Reg Park - Joe Weider

 

Joe Weider was quite the marketer. 

Here he is once again claiming anything ever done by a human being throughout all time follows one of his "principles." Some interesting, if not original in any way, training stuff buried in his self-glorifying lies, but depending on your view of the late Joe Weider, you just might wanna read this one on an empty stomach. I worry about Joe over there on the other side, in some heaven/hell scenario, peddling his "Weider Eternal Life Principle" and marketing "Soul-Clean 101" to the unsuspecting heavenly beings bearing harps.

We'd best make use of the Weider Warmup Principle and get in the right frame of mind here before venturing further . . . 

Yes, it's the "Weider Assistance Situp" . . . 

And, as always, no expense was spared in the editing department . . . 

To the article! 

When "Hercules Conquers Atlantis" appears on your local movie screen this summer, the star of it is the biggest star of them all . . . mighty, majestic Reg Park . . . the world's finest example of Weider bulk-power training techniques. 

Now, when I say that Reg is the "biggest" star of them all I do not derogate the considerable acting talents of Steeve Reeves or Lou Degni. I speak here only of actual size, for in that area Reg Park stands supreme.

Bone for bone, inch for inch, pound for pound and muscle for muscle, Reg is incomparable and no, that's not Betty, Ben and Joe in the photo on your right. Therefore I urge every bodybuilder living or dead to see Reg Park in his new film - he's the eighth wonder of the world! 

One particular reason why I would like to have you see Hercules Conquers Atlantis is to discover the almost limitless possibilities that Weider bulk-power methods afford in building a truly Herculean physique.

When that fantastically muscular giant appears on the screen I should like you to reflect that once Reg Park was just an ordinary bodybuilder, with a fair-to-middling build, just like countless thousands of others. 

I should like you to further reflect that even after Reg had won a number of physique contests his build was still not in a class with that of Clarence Ross, Steve Reeves, Jack Delinger - nor any other outstanding star of massive build of that period. In actual muscular massiveness, symmetry and definition, any one of those men was clearly Reg's superior. 

It was at this time that Reg came to the U.S. to train under my direction. Reg instinctively knew that he had not even begun to reach his limit in physical development. The old-fashioned methods he had pursued simply could not project him further than the borderline between "almost great" and true physical magnificence. 

When he could no longer make the progress he felt he could and should make, he arrived from England to be met by me and several other outstanding bodybuilders from Abe Golberg's gym on the lower East Side of New York. 

Never one to stand on ceremony, Reg declined our invitation to tour the city and see the sights. Instead he suggested that we go at once to Abe's gym for a workout. He told us that he had become so enthused in reading about the possibilities of Weider bulk-power methods that he wanted to see these techniques demonstrated and, as he said, "there's no time like right now!"

When we reached Abe's gym the demonstrator we chose was young Marvin Eder, one of our "guinea pigs" who researched Weider bulk-training methods, and "the world's strongest youth" - a well-earned sobriquet for Marv at that time could bench press 475 and perform a standing press of 347! This exceeded the world's record at that time. 

Reg and Marv took to each other like long-lost brothers and as Marv demonstrated the various exercises Reg's eyes almost popped from their sockets as Marv's huge muscles rippled and writhed under heavy exercise. The first exercise I described, and which Marv demonstrated, was the famed biceps exercise, the Zeller Curl. In this curl, a tremendously heavy dumbbell is used. The lifter stands with feet about 18" apart with the foot corresponding to the exercising hand placed slightly forward. With heavy dumbbell hanging on the frontal thigh, the lifter digs his elbow into the side of his waist and "glues" it there during the entire movement. 

Now, by a slight backward thrust of the upper body and a quick "jiggle" of the thigh, the weight is started upward just to the point where the biceps takes over. It is then brought up to the shoulder and returned s-l-o-w-l-y . . . with the biceps resisting all the way. Just before it touches the thigh, the next cheating rep is begun, and so on until 8 to 10 reps have been completed. This one's ALL about the lowering. 

          

Reg began to practice this curl the moment Marv had finished the set, and was thrilled to see how his arms pumped up like never before . . . flushed with a gorge of muscle-building blood that kept them blown up for hours. 

From that moment Reg Park was sold on Weider methods! 

Go Joe, Go! 

When we began discussing and demonstrating new Weider techniques for rapid pectoral development, Reg was in for another surprise. Here, Marv demonstrated the Dumbbell Incline Bench Press and Reg was completely flabbergasted to see Marv's huge pecs ballooning like a pair of Navy blimps! 

