Bigger Arms

There is another way to guarantee bigger, fuller, more powerful arms, and here it is.

Abs and Uncle Buddy

I believe that you have to work your abs diligently if you want to keep them strong. A flat stomach doesn’t necessarily mean you have strong abs – and if you’re planning on squatting, pulling or pressing heavy weights, you absolutely must have strong abs.

I was reminded of the value of midsection training and the need to so something for all the various parts of the abdominals when Uncle Buddy came for his semiannual visit. For once he’d actually sent me a fax to warn me that he was coming. Usually he just shows up at my door unannounced. On this occasion he needed someone to pick him up at the dock in Baltimore and, two days later, deliver him to Philadelphia International Airport.

High Pulls and Shrugs

All serious strength athletes include at least one dynamic pulling exercise in their routines. They understand that by handling heavy weights in an explosive fashion, they build much stronger and more functional muscles. Of course, some sports require more powerful back, hip, leg and shoulder muscles than others. Those who participate in contact sports absolutely must prepare their entire bodies for stress on the playing field, and Olympic-style weightlifting is all about developing the muscles and attachments used in pulling big numbers in the snatch and clean.

Gaining Muscular Bodyweight

A warm breeze, coming directly off the blue Pacific, made its way up the side of Mt. Haleakala and flowed into my room. I was at my typewriter, attempting to catch up on my correspondence. By glancing to my left, I could see over the tops of the eucalyptus forest and pineapple fields to the Pacific coastline that makes up the back of the neck of the island of Maui. It is a splendid scene to behold.

I was on a good roll when a blue pickup pulled in the lane of Camp Coryell and the seven resident dogs went into a frenzy of yapping. Camp Coryell isn’t actually a camp, but rather the residence of my hosts. But they have so many visitors of late that the name seemed most appropriate.

Arthur, the son of one of my friends, got out of the pickup and tapped on my open door.

Banish The Bench

From the title of this piece you might assume that I’m anti-bench press. That isn’t the case. I include the bench in all my athletes’ strength routines and will feature it in a future article. This discussion, however, is for people who can’t do bench presses because of a chest or shoulder injury. The problem may be due to a mishap on the playing field or faulty bench press form. Shoulder injuries are very common in athletes who play contact sports. I’ve had years where as many as 15% of my athletes were unable to do flat bench presses.

This discussion is also for athletes who don’t want to include flat bench presses in the routines or want to use them as an auxiliary rather than primary exercise. Olympic weightlifters, for example, typically shun flat benches because they tend to tighten their shoulders and make jerking and snatching more difficult. In addition, unless they’re heavyweights, competitive lifters have to be in constant control of their bodyweight in order to make weight for their classes. They don’t want to add pounds to their chest, since the pectorals contribute nothing toward helping them elevate more weight overhead. Many basketball players avoid the exercise because, they say, it restricts their range of motion for shooting and rebounding. Even if you don’t fall into one of those categories, you may enjoy benches but have gone stale on them and want to change your routine around for a while.

The Deadlift – Part One

In the minds of a great many people who train with weights, the deadlift is the exclusive domain of powerlifters. Few people include it in their programs, even if they’re primarily interested in gaining size and strength. In many gyms the deadlift is considered dangerous and not allowed. Then, of course, there’s the group that avoid it for a more basic reason — it’s taxing.

In fact, the deadlift is one of the very best core exercises in all of weight training, and it belongs in everyone’s routine, even trainees who aren’t interested in building great strength. What makes the deadlift so beneficial is that it involves so many large muscle groups — and since you can use a good deal of weight, it strengthens all he groups rather nicely.

The Deadlift – Part Two

In my first installment on the deadlift, I presented some of the reasons why the deadlift is a useful exercise for anyone interested in improving overall strength, and I discussed some technique tips. This article will is aimed at people who are already doing deadlifts as part of their routine, lifters who would like to move their numbers up or include more variety in their back programs.

Ageless Strength Training – Part 1

Considerations for the Older Athlete

Everyone who does any type of weight training is seeking greater strength to some degree. Strength enables you to handle heavier weights and larger workloads, which in turn makes you more proficient in any sport you choose. It results in a feeling of pride and accomplishment. To be able to say that you can bench-press 400 pounds or squat 500 elevates self-esteem.

The strength that you gain through countless hours of hard work and dedication is something you value and want to retain for as long as possible. When we’re young or even in our 20s, 30s and early 40s, we’re optimistic that we’re going to be able to stay strong and perhaps even increase the numbers on certain lifts in the future. Unless something interrupts regular training, that’s what happens.

Ageless Strength Training – Part 2

Last month I noted the many difficulties facing older athletes who are trying their best to retain a certain level of strength fitness: the loss of muscle mass, flexibility, balance and endurance, as well as the decreasing amount of testosterone from age 40 on and the wide assortment of degenerative joint diseases. Then there are all those injuries, big and small, that add up over the years.

The negatives make it harder for people in their 50s, 60s and 70s to achieve the goal of remaining active and fit. Yet it can be done and is being done by countless older athletes.

Tailoring Your Program

Tommy Suggs and I have known each other since we were collegiate lifters in Texas. When he brought me to the York Barbell Company in 1965 to be his assistant editor at Strength & Health magazine, we started training together. It didn’t take Tommy long to figure out that I was an overachiever in the gym. He quickly determined that he didn’t need to do as much work as I did in order to be successful. He made it a rule to do half of what I did.