More From Doug Hepburn, Part One

 

A great guy who chooses to stay anonymous spent time and energy transcribing the two Hepburn video tapes and sent them to me to put on the blog. There's some great stuff in here . . . much of relating to older lifters. 

From "Anatomy of Strength" and 

"Might, Muscles and Miracles"

Enjoy . . . and a huge THANK YOU for doing this! 

At the age of 54, after a lengthy layoff from heavy lifting, I set about to establish a number of records in the masters division of world competition. My reason for this is that I wanted to test the effectiveness of the training principles in this tape series in regard to senior athletes. 

The results I obtained were considerably more than I expected, as in a matter of months I was approaching a level of strength I had attained as a young man. My bodyweight increased from 217 to 270 pounds and my top lifts were as follows: 

Press - 390

Curl - 220

Bench, hands together - 370

Squat - 600 for 8 reps.

At this point I became aware of the need for a form of overall nutrition based on an increased efficiency of absorption so as not to overtax the bodily digestive process. It is to be accepted by the senior trainee that, generally speaking, the digestive organs of athletes engaged in heavy athletics aged 55 and thereon, via the process of aging, are incapable of utilizing large amounts of heavy foods as they could at a younger age. 

I believe that overconsumption of high-concentration foods or supplements will eventually prove injurious to the body. The same result can be attained consuming liberal amounts of food in natural form daily when coupled with the extended, correctly programmed heavy weight training. 

I used this procedure to attain a muscular bodyweight of 315 pounds with strength comparable to that produced by anabolics. I further refined this principle into a workable detailed addition to my overall strength-building program. This program will be explained in detail later. 

Much of the foods presently consumed by the general public are rich or enriched beyond the toleration of the body and if ingested over a lengthy period will inevitably lead to sickness. Many of these foods cause an unnatural stimulation which is misinterpreted by most as a healthy sign. In the long run, however, such foods cause premature aging, innervation and loss of strength. 

It is my firm belief that the human body is the end result of a vast period of evolution. During the period, generally speaking, the external environment of the body provided food substances in a natural and concentrated form. Thus the body developed in harmony with these natural foods. Modern man with his technology has intervened in this process with a myriad of nutritive products in highly concentrated form unsuited to the metabolic function of the body. This in turn results in high toxicity, upsetting the natural balance of bodily functions with serious consequences. If this condition is not counteracted, using only natural measures, at this later age in life, a severe and continuous drop in strength and muscular size will be experienced. 

Nutritional needs assume a more prominent aspect of strength building in one's later years. It is of vital importance that sufficient energy is available to enable the senior to undergo concentrated and strenuous athletic movements while still retaining a sufficient reserve of energy to offset exhaustion. 

It is to be remembered that lasting muscular strength is dependent upon the overall organic strength of the body. As a matter of fact, the degree of lifelong physical strength is basically the product of one's mental and moral makeup. 

A true strong man should retain his strength until a very late age in life, even unto his 90s. The acquisition of exceptional physical strength for a brief five-to-ten year period in one's life does not denote a true strong man. 

You may be surprised to hear that prior to my attaining the pinnacle of world strength, that the major part of my diet was whole milk and bananas, lots of fruit, and basic carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice and pasta, which I force fed myself constantly throughout my waking hours, alternating from carbos to fruit and milk. I distinctly remember the day that I increased my bodyweight eight pounds in this manner. Of course, this regimen of heavy eating was coupled with lengthy periods of very heavy weight training at least five times a week. During the training periods I continued to consume ample amounts of milk and bananas.    

I wish to state here that throughout my strength building career I consumed very little meat or fish. I did, however, eat a minimal amount of eggs, powdered milk, protein and soy protein which were prepared in liquid form in a food blender. Frankly, I am convinced that flesh foods eggs, although high in protein, are highly toxic and for this reason I avoided these products throughout my involvement as a master lifter.

Toxicity accelerates aging which in turn decreases strength capacity, especially so with seniors. It seems that increased food intake assists the younger strength athlete but will restrict the overall progress of the senior master lifter in the long run. The younger lifter, having a more efficient digestive system, is able to tolerate toxicity even to middle age, but from that point on will suffer the consequences unless the diet regimen is strictly altered. 

People as they age are inclined to justify their increasing lack of strength ability, strength-wise or otherwise, to increasing age. This, however, is not entirely the case, as they overlook the possibility that much of their condition could be due to a temporary bodily malfunction due to their lifestyle. Most individuals as they succumb to the armchair and TV syndrome, justify their incapacity with age. 

A wise man once said, the human being is the only animal that won't face facts. 

Perhaps so. 

When approaching senior status, one is to expect an increased degree of stiffness and soreness. This is to be accepted as a normal process. Stiffness leads to joint soreness, but this can be counteracted to a considerable degree via daily stretching of basic bodily parts, performing full movements, and basic weight training exercises: deep squatting, dumbbell flyes, stiff-legged deadlifting, etc. If this daily process is discontinued, even temporarily, the senior lifter will quickly lose flexibility and if the period of layoff is prolonged, the senior lifter will experience considerable difficulty in retaining it. If follows then, that in the case of seniors approaching the 60 to 70 category or earlier that daily training and stretching is mandatory, otherwise a condition of the inability to lift competitively or otherwise will occur. 

One of the major reasons why senior strength athletes discontinue heavy training is that a continuance of heavy exercise at a later age contributes to soreness and stiffness. There is simply no way to overcome this problem. Everybody will face discomforts as they age, whether they exercise or not, so why not be stronger and healthier and accept this mild discomfort? 

It is my opinion that the aged magnify aches and pains that they would have shrugged off in their youth. Many of the elderly are prone to self-babying, most, probably due to fear of injury or sickness. This is a one-way street to becoming an invalid. 

To rest is not to conquer. We need to have more faith in this wonderful machine our body represents. With correct application your body can perform to a level beyond your wildest dreams. The human body is a lot tougher than we give it credit for. 

It is my considered opinion that in order to remain active and in good health and to have an extraordinary degree of physical strength even into the 80s and 90s, it is essential to deviate from the so-called norm of our society. 

continued in part two . . . 

Enjoy Your Lifting!