At my direction Marv showed Reg the Steve Reeves trick of pulling back the elbows slightly past the shoulders so that the serratus muscles were strongly worked with the pectorals and a greater stretch could be had. Marv also demonstrated how dumbbells work better for a man with Reg's huge chest structure. When the barbell is used the bar stops at the chest before a complete stretching of the pecs is achieved. But by using dumbbells the elbows are free to descend quite low . . . well past the back . . . hence the fullest pectoral stretch is achieved. 

Now, for some bodybuilders it seems virtually impossible to use heavy dumbbells in this exercise . . . it's more difficult to maintain balance. Moreover, others seemingly can't get the weight started upward from a low elbow position, therefore a slight "cheat" is necessary. Thus it was with Reg. 

Oddly, it is almost impossible to cheat in this exercise because the back must lie flat against the incline bench for balance, hence the "cheat" must come from somewhere else . . . from two training partners standing on each side of the lifter.

How is this done? Well, it's really more of a "psychological cheat" than actual muscular assistance. Each training partner "puts just a finger" under the elbow of the trainee, not a hand, nor several fingers, just the forefinger to give assurance that "help" is there if needed. This "psychological security" [what's with all these quotes on everything, buddy] removes the lifter's fear of losing the weight . . . hence the dumbbells go up perfectly and often such "psychological assistance" is never needed again! 

Once the elbows have gotten past the "cheat" the pectorals pull the weight upward. And PULL is just what I mean. The entire force of mental and muscular concentration is focused on the pectorals at this point. They must be commanded to p-u-l-l the dumbbells upward. 

Just me, but wouldn't "push" have been the choice of words here? I sat on an incline bench and tried to "pull" a pair of dumbbells from my chest to lockout. No matter how loudly I "commanded" the buggers it was a no-go, Joe. Best send the Research Clinic a letter on this. 

Okay, here we go with the explanation of "pulling" a press . . . 

It was here that Reg Park learned that the term "incline bench PRESS" is incorrect. It is really an "incline bench pectoral pull." Pardon me? 

Although it is a press in the sense that the triceps work as they do in all forms of pressing, nevertheless, to achieve the full muscle-building effect of this exercise both the mental and muscular contraction must be directed into the pectorals so that they actually P-U-L-L the dumbbells above the chest. I told Reg that if he would always think of it as a Pull rather than a Press it would MAKE him pull. Thereafter, when he had completed 8 sets of the "pull" he was thrilled to see how this bit of psychology had caused his pecs to swell up full, round and flared out into his mighty deltoids! 

I'm sold on this and will be pulling some PR incline DB presses in no time. Oh yeah, oi vey, no way. 

Speaking of the Park deltoids . . . they developed easily and rapidly for Reg. He is that fortunate bodybuilder whose deltoids pump up unbelievably when even when he does no more than just think about them. 

Invariably, Reg's attention was redirected to his arms. They measured 17 inches when he first came to these shores, but after a few months of cheating curls, Zeller curls and the two-dumbbell seated assistance curl they zoomed to well past 19 inches. 

By now everyone knows and uses the Weider Heavy Cheating Curl. Okay. Yes. Absolutely. The Weider Heavy Cheating Curl. But perhaps you don't know the technique of the Assistance Curl. 

Look at this photo in which Marv Elder, oops, there's that no-expense-spared proofing again, supplies the "assistance." Reg sits at the end of the bench grasping two heavy dumbbells. Marv simply "glues" Reg's knees in a stationary position so that the "cheat" will be done only by a slight "twitch-back" of Reg's upper body (Weider Twitch-Back Principle), just enough to get the dumbbells into orbit unto the biceps can take over and complete the curl. No great "sway" back in the cheat, just a slight backward twitch is all that's necessary. 

In triceps work Reg learned the Weider Assistance Triceps Extension and how the great "horseshoe" in the rear of his arms came out! Oh, those miraculous Weider innovations 

and ooh, those damned proofreaders. The photo caption above should read "Weider Assistance Triceps Extension." 

In this movement the lifter lies supine as shown above (fire that proofreader immediately!) with the barbell held at arms' length overhead, elbows locked, and with a training partner "stand-sitting" over the pelvis, hands clasped against the trainee's elbows. This provides maximum concentration of the exercise into the triceps so that all the work is done by these muscles with no "flailing around" with the elbows thereby bringing assistance of other muscle groups. It's pure triceps movement this way. From here, the barbell is lowered to the forehead by the mere bending of the elbows. And on the way back the triceps again "pull" the weight upward. [Okay, okay, now I get ya, Smith, you cagey old staff writer, you. You mean "pulling" the lever of the lower arm up and to lockout. Or "pulling" with the pecs in the DB incline press. Or Larry Scott talking about "pulling" yourself up in a pec dip.] It's in the "pull" that the effect of this exercise is so marvelously felt. Is the love of semantics generally platonic? 

