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Thanks to Terry Strand.
One of the most muscular and popular physique stars in the world today is a young man named Bill Seno of Melrose Park, Illinois. Bill is twenty-five years old and is a senior at Western Illinois University, MaComb, Illinois. He is majoring in Physical Education and English and hopes to teach in one of the high schools around Chicago or the suburbs.
Bill's highest claim to fame at this time lies in both the strength and physique fields. Seno holds the existing national and world amateur 198-pound bench press record at 447.75 pounds which he set last June at the Junior National AAU meet in Columbia, Missouri, while weighing in at 194.5 pounds.
Bill was born in Chicago and attended both Marshall and Lane Tech high schools. He was a member of the football team at Marshall. Bill was naturally strong and when he first went to Western Illinois was introduced to the weight game. As a middleweight Bill easily pressed 200 pounds and bench pressed over 250 the first time he tried it. He played football guard on the Western team and also wrestled for a year. An injury to his right knee caused him to give up this sport.
Bill then took to the iron game more readily. He practiced the three Olympic lifts regularly, besides working on his favorite exercise, the bench press.
I first met Bill in the summer of 1961 when he came to Sayre Park to enter our first outdoor open meet, sponsored by the Chicago Park District. It was my first contact with him and I must admit I was quite impressed.
He became a member of our Sayre Park lifting club and the lifting room was full of eager young weightlifters when he was in for a workout. Since he lacked sufficient coaching his lifts in his first meet were very strict and lacked coordinated style. He made lifts of 275-215-275 to place second in the meet. The following year he entered many lifting contests in the Chicago area and placed second in the 198-pound class twice to the great Clyde Emrich. His best all-time Olympic lifts to date are a 300 press, 250 snatch, and a 310 clean & jerk at a bodyweight of 195 pounds.
Bill had to quit Olympic lifting in the beginning of 1963 when his knee began to give him trouble again (stretched and torn medial and lateral ligaments). He then began to concentrate on heavy bench pressing, bodybuilding and therapy for the injured knee. He entered one more lifting meet while he was in the army at Fort Dix, N.J. It was a meet which he set up, promoted, ran, and lifted in. He then entered a Central AAU powerlift meet and placed first in the 198-pound class while setting a national record in the bench press.
Seno is a very pleasant individual who is always first in line to help the youngsters in the community, and to teach the fundamentals of the weight game to all who are interested. He coaches and teaches the boys physical education as it should be taught -- the education of the total man or "education through the physical." Above all, his personality shines through. Bill is an all-around athlete who excels in the classroom as well. He is humble and never mentions his own accomplishments to anyone, but bellows loud the benefits of weight training.
Bill is 5'8" tall and weighs in at around 198 pounds. Seno's physique, to many, is one of the most symmetrical. To study such a build leaves the average individual with thoughts of muscle and power. His muscles are as strong as they look. His chest and back are probably the most outstanding parts of his physique. He has good-sized calves for his build. His muscularity is phenomenal, and he looks better now than ever before. His wide shoulders and small waist, along with outstanding deltoids make him look taller in pictures than he really is. Amazing power is suggested in his physique. Bill appreciates the benefits of physical fitness, athletic conditioning, weightlifting and power lifting in general.
Bill has concentrated on physique contests for the last year and a half and hopes to resume Olympic lifting when he feels he has reached the peak of the physique world. Bill realizes that justice cannot be paid to each at the same time, so he chose to concentrate on his physique to give his knee a chance to heal. He realizes the fact that a physique star or athlete can only win a contest once thus reaching his plateau after winning the big one. In lifting you can always come back to defend your title. He says that a physique man cannot consider himself an athlete unless his muscles can back up their size with a comparable amount of strength. A man that works his muscles only for display purposes cannot consider himself a true athlete. That is why Bill feels that power lifting is a good outlet for the physique man to improve or increase his strength as he increases his muscle size.
Bill recently had to write his philosophy of physical education. He realizes that a philosophy for bodybuilding is quite different, and in a recent letter he gave me quite an intelligent outlook towards the iron game. The principles which Bill has learned have been through his own experimentation.
He believes that we are all individuals with our own roles in life, and that which works for one may not work for another.
There is no set rule which states that all who work as hard as they possibly can will become a Steve Reeves in bodybuilding, or a Tommy Kono in weightlifting.
"The primary stock of the individual is what is the most important factor, and how hard he works is the second most important thing. There are no Utopian exercises for all."
