a very important indicator of effective exercise execution.  I think it helps on volume regulation as well.

You ever do an exercise and walk away with a MASSIVE PUMP after that first set?    That’s good.  During the rep you could feel every fiber stretch and contracting like it’s supposed to?

But then on sets 2 and 3 you kinda lose it?   Your pump slowly fades with each set.

You lose that mind-muscle connection.   You don’t really feel it “working” the target muscle anymore – just bludgeoning it to death with a bunch of junk volume?

Many of you have felt this, some don’t know what I’m talking about.  That’s okay.

But if you have experienced this then it CAN BE an indicator that doing more sets beyond the pump and beyond the mind-muscle connection may not be useful.   The nerves are a bit fried at this point.  You aren’t doing anything here but compounding more fatigue.

#5:   Do you subjectively “feel” that you put in 100% effort to the set?  

Look – some days you got it….some days you don’t.   No one can put forth 100% effort on every exercise of every workout.  Whether it’s physical, mental, or emotional, some days you just can’t (or won’t) push quite as hard.   Be honest with your effort.  If you left a lot on the table on that first set, it might be a good idea to add a little bit of volume afterward.

 

Some of you may have already picked up on the fact that the use of the “one all out set” doesn’t have to be a uniform approach to your training at every workout for every exercise.   Some movements respond really well to this approach – for instance a Hack Squat or Leg Press.   Other movements less so – for instance – Side Delt Raises.   Some movements are more capable than others of generating MASSIVE DOSES OF STRESS in that single all out set and others don’t have that same capacity.  And your approach may vary as well due to your abilities and experience with various exercises.

Getting Started in Olympic Weightlifting - Bruce Klemens (1978)

 Strength & Health May 1978

Many individuals shy away from Olympic lifting because they don’t have a top coach to monitor their training. Actually, the only assets that an aspiring Olympic lifter requires are coordination, flexibility, speed and patience. The latter attribute is particularly important.

Many fellows give up Olympic lifting after only a week or two of practice because they feel they can’t master the technique. While no one learns Olympic lifting – or any other sport that involves technique and coordination – overnight, there is no reason why a young athlete can’t be well on his way to becoming a proficient lifter inside of six months.

Before embarking on a specialized lifting program, however, a complete beginner should start out with a standard bodybuilding course for at least three months. During this time, he should emphasize exercises like full squats, upright rows, bent-over rows, deadlifting and overhead presses since they are closely related to the Olympic lifts.

*Bruce is on the far left.  

Once this foundation has been built, he can switch to the following program for six weeks:

Weeks 1 to 6

Day 1

Warmup

Overhead Squat – 4 x 6

Power Snatch – 6 x 5

Snatch Grip Deadlift – 5 x 5

Power Jerk – 5 x 5

Back Squat – 5 x 5

Day 2

Warmup

Power Snatch – 6 x 5

Power Clean – 6 x 5

Power Jerk – 5 x 5

Front Squat – 6 x 3

Hyperextensions – 2 x 10

Day 3

Warmup

Overhead Squat – 4 x 6

Power Clean – 6 x 5

Clean-Grip Deadlift – 5 x 5

Back Squat – 5 x 5

Military Press – 3 x 8

Hyperextensions – 2 x 10

 

Notice that each workout entails no more than 25 sets, which should not tax the endurance of anyone. Also, no poundages or percentages are suggested since a lifter at this stage of the game should be more concerned with learning proper lifting form.

Notice, too, that each training session is preceded by a 15-minute warmup. This should include stretching movements, calisthenics and simulations of the lifts with a broomstick handle.

Never neglect this phase of the workout because it helps to avoid injuries. There is an old weightlifting adage which goes, “If you don’t have time to warm up, you don’t have time to train.”

It’s also a good idea to conclude your workout with a set or two of 10 to 20 situps to taper off. At first, it’s not necessary to employ any resistance I this movement, but they should be performed in a slow, deliberate manner with the knees bent and the back rounded. Not only will this strengthen the abdominal muscles, but it will also relieve any tension that has accumulated in the lower back.

Learning the proper pulling technique for the power snatch and power clean is critical during this formative period. Former national champion Russ Knipp recommends that beginners get the top end of the pull down first and learn the bottom position later.

As applied to the suggested routine, it would be done like this: For the first two weeks, do all of the power snatches and cleans from the dead hang just above the knees. For the second two weeks, do them from the dead hang just below the knees. Throughout the last two weeks of this schedule, they should be done from the floor.