The "assistant" in this exercise is the famed Dom Juliano, the man with the fantastic "around-shoulders" measurement of 56 inches! Dom had a great deal to do with Reg's muscle-building progress because he FED him! As you know, a basic part of any bulk-power program is a high-protein diet. And at Dom's house Reg discovered for the first time the meaning of REALLY high protein or what cannibals call a pothead instead of "edible." 

Although Reg is in no sense poor financially, he felt that to go into a restaurant and order the huge amount of meat he daily required would cause embarrassment to himself and the others since the waiter would undoubtedly call for the men in white(!) when Reg ordered "six large sirloin steaks, please . . . very rare . . . shaken, not stirred . . . bacon, not turnips . . . god told me to kill the American lizard-men . . ."  

Will you bloody well get on with it already! 

Dom, Reg, Protein . . . Reg circumvented this situation by the simple expedient of purchasing raw steaks, large veal cutlets and lamb chops and having Dom, who is also a master chef, cook them. So it was Dom's rich. homestyle cooking as much as our bulk-power methods that helped transform the Park physique into its now-famous greatness. 

I wonder if Weider bothered to actually read much of what went into his mags. Here and there Smith may have taken advantage of that fact and had some fun with it, as he did above in playing down the miracle cure for low gainz that  "Weider" bulk-power training is.

However, with this unusually high in protein diet, s-e-g-u-e, Reg prevented his midsection from thickening by following Marv Eder's abdominal program to the letter. In this, Reg performed just two exercises, but in high sets of high reps.

The first is the Weider Assistance Tickle-Situp, and you'll note in the photo on the left that I'm "assisting" Reg. 

In this type of situp no additional weight is used. The exercise is made progressively more difficult (and therefore more effective) when the assistant raises the exerciser's feet inch-by-inch with each succeeding rep. This provides a COMPLETE abdominal squeeze which is not possible with regular, feet-stationary situps. These latter situps engage only the upper two layers of abdominals, whereas the Weider Assistance Situp, by causing a great frontal arc of the body, forces the lower layers to get into the act. 

Sheesh, Joe, my feets ain't gettin' assista-tickled but I'm still laughin' out loud over here! 

The other abdominal exercise in Reg and Marv's program is the Hanging Leg Raise. Both situps and leg raises are done for a total of 50 reps per set, with about six sets comprising the entire abdominal workout. 

There is one exercise to which Reg became addicted, and which has probably done more to widen his ribcage than any other. It's the 

WEIDER CROSS-BENCH PULLOVER WITH DUMBBELL. 

I swear to God I've never laughed this loud with my socks on. 

In this exercise the bodybuilder lies across rather than along the bench. The top of the shoulders should be exactly on the end of the bench as shown, with the head OFF the bench and allowed to hang slightly downward. 

A heavy dumbbell is grasped under the plates with both hands, with thumbs around the handle. Hold the bell over the chest with elbows locked. This is the starting position. Now, slightly unlock the elbows and allow the bell to travel downward as far as you possibly can. It is important that you seek a continuing downward pull, for only by this technique can you spread the ribcage and widen the lats at the same time. 

Be sure that you feel a terrific stretch in the pecs and sternum as the bell is at its lowest position. The P-U-L-L the weight back to starting position. Do NOT press it. Think p-u-l-l and make the pectorals do ALL the work.

As you see Reg performing this exercise, note how amazingly wide the lats are pushed out, and how the sternum seems almost split between the two pectorals. This is chest expansion par excellence. Reg never fails to include this exercise in his workouts. 

Of course, there are many exercises that Reg had already learned in England . . . the famous Reeves Curl or Incline Bench Dumbbell Curl as it is also known. It's one of Reg's favorites just as it is Steve's. This first-name-basis BS can get annoying, eh. Highly irregular. I propose we give each champion a number and from here on and into the eternal and never-setting suns we refer to them by their numbers. So . . . It's one of 2314's favorites just as it is 521's. Much better. 

All kinds of leg exercises are popular with Reg, and some that he learned exclusively from us will be detailed in a future issue. I think you will be interested in learning how Reg discovered the effectiveness of the Triple Sissy Squat and how amazingly it pumped up his tremendous thighs . . . and how he performs the Assistance Heel Raise . . . the exercise that has largely been responsible for 2314's 18.5" calves! 

These, and many other interesting Reg Park exercises will be thoroughly explored and demonstrated . . . be sure to read us next month*

Enjoy Your Lifting!  

*part of the Weider Chronological Assistance Principle that includes, days, hours, and minutes. 

Film

https://www.lookmovie2.to/movies/play/1692278012-the-mighty-angel-2014

Book

A candid, caustic, intensely human depiction of alcoholism. The novel, which offers no excuses, is as funny as it is gruesome and tragic. In addition to being an alcoholic, Jerzy is addicted to words. This interferes with his ability to lead a fully engaged life as much as his fondness for vodka does . . . 

https://annas-archive.gl/slow_download/9e829c1a9cc1562d177230af7cd2bbc5/0/2? 

