Thursday, July 10, 2025

Hepburn on Eating for Strength - Ray Beck (1955)


 
                                                 "I've seen life," Doug Hepburn would say with a sweep of the hand, 
                                                                                "and nothing gets better than this." 





This recent photo of Hepburn taken by Ray Beck is simply quite an impressive display of might and muscular size. Since Doug has cut his weight down to 270, he appears very trim and his huge chest, shoulders and arms are almost unbelievable. This is perhaps the finest photo we have seen of this mighty man. The first and only man to jerk 500 pounds, bench press 560, and press 430. He is having great success now as a wrestler and his opponents say that Doug just grabs them and squeezes them and that's the end. 


As I write this second in a series of articles on Doug Hepburn . . . 

First:

. . . I have before me a book Doug has just completed called "How to Develop Strength and Bulk" . . . 

Here, in three parts: 



In this book Hepburn has poured all his important methods of training for, as the title denotes, large muscle size and physical strength. This work is revolutionarily different from any weight training programs or courses I have ever read. I feel fortunate that Doug has given me exclusive authority to borrow from his book for this series. 

Hepburn's methods of training can seem haphazard to the casual onlooker, but it is evident upon closer examination that he has studied every phase of living that might influence strength. In this article I will touch on the profound beliefs Doug has on the phase of training called "diet." 

The importance of correct eating in the trainee's program can be shown in Hepburn's own words: 

"There are three main factors of equal importance that contribute to the weight trainer's realization of maximum muscular bulk and strength. These factors are proper mental attitude, incorporation of the right training course, and consuming of proper foods. Strenuous barbell training without the consumption of the right foods is simply a waste of time. This is one of the most common mistakes made by both the uninitiated and the advanced weight trainer." 

With a few differences Doug adheres to the basic well balanced diet given by most health authorities: fresh vegetables and fruits to maintain healthy functioning body parts; meat, eggs and other proteins for muscle repair and building; potatoes, grains (wheat, oats, barley, etc.) and other carbohydrate- and starch-containing foods for energy. 

The few differences are: Forced feeding a great percentage of high protein foods and emphasis on liquids. 

"Forced feeding" means eating more food than your body can utilize, as insurance that the body gets enough nutrition to replenish used energy and build muscle. This is strictly for people who complain of being unable to gain weight rapidly without concern for where the weight goes. Doug believes that most people who complain about not being able to gain weight are simply not eating enough of what he calls "super foods." 

Heading the list of super foods is milk. About milk Doug says: 

"There are certain foods which I place above all others in regard to weight gaining. Heading the list of these super foods is milk. Milk is an almost perfect food and contains the vital food elements needed by the body. It can be consumed in large quantities without ill effects as it is easily digested and assimilated. Milk can be used as a medium to blend in other foods such as eggs, protein powder, powdered malt, powdered milk, etc. I consumed on an average three quarts of milk every day. I would advise the trainee to drink more milk if possible and to obtain a food blender to facilitate mixing milk with other foods."     


"Flavorful mixed drinks for Dad! 
Meals in minutes for Mom! 
Dance sounds for dogs!"


Doug is always ready to adopt any worthwhile product, equipment or methods that are conducive in the building of muscle size and power. So, it is understandable that high protein powder is second on his list of super foods. Doug supplements his three meals a day with drinks mixed in a food blender (or mixer) with high protein powder and milk being the main ingredients. I have seen Doug mix these two ingredients with eggs, honey and malt to make a very palatable "health shake."

Although Doug says that lean meats, cheese, eggs, etc., are nature's natural proteins and are the "muscle builders," he is not a big meat eater. And as he says, "I am aware that meat is a rather expensive commodity and that most persons cannot afford to dine on T-bone steaks. Fortunately, meat is not the only source of protein. I was never a big meat eater and to this day consume only normal portions of meat at a meal. However, as I mentioned previously, I did drink large quantities of milk and thought nothing of having six or eight eggs at a meal. These foods contain a liberal amount of muscle building protein and are far more economical to buy." From this we can see that eggs are another of his super foods. 

Juices help Doug to balance his diet, and on this matter, he says, "The reader should not overlook the benefits derived from the drinking of fruit and vegetable juices. These foods can be consumed in large quantities and are easily digested and assimilated. I have found that fruit and vegetable juices are a pleasing change from milk, as I discovered too much of any one food can result in loss of appetite. 

