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Welcome to yourfree, electronic,sample issue of

HARDGAINER

September-October 2002Vol. 14 No. 2

2 Editorial3 Duckett Tools of the Trade8 Steiner Is there an Ideal Training Program?

11 McRobert Words of Caution14 Christy The Art of Concentration, Part 216 Ravelle In Search of the Golden Calf20 Whelan Bob Whelan’s Q&A25 Conner The Deadlift28 McRobert Miscellany of Topics #132 Vallejo From the Grassroots, I34 Leistner The Steel Tip37 Bass From the Grassroots, II41 Steiner Aging and Training, Part 244 Forum

issue #80

Publisher and EditorStuart McRobert

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Copyright © HARDGAINER 2002. All rights reserved.

DisclaimerAll articles, letters and advice

provided in HARDGAINER

represent the opinions of theauthors, and are not

necessarily endorsed by CS Publishing and Stuart

McRobert. None of theseopinions should be viewed asbeing definitive, or as medicaladvice. Proceed with caution,

and at your own risk.

HARDGAINER2

For many years I was a harsh criticof anyone who didn’t complywith my standards for a

satisfactory physique. Whether peoplewere clothed or at a pool or beach, I wasunable to see anyone without passingjudgement (in my mind) on their bodies.This came from years of beingmesmerized by famous physiques inbodybuilding magazines and books, andapplying those standards to both myselfand other people. I was scornful ofanything less than a super physique. As aresult I was never satisfied, either withmyself or anyone I saw. I even found faultwith elite competitive bodybuilders. Therewas no end to my dissatisfaction.

Comparing myself with an unattainablestandard led, at times, to hatred of my ownphysique. My standards made me unhappy,and for many years I failed to appreciatewhat I and others had achieved, much ofwhich was impressive and worthy of respect.

While elite competitive bodybuilding wasmy ideal, different trainees have differentstandards of what’s ideal for them, but theend result of self-shame and continualdissatisfaction is commonly the same.

Living in sunny Cyprus I see manypeople in minimal clothing at pools, beachesand other tourist areas. Never have I seen aphysique that would meet the standards Iused to have. But I see many people—alluntrained—who are, apparently, morecomfortable with their bodies than I used to be with mine even though I was well-trained. They seem better off than I waswhen I strove for the impossible and yet nomatter how much improvement I achieved, I was never satisfied.

This isn’t, however, to say that all theaforementioned people are happy withtheir bodies. Either way, I no longer lookupon untrained people with scorn forrevealing their bodies. I can now lookupon them without judgement.

I still prefer well-trained bodies, butI’m savvy enough to know that whileseeking self-improvement and building aleaner, fitter and better-developedphysique is desirable, seeking “perfection”and making comparisons with physiquechampions is usually destructive.

This isn’t to say that I should acceptlow standards, or stop training because“perfection” is out of reach. Far from it. Istill challenge myself and train hard,though in different ways to years gone by.A well-trained body provides manybenefits and is highly desirable providingthat the benefits aren’t undone by self-torture from continual dissatisfaction.

I’m now more at ease with myself andothers. I’m better able to live with the realityof my own genetic endowment and the lackof interest in training shown by most people.I no longer compare myself and others withabsurd ideals. As a result I’m no longertormented with the discrepancy betweenreality and the fanciful.

Something to think aboutBy Stuart McRobert

EDITORIAL

3

It was the middle to late 1990swhen I came to my senses andtotally changed the way I trained.

A new armory of exercises entered myroutine—movements I had to master,equipment I had to become a craftsmanin, in order to gain the utmost benefit.I’ve never looked back.

By reading an account of some ofthese changes you may pick up a tip ortwo to aid you in your own quest forstrength, size and health. It was onlythrough reading, studying andexperimenting that Icame across thechanges in the first place.

The ideas are not my own, but anaccumulation from years of readingarticles and books by many authors. Mybook collection has to be seen to bebelieved. Some of the books are doublemy age, but the information in them ispriceless. You may already employsome of the ideas and equipment,especially if you’ve been a HARDGAINERreader for many years. If not, give thestrategies a try. They have worked forme and many of the clients in my gym;and they may do the same for you. Onething’s for sure, unless you give them atry, you’ll never know.

Some of the movements have beenmentioned a number of times inHARDGAINER, but I believe it’s good tobe reminded of them. Sometimes weneed to read about a givenrecommendation a number of timesbefore we give it a try. All the writers inthis publication are on the samewavelength. Although someapproaches may differ, the basics arethere, i.e., progression and recovery.

I’ve used the “new” techniques in aproperly conducted and balancedtraining program. As always, usecommon sense and don’t employ all thechanges at the same time.

The power rackThe power rack has done more for mystrength and development thananything else. As mentioned in one ofmy previous articles, I believed in thebenefits of the rack so much that I putthree in the big commercial gym I own.I also equipped my garage at home forvery early morning sessions. I bought abar, 700 pounds in plates, a bench and . . . a power rack.

Top-position holdI picked this movement up from ChuckSipes in old IRON MAN articles. Chuckwas one of the most massivelydeveloped bodybuilders in the latefifties and early sixties. Not only washe big, he was also very strong, able tobench press close to 570 pounds. Ofcourse he was genetically very gifted,but needed to fully exploit his gifts.One of the techniques he used to amassgreat strength was the top-positionpower hold. I believe this increased mystrength in the bench press beyondwhat I ever thought possible.