  

 

Beginner Grip Routine - David Horne (2005)

 

David Horne's 14-part Iron Grip Course

This is what I would advise to the pure beginner to start with, for a good few months before he decides on the specific path he wants to choose. I think this will stop a lot of injuries that are happening due to imbalances between certain areas. 

Exercises

1) Two hands pinch lift for holds. Use work gloves to protect your skin.

2) Finger curls with an Olympic bar. Hold it on the last set when you can't do anymore finger curls. 

3) Two hands wrist curl. Normal, with a comfortable range of motion. Do not let the bar go into your fingertips here, also do them with your thumb under the bar as you are training your wrists and don't want to fight against the thumb digit on top of the bar. 

4) Two hands reverse wrist curl. 

Do the pinch holds for 10-15 seconds, and the other exercises for 15-20 reps. 

How often? 

I would do them 3 times a week if you can, but twice a week if you're struggling with this. 

How many sets of each? 

I would say 3 sets per exercise, which you should easily be able to do quickly. If this is a struggle then go down to 2 sets. 

What about crushing? 

The "crushing" exercise is finger curls with an Olympic bar. This is an easy exercise to learn for the beginner and doesn't have the techniques of setting, etc. Grippers can be brought in later when you want to excel at this implement. 

Why the gloves worn with pinching? 

You can easily tear the skin between the index finger and thumb, which would put you out of action, especially since you will be pinching 3 times a week. The initial program for beginners is all about strengthening, and the gloves will make it a tougher exercise, but safer for the skin. 

Should I do all the exercises on one day? 

Yes, in the order I stated. 

Enjoy Your Lifting! 

Grandpa Grimek and I - Gennady Baldin (1998)

 

The author, on the right in shades. 

World weightlifting championships, Gettysburg, 1978. 

Interesting choice of music. 

Times flies, and now it's time to reminisce. 

And I can see, as if it were yesterday, the landing of the USSR weightlifting team, for which I served as a massage therapist, in the USA, or more precisely, in historic Gettysburg, where the world championships were taking place. 

Before the competition, as you can imagine, training was very necessary, and our hosts didn't shortchange the strongmen in this regard. They were admitted to the training center of the famous Bob Hoffman who, as we know, was the "father" of American weightlifting, a man who invested significant sums of his own hard-earned business wealth into its development. I'll note in passing that it was Hoffman who discovered and subsidized the great Tommy Kono, and it was Hoffman who introduced the world to Paul Anderson. 

But I'm talking about something else. I dabbled, and I'm not ashamed to admit it today, in bodybuilding, which was very highly regarded in our country for a time. I even ran a section on it at one point in "Sports Life of Russia." Then I headed a commission of bodybuilding veterans. 

And here . . . in a small American town, they point out a handsome older man to me and say, "That's John Grimek." 

It was crazy! The name was so familiar to me. Bodybuilding wasn't a favorite sport among the authorities of my country at that time, and here I was shaking hands with this legendary man, John Grimek. 

I'll say right away what struck me immediately. At 68 years old, Grimek stood out from the crowd with his size still. We were introduced to him by John Terpak, a Ukrainian by birth, a renowned light-heavyweight lifter and alas, like Grimek, far from young. 

John Grimek, Glenn Marlin

Even a short conversation with the master rewarded me with a lot of priceless info. Grimek asked about my training methods and gave me a whole lecture on training methods for different muscle groups. He dictated a system of original exercises for each muscle group, stipulating that this was a purely individual matter. What worked for him might not work for me, and having studied my build, character and temperament, albeit in a short conversation, he was able to give me very specific recommendations. 

He talked with me about strengthening my abdominal muscles. He showed me a special device for securing my feet to a chinning bar, a special kind of rigid boot, the lifter hanging upside down under the bar and lifting his torso as high as possible.

Before long, a bet was proposed. Of course! It was for a can of Coke. Who could do the most triceps pressdowns on the cable machine? We had already done a deadlift challenge and my elderly opponents offered me, a young man, a 20-30 kg handicap on the deadlift. I was humbled quickly, but very satisfied in having learned so much from this almost fleeting encounter. 

Grimek then invited me on a short tour of the editorial offices of "Muscular Development" magazine, located right there in the Hoffman Weightlifting Center. "Strength & Health" magazine was also the brainchild of Papa Bob Hoffman. I toured all the departments, seeing how everyone worked and what they did. Grimek gave me some photos as a souvenir; one still hangs on my wall, and also one of a very young Schwarzenegger whose fame was just beginning to blossom. 

