Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Squatting for the Olympic Lifter - Tommy Suggs (1970)

 Strength & Health October 1970


The gym was a beehive of activity as quite a few members of the local high school football team were doing a bomb-blitz-type program in order to be ready for the upcoming pre-season practice. I noticed Charlie over on the lifting platform offering advice to the young trainees.

“Coaching now, huh?”

“Oh, not really. A few fellows were asking me about full squats for football.”

“What did you tell them?”

“Not much, since I don’t know that much. I told them that I do squats and haven’t had any problems with my knees. That seems to be their greatest concern. What should I tell them?”

“Well Charlie, since it’s obvious that many of the younger fellows coming in here will be turning to you for some sound advice, perhaps I’d better give you some information on which to base your suggestions.”

“Good idea, I hate to be left without an answer.”

“I bet you do.” He sat down on the incline bench and gave me his full attention. “The full squat has been under attack ever since Dr. K.K. Klein wrote his piece of research in the early ‘60’s. Doctor Klein said, simply, that full squats stretched the ligaments and tendons around the knee joint and made that joint more susceptible to injury, especially in contact sports.”

“Wow, and I’ve been having these guys do them.”

“Hold your horses, I’m not finished. Later research has contradicted this study. It has been found that full squats, when performed correctly, actually prevent knee injuries.”

“How can two pieces of research prove opposite points?”

“There is a lot more to research than merely reporting facts. There is always a certain amount of bias influencing any study, plus there are weak points in any study that other researchers can pick up and refute.”

“Which piece of evidence do you go by?”

“I base my ideas on the full squats more on what experienced coaches tell me. They have shown, as have weightlifters, that full squats are safe if they are done correctly. In fact, they can be helpful in preventing knee injuries.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but I guess I must. Am I doing my squats correctly?”

“As I haven’t watched you squat for a week or two, I’ll wait till I see you do them today before I answer that. Today is a squat day, isn’t it?”

“As a matter of fact, I have two more sets of hi-pulls  and then I’ll be ready.”

“Fine. I have a phone call to make and then I’ll skip right back and watch you.”

As I got back to the platform Charlie had set the bar on the power rack at shoulder height and had loaded it to 125.

“Ready to observe?”

“Ready”

He took the bar off the rack, puffed a few times and dipped to parallel. He came up quickly, puffed, and did four more similar movements. He looked over at me hopefully. “Okay?”

“Nope.”

With a disgusted expression, he took off his belt and sat down beside me.

“Who taught you to squat like that?” I asked.

“Joe Dobbs.”

Joe Dobbs is a linebacker on a pro football team. He trains with us just before summer camp. He weighs 265 and could hunt bear with a switch. Most of the fellows follow him around like puppy dogs listening to his grid-iron war stories.

“No reflection on Joe, but Joe is a football player an you are training to be an Olympic lifter.”

“So, we both need leg strength, right?” Charlie had a point and knew it so continued to push it across. “If he is getting his legs stronger with this style, then I should be able to do the same. Tell me that’s not true.” He sat back, crossed his arms and looked extremely content.

“Charlie, you will get your legs stronger doing squats like Joe Dobbs, but Joe does not need strength in exactly the same areas as you do.”

He unfolded his arms. “Explain.”



“In order for you, or any Olympic lifter to recover from a deep squat clean or squat snatch you have to have thigh and gluteus strength to bring you out of a rock bottom position. You never touch that position with your half squats that you are doing now. Also, you have your feet very wide. This throws the stress more on the lower back than on the legs. This is an area that the Olympic lifter works with other exercises. The reason he does squats is to strengthen the legs, not the back.”

Charlie looked a bit puzzled. “Then why does Joe do them that way?”

“Because he was taught that way when full squats were taboo. Besides, he is getting sufficient leg work for his sport. Joe Dobbs never, or almost never, comes out of a full squat position with a barbell loaded to twice his bodyweight on his chest – like lifters do. I might add that Joe would be far better off doing full squats, but he has been quite successful with his program so isn’t too keen on changing.”