Position the bar on the pins, sothat when you lie down on a benchinside the rack you can press the baronly through the top two to threeinches to lockout. You simply pressthe bar out to lockout and hold, for aslow count of ten, and lower slowlyback to the pins. With this movementyou can use a great deal of weight.This will work the stabilizer muscles

ISSUE #80: SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2002

Tools of the TradeBy Ian Duckett

HARDGAINER4

as well as overloading the chest,shoulders and triceps. You need to beable to stabilize big weights in orderto bench big weights.

When holding the weight aboveyou, keep perfect alignment, chesthigh, everything solid, muscles tensed.I’ve found one or two sets of tenseconds works well.

Without a doubt, this top-positionhold does carry over to the regularbench press. There’s also thepsychological benefit, since theregular full-range bench press feelslight by comparison.

Naturally, you should start the top-position hold with only moderatepoundages, and build up progressively.Absolutely never should you jump intousing your very best poundages, asthat’s a route to injury. Be careful!

Close-grip bench pressThis has been my favorite for yearsnow, for triceps mass, but not in thefashion that most people perform it. Seta bar in the rack on the pins. Positionthe bar so that it’s four inches off yourchest when you’re on the bench. In thismovement I believe that the bar doesn’thave to travel all the way down to thechest, since if it did there would bemore chest involvement. The reducedrange allows more than enough elbowflexion for me; you may need adifferent positioning.

Take a grip on the bar (I alwaysuse a thick bar on these) so that yourthumbs are in line with your nipples.I’ve found the most effective way iswith the elbows under the bar, butfind a grip and elbow position thatsuits your frame, one that allows youto feel the movement in your triceps,but which is safe for your joints.Press to lock out and then lower to adead stop, set yourself, and then pressout the next rep.

Work the exercise hard and undercontrol, and keep your body solid as ifyou’re the bench itself. Tense your backand rear deltoids into the bench. Thisgives you a solid base from which topress the bar.

Overhead lockoutsThis I picked up from HARDGAINER #9,in an article entitled “More From RichAbbott: Deltoids.” In this article, Richexplained the movement in great detailand how it works many upper-bodymuscles: pectorals, deltoids, triceps,upper back, lower back and supportmuscles in the trunk. I’ve been usingthis for a while now, and I can attest toits benefits on the aforementionedmusculature. This and the seated rackpress (using a thick bar, and full rangeof motion) have been my onlyshoulder movements for a long time.

For the overhead lockout, here’show I do it: Position the rack’s pinsoverhead so that when you stand withyour arms fully locked above you, youhave only 5–6 inches of motion beforethe bar would come to rest on the pins.The pins are at that height for startingand finishing in safety, not to press off.Stand under the bar, with a shoulder-width stance, and grab the bar a littlewider than shoulder-width. Squat downa few inches so that you can lock outyour arms while the bar sits on the pins.Tense your whole body, keep your armslocked, and then stand up so that you’resupporting the weight overhead.

Maintain rigid legs and torso, thesolid base to press from. Now unlockyour elbows and lower the bar aroundthree inches—not to the pins, I mightadd; the pins are there for safety. Pressback to full lockout, push hard on thebar, tense all muscles of the shouldersand upper back.

Rich Abbott did this movement bysliding the bar up and down the rear

5

uprights of the power rack. I prefer todo them free of the uprights, but still inthe rack for safety and confidence.

I’ve tried a few different rep rangesand I feel I get more from thismovement doing 15–20 reps.

Experiment yourself, “think” andfeel the movement. Start with a verycomfortable weight, and take sometime to get used to the exercise beforeyou go using a challenging weight. Formore information on this exercise, lookup Rich’s article or check out a copy ofStuart’s exercise technique book wherehe covers the movement in great detail,with photos.

Squats in the rackSquats in the rack are tough, verytough. Squeeze under a loaded bar setin the rack on the pins so that whenunderneath it your thighs are parallel tothe floor. Set yourself up—feet placedcorrectly, back flat, head up, butt underthe bar. From here you drive the bar offthe pins to the standing position. Holdbriefly, then lower back down undercontrol to the pins.

When the bar touches the pins thereshould be a light click, not a crash. Youmust lower under control. Crashing aheavy weight onto the pins won’t helpyour longevity in training. Lower undercontrol and let the bar stop dead on thepins. Set up again for the next rep, backflat, chest high, butt under the bar.Drive into the bar to complete yournext rep, and continue until your goalreps are achieved.

This is a very hard way to squat asyou have to start from the bottom onevery rep, from a dead stop, so there’sno momentum. It takes real strength tomake the rep, but it rewards you withadded size and transfer of added weightto the regular squat.

As in other power rack movements,different ranges of motion can be

worked, from strongest to weakest, bysetting the pins at different heights. Oneof my favorites is the quarter squat,where you work the top position of themovement, the strongest range. Youcan move some heavy iron in this, andwork your legs into pulp. This has, overtime, helped me get over the fear factorof heavy squats, as you can lift morethan twice, in some cases, the weightyou would lift in a regular squat. Aftera time of doing the quarters, regularsfeel light in comparison.