Hoffman, it must be said, was a sight to behold, even though he was approaching 80. A philanthropist, much like Savva Morozov. He ran a museum at his center, even a protein production facility, even gave me a container, thank you. Most lifting enthusiasts back then couldn't even dream of such things. At his advanced age, he demonstrated the bent press for me; amazing flexibility. And he still had much of his strength. 

What else to remember . . . Bob Hoffman invited our entire team to a restaurant for his 80th birthday. 

    Unbeknownst to many, Bob Hoffman

was Mike O'Hearn's granddad. 

 A great restaurant! The ambiance was beer mugs on the ceiling and walls, in a pseudo-folksy atmosphere with topnotch food. But drinking, which, frankly, we had been hoping for, was a no-no. Coca-Cola, juices and the like. I hinted that the masseur and trainer don't go out on the platform to lift, that we could relax a bit and they took a friend and I to a private booth and treated us to some fine beer. Rudy Plukfelder, my counterpart, drank some beer and left, and I, being a jokester by nature pretended to be completely drunk, saying I couldn't make it to my own two feet; I was swaying and stumbling. The party was amazed, wondering how anyone could get so drunk on Coke and juice. I think they were actually envious, to be honest, but then we sorted it out, laughed, and for a long time after that our super-heavy Sultan Rakhmanov would say to me at meetings, "Come on, Petrovich, pretend you're visiting Hoffman." 

And that was around 1978. Not so long after, 20 years later I was in Atlanta at the Olympic games, again as a weightlifting coach and masseuse. I ran into an old friend, Tommy Kono. We hugged. He said, "You know, our John Grimek is alive and well, even though he's almost 90. Whenever we meet, he remembers you, Petrovich, and your jokes and kind words." 

I was very pleased to hear this. 

Enjoy Your Lifting! 

Today's breaking news of the world . . . 

Lock down the crisp warehouses STAT and be on the lookout 

for a group of very jolly men in trucks. 

My Own Style - David Rigert

 

I've read more than once that David Rigert lifts record-breaking weights with enviable ease, with a smile on his face. 

It's nice to hear that. 

Who really wants to watch someone strain themselves? It's a completely different story when they lift enormous weights as if frolicking and playful! 

And the photographs confirm it. Aren't there enough pictures in newspapers and magazines of Rigert holding a barbell over his head, grinning from ear to ear as if he were lifting not a heavy object but, say, a couple of bouquets of fragrant flowers? 

One day I was relaxing in a hotel room and I heard the maid say to someone: "Keep banging away with that bucket and mop! There's a strongman, a champion, living in that room over there. He broke a record yesterday, I watched it on TV. He lifted a barbell, and then tossed it! Can you imagine how much strength that takes? He tossed the barbell, honestly!"

And indeed, I did pull off such a little trick. I manage, say, a record-breaking snatch. I catch my balance in the squat, spring up, hold it, and stand up, with the weight above my head, of course. That's it, the job is done, white lights flash, the weight is counted. I can lower the weight . . . 

Many try to get rid of it as quickly as possible, as if it were an annoying and unsafe burden. But you have to respect the barbell. So I perform a little trick that Plyukfelder taught me back in the day: I squat slightly and, springing my legs, catch the weight on my chest. It feels as if I've actually thrown it! And then I carefully lower it back onto the platform. The spectators always love it, and you shouldn't forget the spectators. 

Of course, when the barbell is overhead, the weight is locked in place, why not smile? Especially since at that moment the athlete isn't exerting much effort; it's all over. But I have photos, I rarely show them, and I don't show them to everyone, of my face close up. Looking at them, I feel uneasy too . . . it's distorted by a grimace of inhuman tension. This is the moment when the barbell "lifts." In a moment, the enormous weight will land in my hands, and I'll start to rise. This movement lasts for hundredths of a second, but in those moments, believe me, there's no time for smiles. In a few seconds I'll be "tossing" the barbell, radiating joy and energy, and the spectators will remember it. And the grimace, well, it will flicker and disappear. 

An athlete's signature style is made up of many details. Some say that weightlifting competitions aren't particularly interesting to watch. Is that really true? 

I was ready to hang around the hall, especially near the warmup platforms, from the beginning to the end of the championship, every day. Incidentally, my coaches had long since given up on me. They once tried to convince me that I shouldn't waste my nervous energy, since I had to compete myself and for the national team at that. But instead of lounging in the hotel and building up my strength, I waste it so unwisely.

But I've never thought so, never thought that. Firstly, it's still unclear what's worse: sitting in your hotel room and endlessly thinking about your upcoming performance . . . or being in public, distracted from obsessive thoughts and worries. 

