The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban: Reintroduce the Military Press

Here's an article by a guy who, in 1974, is still pretty raw about

the Press getting dropped from Olympic lifting competitions.

People have lifted heavy objects and competed with one another for a very long time this way. Stone-lifting likely dates back to caveman times . . . and why wouldn't it . . . fun is FUN and a challenge is a CHALLENGE, no matter the when, where, or the tools and toys employed and used.

Yeah, yeah, ha-ha-ha, you know what I mean.

Competition weight lifting has fascinated man for hundreds and hundreds of years. During its evolution it has enjoyed the highest and lowest popularity.

Right now in North America, Britain and Continental Europe, weight lifting is not the most popular of sports either from the participation standpoint or from audience attendance statistics.

Things are a little different in Communist countries where weight lifting (in the form of Olympic weightlifting) enjoys a higher degree of popularity.

The reason weight lifting interest has waned in North America and Europe is mainly because it could not compete with the phony spectacular pro sports like pro wrestling, roller derby, hockey and even pro boxing. The pro wrestling and roller derby fiascos are just out-and-out frauds, but then, this is generally accepted and people just watch these dramas for the excitement of seeing people kicking, punching and scratching their way through a contest. Actually, the only time anyone is injured in either of these two "sports" is when a blow that was intended to miss an opponent actually connects - but this is so rare that it hardly exists. Ice hockey (just like whiskey and whisky, there's hockey and hocky and one of 'em's not so better), unless something is done, will go the same way. Fights on the ice are tolerated because it makes the sport more spectacular and draws in more audience money.

This classic one's long and fun. Look at it like a gay bar on Halloween night where everyone dressed as a hockey player. Lotsa liquor and sniff, tempers flared and did I mention the dancefloor's made of ice?

A certain Edward Shack, number 23 for the Toronto Maple Leafs puts in a fine showing

after being double-teamed at the outset of this four-minute or so brouhaha. Shack was functionally illiterate for most of his adult life and went on to use his hockey fame as a spokesperson for literacy programs until his death.

In Communist countries (I know all this stuff already 'cause I watched that 2018 movie "The Death of Stalin"), a player only has to answer back to the referee and he is sent off, penalized, and winds up living the life of Ivan Denisovich for a time. A vida loca of a different sort and the food ain't great.

Pro boxing started to go the wrong way with the ridiculous out-of-ring publicity squabbles and in-ring scuffles, psyching out routines and all the rest of it (that sells tickets and makes it all the more entertaining). But, at the least the big fights appear to be sincere for the most part.

Weight lifting did have its heyday and that too was brought about by a phony drama that surrounded contests. But, this was way back at the turn of the century. Various genuine strongmen called themselves by some biblical or mythological names such as Apollo, Sampson, Attila, etc. They performed at various music hall theaters and although heavy weights were lifted and these men were among the strongest living athletes of their period (that we know of that is, just like all those unknown strong men of today training in private who prefer to remain unknown and left alone), the poundages were indeed exaggerated and there was a lot of hoo-ha drama surrounding challenges, claims and lifting records.

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In the main, the lifts used were single-arm dumbbell lifts to an arms-straight position above the head. These variety-hall promotions were typified by challenges from the audience by other noted strongmen of the era who would immediately lay down money challenges to the delight of the audiences. Not unlike some of the modern day pro-wrestling promotions - only, dare I say it - there was a little more class to these bygone extravaganzas. Good grief, a right elitist here who can't seem to see the athleticism involved in pro wrasslin'. I could give a shite who wins or loses any kind of competition. I mean, come on Buddy . . . are you not entertained? Also, it is not true that Oscar State often filled a silk sock while watching televised wrasslin'.

So, where are we today in the mid-70s?

What has happened to weight lifting?

Who is Oscar State?

Where has the old magic gone?

The magic still exists in Russia because they, as yet, have not allowed bastardized pro-sports to compete with legitimate Olympic sports and don't get me wrong, I am far from being an anti-capitalist pinko.

In North America and Britain, weight lifting is in a great minority. Basically, there are two types of accepted weight lifting competitions currently. The Olympic lifting technique and the power lifting style. Up until recently, the Olympic lifts consisted of three movements: the clean & jerk, press, and snatch. Now, because of the failure of referees to make sure that the military press was performed strictly, this lift has been dropped from the official Olympic program. Can you imagine!

All the referees had to do was to see that the weight was pressed from the shoulders (without stopping), with no back or knee bend.

