Strength & Health January 1971
Most individuals spend eight or more hours a day working at
a job, practicing their trade or profession, or going to school and studying.
When the day’s work is over – whether it has been physically demanding or not –
the average man is pretty tired. In addition, he has many responsibilities that
he must fulfill which prevent him from dancing home from the office, leaping
into a sweatsuit, and spending two or three hours on a work-out. Yet this poor
fellow often reads that the Mr. Winners who me admires “bomb” and “blast” away
at their work-outs like diesel engines, six days a week, year in and year out,
never stopping to take a deep breath, and of course, our average Joe gets
discouraged. He still wants muscles (oh, how he would like to look half as good
as Grimek!) but he figures that if he ever tried to do one of those
“super-bombing” routines, he’d bomb himself right into a hospital bed or into a
happy-house. In fact, the more he thinks about the energy sapping three-hour
torture sessions, the more convinced he becomes that he’d just as soon stay in
the lousy shape that he’s in. At least it’s not painful! It’s too bad that Mr.
Average American hasn’t learned the facts about those “space-age” super
schedules and the men who follow them. It’s too bad that he hasn’t discovered
the sane, sensible method of weight-training that can be integrated into the
busiest of schedules, and that, believe it or not, has been responsible for the
Herculean, Superman development of, yes that’s right… John C. Grimek!
The secret of successful bodybuilding is hard work on good
exercises. Hard work done only to the point of fully activating and congesting
the important muscle groups of the body – and you should know this: it does not
require a long, drawn-out training session to achieve this result. The men who
you may have read about who do use extensive training programs are, let’s face
it, processionals. Their muscles are their livelihood, and though they do in
many cases spend an excessive amount of time in training, at least it doesn’t
seem to hurt or bother them. But I sure couldn’t do it, you probably can’t, and
in fact one doesn’t have to dedicate his life to the weights in order to get
superior, or even startling development. Concentrated effort on good, all-around
routines done three or four times a week is more than enough. And there is
simply no reason why a training session need exceed an hour in length… and yes,
in case you’re thinking ahead of me, I’m coming to the inevitable conclusion
that no matter who you are, or what you do for a living, you can build up
tremendously with weights.
What the working man needs is (in addition to large muscles
to satisfy his vanity) a program that revitalizes him… that “recharges” his
battery so to speak, and leaves him with a surplus of energy, endurance, and
strength. He wants to look good, feel great, and derive all the benefits that
barbell training has to offer, without going off the deep end and becoming a
“muscle-head”. All very noble goals indeed, and with the hope that it will help
him to achieve them, here is a work-out program for every “nine to fiver” based
upon sensible, result-producing training methods. Work-out three or four days a
week on alternate days, and forget about every three-hour-a-day nut routine
that you may have read about. This one is for YOU! Here is your program:
- Warm-up
with only one set of the repetition barbell clean and press. This in
itself is a fine all-over bodybuilder, and if you do the exercise briskly
and in good form, every important muscle group will be brought in to play.
Do one set of from eight to twelve repetitions to fully loosen up the body
and get the blood flowing throughout your system.
- The
two-hands curl is a must. We all want big arms, and there’s no point in
pretending that they’re not important. I know that curling isn’t necessary
for good overall development, but I’ll concede that we all (even me) won’t
mind doing curls when we know that it will mean fuller, thicker arms. Use
a barbell or dumbells – it doesn’t matter too much which you use – and
work in strict form. Use a heavy weight. The light stuff is just so much
wasted effort. Do two sets of eight to ten repetitions.
- Shoulders
rank as an important muscle group, and the alternate dumbells press will
give them full development. Triceps will benefit too. Use heavy weights,
and work the movement with a steady rhythm. Two sets of ten to twelve reps
with this one will be plenty.
- Heavy
squats. THIS is the important one. Do twenty reps. Do it with as much
weight as you can handle and still fight to come erect after your last
rep. This is a conditioner par excellence! Anybody who thinks that
endurance and cardiovascular health cannot be built with weights should
try twenty rep squats. It will shut his mouth for good. Try to work up to
about a hundred pounds over your bodyweight. For variety, do the twenty
squats in breathing style – three huge breaths between each rep – but be
sure to use no more than bodyweight in this one.
- After
your squats, give your entire body a good stretch, and give yourself a
fine breathing and chest expansion exercise… the two-dumbell pull-over. I
favor this over the barbell pull-over because more stretch can be given to
the rib-cage, and deeper breathing can be done in the movement. Only one
set, just like the squats, for twenty reps. Use a light pair of dumbells,
twenty pounders would suffice for a super-man.
- Taking
a moderately loaded barbell, stand erect, using a close, knuckles-up grip,
and do upright rowing. Do two sets of eight to twelve reps. This is a fine
upper-back, arm and shoulder conditioner.
- For
the lower back the old standby is the stiff-legged deadlift. Start off
easy, but work into heavy, heavy weights as your strength increases. And
if you work hard on this exercise, brother, your strength will increase!
One set of 15 repetitions will give you lower back muscles like spring
steel.
- For
your “lats” bent-forward barbell rowing is the thing. Use very strict
form, and do two sets of 12 to 15 repetitions. Use a heavy weight, and
you’ll have done plenty to stimulate growth in the latissimus
region.
- Leg
raises. If you don’t own a pair of health shoes, buy ‘em! This exercise is
a super health builder when you work hard enough on it. It will chisel fat
off your lower abdomen like nothing you’d imagine, and it will feel great!
Do two sets of 15 reps if you use iron boots, and one set of 30 or 35, if
you use just bodyweight.
- Another
one for the waistline! The side-bend with dumbbell. Do one side at a time,
and do a total of two sets for each side, for 15 to 20 reps each. This is
a fine conditioner and stomach reducer.
- Finish
off your session with another important leg exercise. The straddle-lift.
Use a moderately heavy weight – keep the back flat! – and do one set of 15
reps.
That’s the whole works. It shouldn’t take more than an hour
tops to do the whole routine. It will leave you feeling, as Bob Hoffman says,
“Like a million!” And it will make you look like two million. Try to add some
weight to the work that you can do every week or so. That’s the secret of
coaxing muscle growth. Every couple of months change the routine a little. But
never leave the squat out! Do it parallel or breathing style, but DO IT. When
you find that you’ve become a bit stale or overtrained, take a week or two off.
This is sensible training.
Weight training along the lines discussed will reward you
with a fine, muscular physique, superb health and well-being, and an increase
in energy and stamina that will astound you. You’ll have plenty left over for
family and fun as well as training.
You can get the physique that you want without going on
unemployment. Just go on sensible routine like the one we’ve discussed.. and
stick with it!