When this stage of development has been reached, it’s an ideal time to learn the squat technique for the Olympic lifts. Disregard anyone who suggest that you learn the split style of lifting first because it’s easier. (edit: this not-so-young admin advocates folks try the split snatch if they’ve got banged up shoulders) This is simply not true! Besides, every single world record holder or world champion employs the squat style of lifting.

So, for the next six weeks your workouts should look like this:

Weeks 7 to 12

Day 1

Warmup

Overhead Squat – 4 x 6

Squat Snatch – 7 x 3

Snatch Pull – 5 x 5

Power Jerk – 5 x 5

Front Squat – 6 x 3

Day 2

Warmup

Squat Snatch – 7 x 3

Squat Clean – 7 x 3

Power Jerk – 5 x 5

Back Squat 5 x 5

Hyperextensions – 2 x 10

Day 3

Warmup

Power Snatch – 5 x 5

Squat Clean – 7 x 3

Clean Pull – 6 x 3

Back Squat – 5 x 5

Military Press – 3 x 8

Hyperextensions – 2 x 10

 

Having mastered the proper pulling form and the squat style of lifting, we’ll turn our attention to the jerk. Since you’ve been practicing power jerks right from the start, the transition to the full jerking movement should be easy.

Up to this point, our two previous programs have been of six weeks duration. Take note that the next exercise plan is only intended for four weeks of use.

Weeks 13 to 16

Day 1

Warmup

Jerk from the Rack – 7 x 3

Squat Snatch – 7 x 3

Snatch Pull – 6 x 3

Front Squat – 6 x 3

Hyperextensions – 3 x 8

Day 2

Warmup

Jerk from the Rack – 7 x 3

Squat Clean – 7 x 3

Clean Pull – 6 x 3

Back Squat – 6 x 5

Military Press – 4 x 6

Day 3

Warmup

Squat Snatch – 7 x 3

Squat Clean – 7 x 3

Power Jerk – 5 x 3

Back Squat – 6 x 5

Hyperextensions – 3 x 8

 

Completing the preceding program means that the trainee should possess all of the necessary skills that are required in the various facets of Olympic lifting. All that remains is to put these skills together… and that’s the purpose of the next program. Instead of doing cleans and jerks separately, this time the complete movement will be done. Clean each weight twice and then jerk it twice.

Weeks 17 to 20

Day 1

Warmup

Squat Snatch – 3,3,3,3,2,2,2

Clean & Jerk – 7 x 2

Snatch Pull – 6 x 3

Back Squat – 5,5,5,4,3,3

Hyperextensions – 3 x 8

Day 2

Warmup

Squat Snatch – 7 x 2

Clean & Jerk – 7 x 2

Clean Pull – 6 x 3

Back Squat – 5,5,5,4,3,3

Military Press – 4 x 6

Day 3

Warmup

Power Snatch – 5,5,4,3,3,3,3

Power Clean – 5,5,4,3,3,3,3

Power Jerk – 5,5,3,3,3,3

Front Squat – 6 x 3

Hyperextensions – 3 x 8

 

After four weeks on the 17-23 routine, try yourself out on the snatch and clean and jerk. Begin doing triples with fairly light weights and work up to your maximum on each lift. At this point, the lifter must determine his strengths and weaknesses so he can tailor his future training sessions to meet his needs.

Also, he should start to calculate his training poundages on a percentage basis. This simply means that during a particular training session the athlete will only work up to a certain percentage of his limit instead of going all-out at every workout.

For example, if you were scheduled to hit 85% in the snatch on a given day and your best in that lift was 140 pounds, then 120 would be your top snatch poundage for that workout. Percentages for the snatch pull and clean pull are based on one’s maximum snatch and clean and jerk. However, the percentage system is not used for remedial exercises like hyperextensions.

For the best results, the third weekly training session should be varies as follows: One week work up to three sets of doubles in the snatch and clean and jerk with 87.5% Also, include a limit triple in the squat.

The next time, work up three singles in both lifts with 92.5% and three reps with 87.5% in the squat.