Exercise great caution and care withrack work. Start with moderateweights, get the form off pat, and thenover time progressively build up tochallenging weights. Never jump intousing challenging weights from theoutset, as that’s a road to injury. Youmust give your body plenty of time toadjust to the increased rigor andpoundage potential of the rack work. Ifyou feel any negative reaction, chancesare you’ve tried to progress too quickly.Back off, and then take things slower.

The big little movementThe thick-bar curl has been my mainbiceps movement for a few years. Whatmakes it so productive? I’m not surebut I have my own ideas, which I’llshare with you here. But let it beknown, it’s the greatest exercise I’veever done for biceps.

We have three thick bars at FutureBodies Gym, and I have one at home inmy garage gym. The one at home is thelargest, about three inches in diameter.The one I use the most for biceps is a90-pound tractor axle, with turned-down ends to fit Olympic plates. Thethick bars are so widely used in mygym that you wouldn’t believe it. Ialways rave about how good they arefor the biceps, and when a client ormember asks why, here’s how I explainthe thick-bar curl, as I see it.


HARDGAINER6

The biceps not only flex the elbows,but supinate the forearms and hands. Toprove this, hold your right arm at yourside and bend it as if you’re going toshake hands. Place your left hand onyour right biceps; now twist your rightforearm clockwise as far as it will go.You can feel how much your bicepscontracts from this action.

When you grip a thick bar, the handis twisted as far as it can possibly go.With a normal bar there’s a slightmargin for not having the hand fullysupinated. This, I believe, makes a bigdifference—the contraction is harderwith the thick bar. Staying with thehand, the thick bar practically fills thehand. Compare the hand holding anormal inch-thick bar to how it looksholding a two-and-half-inch or even athree-inch bar. This must alter theleverage, making the curl different. Idon’t know the science, but I do knowthere’s an alteration of the mechanics.This makes the movement harder andvery productive.

Two more points: One, you haveto grip the thick bar like your lifedepends on it, this again increasesthe contraction in the biceps. Two,with the thick bar you can’t swingand cheat, or else it will just comeright out of your hands. You have toperform the curls strictly since youhave no choice.

Exercise caution with the thick-barcurl. It increases stress in theconnective tissue around the elbows.Take it easy to begin with, or else yourisk elbow problems that can take along time to recover. Start light,progress in weight slowly, and take acouple of months or so before you’reusing a weight that really challengesyou. The last thing you want is anelbow injury, so be careful.

I can’t recommend thick barsenough, not just for curls but also for

other upper-body movements. Theclose-grip bench press and rack benchpress are made much more difficult—ina strict must-exercise-under-control sortof way, not a dangerous way. You haveto fight constantly to keep themovement honest and in the correctgroove, thus making it more productive.

Thick bars are also fantastic forearmdevelopers, due to the grip being soheavily involved. A strong grip is key tobig forearms and important to the restof the body too. This leads me nicely togrip work.

Grip workTalking of chunky forearms, I’ve foundthere’s nothing better than grip work toincrease the size of the forearms. WhatI mean by grip work is exactly that—working and strengthening the grip.Increase the strength of the grip, andlarger forearms will follow. If you don’tbelieve me, look around at the massesof people who use wrist straps in thegym. Even though they may do forearmwork, most don’t have enough lower-arm mass to hold up a shirt sleeve.

Whatever you do, don’t use wriststraps—these are a pet hate of mine.

Additional to thick-bar work, here are a couple of my favorite grip exercises:

Pinch gripI do this with a block of wood aroundthree inches thick. There’s a holedrilled through it with a piece of ropethreaded through on which weight canbe suspended. All I do is take hold ofthe wood with fingers flat, pinchingthe wood between the thumb and therest of the digits. Lift the weight fromthe floor using the grip only.

You can use both hands, or one at atime. Lift for reps or timed holds.Whatever you do, just work it hard—gripthe wood like your life depends on it.

7

Holding dumbbellsHold dumbbells for as long as possible,one arm at a time or both together. Holdthem over a bench for safety and so thatyou can challenge yourself to hold ontothem till they fall from your fingers.Don’t let the dumbbells rest on yourthighs thereby allowing some of theweight to be unloaded. Be sure that youcan’t drop the dumbbells on your feet.

Another grip exercise I do is thefarmer’s walk with dumbbells, but in adifferent way to the usual manner. Iloop a full-size towel around the handleof the dumbbell—one towel perdumbbell. I then take hold of the towelends, which are gripped together above

the dumbbell, in one hand, and I do thesame with the other hand for the othertowel and dumbbell, and then walk thelength of the gym.

The towel length makes the exercisesafer as the weights are suspendedclose to the floor and don’t cause anydamage if they fall. And gripping thetowels is much harder on the grip thanholding the handles of the dumbbells.

There you have it, a few ideas I hopeyou may benefit from. Use good sense,take it easy to begin with, and employthe ideas within the guidelines of aproperly conducted and balancedtraining program. H


Exercise selection, and techniqueYour choice of exercises should be determined by what is safe and productive foryou. No matter how productive an exercise may be for someone else, if thatexercise does not suit you, it will do you no good but perhaps do you harm. Whenconsidering an author’s preferences, always keep in mind your own limitations andtechnical proficiency. When necessary, either modify an author’s suggestions, orchoose alternative exercises. Naturally you should choose from comparableexercises. A pec deck cannot substitute for the bench press, but the parallel bardip can. Laterals cannot substitute for presses behind the neck, but dumbbellpresses can. Upright rows are not a good alternative to high pulls, but deadliftsare. And if a machine variation of an exercise is safer for you than a free-weightsversion, use the machine. The bottom line is what allows you to train safely,intensively and progressively.