Coupled with the fruit juices is, of course, the addition of fruits and vegetables. Too little of these commodities are included in the diet. Salads and properly cooked vegetables and fruits are just as important as meat and the dairy products in regard to a balanced diet, as they eliminate sickness due to poor nutrition and digestive disturbances. 

Finally, here are a few random observations: 

Doug will eat almost anything if it's good for him. He rarely, if ever, partakes of candy, soft drinks or white flour products. Before the British Empire Games, Hepburn took large doses of vitamin and mineral pills. 

At first glance, you would think Doug was fat. This appearance is deceiving, however, because on closer examination the only place Doug could be fat is around the waist. His chest, arms, legs and back are solid muscle. I, personally think his 300 pounds is well distributed and that he is more symmetrical than most men. And he can move surprisingly fast for a big man is proven in his last twelve pro wrestling matches, all under seven minutes each.

I hope you have garnered a few useful facts about Doug Hepburn's eating habits from this article. Next article in this series: "How Hepburn Trains for Lifting Contests." 


Enjoy Your Lifting!      

Here's a swell fella I'd love to have a cold one with . . . 





March, 2025. 122 pages. 

What is a river but an open throat; what is water but a voice?   


















Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Vince Gironda, His Life and Training Methods - Bob Hise (1959)

 

Vince Gironda has always favored the lighter, more slender type build, tho for a time he did try his hand at the bulky type, but returned to the lighter bodyweight as being best for him. Later in the article we show a photo displaying his marvelous back development.  In a photo (later still) we see a fine seated pose that shows the grace and symmetry of his physique, while above are two photos, the one on the left at his usual normal bodyweight and condition, while on the right we see him after an intense session of dieting and high repetition work to develop the maximum of definition (1959 and clean). He certainly has about the minimum of fat on his body in this photo.  

Two interviews: 





Vince Gironda first saw the light of day in the Bronx on November 9, 1917. Early in life he moved to  Southern California and attended the Burbank Public School were he participated in track, cross country and football. 

From early life Vince has been interested in all types of athletics, and has worked diligently in developing his body. The most noteworthy accomplishments performed by Vince while going to school were the erasing of a junior high pole vault record and the breaking of a high school shot put record. The old record was 44 feet, his new record made in 1937 was 47'1" and has been surpassed by very few inches.  





As weight training was becoming very popular on the West Coast, Vince turned to this medium of training in 1938 [five years after the above photo was captured]. Though he was 23 years of age his development progressed very rapidly, and he was pleasantly surprised to find that this medium did such great wonders after he had worked so diligently at swimming, baseball, football, track and other sports with a minimum of success.






His first training was done at the Hollywood YMCA [on yer right] where he trained for eight  months. He then heard of the Easton Brothers who operated a gym on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles. Vince trained here at general body building for a period of some three years.  








On yer left, inside the Easton's Gym some time ago. It's worth noting that Gironda  first saw a "preacher curl" bench that was "invented" by the Easton brothers here and brought the idea with him when he set up his own gym. He also worked for a year as a trainer at Easton's.  

Seeing the value of weight training, he opened his own gym at 11262 Ventura Boulevard in North Hollywood on April 1st, 1946, and has been at the same location since. 




His studio is operated in a very unique manner; each member has key and the gym is available for training twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Vince lives in an apartment over the gym and usually puts in 12 to 14 hours per day helping his members and finding time to train most every day. He has no employees, cares nothing for more gyms, is very well satisfied with his work and feels that he is doing the area a great service in helping others. And I am sure that we all agree. 

Living so near the gym does have its problems though; members often awaken him in the wee hours of the morning with their training problems. He usually gives them good advice, such as, "Train the body with all diligence, it's later than you think," or, "Burn up the gab," and goes back to sleep, unless he becomes so wide awake that he can't sleep and then he leads the advice-seeker through such a workout that bothering him is forgotten for some time to come.   




The gym is a conventional type and really looks like a gym as it is filled with many beautiful pictures of the greats in the field of  weights. It consists of 1800 square feet of floor space and just about every known piece of equipment. Two pieces of equipment that I observed being used very extensively were the Yoga rainbow bench and the decline bench. 

Some of the greats of the barbell game that have trained under the watchful eye of Vince are Monty Wolford, Dom Julianao and national champ Bert Elliott. Bert pulled a terrific clean & jerk out of the air to upset Dick Gillers in the 1955 Nationals championships and became the 165 pound division winner.  




