Beginners' Troubles, Part One - Thomas Bruno (1948)

 

Note from Peary Rader:

A demand has developed over a period of time for some material in Iron Man that is especially aimed at the beginner in barbell exercise. This article is the first in a series which we hope will develop into a department for those fellows who are just embarking on their bodybuilding program and are badly in need of help in "starting correctly." 

We can all remember many mistakes we made and realize how much faster progress we could have made if we had obtained correct instructions. The advanced man will also find much information of great value in the articles and should read them carefully.

Mr. Bruno is the manager of the Eells Health Studio and is one of America's leading teachers. 

Looking backward across the years, we can say with certainty that the beginner of today who embraces bodybuilding as a hobby is indeed fortunate. 

We can give our thanks (yes, we can) to these pioneers who were pathfinders and who unselfishly passed on all knowledge that they garnered for the benefit of all. Most of what we know in regards to bodybuilding has been discovered in the last fifteen years or so, beginning with the advent of Hise and his now-famous "breathing squats," also his hopper deadlifts; later on Roger Eells teamed up with Hise in proving this theories and ideas to the point that we can now say for all practical purposes that Eells has a foolproof system now in use if you will but follow his advice which I will try to pass on to you. 

By this I do not mean to say that other men have not developed good bodybuilding systems. All these systems, however, will be found to revolve around a few basic exercises, namely, breathing squats and deadlifts of all kinds, with the squat done in the "puff-and-pant" style standing I believe at the head of the list. 

I do not plan to go into the history of the evolution of exercise and its ramifications, far from it, at most I humbly seek to help you hurdle some of the obstacles which helped hold back my own progress for years. 

The first fallacy I would like to explode in the one in which we are told to exercise four of five times a week and do lots of exercises for every period. Almost every beginner I ever knew believed that if a little exercise was good, then two or three times as much would be better. 

I was afflicted with the same malady until I was taught better. The truth of the matter is, three periods of exercise per week are sufficient for any beginner wanting to gain more bulk and weight, and instead of doing anywhere from 10 to 15 different exercises - six or seven would be more productive of results. Seven exercises are enough to start with and as you advance and gain more energy you can add more squats and pullovers if you need more. 

As the title of this two-part article indicates, I am primarily addressing this to the rank beginners wanting more bulk and weight.  

I assume you to have no organic or structural defects which will hinder your performance of proper exercise, also to have in your possession an adjustable barbell or dumbbell set. For those of you who have no weights but are contemplating the purchase of a set, my advise is - go ahead and buy - you'll never regret it! 

We can now commence with your vital statistics, primarily your weight and measurements of the following parts of your body which you will jot down in a small notebook of some kind being careful to note the date you take the measurements and weight and leave plenty of space for other non-penile measurements you will take later. 

It is sometimes wise to have a friend help you take your measurements as it is difficult to take them yourself on certain parts and that joke just wrote itself six different ways. If you are fortunate enough to have scales handy you should weigh in each night before your workout. Others should try to weight at least once per week to keep an accurate record of their progress. Try to always use the same scales and wear the same amount of clothing each time as you can be greatly misled unless you do. 

The exercises that you will start with and the poundage that you will use in the very beginning will be few and very light, but HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE OF RESULTS, as has been proven time and again by Roger Eells in his large studio. Any variations you decide to make are your own responsibilities, but we suggest no changes whatever. 

The rank beginners will use seven exercises, namely the curl, press, breathing squat, Eells bent-arm pullover, rowing, stiff-legged dead lift, and supine press. The poundages and repetitions are as follows for each exercise: 

- Curl - 10 reps with 20 pounds.

- Two-arm Press - 10 reps with 30 pounds.

- Squat - 20 reps with 30.

- Pullover - 20 reps with 20.

- Rowing - 20 with 20 pounds.

- 1 set of Stiff-legged Dead Lifts - 20 with 30 pounds, taking care to shrug your shoulders high and roll them back.  

- Supine Press - 10 with 40 pounds.

The curl, and press most of you are familiar with, and in regards to squats and pullovers you can reread a previous article by Hise and myself for correct performance. 

https://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2010/11/chest-shaping-squat-part-one-jc-hise.html  

https://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2010/12/chest-shaping-squat-part-two-joseph.html 

Don't be in a hurry to increase weight - give yourself a chance to exhaust all possibilities extant each weight range before you add more [read that again]. 

Next month we will tell you how to get past sticking points and give you very valuable hints on diet, rest, sleep and general lifting habits. 

This program has never been known to fail. Give it a fair trial. It is the exact program used in the world's most successful health studio here in Columbus, Ohio - the Eells Health Studios.

Next: Part Two.

Enjoy Your Lifting!