Because I have physical limitations due to having damaged myself as the resultof poor exercise selections during my years of training foolishness, which was atime when Igave training intensity greater priority than good technique, I amparticularly aware of the need to personalize exercise selection according to theindividual. A conservative approach to exercise selection, and strict adherence toperfect form, are the priorities for safe long-term training.

Using perfect and controlled exercise form means having the discipline to usegood technique even when training intensively. Breaking form in order to be ableto gut out additional reps in the name of intensity is the mark of undisciplinedtraining that will sooner or later injure you, and ruin your progress.

– Stuart McRobert

HARDGAINER8

I’ve never known of two successfulbodybuilders—easy or hard gainers—who employed the identical training

routine. Even when two fellows weretraining partners, and literally followed ascheduled workout together, they needed tomake at least a few adjustments in order toaccommodate their somewhat differentphysical peculiarities. Perhaps one needed aset or two more (or perhaps fewer) on a givenexercise. Possible one had a need to alter oneor two of the scheduled exercises, since theparticular exercise, say for the shoulders, thatone of the partners employed, simply didn’twork for the other. And so on.

Nor am I aware of any two liftersfollowing identical training routines. Eachtop strength star must find the rightcombination of exercises, sets, reps,“heavy” vs. “moderate” or “light” workoutsper month that he personally ought to do inorder to prompt the greatest gains, etc.

Also, when I observe experiencedathletes or simple fitness enthusiasts whoemploy weights as their primary medium ofphysical training, I always notice that no twoindividuals employ the identical routine.

So what am I saying here? Am I sayingthat the answer to the question posed by thetitle of this article is a flat “No!” Actually,no, I’m not saying that. However, in whatmany will at first believe is simple self-contradiction, Iwant to emphatically statethat in a manner of speaking , yes, Iamsaying that there is an ideal trainingprogram. Here’s what I mean, in detail:

On the one hand there can never be asingle “perfect” training routine that, whenfollowed in some precise, unalterablemanner, will somehow work flawlessly foreveryone who follows it. Every individual isdifferent, unique and special. However, onthe other hand, virtually every individualmust adhere to a somewhat similar trainingapproach, or his body can’t possibly becomeas strong, fit and well-built as its inherentpotential will allow. This is because we all—easy gainers down to the world’s hardestgainers—possess human bodies that havemuscles, bones and a general structure thatrespond in general to demands upon it thatare, and that must remain, very similar.

Just as the principle of overloading themuscles by ever-increasing resistance is a“must-employ” rule for a Mr. Universe, soit is for a cardiac patient who’s rebuildinghis health; and so are all of the otherprinciples that result in physicalimprovement and excellence.

Basic exercises are the ones that havebuilt every single outstanding body! Theyhave triggered the gains that havepermitted underpar, terribly hard gainers toappear, literally, as transformed beings, justas they have permitted genetically well-endowed “naturals” to acquire world-classlevels of development.

Rest and good nutrition are required by,and will inevitably assist in thedevelopment of anyone.

Measuring one’s training carefully so asto avoid doing too much, while ensuring thatenough is always done, is necessary foranyone who aspires to optimal development.

By Bradley J. Steiner

Is there an IdealTraining Program?

9

Quality performance of the basicexercises is an essential rule for everyone.It figures in the routines of title winnersand it figures in the routines of the lessgenetically favored individual who isseeking his personal best. So, in a mannerof speaking, yes there is an ideal trainingprogram; ideal in the sense that one mustadhere to the same proven body-buildingand strength-developing rules thateveryone must adhere to, or one will neveractualize one’s ultimate potential, howevergreat or modest it may be.

Yet, on the other hand, every singleindividual needs a custom approach toworking out. In general terms he must dowhat every successful trainee has alwaysdone in order to build up. But,specifically, he will need to do thesethings in a manner most suited to hisunique personal requirements.

I remember very well what I read backaround 1960, when I first became interestedin building up my body (primarily, to bolstermy self-defense training, and to compensatefor my inherent weakness and poorgenetics). People who, to this day, Iregardas great authorities on the matter of physicaltraining, wrote about the following:a. Using low reps for power and high reps

for endurance.b. Using a wide variety of exercises.c. Training 4–5 days per week.d. Employing “shaping” exercises along

with the key basics, in order to build“shapely” muscles.

e. And a few other “rules” that, accordingto these people (who I’m absolutelyconvinced meant only to convey thatwhich they believed was the bestpossible information about building up)needed to be followed scrupulously, if“true” success was desired.

The realityI found out, after many years of my owndevotion to personal training, that these“accepted truths” just weren’t, well, really

true for everybody. There was truth to themfor some people, to be sure. But they wereby no means truths.

I found that it was possible to drasticallyimprove both endurance and muscle size vialow-rep training, in certain cases, providingthe proper exercises and training pace wereemployed. I also found that some people didquite well by employing fairly high reps inorder to get much stronger.

I found that, not only in my case but inpractically everyone’s , a wide variety ofexercises is not needed. In fact, I found thata very few exercises are required in order tobuild a great physique and great strength,although which few exercise variationsought to be selected for each individualtrainee do tend to vary greatly.

