Old Time Methods vs New -- Thomas Inch (1953)

 

BODY BUILDING AND WEIGHT TRAINING:

Old Time Methods versus New

The idea behind this article is to institute a comparison without fear or favor between the old time methods of training for development and strength and the present day systems.

I will do my best not to be influenced by the fact that I myself am distinctly an "old timer" or veteran having now reached the ripe old age of 71 in spite of the saying that "strong men die young." 

I knew most of the old time strong men of any note both amateur and professional and I have had the pleasure of knowing quite a few of the present day outstanding personalities in body-building and weight-lifting.

I am conversant with old time records, saw many of them actually made, and today's wonderful set. 

If it is possible, during the course of my article, to include a few useful hints for the readers' benefit, I will gladly do so. 

My first impression, looking back, is that the physical culturists of today work several times harder and oftener than they ever did in the good old days. 

One practice a week was quite the usual thing as far as weight-lifting goes and the amount of time given daily to training fell far short of today's regime. 

Taking the average physical culuturist and reader of the magazines in those days, assisted by the remembrance of the many record blank forms which I received in the practice of my business as a teacher both personally and, in a very large way, by post, it is easily obvious that the whole program then was much easier and lighter than that of today. 

Expanders, wall exercisers, light dumb-bells (plain iron or, later, the spring grip variety), free exercises, muscle control movements with weight-training only occasionally marked up was about the general run of training say 30 to 50 years ago (written in '53) and of course it may be said that thuis lighter style of working carried on right up to the outbreak of the last war. 

One thing occurs to me before I proceed further.

I am, rightly or wrongly, under the impression that this looser style of training, although definitely not producing the heavy development and big measurements of today, also falling short in actual weight-lifting records, was more likely to lead to the users shining in other forms of athletics such as boxing, fielf athletics, running, walking, cycling, wrestling, etc., etc.

I also believe that the old timers, this refers to the average young physical culturist, not the professional strong man, went in for general sports and games to a greater extent than those of today. 

For instance, I had a pupil postal-trained in India, Sergt. Glenny, weighing only 10 st. 7 lbs. (147 lbs.). He swung over his bodyweight singlehanded and won the welterweight championship of India at boxing whilst practicing his lifting and development course.

This pupil won my 1,000 pound open competition for best performance and came back home to take over the first prize, a fully equipped school of P.C. at Bristol, his home town.

There were many others of this kind, and this rather bears out my contention above especially as when I induced the manager of the famous National Sporting Club to put Glenny in a contest at the club he performed so well and caused such surprise by the waay he kept knocking down his opponent, a good boxer, with straight lefts, that an attempt was made to indjuce Glenny to turn professional and make boxing his living. 

Also one or two pupils, Sergt. Crittenden and another whose name escapes me, established world records swinging Indian clubs for several days. Ohters made records on the cycle track, at swimming (one just missing the channel swim by about 200 yards or so) and the same system was used by Gunner Moir when trained by me for the world heavyweight boxing title, and also by famous Bambardier Wells who was such a splendid heavyweight scientific boxer.

It may be mentioned that weighrts uses as weight-training were always, when fast sports were trained for, of a very light poundage.

So that I find myself wondering whether present day style which means a lot more work and pressure, giving as it has done such astounding results, would produce an athlete who would or could stand out at fast work boxing, etc., or have the stamina with such heavy development to enter with any chance of success a real endurance test. 

I can very easily understand that many of today's body-builders and weight-trainers or weight-lifters will say: 

"But who wants to box or do endurance feats?" 

In connection with this it is possible that our editor may be induced to open his columns for what should be a most interesting set of letters for and against. I shall return to this point when I sum up at the end of my article.

It must be admitted, if one goes back far enough, that there was a noticeable slackness in training methods, carelessness among professional lifters, about both exercise and diet, also the matter of liquid with a tendency among mayn to take a surprising allowance of beer daily.

Many famous strong men were so heavily built that their muscles were hidden beneath layers of flesh or fat. 

Still, although it is a common thing for artists to depict old time lifters in this fashion, it was not long before we had well developed music hall athletes such as Sandow, Apollo, Milo, even lightweight Atlas, who were torch bearers showing the coming trend, the audience naturally being much more pleased to see feats of strength performed by a well built strength athlete rather than someone like my old friend Louis Cyr who weighed anything up to 3 cwt. (cwt=hundredweight), and who was like a baby elephant upon the stage.