They couldn't do it, so instead of tightening up the rule, they relaxed it, and allowed a moderate amount of back bend BUT WAIT FOR IT . . .

they couldn't even enforce that.

Soon, we had the ridiculous situation of the military press being performed with fellows leaning back almost horizontal to the floor, with a whiplike bent-knee action which practically threw the bar to arms' length.

The Press had decayed, and as such was thrown out of Olympic competition.

Yes, the end of the Press had arrived, as had this bench-loving gentleman's life.

The guy had his corpse displayed in a rather beautiful way . . . in my view:

Powerlifting, in the form of bench pressing, squatting, and deadlifting is more a test of brute strength. It's without doubt true that there are skills and tricks of the trade involved in powerlifting and that it's not just a matter of gritting your teeth and straining, which can be tough for a corpse to accomplish; HOWEVER, it could be generally accepted that power training does not involve the degree of balance, coordination, flexibility and speed of Olympic lifting. Actually, powerlifting was first formulated by the British, although they included the Curl instead of the Deadlift and called the three lifts the strength set.

The reason for its introduction was to give the bodybuilder a chance to compete in the strength field so that he might measure his progress. This was all well and good in the early days when a physique man could compete and win in bodybuilding AND in strength competitions. But, such is generally no longer the case. With the age of specialization upon us a man has to (oh-oh, said the Renaissance men) devote his training to one or the other, strength or development. He cannot be a world champion in both. Of course he can share an interest in both, and practice both physique and power training, but, if he's serious about winning, he has to specialize. He has to make a choice.

It is obvious that time spent on definition training and "cosmetic" exercise is wasted on the strength aspirant. Likewise it is this author's opinion that the advanced and prolonged performance of the power lifts contribute to the total ruination of physical proportion and attractiveness.

Buddy, slow down now. "Total ruination" . . . A little much there, no?

Virtually all national and international powerlifters per se, have lopsided physiques which are evidenced by huge bulbous chests, massive ham-like thighs and thick (stop drooling!) shapeless torsos. But such is not their concern. Their appearance is just a byproduct of their sport.

This gentleman needs to view more Olympic lifting superheavyweights

and more powerlifting middleweights.

But what if the man interested in maintaining his current muscular physique also wants to compete in strength matches? What lift goes hand in hand with bodybuilding and proportionate physique building?

Our unqualified answer at this point in time is:

THE CLEAN AND MILITARY PRESS, and we mean military - no back bending, no knee bending, strict pressing . . .

M.I.L.T.A.R.Y.

Upper case, period-after-each-letter stuff never fails when

you misspell the word itself.

It is our intention to publicize this lift because we feel:

1) It does not contribute to an over-development.

2) It is a complete "ground to overhead" lift and is visually appealing.

3) I goes hand in hand with proportionate physique development.

At a later date in time, we intend to promote Military Press Competitions.

Okay, okay, this article is from a very early MuscleMag International issue. How many pen names did Robert Kennedy use in the first year? There's a huge timewaster for ya!

At MuscleMag International we feel that the selection of just one lift will make competitions less drawn out, as is the case with other lifting contests. Also, fellows interested in building their bodies can train for strength in this lift without spoiling their proportionate development. In addition, unlike the bench press, squat, or deadlift, the military press is a visually appealing movement. The barbell begins it journey from the floor and ends up at the highest point possible, supported by straight arms overhead.

Oh my god, they're cloning Kennedys! Around this time, a young man named Zulak began to hang around the MMI offices. Bob K was interested in hiring him; he had a fine muscle-writing style but kept insisting on inserting his crappy jokes in the articles he penned for Kennedy . . . which of course had to be edited out. One of his early clunkers featured Roy Rogers and a few hundred clones of his faithful horse Trigger.

Roy was known to have a deep relationship with this horse and every morning went out to the stables with his usual greeting of, "Whaddya figure, Trigger?"

One morning much to his amazement, en route to the stables Roy noticed large numbers of Trigger clones running freely outside the corral, dumping their horseshit everywhere and heading for the city. Not being one to get overly excited, Roy just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Damnable Triggers . . . there goes the neighborhood."

Let me know your thoughts on this proposal to bring back the press. One thing for sure, when these Press competitions are eventually instituted we will not let the movement go the half-assed way of the belated, now no longer with us, Olympic Press.

Amen.

A worthy undertaking and a noble goal back then.

Enjoy Your Lifting!