“Go over what I should do again.”
“Step-by-step. First, set the bar high on the back, above the traps so that the legs will be doing the bulk of the work. Second, set the feet in a stance that you assume when you squat clean a weight. If your feet hit fairly wide at the bottom of the clean do your squats from that stance. You want them to relate as closely as possible to the lift itself. Third, go down slowly and do not rebound at the bottom, then come up as rapidly as possible. This is the key to protecting the knees. Rebounding is the culprit when it comes to injuring the knees.”

“Then I shouldn’t bounce? I can do more that way.”

“Perhaps you can’t now, but I can assure you that if you begin stopping at the bottom you will be able to do much more in no time. And you will never have to worry about hurting the knees.”

“How long should I pause at the bottom?”

“Just a dead stop is sufficient. Also, you should stay solid and tight at the bottom, don’t relax.”

“What else did you see?”
“You don’t need to huff and puff so much for each rep. If you were knocking out 10-20 reps it would be different, but you are only doing fives. Take a breath at the start of the squat, hold it while you go down and up, then exhale and inhale again.”

“I’m going to start over. Stay and watch!”




“Certainly”

This time he set the bar high on his back, set his feet slightly wider than shoulder width with his toes pointed slightly outward, took a breath, went to the bottom, stopped and came back erect. He shot a quick glance over and asked, “That better?”

“Much better. Try and look up a little more next rep. it helps to keep the back flat.”

He knocked out four more reps, loaded the bar to 150 and sat down on the incline bench.

“Well Charlie,” I asked. “how did those feel?”

“Fine. I just hope that I don’t drop the weight back too much.”

“I don’t think that you will. Anyway it’s more important to work the Olympic lifting muscles than just to handle big weights. I would rather have you doing five deep squats with 225 for 5 than 275 for 5 in the manner you were just doing them. This way we know how strong you legs really are. This is not the case in the half squats as the back does most of the work. How are your front squats coming along?”

“Not too good I’m afraid.”

“I’m not surprised. The half squats were not getting to the gluteus and that’s an important area in front squatting. The front squats will pick up once you get the back squats going in this style. You should have an almost identical body position for the front and the back squats. The only difference being the bar sets on the chest for one and on the back for the other.”

“Why do we bother with fronts?”



“Basically for positioning for the squat clean. Also they work the legs and glutes in a little different angle. The best way to check pure leg strength is with a front squat. The foreign lifters never ask ‘what can you squat’, but rather ‘what can you front squat.’ I once saw a lifter, who held the American record in the squat with well over 500 pounds get pinned with a 325 squat clean. That’s why we do front squats once a week.”

Charlie was attentively shaking his head and I saw that he had heard enough for one day. He jumped up, “Well I better finish these up. I have a date.”

“Sure, didn’t mean to hold you up. See how your legs feel tomorrow. I would venture to guess that they would be a little sore, indicating that you worked some new muscles today.”

“Oh, great. Nothing like some new sore spots.”

“All part of our happy sport, Charlie. You’ll learn to love soreness as time goes on.”

“Don’t count on that.”




Monday, January 27, 2025

RIP Andrew "Bud" Charniga

 



I was sad to see that Bud Charniga passed away this last weekend (1/24/25.)  Bud was pretty well-known from Louie Simmons, and providing the translated Russian texts that laid the foundation for what would become known as "the conjugate system."  However, Bud was also a hell of an Olympic lifter himself (and a fellow E.M.U. alumni!)  He was still writing articles up until last year at his site linked below.  He often took a much different view than the current establishment within USA Weightlifting, and was thought-provoking if nothing else.  May he rest in peace. 


https://www.sportivnypress.com/

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/livonia-mi/andrew-charniga-12214734

Friday, January 24, 2025

Videos for the Reading Impaired

 Here's a couple really good Youtube videos I stumbled across lately:



Look at that casual 285lbs muscle clean and press from Hepburn!





Thursday, January 23, 2025

Bodybuilding for the Beginner - Bob Gajda (1967)

As told to Bill Starr

Strength & Health October 1967


This is the first in a series especially for beginners. In future issues each exercise listed in the beginner’s program will be analyzed and discussed.

The confusion that exists in the mind of the novice bodybuilder is universal and indeed worthy of more consideration than it has received. Admittedly, we who write in the numerous bodybuilding publications and who profess knowledge of physical culture have sorely neglected this aspect. What most noviates are seeking is a simplification of terminology and a concrete program of physical development.