Many of the movie people train at Vince's gym, namely, Larry Parks of the Al Jolson Story, who has been training here for ten years. He is really a barbell devotee and trains very religiously three days per week and also participates in a modern dance class three days per week. He is 43 of age, has a nice build and is quite a credit to the barbell game, Gordon "Tarzan" Scott and Clint Walker of the television serial "Cheyenne" train with Vince also. 

While visiting with Vince I observed a man in his late fifties with a very good physique going thru quite a thorough training routine. I inquired as to who he was and found out that he was a movie script writer, George Washington Yates, a graduate of Oxford University and had been training some ten years at the gym. His body showed that a barbell-trained body stays with one. 

Vince is truly an apostle of what he preaches and lives it daily. He is no faddist, but a very sensible liver, avoiding sweets (other than natural), starches, tobacco, alcohol and so many of the refined and overprocessed foods of the day, supplementing with vitamins to make up for the deficiencies of today's food. 




He usually trains from five to six days per week, alternating days on upper and 
 lower body. His favorite exercises are: full lateral raises with dumbbells; parallel dip with bodyweight; one arm rowing with 100 pounds; incline press with 90's and one arm concentrated curls. 

His last upper body exercise is one that he borrowed from Jack Delinger; he lies on the floor with a towel through the pulley handle and from hands in a position behind the neck the arms are forced straight. 








Occasionally some leg raises are included in the workout; when they are used a set of 50 is done. His lower body program includes: a multiple set of compound sissy squats, done with the heels elevated on an object and weight on the chest, body leaning back going down as far as possible with the hips and back held rigid; next the body is lowered into a parallel squat; while in this position the shoulders are leaned well back and the pelvic girdle is thrust forward so as to resemble a rainbow standing on end. The final part of this program is the parallel squat with the heels elevated. The donkey calf raise is the last exercise Vince performs. This is done with heels placed on a board and a person must sit across the hips, somewhat of an all-four position is taken, legs are kept straight and the heels are raised and lowered from complete extension to complete contraction. 






When in earnest training Vince does 8 sets of 8 on upper body and 8 sets of 20 on the lower body. If he trains merely for health he does only half of the preceding amounts. 

Vince's father was quite an expert horseman, using this ability in his job as a movie stunt man. Vince, being reared in such an atmosphere became quite an adept on horseback and followed in his father's footsteps. As Vince is an accomplished horseman and also the possessor of a nice physique and alert mind, he has been prepared for various movie parts. He appears from time to time in the Maverick, Gunsmoke, and Cheyenne television series. He is very popular with the movie crowd and this is why so many of them have become a part of his gym clientele.

Vince enjoys reading immensely and spends much time reading various materials, always trying to improve his mind. His favorite types of literature are biographies and autobiographies, Greek and Roman history, and nutritional items. When talking with Vince one gets the Thomas Jefferson idea of him. When discussing law he impresses one as an attorney; medicine, a doctor; nutrition, a dietician or biochemist; philosophy a philosopher and psychology a psychologist. He is a very well rounded man and is good proof that all weight lifters are NOT shallow-minded, self-centered men.  







Vince is a ready challenger of any athlete, no matter what field he represents, as he believes that weight trained men are superior athletes and he is ready to back up the challenge at any time. One of the members of his gym, a certain Mr. Brag, is quite well versed in caber tossing, a Scottish Highlander game. The caber is a  sixteen-foot long log weighs approximately 100 pounds. The contestant stands astride the log, takes a short run and tosses the caber end over end; naturally the one who makes the longest toss is the winner. Mr. Brag seems to speak constantly of his efficiency at this sport, and after listening to his comments for many weeks, Vince decided to challenge Mr. Brag. The net results -- Vince won. 

The national caber tossing championships were to be held in Burbank, California, so Vince entered and was the runner up in a sport that he had never attempted before his 43rd year

That was quite an accomplishment and I must borrow an old phrase in saying that WEIGHTLIFTERS ARE LIKE CHEESE, THEY GET BETTER WITH AGE, and truly, barbell trained muscle functions more efficiently at any sport! 


Enjoy Your Lifting! 


1981. 176 pages. 




























Sunday, July 6, 2025

Mighty "Mac" Batchelor - Vic Tanny (1942)



 

Mac Batchelor, one of the strongest men in the world. He'll take you on at what you do best: lifting, wrist turning, drinking, or what have you. Although too modest in giving his measurements, only claiming a 52-inch chest and a 19-inch arm, author Vic Tanny assures us that his arm is more than 20, his chest certainly 54. Read his complete story . . . 