On the third week of this cycle, work up to your absolute limit in the “Olympic two” and conclude with three sets of squats at 75%

Intermediate Routine

Day 1

Warmup

Squat Snatch – 7 x 3 (last 3 sets at 80%)

Snatch Pulls – 6 x 3 (last 3 sets at 110%)

Power Jerk – *misprinted in article* (last 4 sets at 75%)

Front Squat – 6 x 3 (last 2 sets at 85%)

Hyperextensions – 3 x 8

Day 2

Warmup

Power Snatch – 5,5,5,4,3 (last set at 75%)

Squat Clean – 3,3,3,2,2,2,2 (last 3 sets at 82.5%)

Clean Pull – 6 x 3 (last 3 sets at 105%)

Jerk from the Rack – 3,3,3,2,2,2 (last 2 sets at 85%)

Back Squat – 6 x 5 (last 2 sets at 75%)

Day 3

Warmup

Squat Snatch

Clean & Jerk

Back Squat

Military Press - 4 x 6 (last 2 sets at 70%)

Hyperextensions – 3 x 8

 

That’s it! Not too bad, huh? Once the lifter has finished the intermediate training schedule, he should enter a novice or local weightlifting contest. He may also find it quite helpful to attend some of the bigger contests so he can analyze the technique of the advanced lifters.

Good luck!

Can Body Bulk Be Overdone? - John Grimek (1963)

 Strength & Health May 1963

Can body bulk be overdone? This seems to be a burning question that concern many aspiring bodybuilders. And it seems especially pertinent to all whose desire is to bulk up for added size at any cost. More specifically, this ambition seems to apply more directly to the younger, more slender type of individual who is discouraged by his physical appearance and wants to add extra body bulk to his frame by hook or by crook. Many succeed, and often at the expense of their symmetry.

Among bodybuilding enthusiasts the topic of body bulk is frequently discussed. Usually this discussion centers around methods involved that help to increase size and body girths. Naturally most of the younger fellows who take up weight training do so with the idea of getting bulkier because they feel it will improve their appearance. Most “mature men,” on the other hand, take up this type of activity to keep their bodyweight stable. But it is not uncommon to find even among this older group certain individuals who have ambitions similar to those of the younger men, i.e. to bulk up and add size to their frame.

These ambitions are made known to me through the letters I receive week after week. A few even enclose pictures to illustrate their point. Often, at first glace, even before reading the letter, I conclude that the writer is seeking advice on reducing. But imagine my surprise, when I finally read the letter and learn that the writer doesn’t want to lose weight… he wants to gain more!

I may ignore questions of this nature, but more likely a copy of an issue of our magazine which contains a reducing program is sent to such individuals. So far no one has ever complained about getting the wrong information, and I’ve often wondered just how many have taken the hint!

It’s a foregone conclusion, and one that is accepted by most weight trainees, that there are certain individuals who can add bulk to their frames rapidly. This is accomplished by eating larger quantities of food and following a regular exercise program. Many men who have this rapid gaining ability tend to overdo it. They don’t have any conception of when enough is enough and continue to add bulk until they become huge and shapeless. To such a person size is paramount, while muscularity and symmetry of proportions are meaningless. In time some do learn that size isn’t everything and may take certain steps to regain their former shape, but only a small handful ever succeed.

Those who bulk up beyond what their normal structure can hold for good symmetry rarely take into consideration the difficulty they would have in regaining their former figure. They fail to realize that in the process of acquiring this extra bulk their stomachs have become distended, thus making it necessary for them to eat larger portions of food to pacify their hunger. Losing the extra bulk depends a great deal on shrinking the stomach first so that less food is eaten, which reduces the calory intake and helps to reduce bodyweight. Anyone who has a hearty appetite knows how hard it is to cut down on eating. And those who don’t curb their appetite never lose weight, at least not enough to show.

One of the big reasons why so many eager bodybuilders want to bulk up is because they are impressed with physical size, namely a massive chest, big arms and huge legs. Physical shape has little meaning to them at this stage; only size is important, they feel. It’s very possible they might have seen some medium sized, well-muscled fellow who was tremendously impressive when he appeared under posing lights, but looked mediocre when he stood among a group of bigger, heavier men. This often is the reason why many youngsters want to get BIG – to look big anywhere and at any time. So many, however, succeed only in getting bigger around the midsection and hips and then try, without success, to slim these areas and retain some of the other girths. They seldom succeed.