Before I attempt to offer any plan that might clear up some of the confusion, I want to caution the reader that there does not exist any miracle system of pill that the explorers in the bodybuilding game are professing. What must guide us always is logic and reason and not the obvious super-sell that we are continually exposed to. Basically, the only real secret is hard work, dedication, perseverance and patience.

PROGRESSIVE BARBELL SYSTEM

An individual just starting to exercise must always use moderation. He should concern himself with conditioning the body to be able to support more weight as the individual progresses. The same principle applies in all exercises regardless of how they are performed.

Rule I – Whenever lifting a barbell off the floor, regardless of poundage, always keep the arms straight, the back arched (never humped) and do all the lifting by the extension (straightening out) of the legs. This practice will eliminate injuries to the back.

Rule II – Always warm up sufficiently before attempting heavy poundages. Work up in graduated poundages progressively heavier.

Rule III – Seek advice from knowledgeable people. Constantly seek advice for there is always something to gain by question. However, learn to think for yourself because you are an individual and must determine your own capability.

Rule IV – Never miss a workout. If you plan three workouts every week, then allow nothing to keep you from your workout. Continue to have enthusiasm  and be patient, a quality product always requires this.

Rule V – Always use the progressive method. Your muscles should be coaxed into heavier poundages. You just cannot shock the body into heavier poundages and growth.

Rule VI – Never overwork. Always leave something in reserve after workout. Never deplete your nervous energy by overworking to the point of exhaustion. If you’re tired some days, cut your workout in half.

Rule VII – Enjoy normal healthful hygiene. Get plenty of good wholesome food, like meat, cheese, eggs and dairy products. Obtain enough sleep so you awake refreshed. Keep a tranquil mind and enjoy social recreation.

Rule VIII – Outdoor recreation and sports will benefit the body greatly. Sunshine and fresh air are still prime requirements, so have fun. You don’t have to quit all forms of social life because you’re a bodybuilder.

Rule IX – Regular toilet habits are essential. Constipation is still a great problem. Drink plenty of water and avoid garbage like soda, cake, hot dogs and candy.

Rule X – Smoking and alcohol should be taboo.



EXERCISES (Perform in Listed Order)

Note: warm up before attempting exercises

1.        Military Press – Feet ten inches to one foot apart. Hands shoulder width or slightly wider on bar. Clean to shoulders. Apply breathing rule. Extend weight to arms length above head. Let down to chest and repeat (use barbell.)

2.        Lateral Raise – (Dumbbell) Hold bells to side with palms inward toward body. Raise with palms down and maintain them that way. Raise laterally to position overhead. Allow bells to descend to original position

3.        Supine Press – Lie on back on bench. Hold barbell over chest with arms extended. Allow weight to go down to chest. Return to normal position. Use hands slightly wider than shoulder width. Breathe deep (on all exercises.)

4.        Rowing Motion – Feet one foot apart to 2 feet apart. Bend upper body trunk over so as to make upper body at right angles to lower. Grasp bell shoulder width. Pull bell up to chest and maintain position. Bend legs slightly to relieve strain on back.

5.        Arm Curls – Hold barbell at thigh level with palms facing out. Flex arms so as to bring bell to the chest and shoulders. Hands should be shoulder width on bar. Avoid back bend. Use only arms.

6.        Deep Knee Bend – Tak barbell on shoulders (preferably from barbell rack when using heavy weights.) Place bell evenly on shoulders. Place 2” block under heels of feet. Allow legs to flex and go down to squatting position with barbell. Breath deeply before doing. Rise to starting position. This exercise should be done for 10-15 rep.

7.        Pullover – Lie on back with barbell above chest, arms extended. Allow weight to go slowly backward toward the floor and behind the head. Maintain arms in straight position. Allow weight to descend to full extension of muscles, then bring back weight slowly to original position over chest.

8.        Sit-ups – Hook feet under belt on incline board. Lie flat. Interlace fingers behind neck. Bring trunk up bending at the abdominal region and touch knees with elbow of alternate arm. Left elbow to right knee, etc. Do 20-25 rep. and increase without using weight behind neck.