While sitting in the "Nine Old Men Cafe," heatedly discussing lifts, exercises, and measurements, a group of the outstanding lifters and strength notables of the West looked around in amusement to hear a dignified looking gentleman ordering a bottle of lager and soberly inquiring, "Hmph, Nine Old Men, eh! Well where's the other four?" 

This bit of subtly projected astonishment was aimed at the 280 pound, 6 foot 1 figure of "Mac" Batchelor ensconced behind the bar in a manner remindful of a pilot fitted in the cockpit of a Spitfire. The rejoinder prompt was, "They'll be coming, me fine lad, after a few more years of training." 

Ian "Mighty Mac" Batchelor is a native son of California with a definite Scotch accent (during business hours) and descended from Scotch parentage. In prep school Mac auspiciously started his athletic career by running the 100 yard dash in 10 seconds, and the 440 in 50 at a bodyweight of 190 pounds. 

He could chin himself with either hand and could do a two arm chin using a pinch grip on a 2x4 rafter. 


                                                                    Bruce White, 2" rafters, pinch grip chins for 16 reps. 







                                                                                                             
  
                   







                                  https://ironmind.com/news/Gripopaedia-David-Hornes-Grip-Encyclopaedia 
                                                                                              Now 10 volumes. 

                                           http://www.davidhorne-gripmaster.com/shop.html#irongripmagazine


                                                                         Anatomy of the Forearm, 36 pages. 
                                   https://www.scribd.com/presentation/830526612/anatomy-of-the-forearm


Whew and oops, got just a little carried away. There's no shortage of literature and instructional videos on how to train your grip. 


Mac's summers were spent largely at summer ocean resorts swimming and averaging many miles of rowing daily. In this latter sport Mac emulated Bob Hoffman's early career and was never beaten, winning many prizes in competition. 


Mac became interested in weights many times at this stage of his life but was discouraged by coaches who conclusively proved all the fearful results of lifting (curse 'em). One coach even went so far as to prove to Mac that his blood would become bad and cause pimples all over his body. (This reminds me of that "Doctor" who wrote the article about the lifter who impaired his health by chipping his front tooth.). 


However, Mac decided to train on weights despite admonitions and found much to his happiness that weights develop pimples, of a giant nature, if one wishes to consider muscles as such. 

Mac's measurements at the start of his training with weights were as follows: height 6 feet, weight 175 pounds (his weight was brought down from 190 and he boxed as a lightweight for the leading athletic club in San Francisco), neck 15.75, upper arm 15.5, chest 43 normal, waist 29, hips 37, calf 15.75, thigh 23, forearm 13,and wrist 7.5. 

Compare these girths with the current ones at a bodyweight of 280 pounds: height 6 feet one inch, neck 20, upper arm 19, chest 52 normal, waist 42, hips 45, calf 19, thigh 31, forearm 14.75, and wrist 8.5. 

Mac always seemed to prefer the key exercises such as the press, row, squat, prone press, dead lift, etc., but found that he had to use many complementary exercises to bring about a more rounded, shapely and muscular development. 

He is famous on the West Coast for his biceps  and calf size, especially when one can coax Mac to roll up his sleeves and there is a chorus of "Oh my gosh," or "What is it, an arm or a leg?" 




The present measurements at 280 pounds were given to me by Mac and I must say that he has been, as usual, notoriously modest and I would wager that his arm is not less than 20" cold, and other measurements would be undoubtedly much greater such as chest, forearm, etc., since they have the appearance of being much larger than the measurements indicate. I have heard that Mac's arm during a workout while blown up measured a snug 21" but he steadfastly refuses to accept this and says that it was no doubt measured by a biased friend. 

We might be able to account for Mac's great gain in weight by perusing through his workout schedule. 
I will quote Mac: 

"Three quarters of my training time is back and leg work.  

"Some workouts I only do leg work of a very hard nature. For example, I squat with 350 pounds 10 x 10, 300 x 10 x 10, 250 x 10 x 10. 

"I like a quart or two of orange or grapefruit juice which dilutes any impurities previously acquired. 

"I follow the squats with leg presses in this manner: 
300 x 10 x 10, 400 x 10 x 10
and if I still have enough energy to spare I do a few reps with 500 pounds. 