Even strong men like professional John Gruhn Marx, amateur Tom Pevier, amateur Launceston Elliot and perhaps myself, failed to show anything like the style of development so common today. Muscles were definitely there but seemed slightly covered up and did not stand out anything like they do today.

I certainly would have included the famous Saxon trio in my list of strong men who were well developed, there could be no criticism of their physiques, they were muscular enugh and were perhaps the first strong men to get down to the real hard work, daily, and all year round, which is to my mind the secret of today's body-builders and champion weight-lifters.

Photo Courtesy of Jarett Hulse

I owe much to the Saxons in this connection for when I found that they thought nothing of doing several hours heavyweight training (real lifting commencing with very light weights, then finishing up with their highest poundge every day and then two shows a night of a startling strong man show, with the accent on the word "strong") I altered all my own ideas and copied them to such an extent that I went up in weight in leaps and bounds from the 140 lbs. I weighed when I first came to London to the 210 lbs. which I eventually weighed, and my lifts were in proportion.  

The Saxons and myself were very much on the lines of today's athletes and body-builders, except that they did not bother with any other work save lifting. 

They would not even think of pulling expanders, wall machines, punching sacks or balls, even taking a sharp walk. 

They might perhaps include a little wrestling occasionally, but this was seldom. They believed in, and practiced, lifting only.

One has only to compare the lifts of long ago, say Hercules McCann when he met and beat Sandow at first attempt with a single handed dumb-bell of only 170 lbs. clean and jerk, and with two dumb-bells of about 230 lbs. or so, also to remember Peviers and Elliots 265 lbs. two hands clean at heavyweight. At about the time of Sandow's and Saxon's rivalry the men who could lift 300 lbs. overhead could be counted upon the fingers of one hand, to realize what progress has been made, because I do not believe that Sandow could raise over 270 to 280 lbs. two hands clean, and this, I suppose, several light-weights could beat today.

It must be well over 40 years ago since I wrote an article for the leading P.C. organ setting out my ideas of the possibilities of record weight-lifting.

Speaking entirely from memory, I stated that I considered 400 lbs. possible two hands clean and 280 lbs. one hand clean and press. At the time I wrote Saxon had only credited himself with 311 lbs. two hands clean and there were few who could beat Elliot's and Pevier's 225 lbs. one hand clean, and they were only amateurs remember. I was attacked and ridiculed and described as a "sensation monger," but the above feats don't sound so foolish today seeing that several now exceeded the 400 lbs. two hands clean. Of course, one must not ignore the fact that today appraratus is much better in every way.  

Old timers, who at first lifted with solid bells had to have a big range of weights taking up a lot of room. Such weights had no "life" whatever in them.

Entering one of Sandow's schools was like entering an iron factory, scores of barbells and dumb-bells were ranged all around to cover all the many pupil's requirements.

Later lifters passed to hollow globes which had to be filled with sand or shot and when a big poundage had been reached and someone else wished to lift a much lighter weight it all had to be taken out again! 

I must say that immediately after I reached London I brought out a disc weight catalogue and this was nearly 50 years ago, I mention this so that I may be acquitted of being behind the times as much as anyone else, and I used the first OIL BATH REVOLVING HANDLE DISC BAR BELL ever used in Britain when I met Aston for the heavyweight championship about 45 years ago. 

Today's weights are a pleasure to see and use, much time is saved, and they are so accurate that for general purposes the weighing machine is hardly needed. 

In olden times it took years to make a match, challenges seemed to lead nowhere, there was no association governing the sport, no regular championships to enter and to train for, no prizes to be won.

I claim to have been first with the idea of an association ant at a meeting with the editor of Health and Strengthm, also the proprietor, after approving the idea they arranged a meeting at the Holborn Restaurant when the first association was born. 

This, of course, made a great difference. 

Meanwhile prodessional lifters on the music hall did as they liked, claiming just what they wished without interference, the Saxons seeming only the genuine article. On 10 st. strong man put up a card "300 lbs." for his bent press and when Saxon did the same it only meant the 10-stoner printing a new card which he did "336 lbs." and the public at that time were entirely in the dark, weight-lifting had no press as it has today and it was definitely the cinderella of sport. 