9.        Shoulder shrug – Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Shrug shoulders up and backward.

Note: 

1. I always do sets of 3 of one exercise before going to another with exception of the deep knee bend and the pullover. Do pullovers immediately after doing deep knee bends.

2. Rest two minutes between every set, unless energy permits individual going on.

3. Deep breathing is secret of large chest development.




BARBELL SYSTEM

Terms:

1.        Repetitions (reps) - number of movements performed of a certain exercise.

2.        Sets – Number of groups of repetitions performed. A brief rest is required between sets.

3.        Barbell – Long bar, 5 to 7 feet long with weights on each end. Both hands are used to perform exercises.

4.        Dumbbell – Small bar – 1 foot long with weights on each end and used in one hand. Most exercises with dumbbells require one in each hand. Sometimes each arm is done separately.

5.        Lateral – To the side of the body

6.        Clean – Bringing weight from the floor to the shoulders

Procedure:

In any exercise always perform from 2-3 sets of a particular given exercise. With a weight that can be handled comfortably from 6 to 10 reps, the novice should begin  with limbering up exercises. Each exercise period, the novice should try to increase 1 repetition in each exercise. Example: If you do a particular exercise by starting out with five repetitions and that leaves you comfortably tired, then the next period you should try to increase by (1) repetition, thereby, performing 6 repetitions. This should be continued until you have reached 10 reps, add on 5 pounds altogether to the barbell. This should cut the repetitions down to from 5 to 8. Increase as before and when you do 10 reps, add on 5 pounds more. Continue this procedure on the chart, number from 4 to 12. Each time you master one more repetition cross it off with a pencil and strive in the next period for the next highest number. Mark the weight used on your cards for each exercise along with the number of repetitions. Keep an accurate account of your progress from workout to workout. If you seem to be developing slow, don’t be discouraged. Some individuals develop faster than others, but all will develop if they employ the proper programs and health practices. 

More Gajda training here: https://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-philosophy-of-sequence-training-bob.html

https://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2008/06/weightlifting-for-bodybuilder-bob-gajda.html



Sunday, January 19, 2025

The Golden Straps -- Tommy Kono (1965)

 





A champion tells you how to use hand straps to get the most out of exercises. His advice is aimed at all of the Big Three, bodybuilders, power lifters, and Olympic lifters. 



Ever use straps in your training? 

If you haven't, you've missed out on one piece of inexpensive training paraphernalia which will add pounds to your Olympic quick lifts and develop wider and thicker back and shoulder muscles. 

Power lifters can also greatly benefit from regular use of this simple piece of equipment. 

Straps of one sort or another have been used for a number of decades by lifters and strongmen yet very little is known about their benefits and use outside of a selected group of present-day strength athletes. I don't recall ever reading where their use was stressed for the benefit of the bodybuilder. 

First of all, let me explain why the straps can be such a boon to lifters and bodybuilders. A weak grip or small hands or a combination of both can prevent barbell men from using heavy weights in training. Readers of Strength & Health for a number of years know that without the ability to handle heavy weights in your exercises you are restricting the growth of your strength and muscles. The straps enable you to concentrate more fully on the exercise movement of lift, as the case may be, rather than having to detract your attention from the movement because of a weak grip.

Secondly, the straps are so easy to use and so inexpensive that if you desire maximum strength and development of the back muscles and shoulders, you would be depriving yourself of those qualities without it. 


STRAPS FOR WEIGHTLIFTERS 

Straps are a "must" for weightlifters. For practicing various types of high pulls with extremely heavy poundages the hook-grip alone cannot be relied upon. You could also save many a "smashed thumb" feeling with its use. 

One of the best reasons for using straps other than that of being able to hang onto the bar without any thought of the bar slipping out of the hands is the fact that you can concentrate on using your arms as "connecting links" for pulling the bar as Olympic coach Bob Hoffman always stresses in his lifting articles. The use of straps will aid you in starting your initial pull with the larger and stronger back and leg muscles rather than with the arms. 

In 1957, just two weeks prior to the Sr. National championships in Daytona Beach, Florida, I injured my left hand in a freak accident. The load of five musclemen tilted the Cadillac in such a way that the car door slammed shut on my third finger, splitting the fingernail lengthwise. Until I was rushed to the hospital and X-rayed, I thought the bone of my fingertip was smashed.