And secondly, where else but at major competitions can an athlete gain insight and learn from others? I've competed in eight world championships. Not everyone can boast of such longevity in sports. So what would you have seen if you arrived at the hall just in time for your start? The best athletes in the world parade before you. They represent the leading coaching schools of various countries . . . 

Watch, learn, adopt the best, and discard the outdated. 

Of course, it also depends on personality: if a weightlifter gets worked up, it's best not to let him into the hall to watch someone else's performance. But I taught myself to watch the most important competitions with a cool head and, over time, even began assisting the national team coaches as an assistant. For example, I've often "led" my good friend featherweight Nikolai Kolesnikov onto the platform. They trusted me to assist flyweights and keep relaxed. But I wasn't eager to assist in the middleweight class anymore; after all, that was once my weight class. I would start to get nervous and anxious. As they say, there's a limit to everything.

Frankly, I love "grounded" athletes. Our own Yuri Vardanyan, for example, is one such athlete. He often leads his fellow countrymen onto the international stage. He knows them inside-out and has constantly monitored the development of these extraordinary athletes, world champions. Vardanyan, too, apparently, isn't afraid to let his emotions run wild on the eve of an important competition. He knows how to manage them and doesn't get too excited. Two-time Olympic champion Noreir Nurikyan excelled in this regard for the Bulgarian national team. And it's no coincidence that he's now an assistant to the renowned Ivan Abadzhiev, head coach of the Bulgarian's national team.

I'm saying that weightlifting competitions aren't boring. You just have to know how to watch them. After all, every athlete has his own style, isn't it interesting to compare them? 

Take, for example, Gennady Bessonov, getting ready to take the platform. I've never been able to capture those moments when he's getting ready to enter the gym; lo and behold, Genna is already there. Only the coach, Victor Dorokhin, stands tensely frozen backstage. Such is their unobtrusive demeanor; coach and athlete in the warmup room. Bessonov doesn't like anyone touching him before the start, be it a coach or a massage therapist. Sergei Poltoratsky had the same habit. He even had a theory: if they touch you, they've taken away your strength! 

Meanwhile, Valery Shariy is getting ready to take the stage. Or, more accurately, he's being prepared. Two people are rubbing Valery's legs, two are massaging his arms, and the trainer, a huge, dark-browed man named Pavel Zubrinin, is tearing at his trapezius muscles with his large hands and rubbing his ears with the energy of a Native making fire. All the while, he manages to whisper passionate words . . . One day, somewhere abroad, Igor Kudyukov, then the head coach of the national team, took on the job of masseur for Shariy. Any athlete becomes demanding during competition. So, Valery kept hoarsely commanding, "Harder! More!" Igor Savvich was sweating, finally getting him into the swing of things - a master of sport, after all - and now Valery was croaking in fear, "Easy! Easy!" 

You see, this particular approach to training suits Shariy; otherwise, he wouldn't pull the weight. But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else blindly. Yes, strength can increase with this sort of frantic "pumping" - but you lose coordination and self-awareness - things that are, in my opinion, more important. 

One time, the film actor Mikhail Zharov came to visit us at the Podolsk sports center. He performed for a very short time, maybe five minutes, but in those five minutes we felt as if we'd known each other for a long time. That's what the charm of an extraordinary personality means!

"We have related professions," Zharov said casually. I'm a bit of an athlete, you're a bit of an artist . . ."

One can feel that a person such as this knows life beyond textbooks. 

Perhaps, with all our high-profile athletic titles, we can be a bit of an artist. People come to the arena to watch the athletes, their struggles, their performance styles. This is what interests the spectators first and foremost, not the number of kilos we lift. And every athlete, especially the great ones, must, I suppose, cultivate their own image. Unfortunately, we rarely think about this, and we don't hear much thoughtful advice from others. But little by little, as best we can, we do create this image. And this has probably always been the case.

Unfortunately, I was not acquainted with the renowned post-war lifter Grigory Novak. But here's what he once told a journalist friend of mine:

"Where's there's smoke, there's fire, of course. Why did they always make up all sorts of things about me? Well, popularity, of course. But there's another side to it. I've always been a bit of a performer. People were eager to come the the competition, knowing Novak would be performing. And if there was an opportunity to somehow shake up the crowd, I didn't miss it. 

"Sometimes it would happen completely unexpectedly, and everyone thought it was supposed to be that way. For example, one time during an exhibition I was doing a snatch. Suddenly, I lost my balance, the barbell flipped upside down, and - crashed through the stage floor. The audience laughed and applauded. 

"Or, I remember, I was performing at the Krylia Sovetov Sports Palace. The house, as always, was packed. I was in excellent shape, setting a world record in the press,  and planning to go for the clean & jerk record. The judges unanimously okayed the lift, but instead of lowering the bar, I did a couple of overhead push presses. I was kind of kidding around. And then . . . the bar flew apart in my hands! This happened to me only once in my lifetime, but I kept my composure and bowed to the crowd. "Soviet Sport" wrote about it, saying that Novak had begun performing like a clown.