I found that everyone could gain verywell on three (and sometimes two) hardweekly workouts, and that training four,five or six times per week was oftenabsorbed by easy gainers, but was neverreally needed by anyone. For the majorityof people who use weights in order tosupplement an athletic activity, two weeklyworkouts are normally quite enough.

I found that so-called “shaping”exercises were just about 100% pointlessand that the degree of “shapeliness” oneultimately enjoyed after building up ongood, hard, basic exercises was dependentsimply upon heredity and, to a lesser degree,diet more often than not.

I found that fewer sets generallyproduced the greatest benefits—i.e.,normally two or three per exercise, orpossibly four when reps dropped to betweenfour and six per set—despite the fact that somany physique stars seemed hell-bent inworking their bodies for many more sets perexercise than that.

I found that “split” routines, though verypopular, were not nearly as effective andbeneficial as all-round total-body routines.

I found that much of what many peopleseemed to swear by, as far as diet wasconcerned, was largely nonsense. I came


HARDGAINER10

to see that “basically good nutrition” wasthe key; and that precisely what this isdepends to a large extent on theindividual’s specific physiology and verypersonal unique preferences . Enormouseating and feeding sessions will not turn aslender-boned hard gainer into a huge,well-muscled physique star. It will justpile a lot of fat on a skinny frame. Goodfood in amounts that the individualrequires for growth and development,coupled with hard training, rest and apositive attitude, is what builds up anyoneto his maximum.

Only very few people can becomephysique or strength stars. Most of us can, infact, never achieve a level of developmentthat even comes close to “star” status.However, if the right principles and rules ofsound training are followed—the rules thathave always been responsible for buildingthe finest physiques and greatest strengthathletes in history—then an ideal routinewill have been discovered, and by using itone will attain one’s own personal “ideal”level of development.

Personalized trainingI can’t tell you exactly which specificexercises to follow, and which specificexercises will work for you. But I can suretell you which types of exercises to deriveyour variations from, and if you’ll payattention you’ll make great progress! Ifyou’re relatively new to bodybuilding,you’ll need to alter your training schedulesover time and try out the possible variationsof the exercise movements until youdiscover what fits you, personally, the best.Here’s what you’ll need in order to buildyour “ideal” routine:

1. Pressing movement that’s general andbasic. This means the standard militarytype barbell press (seated or standing), orheavy alternate or simultaneous dumbbellpress, or one-hand military press with adumbbell (seated or standing).

2. Curling movement. Regular barbell curlsor the simultaneous or alternate heavydumbbell curling movements (may bedone seated, if desired).

3. Bench pressing. Regular barbell benchpress, flat or incline, or two dumbbellsheavy bench press (assuming you’ve gotdumbbells that are heavy enough) on aflat or incline bench.

4. Rowing. Basic bent-over barbell orheavy single-arm dumbbell version.

5. Squatting. The King! There’s no wayaround this baby! You may do these inparallel or full-squat versions, and evenpartials are good. But you’ve got to squat!

6. Deadlifting, standard or stiff-legged.

A basic routine built around a selectionof exercises from that very excellentassortment will do the job. Most people liketo add some abdominal and calf work, and,sometimes, it’s interesting to use basic andheavy exercise variations like dips and chinsas substitutes for bench work and rowing.These are very fine exercises and willprovide great results when worked hardenough. I’ve emphasized only basic barbell-dumbbell work, per se, because Iassumethat most readers train at home and haven’taccess to dipping bars or a chinning bar thatpermits weighted work. A perfectlyexcellent and totally comprehensiveschedule is easily set up using only the listedbarbell-dumbbell exercises.

The trick is to pay attention to yourselfand to note how you, personally, respondnot only to a particular exercise variation,but also to a specific scheme of sets andreps with the exercises you do. Be yourown trainer! You are unique, and withoutviolating the basic rules and principles ofsound physical training, your workoutsmust reflect your acknowledgement andunderstanding of your uniqueness.

Follow through in this manner, patientlyand persistently over the weeks, months andyears, and you will most assuredly discoverthe ideal training program for you! H

11

No matter how thorough traininginstruction is, it’s impossible toinclude all caveats and

exceptions. Individual variation can beconsiderable, not only in muscle sizepotential, but in terms of age, innaterecovery ability, tolerance of exercise,satisfaction of the components ofrecovery, training intensity and volumeand frequency, gym facilities, trainingexperience, exercise form, motivation,goals, general lifestyle, workcommitments, etc. A given trainingprogram can be applied by twoindividuals and the implementation andeffect be very different. A program is amere list of exercises, reps, sets andworkout days.

Training intensityIn my own writing, and that of someothers, there have been cautionarywords concerning ultra-high-intensitytraining. A recommendation issometimes given to train a rep or twoshort of total failure. This can be terribleadvice for some people, since what theythink is failure is already a rep or two orthree or more short of it. If these peoplecut back on their “intensity” by a rep ortwo, they will further compromise theirability to progress.

The recommendation to train a rep ortwo short of failure, rather than go “ballsto the wall,” applies only to people whotruly know what failure is, and canaccurately determine that they aretraining a rep or two short of it. BecauseI can’t witness you train, I can’t assesswhether or not you’re accuratelydetermining this. Here’s where a hands-

on personal coach can be so valuable—he/she can see if a trainee is doing whatshould be done. It’s one thing to receiveadvice, but whether it’s put into practiceis something else.

