I have a new job.
Bob Hoffman put me in charge of selling York barbells and dumbbells through the stores. This necessitates a new mode of living for me, as I will be away a lot. For 10 years now I have been an enthusiastic user of weights, built my body from 150 pounds to 238 at the present.
I managed to keep training with weights while I was the physical instructor for the Pennsylvania state police at Hershey, Pa. I found a way to keep training while I was in the Merchant Marine during the war. I trained in my room while I was away at college, but this new work presented training problems for me.
At times I will be in a city where I can visit a public gym, but some of these gyms charge two dollars a workout, and that won't fit my budget. So most of the time I will train in my room at the hotel.
I had a long talk, in fact several long talks with Bob Hoffman (were any of his ever short) about the work I am to do. He told me how he hauled a 105-pound barbell everywhere he went years ago and took it into the hotel rooms where he trained with it. This would not do for me, as I will be riding trains frequently. For a brief interval in Bob's life he took a position as manager of a tire store. Entering into this job with great enthusiasm, he soon had his store leading all the rest. He was appointed supervisor of 16 tire stores. He told me that he carried a tire with him wherever he went. People saw the tire, asked him about it, and he made sales.
So I decided to carry a pair of the new 35-pound Aristocrat dumbbells with me everywhere I go. Partly to impress the store managers or department managers I call upon, partly because I think these dumbbells are the most beautiful I have ever seen and I enjoy carrying them, but mostly because it is a good source of strength and muscle.
Most of you have read in the pages of Strength & Health that . . .
. . . John Y. Smith of Boston won the title, "Strongest Man in New England," when he was 60 years of age, and weighed only 153 pounds. Most of the contests were dead lifting in various forms and John had an extraordinary grip which enabled him to win. And much of this grip was the result of carrying thick-handled dumbbells almost everywhere he went. He kept a pair at the bottom of the stairs and every time he had the occasion to go up the stairs he carried the pair of dumbbells and when he came down, the dumbbells came with him.
So if you see aa big fellow hustling down the street carrying a pair of adjustable dumbbells, with revolving cast polished brass sleeves, with solid machined bars, with an assortment of well made, nicely designed plates there's a good chance it will be Jake Hitchins. Say "Hi" to me for I am always glad to meet another barbell/dumbbell man.
There's a long sales pitch here for Aristocrat dumbbells we can skip.
Dumbbells have always been my favorites, and although I have been a great believer in very heavy dumbbells (which I can not carry with me), I have worked out a course of training consisting largely of leverage exercises which is not only keeping me in condition, but I believe will improve my strength and development.
In the past I usually performed only a few heavy dumbbell exercises, but I did these in five sets of 10 repetitions each and I employed the heaviest dumbbells I could handle.
I would perform the flying exercise with a pair of 100-pounders, alternate presses with 100's, rowing motions with the same weight and on my good days would perform repetition cleans with the same pair.
As the 35-pound dumbbells, the 70-pound pair I am carrying with me, are much lighter than the bells I have been using, I am practicing more exercises.
I have arranged them so that I make only one change of weight after the first six, or perhaps I start right out with the full weight and practice the 12 exercises of this course with the same poundage throughout.
I will list the 12 exercises:
1) Forward raise
2) Lateral raise standing
3) Side swing leaning
4) Two-dumbbell swing
5) Two-arm pullover
6) Lateral raise lying on back
7) Alternate curl & press
8) Upright rowing motion
9) Twisting curl
10) Bentover rowing motion
11) Continuous clean & press
12) Deep knee bend, pressing while rising.
You will notice that these first six exercises re performed with straight arms; what are known as "leverage" exercises. The arms receive a good share of benefit, but the muscles of the shoulders and trunk gain even more.
The muscular attachments of the upper back, chest, sides, and of course the shoulders move the arms, so the entire body is developed through these exercises.
Siegmund Klein never uses more than 20 pounds in these movements, while Steve Stanko, big and powerful as he is, rarely uses more than 25 pounds. I saw him perform all of these exercises with a pair of 40's, but that, he believes, is more than he needs so 25's are his usual weight.
The first two exercises, the forward and lateral raise standing, are wonderful shoulder developers, while the side swing while leaning is one of the best builders of the upper back, the two-dumbbell swing is an extraordinary moulder of the small of the back. the vital region, a builder of strength, endurance and vitality.
While the first six exercises are practiced with the arms straight, every one of the second six place the full arms in vigorous action. The alternate curl and press is a complete arm-and-shoulder developer, and of course the pectoral and upper back muscles receive benefit too, the upright rowing motion develops the entire shoulder assembly, takes the place of the shoulder shrug, develops the deep-lying muscles of the upper arm, the twisting curl is a good developer of all the arm. The regular rowing motion places all the muscles in action in a different way, is especially fine for building the upper arm and the upper back.
Sig Klein considers the continuous pull-up and press with dumbbells to be the best single dumbbell exercise. You'll like it and find that it brings good results. And the deep knee bend and press while rising will develop muscles and improve balance of the body which is an asset in so many ways.
Note: Here are the exercises/lifts in York Course Number Five
from the York Advanced Methods of Weight Training:
1) Thumbs up curl (hammer curl), two dumbbells
2) Two dumbbell press
3) Two dumbbell swing
4) Bent arm pullover, two dumbbells
5) Side bend with one dumbbell
6) Deep knee bend and press, one dumbbell
7) Bentover row, one dumbbell
8) Dumbbell supine press
9) Raise on toes, one dumbbell
10) Continuous pull up and press
11) Situp on bench with dumbbell
12) Deep knee bend, dumbbell overhead.
Here's York Course Number 8, "ONE Heavy Dumbbell Course":
1) Toe touching, one dumbbell overhead
2) Bentover backhand curl
3) Bentover regular curl
4) One arm pull up and press
5) One arm swing
6) Upright row
7) One hand military press
8) One hand swing and split
9) One hand snatch without moving feet
10) Side press
11) Bentover row
12) Side to side bend
Here is a York Arm Developing Course with Dumbbells
note the lifting movements at Number Six:
1) Regular two arm curl
2) Regular press
3) Row
4) DB bench press (they're all dumbbell exercises)
5) Bentover stiff arm side swing. Bent over triceps exercise. Standing with feet a comfortable distance apart, knuckles back, arms bent slightly, straighten arms to the rear. Hold dumbbells in front of body, twist the dumbbells to the right, to the left in a circular motion, raise and lower as a wrist exercise.
6) LIFTING MOVEMENTS: one arm snatch, one arm swing, one arm clean & jerk, one arm military press, side press, bent press, etc., etc., etc . . .
Clickable:
Enjoy Your Lifting!
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