We must all realize that there is only a certain amount of muscular mass that the bone structure can carry and still look presentable. Anything over that is excessive and may be nothing but fat. But, of course, many bodybuilders don’t know the difference between bulk and muscular mass. A lot of them “fatten up” and think they have achieved something spectacular. But an appraisal of their waist and hip size should show them the folly of their bulking up. Muscular bulk or mass, on the other hand, does not settle around only on the hips and waist, but all areas become heavier and have fine symmetry. A certain degree of muscularity is also present, although it may not be as finely defined as when the person is lighter. But those who get fat simply become round, soft and smooth without the fine contours of those who are firm and muscular.

Some years ago, in the August 1956 edition of this magazine, we presented a very unusual story of over-bulking. It was of the now well-known case of Bruce Randall.

https://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2019/07/i-was-once-monster-bruce-randall.html

Bruce, like so many others, wanted to get big… and he did, eventually weighing 400 pounds! But even with all this bigness he lacked impressiveness. He decided to enter the 1956 Mr. America contest and undertook a very rigid diet and training program. Within a relatively short time he lost a lot of weight, and finally weighed in at the Mr. America contest at 187 pounds! Later, of course, he put on additional weight and now stays between 225 and 235. However, note his before picture (when he was heavy) and the more recent pose. Observe the amazing transformation. Observe, too, where much of his bulk was… around the hips, upper thighs and waist area. Study the “debulked” picture and notice how pleasing the overall effect is as compared to the heavy photos. Can there be any question as to size alone being preferable to good symmetry? Here is visual proof and is worth a moment of your contemplation before you go all-out on a bulk craze bender.

Another comparable case is that of Bill Pearl. At the time of his winning the Mr. America title in 1953 he weighed around 190 pounds in a trained down condition. Over the years he has experimented with getting heavier, then losing it. The past year or more he decided to maintain this heavier bodyweight and now stays around 230 to 235 in fine, solid condition. And although he has at times gone up to 250 pounds in bodyweight, his waist and hips still remain in proportion, which adds to his impressiveness. Naturally his muscularity is not as defined at this bodyweight as it is when he’s lighter, but the obvious fact is that he has retained his symmetry while increasing size… and that’s the important secondary goal in any bulking-up program: to retain symmetry!

I was assured that people are impressed by massive size on my trips to London, where in different years I had the opportunity to appear in two different extremes – first, relatively slender, and then in heavy condition. Before I went to London I had the impression that Europeans approved of the smaller, leaner type of physique. I felt that in order to win this Mr. Universe contest I would have to lose 20 or more pounds from my usual bodyweight. I began taking off weight, and when I finally arrived in London I weighed slightly over 190 pounds.  But what I forgot to consider was the food shortage in London at the time. Before I knew it I lost another 10 pounds without even trying! Naturally I showed far more muscle delineation at this bodyweight than normally. Yet somehow I was pleased by this loss of weight because now I felt I approached the European standard more closely even though my chest, arms and legs were larger than what they considered ideal. Many of the contestants and officials to whom I talked thought I was at my normal bodyweight. They were surprised to learn that I weight almost 30 pounds lighter than usual for this event. A few were horrified at the thought of losing that much weight, which is just opposite of what they were trying to do, to gain weight. Almost all to whom I spoke suggested that if ever I visited London again I should return at my maximum bodyweight.

 The opportunity came the next year when I was invited to take part in their annual show. This time I weighed around 215 and with very little increase in the size of my waist and hips. This alone seemed to accentuate my other girths and made me appear heavier than I was. Actually, I received more compliments at this bodyweight than I did the year before when I showed twice the muscularity. And this proved to me beyond any doubt that size was more important than anything else as far as the bodybuilding public was concerned, a conclusion I’m sure is just as valid today.

I questioned a number of fellows as to why they preferred a bulked-up physique to a more slender, shapely one, and almost everyone replied that it wasn’t hard to stay lean with the food shortage that existed at the time, and that building up was a problem. But they made it clear that no one appreciated a bulked-up, shapeless physique that was ruined in the process of gaining size. They seemed to appreciate the body mass only when it was accompanied by shapely contours and some degree of muscularity.

In this country the bulk craze began back in the 30s when one bodybuilding authority advocated bulking up without regard to waistline size. He theorized that after the desired size was obtained direct specialization upon the hip and waist region would reduce these areas and result in a heavier but shapelier physique. Obviously this theory never succeeded. The fellows who followed this advice of bulking up got heavier around the middle, and when they trained down the size of the waistline, other girths shrank too. This is what some of these fellows are trying to do today: get heavier and then by trimming the hips and waist they hope to keep other measurements large. There must be a lot of disappointed fellows, that’s all I can say!