Urging people to train as hard as theypossibly can, with no holding backwhatsoever, has real merit because itallows no margin for slacking. (Fewtrainees work to true failure unless aknowledgeable supervisor directs them.)But at least each would attempt to go allthe way. When, however, arecommendation is given to stop a rep ortwo short of failure, it gives trainees anescape from all-the-way training evenbefore they pick up a weight.

I recommend that you experimentwith your training in a sensible way. Oneof the variables to experiment with isexercise intensity. Experiment withtraining to failure, and training slightlyshort of failure.

Things become complicated becausethere are many variables beyond exerciseintensity that can account for results.Training to failure might be the mostproductive format for some peopleproviding that the volume and frequencyof exercise are appropriate, and recoveryis optimal. Just a bit too much volume, ora bit too much training frequency, mayundo the potential good of the very-high-intensity work. All that may be needed to


Words of CautionBy Stuart McRobert

Sample issueIf you know of someone who wouldbe interested in reading a freesample issue of HARDGAINER, pleaselet us know the name and addressand we’ll send a copy on.

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make the very-high-intensity trainingwork is to abbreviate workoutssufficiently, and not hit each exercisequite so often. Some people, however,give up on very-high-intensity trainingand conclude it doesn’t work for themwhen, in fact, it was their specificimplementation of it that was amiss.

If you already train short of failure,then cutting back further is unlikely tohelp you, and in fact will probably leadto regression. Hard training is anecessity, but just because “hard” isgood, that doesn’t necessarily mean that“hardest” is best.

Training volumeWhile some trainees have been guilty ofover-abbreviating their training program,and cutting back too far on exercises andsets for them (relative to their trainingintensity and volume, recovery ability,genetics, etc.), the response of sometrainees to the possibility of their havingcut back too far, has been to add toomuch work (extra sets and/or exercises)and thus unabbreviate their programs.Thus they go from one non-workingprogram to another. It’s somewherebetween the two markers that the bestsolution is to be found.

This thinking, however, strictlyapplies to people who have alreadyadopted abbreviated training. For almosteveryone else, out in the mainstream,training will already be excessive interms of volume and need cutting back,not expanding.

Training frequencySome people who have adoptedabbreviated training have cut back ontheir training frequency too far, at leasttoo far relative to the intensity andvolume they are using. Had, forexample, they been training harder, thenperhaps the lesser training frequencymay be more effective.

While it seems to be easier, at leastfor some people, to build strength oninfrequent training schedules where agiven exercise or bodypart is trainedless often than once a week, manypeople seem to need a bit morefrequency—twice every 7–10 days orso per bodypart, though not necessarilythe same frequency for each area—inorder to produce muscle growth. Whilea bit more training frequency may begood for some trainees, at least forthose who want additional muscularsize, if you overdo it you’ll be back tosquare one. That’s the danger—therecan be a fine line between too much andenough, and then a further fine linebetween enough and too little.

What to doGenetically typical and drug-freetrainees don’t have a capacity for a lot ofweight training if they want to makegood progress. Abbreviated trainingprograms will always be necessary, butjust what’s “abbreviated” can varyconsiderably. Do too little and you maystimulate no progress. Do too much—too much for you, that is—and you’llalso make no progress.

Because to some degree trainingvolume, intensity and frequency canoffset one another, the same abbreviatedprogram can have different effects ondifferent people according to how thethree variables are manipulated and howthe factors of individual variation comeinto play. Abit more training frequencymay make a given training intensityproduce better progress; or, an extra setor two per exercise may produce betterprogress; or a set or two less per exercisemay produce better progress.

This is frustrating since there are somany variables at play, especially fortrainees who are beyond the novicestage. This is why you need toexperiment, sensibly, to find what works

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well for you. Then to further complicatematters, what works well for you nowmay not in a few years time. This is whyit’s so important that you become veryknowledgeable about training, and thenset about experimenting sensibly toapply that knowledge to your ownindividual case.

Your level of training experience,and strength and development, canaffect the effectiveness of a giveninterpretation of training. While morefrequent training, for example, maybetter suit novice and some intermediatebodybuilders, it may be a negative stepfor advanced power men.

If you’re steadily getting stronger, andstrength is your priority, stay with whatyou’re currently doing. If you’re gettingstronger, but not seeing the size increasesyou think should accompany the strengthgains, I suggest you try a little morefrequency or a little more volume. Ifyou’re steadily getting bigger, and growthis your priority, stick with what you’recurrently doing. If you’re getting bigger,but not seeing the strength increases youthink should accompany the size gains, Isuggest you try a little less frequency or alittle less volume.

The qualifier about progressivepoundages is justified: The strongestmuscles aren’t the biggest, and thebiggest muscles aren’t the strongest, andgetting stronger doesn’t necessarilymean that you’ll get bigger. But don’tjump to an extreme view and think thatpoundage progression is unimportant.For most people for most of the time,poundage progression is very importantproviding, of course, that consistentlygood form is used. You still needprogressive resistance, but the preciseformat of training you apply the“progressive poundages in good form”to (frequency, volume, rep count, etc.),can influence how much size a givenstrength increase produces.