"That is all for the morning workout, a good meal with a little (???) bottled beverage, some light reading material afterward for an hour or so and I am ready for another hour of cable, dumbbell and iron boot exercises, and then off the 12 hours of work back of the old mahogany dispensing that cheer that some strong men have a nip of to balance their sugar content and build their ego to heights yet unreached in fighting gravity with weights. 




"I enjoy  a good deal of pressing both in the military and reclining position and often take a workout of just military pressing. For example: 

80 pound dumbbells 5 reps (heels together), Two arm barbell 220 x 2, 230 x  2, 240 x 2, 250 x 1, 260 x 1, then drop the weight to 240 for one, 230 2 x 2, 220 3 x 3, 200 5 x 5, 180 behind the neck, 80 pound dumbbells 5 reps. 

"I often do some dumbbell curling in various positions following this and special triceps exercises. 

"On other days I only do dead lifts and presses starting with 300 pounds 15 reps stiff legged, and finishing with 550 5 reps in the regular deadlift style. I use a 1.25" handle for this and find it taxes the grip unduly which will develop a forearm of rare strength. 

                                                        Thick bars with rotating sleeves from Black Iron Strength. Pricey. 



                                                                                   Fat bar from Sorinex, not pricey. 


                                                   Fat Gripz, three pairs, three grip sizes, around a hundred bucks. 


"I might mention here that the use of thick bars from 1.25 to 3" diameter will give you a grip to be proud of; however, you must realize you will be handicapped in the weight you can lift by the power of your hands. After a siege of deadlifting I am ready to lie down (more truth than poetry) and so start my prone pressing, starting at 275 pounds. I do several series of 5 reps, same at 300 and 2 x 2 with 350 ending up with 375 in a shoulder bridge position with the belly toss." 

Mac does not go in for the three lifts particularly but does them as an exercise and means to an end. 

Note: again, it's possible to use the quick lifts as a means to an end, depending on what you're after with them. 

He is not sure exactly what he is capable of but it must be plenty. 

Some of the stunts he has accomplished and witnessed by many are: 

One arm curl with 80 pound dumbbell in strict military position from a dead hang.
Two arm strict curl of 180.
These lifts were made casually during training with his head, shoulders and buttocks touching the wall at all times with the elbows in a fixed position. Try curling in this position and you will appreciate the man's tremendous strength. 

He can hold a 12 pound sledgehammer gripping the handle end at the tip and muscle it out with the iron head a full 30" from the hand. 

Other stunts such as bending spikes as high as the 120 penny category and also decks of cards to 8ths, and bending of beer caps between the extended thumb and forefinger in a manner remindful of a young lady squeezing a bon bon to find out if it's her favorite flavor. This last stunt is really a kick to watch and brings forth much admiration from spectators. "He's running outta caps, drink faster!" 


Caps from rum bottles are torn in half and then quarters by Mac and belligerent bar trade is gently but firmly gripped in powerful hands and deposited oftentimes inelegantly on the promenade. The latter victims can attest to Mac's terrific grip and muscling out powers.  [Proverbs 25:28]

An incident remindful of Daniel walking into the lion's den [such a segue] was the time not so many weeks ago when a group of powerful young men from the Los Angeles Bulldog professional football team walked in to visit the master of "The Nine Old Men" and to see if his prowess was as great as reported. After a few rounds of vitamins they suggested an elimination bout or arm wrestling or wrist turning as it is commonly called. Mac was slated to take on the group and do the eliminating himself. The bout ended successfully for Mac and the boys were all convinced he was the greatest they'd seen at wrist wrestling and the meeting ended on a happy note with Mac still retaining the distinction of never having being beaten in an arm wrestle. 



                                                                                                                Finger.
  
"Mighty Mac," despite his enormous size is a handsome and clean-cut appearing person and is a throwback to the days of men like Swoboda, Apollon,  Goerner and other behemoths of old. He wears a handlebar moustache, and is undoubtedly the most colorful strength figure in the West. He possesses a personality which befits his great size and strength and his place is a rendezvous for all the well-known strongmen in the West who like to meet and swap stories over a few. 


At present we are trying to get Mac to attempt world's records in the dead lift and prone press and we are positive he could if he cared to  set marks which would make him one of the immortals of strength. 

Man, we're talkin' about the greatest bartender you could ever hope to find. 





Enjoy Your Lifting!