Once the waistline has been increased far beyond its normal size it requires a lot of work, with some starvation, to get it back to normal. However, if body bulk is kept within the normal potential boundary of the body structure, the result is athletic and not a roly poly mass.

Of course there will always be some who desire to bulk up, and they should if they are underweight. However, never allow the waistline to creep up on your chest measurement. Always try to retain at least 10 to 12 inches differential between the two. Strive towards increasing the chest, shoulder, arm and leg size but always in proportion to each other. In this way you’ll get bulk and be physically impressive with it.

To bulk up the standard movements for different areas of the body will suffice if enough exercise is done to congest the muscles. Avoid overworking them, however. Training programs should be brief but complete. Such exercises as the curl, regular press, squat, chest work, bench press, deadlift, shrug and some abdominal work should be included. The latter, abdominal training, should be done only enough to keep the abdominal area toned up and the inner organs stimulated. However, if the waistline is overly large additional work should be included to reduce it. In fact some abdominal exercise should be done every day until the entire area begins to show improvement.

Always keep your goal in mind but avoid overdoing a good thing. In this way you’ll be pleased with the results instead of being disappointed with the consequences. Which is something to remember – that you want results, not consequences! Doesn’t that make sense?

Enjoy your lifting!

Improve Your Clean with the Sequential Approach - Bert Proffitt (1971)

 Iron Man February 1971

For those of us in the US, great to see Hampton Morris come away with an Olympic bronze medal.  The kid even took a poke at silver and his own world record.  Love to see it!

How many of you weightlifters are sure you can press and jerk much more than your best lift if only you could clean more? Well, read on this could be the answer to your problems.

Several years ago, the advent of the power rack helped tremendously in overcoming sticking points in the press, squat, deadlift and bench press. All of these competitive lifts soared in poundage as a result. But how can you improve your clean? It is such a classic example of power or dynamic action that it is impossible to isolate the lift through the use of static contractions or isometrics. The Segmental Approach is one of the best methods of providing this isolation.

Basically, when using the Segmental Approach, the trainee breaks down each component of the particular exercise and using this as a basis, selects particular exercises which will strengthen the muscle utilized. Relative to the clean, the Segmental Approach can be utilized as follows. First analyze the muscles used from toe to head while cleaning. They would be the following: calves, frontal thighs, lower back, brachioradialis, forearm muscles, shoulders and trapezius.

Now select the best exercises for strengthening these muscles:

Calves – Barbell toe raise

Frontal Thighs – Front squat (this is chosen because it approximates the recovery from the clean and helps utilize existing motor pathways)

Lower Back – Stiff leg deadlift

Brachioradialis & Forearm Muscles – Reverse curls (again, this movement approximates a movement used in the clean, thus aiding isolation.)

Shoulders & Trapezius – Shoulder shrug (approximate cleaning movement.)

By now another tenet of the Segmental Approach should be apparent. Namely, try to incorporate exercises which closely approximate movements used in cleaning. The purpose is threefold:

1.        It helps strengthen exactly the cleaning muscles

2.        It provides isolation of particular cleaning muscles, thereby helping to overcome sticking points.

3.        It helps utilize motor-pathways.

In explanation, tests have shown that the more a movement is repeated correctly, the easier it becomes to perform the movement in the future. Conversely, it requires five correct movements to counteract the effects of one mistake.

Now the remaining step is to consolidate these exercises into a logical sequence and shape them into a routine.

Model SA Routine

Warm-up: Form Cleans 1x10 (using 1/3 of best weight)

Exercises:

Stiff Leg Deadlift 3x4

Barbell Toe Raise 2x20

Shoulder Shrug 3x4

Reverse Curl 2x6

Front Squat 3x5

Technique Practice: Form Cleans 1x10 (using 1/3 of best weight)

So, that’s the routine. Be sure to lift as heavily as possible while maintaining proper form. Ideally, the routine should be performed once a week and integrated into your present training schedule.

If you’re having trouble with your clean, this type of routine will provide the jolt your muscles need to respond with heavier efforts. And you fellows who think your clean is in good shape – how much more could you press or jerk if your clean improved by 10 to 20 pounds? Try it and find out.

Enjoy your lifting!