So that it is apparant that there has been a remarkable organization or re-organization of weight-lifting both in materials and management much to the betterment of the sport and to such an extent that is seems quite impossible for anyone to say just where the records will stop. 

Although a little in advance of my summing up, it is also apparent that methods for body-building and weight-training have also progressed to a point where it is gain hard to say how they can be improved. 

Whilst at one time there were only several strong men anything like the standard set by Eugene Sandow as far as development went, today there are scores if not hundreds who could be compared favorably, and, I would like to go on record as saying that when I first had the pleasure of seeing Reg Park I stood amazed and thought to myself that I never expected to see any such well developed physical culturist. Had Reg turned up in Sandow's time what a fortune he would have made! 

Today he is outstanding even against such famous body-builders as Grimek and more than holding his own against body-builders of all nations. He has no warmer supporter than myself. 

I am pleased to note that such leaders as Reg Park and Grimek can do something with their muscles; muscle, for mere adornment and show purposes has never appealed to me. 

Both Reg and Grimek have done some wonderful feats with the weights. 

I am certain that today's physical culturists take a bigger, broader and more scientific view of all pertaining to training, particularly in such matters as fresh air, rest, relaxation and particularly diet. The danger of real hard training is staleness, if energy is dissipated daily by the very hard work entailed in present day bench presses, deep knee bends and weight-training generally, health might be adversely affected if the diet is not suited to the work in hand.

I understand that Reg Park takes a surprising allowance of milk daily. If this is not procurable and in any case especially when approaching an important event or contest to make yourself secure against over training I believe the use of a new milk drink known as Maralyn would materially assist. It has helped myself and a few pupils very much indeed. 

With meat difficult to obtain one turns to vegetables more than ever, any kind are useful, also any kind of fruit. 

Give preference to wholemeal bread, my choice here being Hovis as this company have for very many years supported weight-lifting it is only fair for lifters to support them. 

Don't rush to a meal immediately before or after a workout. 

Be quick to note staleness approaching, the signs are slackening of desire to use your weights, a falling away in your general form with them.

There is only one thing to do when this occurs, take an immediate rest, feed up a little, return to your training after a few days rest when you haven't done any exercise whatever save perhaps a short walk or two. 

There is the matter of daily self massage, perhaps with a little suitable oil on the hands. Professional masseurs cost money, you can do the job for yourself with a little study and practice and it definitely helps. 

To sum up -- when high class bodybuilders and "real" weight-lifting records are the aim the old time methods were too light and easy. 

Competition is so keen today that nothing short of throwing yourself heart and soul into the daily task, on the lines accepted by readers of this mag, will do.

You need the best weights you can obtain, it helps to join a club. But realizing the SPEED is the essential part of today's record breaking, I have a feeling that just a little of old time work, some quick speed work such as sparring, ball or sack punching, shadow boxing, etc., would distinctly help.

It is always useful nowadays when gangsters are so busy to learn how to defend oneself, so no time would be wasted if body-builders and lifters learned a little about the noble art of self defence. 

Without science a strong man is not certain to win in a rough house, but with his development and power, and given science and speed he would be a terrific person to encounter. 

And I believe such fast work would assist lifts such as the two hands clean and the snatch.

Incidentally, I would like to see other old time lifts practiced such as one hand clean and jerk, dumb-bell swing, perhaps the old bent press as well.

The present three lifts seem to be here to stay, it seems odd to settle a world title with 3 lifts all double handed at that. 

However, I have given my views and would be most interested to see any replies. 

Briefly, I approve fully the body-builders methods, also as applied to weight-lifting and have only been able to suggest a little fast loosening work to be on the safe side and perhaps improve possibilities after the muscle has been developed. 

I don't think it can be saide that, speaking as an old timer, I have in any way attacked present day mode of working. 

Because results speak for themselves and there have been no lifters or body-builders of days gone by who could compare with our present day champions whose astounding records and tremendous developments must seem to such old stagers, who are still in the land of the living, as something right out of this world altogether. 

Enjoy Your Lifting!