The injury prevented me from gripping the bar tightly at any time, lest the pressure would make it bleed. Even pressing moderately heavy weights off the squat stands with my left hand in a cupped position proved to be painful. The only alternative I had to retain my pulling power was to practice a lot of high pulls employing the straps and just my thumb and index finger of my left hand to hold the strap in position. This practice paid off for at the Nationals not only did I win the light-heavyweight class but also established a Sr. National meet mark in the snatch. The use of straps prevented the loss of my pulling strength and also helped me pull correctly.

Some of the leading lifters in the world make very good use of straps in their training. Serge Lopatin, the Russian lightweight, cleaned 374 pounds in training back in 1961 when the world record in his class was 352 pounds. Featherweight Udodov of Russia pulled in 324 pounds in the clean prior to 1956 and the world record then was 314. Even heavyweight world record holder Yuri Vlasov of the Soviet Union with his large hands uses straps for practicing the pulls. Lightweight Olympic champion Baszanowski of Poland uses straps even in warming up for a contest so he can conserve his hook-grip and hand strength for the  actual competition.


STRAPS FOR POWER LIFTERS

During the U.S. Olympic team's stopover in Honolulu in 1956, on the way to the Melbourne Olympics, several training sessions were held by the weightlifting squat at that Nuuanu YMCA. There, with the aid of special straps which had iron hooks attached to them, Paul Anderson was able to perform a partial deadlift of 1,000 pounds. Doug Hepburn of Canada had similar straps, also using metal clips to cup the bar for performing deadlifts and high pulls. 

Metal hooks and clips are good for slow movements but for pure simplicity and ease of use for varied exercise movements you cannot beat the straps made of canvas or nylon webbing. For developing maximum deadlifting ability you must use straps in your training. 


STRAPS FOR ISOMETRIC TRAINING

Straps are indispensable for performing any type of pulls on the isometric rack. You cannot concentrate on exerting your maximum pull if you do not use straps. Whether it be partial movements on the power rack or pure isometric pulls, the power you can generate against the bar is limited by your ability to hang on to the bar, no matter how great your back, shoulder and arm power. All those who work on the isometric principles or use the power rack for limited movement will not get the full benefit of the pulling muscles if they do not use straps. I might even go to the extent of saying that you would be losing a 20-30% benefit on your pulls if you do not employ straps. 


STRAPS FOR BODYBUILDERS 

Those who fail to isolate movements for the latissimus dorsi muscles when performing exercises such chins, rowing motions, or the lat machine pull-downs or who cannot handle heavy weights in these exercises because of a weak grip can really develop the "wings" by using straps. 



 


I know of a bodybuilder who could perform 50 wide-grip chins at a time without showing any appreciable development of the back muscles simply because he used his arms to pull himself up all the time. No matter how many sets of rowing motions, lat pull-downs and chins he performed he couldn't get a decent pump of his latissimus muscles. 


Training the Lats for Maximum Isolation, Stimulation, Innervation and Pump
by Greg Zulak (155 pages) . . . 

Even to perform shoulder shrugs for trapezius development his shoulder girdle would hardly move. Instead, his arms were flexing to get the weights higher from the hanging position. He was the only person I knew who could perform the deadlift or the shoulder shrug and have his arms pump up.

This very same person who had no back development to speak of, within four months of training with the straps, improved his back development to the extent of winning the best back award in the Hawaiian Islands. Incidentally, he also won the best arms award. 

The use of straps can make the upright rowing motion an all-deltoid movement. Slick, chrome-plated bars can tax the grip when using a close grip in this exercise but by the use of straps you can concentrate all the stress on the deltoids.

Straps are easy to make [and word has it some sneaky buggers sell 'em.]. 


Obtain two strips of strong, pliable webbing approximately 1.5 inches wide and 18 inches long. Loop one end of strap and stitch securely the overlapping portions. Make sure the loop is large enough for your hand to pass through yet small enough so that the strap will not slide off. 

When in use the strap should lie flat against the back of your wrist without any wrinkles (these "wrinkles" or skinny straps can dig into your hands and cause discomfort), with the loose end of the strap left dangling. 