"I was flattered: a good clown is not the least of people." 

Montreal Olympic champion Petr Korol also liked to turn his performance into a little spectacle when the opportunity arose. He was a natural eccentric and very humorous, able to find humor where no one else could. Such people are desperately needed on a team, especially before major competitions, when the guys were already starting to look down at their feet, and the start was still a long way off. But when Korol appeared, everyone would be laughing within minutes. How he managed to combine his fierce fighting spirit on the platform with his witty jokes, only he knew. But when our King was in form, it was something to behold. 

He was competing abroad one day at a very important tournament. He was going for a world record in the clean & jerk. He locked out the bar, lowered it, straightened up, and made a face: phew, done! There were no humorous judges among the panel that evening. They deliberated sullenly, and disallowed Petr's attempt.

But he still had one attempt left. A couple of minutes later, the blond, rosy-cheeked master lifter reappeared on the platform. The demon wouldn't let him go! Pyotr walked toward the bar, almost marching, his expression a little more serious than required. He gave the weight a firm pull, locked it out, lowered it, and immediately half-turned to face the head judge, frozen at attention. The weight was okayed. Then he leaned over the barbell and cheerfully patted it on the "cheek" - as if to say, "Thank you, my dear, you didn't let me down!"

The audience was delighted. 

In general, sport is a fun thing, and it should be presented as cheerfully and tastefully as possible. Sometimes you read a writeup and feel terrible for yourself: such a gloomy "plowman" and nothing more. And the spectators come to the competition to rejoice at our prowess. Of course, it's not necessary to make them laugh, and very few can succeed at that. 

But we must lift their spirits with our lifting.  

I can name dozens of lifters who handled this superbly, and often without any outward show. Estonian strongman Jaan Talts was never a joker, nor known for his verbosity. But watching him compete, and not just compete, but watching this renowned weightlifter warm up was a tremendous pleasure. A supremely honed movement, elegance, and boundless self-confidence, that's what Talts exuded on the platform. And the crowd, sometimes unconsciously understood and appreciated this. People always eagerly anticipated going to see Talts perform.

Leningrad's Pavel Pervushin was even less flashy. He competed in the light-heavyweight division and seemed to do nothing special on the platform. He walked out, lifting himself fully erect, bowed . . . and the crowd was in complete awe! And yet, a silly arm injury ended his brilliant athletic career so early. But we remember how our Pashka, strong of spirit, conquered Madrid at the '73 European championships. He set three world records there! 

But, as in any endeavor, one must avoid going overboard. Some of our fellow weightlifters are not averse to showing off, to display a certain bravado, even casualness. They're powerful, handsome guys, but when they start to puff themselves up, to feign pride and self-importance, it seems their beauty rapidly evaporates. You also have to embrace the role of a great athlete. Otherwise, it's nothing more than a show, and it's no wonder these lifters never become true masters. 

But they could. 

I don't know if I had any "image" on the platform. I never thought about it. But there was definitely a performance ritual. It's essential for any athlete and develops over the years through self-discovery. 

I'm rereading the 1975 issue of the magazine "Sports Life in Russia." Mikhail Govorkov's short article is dedicated to the weightlifting competition at the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR . . . 

"On the day of his performance on the Spartakiad platform, Honored Master of Sports from the city of Shakhty, David Rigert, felt a little unwell. He showed up to the weigh-in without much emotion, then went upstairs, had a little snack, went into his room and fell asleep.

"The slumber lasted twenty minutes. Two hours later a TASS correspondent announced, 'Two new world records for light-heavyweight athletes were set in Balashikha: 217.5 kg in the clean & jerk, and 395 kg in the total. David Rigert set both." 

Misha Govorkov knows weightlifting well, but he was a bit off here. I didn't feel any discomfort. I just always needed a little nap before starting. I learned long ago to switch off for half an hour before a hard workout or competition. It relieves stress wonderfully, but I know it's not for everyone. 

You need to learn to keep yourself focused until you step onto the platform. Many people start mentally lifting weights days, even weeks before a competition! Naturally, they burn out and end up empty-handed. It's important to control yourself, to stop your mind in time and bring yourself to the reality you seek. 

A clear performance plan, your own techniques and rituals are important and necessary - all this gives confidence, and develops the signature style of the lifter.  

I come out from behind the curtains. Slowly, I rub my hands with chalk, walking and carefully inspecting the boards. There was an instance where one of them stuck out a few millimeters and I caught it during a snatch - the world record was ruined. So, these "walks" aren't mechanical movements at all. At the same time, I'm psyching myself up to fight the weight. Gradually, all the energy converges toward the barbell . . . all the rest floats away.