What’s excessive abbreviation oftraining for some trainees may be just thejob for others. Different trainees mayneed different interpretations of the samebasic principles, and may need differentvariations at different stages of theirtraining. Training is more of an art than ascience, and sensible experimentation isneeded if you’re to find what works bestfor you. You must, however, and asstressed earlier, keep your trainingabbreviated, as typical trainees don’thave the ability to deal with the type ofroutines that gifted and drug-enhancedtrainees prosper on.

Before you go experimenting withyour training, and as I’ve said repeatedly,you need to get everything in good orderout of the gym. So, one more time . . .

If your sleeping and nutritional habitsare in a mess, no amount ofexperimenting with exercise programdesign will make much difference. I’mtaking it as a given that the majorcomponents of recovery are in goodorder. If they aren’t, you must get them ingood order before you throw yourselfinto training. You should give priority tothe out-of-the-gym components ofrecovery before you get really concernedwith the in-the-gym factors of training.Recovery is that important.

Some trainees will never gain muchmuscle, though they may have gainedsome strength, at least in part becausethey don’t eat enough. Of course, manytrainees do eat enough—and some ofthem consume too much, as shown bysurplus bodyfat. If you’re lean, and yourbodyweight never seems to move yetyou want bigger muscles, chances arethat you’re not consuming enoughquality nutrition.

For further discussion on related issues,and some specific guidelines to try in thegym, see Stuart’s series “ExperimentalTraining” in issues 72–74.

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In the first part of this article Iexplained how to concentrate beforeyour workout so that you can

transition from your everydayresponsibilities and challenges, to thenecessary mental state needed for yourworkout. I discussed why I feel it’sabsolutely necessary, and how I do it. Inthe second part of the article I want tocontinue to emphasize the importance ofconcentrating on the task at hand, and howI do it during a workout.

It’s amazing how easy it is for themind to drift from what you’re actuallysupposed to be working on. I want tooffer myself as an example. Not to boast,but I feel that after weight training for 28years, successfully competing at theDivision 1 college level in football andbaseball, then professional baseball, thenbodybuilding and powerlifting, I’m ableto focus and concentrate on the task athand as well as anyone. But, and this is areally big “but,” there are still instanceswhen, without following properprocedure on intensifying myconcentration and aggression right beforea set, I could get easily distracted.

There was a time in my life when Icould totally, physically (which helpsmentally), isolate myself from the rest ofthe world while I was working out. Iwould hide out in The Dungeon (what mybrothers and I named the gym in ourparents’ basement), without any phone,cell phone, pager or other humans todistract me from my workout. Also, I was

at a time in my life when myresponsibilities didn’t include a wife,children, concerns about my parentshealth (and other family issues), concernsabout corporate financial, personnel ormanagement issues, etc. What I’m sayingis that it requires much more effortnowadays not only to get into a state ofideal concentration, but to maintain it!

Nowadays I can’t just turn off the cellphone or the pager. I have to answer thephone and return critical messages for thereasons listed above. Now don’t get mewrong, I won’t stop right in the middle ofa set to answer the phone, but as soon asthe set is over I have to call back andcheck that everything is all right. I alsowant you to know that my level ofconcentration, and hence performance, ismany times above when myresponsibilities were much less.

The reason I’m offering all thispersonal information is to lead into thepoint of this article, which is to emphasizethe importance of concentration during aworkout and to show you how to do it inspite of all the things that can distract you.

Intensifying and maintaining concentrationThe procedure that’s used before theworkout to shift your concentration fromeveryday responsibilities to the mentalstate that’s necessary to have a productiveworkout, is exactly the same as the one touse, specifically, right before a set. And itdoesn’t matter whether or not you’ve beendistracted between sets. This procedurewill get you back on track if you’ve been

The Art of ConcentrationPart 2: The workoutBy John Christy

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distracted, and if not, will intensify yourconcentration for the upcoming set. Thegoals of this procedure are twofold. Itmust get you focused specifically on the“feel” of the upcoming exercise, and itmust intensify your aggression. Here’show I do it.

About one minute before the set, I’llclose my eyes and practice one or tworeps of the exercise in my mind. I’llexperience the exact “feel” of themovement. Many times I’ll actuallysimulate these reps without the weight.For instance, before a set of dumbbellrows I’ll “feel” in my mind thedumbbells in my hands, I’ll feel how mylats stretch when my arms extend, I’llfeel my lats initializing the contractionand then exploding to the contractedposition at which point I’ll feel my latslowering the dumbbells—lowering,lowering, lowering—then stretching; andwith another strong contraction thedumbbells are at the top position again.

This is my way of doing it. Yours maybe different. I practice (and teach) feelingthe prime mover of any exercise flexingand then lengthening (stretching) againstthe resistance. This technique helps yourbody to teach you proper biomechanics.Once I’ve completed this rehearsal, I takeanother moment to get aggressive. I getmyself “up” to attack the weight.

Don’t misinterpret what I’m sayingand think I go around shouting andbanging my head against a wall to get upfor a set (although this works for some).That’s not my way. My way is relativelyquiet. But I’ve been told you can seewhat’s going on in my eyes. The point isto go into the set aggressively.

I want to come back to something Isaid earlier concerning your workoutenvironment. If you can, you should shutout the outside world when you train.You may be at a stage in your life whereall communication can be cut off for anhour or so. I left that stage some timeago, but I haven’t let increasedresponsibilities decrease myconcentration one iota. And as I statedearlier, my concentration and workoutquality are better than ever.