This free end is looped around the bar just once, letting your cupped hand clamp over the strap on the bar.   

Study the photographs accompanying this article and you'll see the method used in encircling the strap on the bar. The other photos show the straps being used in the various pulling exercises. 

After you have both hands on the bar, with the straps around the bar, and you wish to tighten them, just rotate the bar in the direction the thumbs are encircling it. 
This will take up any slack on the straps. 

A word of caution. Do not wrap the straps around the bar so many times that you have difficulty in releasing your grip. There have been cases where ambitious lifters strapped their hands to the bar to perform repetition snatches and pulled so violently that they did a back somersault, knocking themselves unconscious. And on the happy image-based note - 


Enjoy Your Lifting! 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         












Saturday, January 18, 2025

Norbert Schemansky, The Old Master, Part Three - Vernon Hollister (1973)

 





Perhaps the reason Schemansky never received the acclaim he deserved was because his sport was, and is, a relatively minor one in the United States. No crowds met Norb at the airport after his many international victories like they swarmed around Vlasov upon his return to Russia after he had beaten Norb for the 1962 World championship with an illegal double-jerk. 

The man's lifting career has ended. 

It is over. 

He has moved out of the gym.

Norb's well-used weights are now stored in his garage. He prefers not to look back and speculate on paths not chosen. "What's done is done." 

He can take pride in his achievements, his own accomplishments, because they are his, no one else's. His concerns at the moment are immediate, such as giving more encouragement to his daughter, who is a swimmer, than his father gave to him. 

Maybe there are some who are happy that he is working, though he has always worked. He made house payment, raised four children, though he struggled sometimes, while giving more of himself to the world and athletics than others, much more. "I don't owe any money, my kids haven't been in trouble," he says to his critics. "Let them match that." 

And he lifted weights. 

Oh, how he lifted! 


Training for the 1964 Olympics. 


Five American soldiers man an anti-aircraft gun in the liberated portion of Normandy, France, July 25, 1944.
On your left: Pvt. Norbert Schemansky. 

Seen in this video at :57, 1:21 and 1:35. 


No jokes about Reg Park Park. 
Don't even think it. 



He works now in a position which befits him -- as a leader of men. It is his job to check their work, make certain it is correct, and oversee the completion of a project. He does this with the same dedication he applied to weightlifting and the same scrutiny he gave to the weighing of a world record. 

Norb is a civil engineer. During the spring, summer, and fall, he directs crews which put in sewers and pave streets, usually in Detroit suburbs. It is also his job to read blueprints and maps, checking for water or gas lines, because breaking a water line can delay the progress of the crew for some time. He also has to make decisions such as whether or not trees must be removed. If at all possible, he keeps them. 

Not surprisingly, his boss, Jim Armstrong ("Should be my name, huh?" Norb said and grinned), says that he never has to worry about Norb being there on the job or that anything will go wrong, because he has a man in charge that he can depend on, just as the lifting world depended on Norb for about 30 years. Schemansky has to wear a hardhat on the job. Somehow the hat becomes him. Some men can wear hats.




 


Though living his life as it is now, and though he says he pays little attention to lifting and thinks little of the past -- "until someone like you comes around," -- when pressed or asked, Norb has comments and opinions. They are often witty, always precise, full of candor, often satiric; yet honest beneath it all. Everything he says can't be taken literally, which may be why he has been so often misunderstood and maligned. Perhaps a sampling of what he has to say on a variety of subjects is the best way to present him. 

Even though the 1972 AAU Olympic trials were held in his native Detroit, Schemansky was conspicuous by his absence. He did arrive for the heavyweight and super-heavyweight finals. He hadn't missed competing at all until he saw heavyweights winning with totals barely over the 1100 he was lifting in March of '72. 


On Lifters and Lifting Today

"Some super-heavyweights pressed the same weight, 425 pounds, I pressed 10 years ago weighing 220. That was when the press was strict and without the back bend.

"Lifting has been going downhill since 1952. We are almost a weight class behind the lifters in Europe and Russia now.

"Lifters today don't need a coach, they need a pharmacist. Just look at their eyes and listen to what they say, like that one guy at the '72 Nationals. There are more injuries because of drugs -- and because they try for too much." 