There are some people like Bill who are almost made for the bench press. Others, no matter how hard they work can never achieve much success in this lift. This theory of differences holds true for strength lifting and bodybuilding. However, Bill believes that ALL WILL BENEFIT from exercises and we can all improve beyond that which we already possess physically. Bill believes that bad body structure and certain muscular leverages can hinder progress, although there are exceptions.
"The mind holds unbelievable powers, and mental determination can accomplish unforeseen ends!"
It is Seno's thought that the quick lifts are a combination of muscular strength, body speed, and coordination, together with technique, all which prove the superiority of the top lifters in the three Olympic lifts. A stronger man might lose to a weaker man in these lifts because he may not possess the qualities of speed, coordination and form. This is not so in a contest consisting of the odd lifts, according to Bill. The man of more muscular strength minus the other qualities will win in an odd lift contest because this type of lifting requires brute strength mainly, and every person can test his strength. Examples of such lifts are the squat, deadlift and bench press.
The bench press works well for Bill in many ways. It builds the strength Bill feels he needs in the chest, arms and shoulders. The bench press also serves his bodybuilding needs for developing larger and more defined pectorals.
Regarding the bench press grip, Bill feels that by using the closer grip he can work his triceps better, which many other power lifters also believe. But a wider grip puts more work on his deltoids. The bench press also keeps Seno's pressing power high, which is demonstrated by his ability to press 300 pounds in almost every workout and without any apparent strain.
Bill's training views include working from the stronger muscles to the weaker ones, although he feels that in bodybuilding the weaker body parts should be worked first. He does this to a certain degree although he employs the bench press first, stating, "I guess everybody is allowed a little bias." He then works the lats next, usually with front chins and palms turned away from the body. A very wide grip is followed by a very close grip in his routine, to pull the lats at a different angle. Stiff-legged deadlifts and concentrated rowing motions also work the lower back and lower lats respectively. The quick lifts are also a very good back developer and he does these often.
The deltoids are next on his training agenda. Presses behind the neck are employed and then followed by lying triceps presses. These are then followed by curls which complete the upper body routine.
Squats are essential for thighs, buttocks and hip development. However, as stated, Bill has injured his knee and was unable to do the squat for quite a while. The iron boots were a fair substitute and he uses them regularly. He is able to do some squats now since his knee is responding to treatment. The "hack" squat is done by Bill to develop the lower thigh which he does very strictly with concentration. He does calf raises until the calves until the calves are fully pumped. He also does situps at will, usually when working the lower body and they are done with a weight held back of the head.
Bill does not use dumbbells . . . "Many disagree with me," he says, "but the only exercises I can use dumbbells for are the concentrated rowing exercise and the concentrated curl. I seem to be fighting balance and other factors that make me uncomfortable. The barbell enables me to expand and contract the muscle groups steadily.
"A theory of my own shows that heavy weights are essential for my body. Heavy weights with low reps are usually followed by sets of higher reps. I don't know if bodybuilding with heavy weights makes a difference in the muscle, but I believe it at least stimulates muscle fibers that lighter weights cannot reach. The lighter weights seem to flush more blood to the veins and capillaries, resulting in more muscular cuts."
Bill feels that both heavy and light weights are essential for his body type. Neither one nor the other alone seems to be enough, so he usually ends up using a pyramid system in his routine. Bill feels that one or two sets of the heavy weights are enough to stimulate unused muscle fibers besides retaining his strength.
Bill works out six days a week and usually splits the time between his upper and lower body. At the present he is not working on the bench with a maximum poundage nor is he doing any Olympic lifting. He does, however, plan on competing in the Mr. America contest which is to be held in his hometown, so he is making an all-out training effort.
Bill uses heavy weights and varies his exercises, using only a minimum of repetitions. He works the upper body one day, the lower body the next:
Lower Body
1) Parallel squat, 4 x 6-8
2) Hack squat, 4 x 10-12
3) Calf raise, 4 x 20
4) Situp, 3 x 50.
Upper Body and Chest
1) Bench press, 6 x 8
2) Chins, 4 x wide and 4 x close grip
3) Row, 4 x 8.
Shoulders
1) Press, 3 x 6
2) Press behind neck, 3 x 6.
Arms
1) Lying French press, 6 x 8
2) Barbell curl, 6 x 6
Occasionally he finishes off his upper body routine with dips and power snatches. At times he also includes leg extensions and 3/4-squats for his legs.
Enjoy Your Lifting!
I lke this sentence from the article above: "His muscles are as strong as they look."
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