This is what Leonid Pleshakov wrote in Smena magazine . . . the article is dedicated to Yuri Vardanyan but there's a little about me too: 

"David Rigert was always an idol for Yuri. Not just for his victories, but also for his performance style. He would step onto the platform to compete, completely disconnected from everything: the spectators, the judges, the photojournalists. It seemed as if at that moment in the enormous Sports Palace, noting existed for David except him and the weights." 

Well, if you mean the exact moment I grab the bar, then perhaps that's true. Especially if the weight is a record. But generally, during a performance, both the spectators and the judges remain a reality for me. We don't perform for each other. The popularity of weightlifting depends on how we behave, how we look, and that's a special concern. Looking at a frowning man, detached from everything in the world, isn't a very pleasant sight. Even before an attempt that could give or take everything away, I bow to the audience; briefly, reserved. And when, after my final attempt, the spectators rise to their feet to leave, I often say to the coach: 

Come on, call for a world record! Let the audience stay for a while longer! And the judges, how could anyone forget them? I remember walking out onto the podium at the World Championships in Manila at the end of the competition. I bowed to the spectators, then to the impeccably-dressed judges, and saw them nodding primly in response. On my first attempt at a press - it hadn't been abolished yet - I felt like I'd slammed the bar upward so hard I'd have to hold on! I thought three red lights were guaranteed, but no, three white ones came on. How could such a group of polite, well-dressed fellows not have counted the attempt as good? Judges are people too. 

Generally, when an athlete wins over the audience, performing is much easier. At the very least, you're almost assured of avoiding unkind shouts, whistles and hecklers. As you well know, sometimes the crowd wants you to fail, and your opponent to succeed. A shout from the audience can, of course, dampen the mood. But it depends on the importance of the attempt. If, say, it's a decisive one, if I'm already feeling elated, then even if the whole room stood on its head I wouldn't notice. 

Courage is great, but I don't focus on my own feelings. I keep a close eye on my opponents, both during their warmups (which can sometimes tell me everything, or almost everything) and, if possible, when they take the stage. There's usually a TV in the warmup room; the small screen makes everything perfectly visible, so I don't have to run to the wings every time. However, I do so if there's no TV. That is, if the opponent is a worthy one to be wary of. I need this to assess their strengths myself, to estimate their current capabilities. Based on this, I'll formulate my tactics. You might say that's what a coach and a cornerman are for. Of course, and I trust them, but I also trust my own judgement.

Have you ever seen Yuri Vardanyan walk onto the stage with his hair unkempt? Exactly. At the very last moment, he'll ask the masseur for a comb, and our trusty assistant, Gennady Baldin, already has it handy. How could it be otherwise? A true athlete would never allow himself to appear in public with a rumpled, sweaty gym uniform and his hair disheveled. Many lifters even have their own style of dress, and it can be used to distinguish us. For example, for a while, I couldn't compete without a sailor's shirt under my tights. Some sailors game me one at the European championships in the Romanian port of Constanta. And for quite a while the sailor's shirt became something of a talisman for me. It looked pretty, too; blue stripes and red tights. But then I noticed that the gyms were starting to have too many blue stripes on a red background. 

I read somewhere how our Olympic champion, equestrian Elena Petushkova, once complained: "I walk into the stadium and see only Petushkovas on the horses, it's downright creepy! The young riders tried to copy everything from the popular rider's hairstyle to her mannerisms. Something similar happened to me.

One day, during a national team training session, I was watching the VCR screen as I performed clean & jerks. I was quite pleased with the starting position and the pattern of movements. Only at the very end, when the bar was lowered to the platform, was I astonished to see the the lift was performed not by me, but by Vardan Militosyan! This talented guy and I bear a slight resemblance in appearance. And the rest, he copied perfectly. Right down to the fact that, just like me, he spend a long time "getting used" to the bar, and then, moving down quickly grabbed the bar!

Actually, I loved standing over the barbell before a lift. I guess I got that from my teacher, Rudolf Plukfelder. He couldn't stand any fuss on the platform; he was like a monk there, and he got into the right frame of mind that way. And I imagine the crowd too was imbued with a sense of the moment's significance. 

I couldn't do my best without getting into the right frame of mind in the stadium, either. Sometimes, there were only a few seconds left when the momentum began. Unable to bear it, people in the audience would shout, "PULL!" It's important to seize the moment, and it's very difficult to explain . . . 

Now you've grabbed the hard steel bar. 

Now the game will be completely different. 

A man's game with heavy iron . . . 

You and the barbell. 

You lift it, or it lifts you.

There will be no third option.

Enjoy Your Lifting!