On Coaches

"Instead of one coach, there should be regional coaches, such as Detroit, Los Angeles, York, etc. The only place you can get help is York. Everybody can't just pick up and go there. I'd be willing to be that kind of a coach. There are certainly enough other ex-lifters who could coach and do the same. Divide the money. The desire is an individual one and you need help where you are."


On Officials

Without Bob Hoffman, lifting would be in a sad state of affairs.

"The bad part is that people (officials) who know little about lifting become important figures in the sport and ride to the top on the muscles of the athletes. They're the deltoid warmers." 


On Inconsistent Judges

"Lifting is easy. It's beating the officiating that is difficult."


On Advice for Lifters 

"They're lifting over their capacity. They leave their best lifts in the gym. I could always lift 10% more in competition. Hoffman once said, 'In training he (Norb) looks like he is dying; in a contest, he's a dynamo!' Don't attempt maximums in the gym. Concentrate on doubles, and do, saving a lot of energy. Some members of the team couldn't believe how much more I could do in a contest. I was never burned out. Doubles also develop technique.

"In a contest don't start at maximums. The Russians failed in the Olympics because they started too high." 


On Jon Cole

"Did he look like the strongest man in the world? I pressed 425 ten years ago."


On Norb's Having Been Called the Strongest Man in the World

"Try a better deodorant."


On Longevity

"Davis lasted about 17 or 18 years; Tommy Kono about 14 or 15. I'm talking about higher caliber lifters, not some lifter who hangs around for 20 years and the only thing that goes up is his bodyweight."


On Davis, Bradford and Schemansky

"John Davis appreciated my lifting. Once somebody suggested in 1954 that I reduce to 198 again and Davis remarked, 'Vorobiev doesn't want any part of Ski.'

"In 1960 at Rome, one lifter said that I was about through as a lifter. Jim Bradford told him, 'Ski isn't in the mothballs yet.' I started breaking some world records shortly after. Jim was right.

"Jim would have lifted better and longer, but he had the same problem as most good lifters. He once told me that he was getting a little tired of owing at the gas station, the grocery store, etc."


On Being in the Shadow of Davis and Anderson

"I don't think I was in the shadows of those two. I broke their records, didn't I? Lack of money stopped me from beating Davis in 1950. I had a bad back when Anderson was lifting and couldn't have beaten Truman Capote if I had to."


On Powerlifting

"Power-lifts are half-lifts. What did I do? Oh, 630 in the squat for a couple of  reps, 630 in the deadlift for a couple of reps, 440 on the bench, and 505 with a kick. I didn't train; I just tried them." 

On Bodybuilders vs. Weightlifters

"One tries to look good, the other tries to do good." 


On Isometrics

"Take a heavy press and really press it. And if it doesn't go, that's isometrics."


On Eating at the '64 Olympics

"I didn't go there to plug the toilets."


On an Argument with an Iron Curtain Lifter

"He was braggin' how good he had it. I told him, 'I don't even have a job and I got more than you have.'"


Norb Schemansky has more than most men, Iron Curtain or not. 

He has traveled, survived, and succeeded beyond the realm and capacity of good men who are and become lesser to him. Though some bad memories may remain with him no one can discount his longevity, and his excellence. 

From 1942 to 1968, 26 years, he was 

national champion 9 times
2nd 4 times
3rd only once, and 
4th twice.

For those 10 unaccounted-for years add

3 years of Service
3 years for a back problem
a year for no money, and 
3 years of miscellaneous injuries.

That totals the man's career; a man, who, without injury, and with good luck, could have participated in 7 different Olympics.

Cue the music . . . 





On one of the last days of September, Norbert Schemansky moved out of the gym for good. He took with him the smaller weights which had not found their way into the bags of thieving keyholders, as well as the heavier weights which had been thrust above his head an uncountable number of times. 

No one was there to witness the event. No one waved goodbye. There wasn't anybody there to say something good. 

He moved out as he had begun, alone, quietly, in relative obscurity. 

No one can say that about his career, however. It is unfortunate there wasn't anybody there when he left for the last time to look at his muscular body and arms and say: "You must be somebody." 

Because he is. 


Enjoy Your Lifting!  

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