In summary I can’t stress enough the importance ofutilizing your mind to achieve the mostout of your training. Really put theprocedure described in this two-partarticle to the test. You may want to startout trying it the way I do it, and then lettime and experience help you to developyour own way. Regardless of which ofthe two ways you do it—mine oryours—I’m confident that you’ll startderiving benefits right away. H


I started training in 1973, at age 15, when Arnold Schwarzenegger was in his prime. I was obsessed with trying to build a great physique. I trained as the famousbodybuilders recommended. For years, everything in my life was secondary tobodybuilding. I became a recluse. All I wanted was to study training, train, and applymyself to satisfying my recovery needs.

I was gullible. I was at the mercy of whatever training literature I found. I couldn’tdistinguish between good and poor instruction. If it was in print and supposedlywritten by a champion bodybuilder, I believed it

The mistakes I made as I tried to build a Mr. Universe physique many years ago,are made today by most gym members—whether bodybuilders, fitness trainees, orstrength trainees. HARDGAINER will teach you how to train safely and effectively.

– Stuart McRobert

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The trouble with calves is thatthey’ve had a lot of bad press.For decades, generations of

muscle writers have been telling ushow difficult the calves are to develop.There’s been so much negativepropaganda about calf developmentthat lots of people don’t even try—theyare beaten before they begin. At bestmany only make a half-hearted effort inthis department.

Stubborn is the most overworkedadjective in many of these calf articles.Yes, calves, compared with some othermuscle groups, may be hard todevelop, but that doesn’t mean thatthey are impossible to build. Calfdevelopment is something that should,like any other aspect of weighttraining, be tackled intelligently. Dothis and you’ll reap rewards.

Given that calf development can betough going, let’s look for a moment atthe other end of the scale. The muscles ofthe neck are amongst the easiest todevelop. The reason for this is that theyare seldom, in normal everyday life,given any real work—i.e., work againstresistance. Once the neck is subjected toresistance work, it rapidly blossoms.

The calves, on the other hand, havebeen severely caned from the day youlearned to walk. They are used tooperating against resistance throughwalking, running, climbing stairs, etc.Now, in the case of the genetically wellblessed few, this natural or incidental (ifyou will) exercise is enough to promotereasonable growth. These lucky folk, ifthey start training, usually find no specialdifficulty in adding an inch or two on

their calves. In the case of Mr. Average,however, things may be very different.

The main calf muscle is thegastrocnemius. The gastro is the musclewe usually think about when consideringthe calves—it’s the prime mover in theheel raise movement. It’s the gastro that’sresponsible for that beautiful, but elusivediamond shape, seen only in the best-developed lower legs.

Calf development and calf potentialare affected by and dependent on variousfactors. There are four main ones.

1. Overall bulk and inparticular thigh size

Calf size is normally relative to, and to anextent dependent on, overall bodyweightand general bulk. You can’t expect adecent-sized calf if you’re lacking inthigh bulk. After all, the thighs are the“roots” of the lower limbs. Yes, I knowthat there are guys with big thighs andpoor calves, but we’re coming to that.The point I want to make here is that youwon’t see a 17-inch calf backed up by athigh that measures a mere 22 inches. It’sa law of Nature—big branches, like bigtrees, have big roots.

There’s a sub-division which hasgreat bearing on the bulk and size factor,and that’s bone size and thickness. Moreon this later, but for now remember that,like your leverages, bones aregenetically determined.

2. Attachments/leverages andmuscle length

This is just another way of sayinggenetics. In other words, it’s what youwere born with and what you have tomake the most of. The ideal calf is long,low and full-bellied. People with this type

In Search of the Golden CalfBy Lou Ravelle

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of configuration have got it made. Lots ofpeople, however, have a shorter, highercalf which gives an appearance of longankles. If you fall into this latter categoryyou can still increase your calf girth, butyou can’t alter muscle lengths orattachments; so again, you just have tomake the most of what you’ve got.

3. Racial and hereditarycharacteristics

It may sound a bit strong, but it’s ananthropological fact that people ofdifferent ethnic, racial or geographicalgroups have varying and distinctivephysical characteristics. Black peopleoften have the high calf muscle togetherwith that long-ankle look mentionedearlier. The heel bone often protrudesmore than in their white counterparts.

Yet again, it’s a matter of making themost of what Nature has provided. Thelarge number of black bodybuilders(many of whom have had to contend withthis genetic handicap in the calves) whomake it big in world class events is proofof what can be done in this direction.

While considering competitivebodybuilding, think of the large numberof men, black and white, who never quitetake top honors due to their calfdevelopment never quite matching up totheir other bodyparts due to genetic orhereditary limitations in this area.

4. Bone girth and calf sizeThe heavier the bone structure in thelower leg, the greater the potential forcalf size. Ankle measurement gives afigure that’s as close to actual bone sizeas you’re going to get withoutperforming a little dissection.

To give some idea of the calf-to-ankle relationship I’m going to quotesome facts about some well-knownunderpinnings. I’ve gone back half a century to bring you these statistics,for two reasons:

a. In those days, muscle was natural andnot drug-driven. It would mislead touse hothouse-reared anabolic athletesas examples of what can be achieved.

b. It’s rare nowadays to see anypublished information on competitors’girths. Some of the “golden oldies”may have been accused of being tape-happy, but some of today’s crop seemto be tape-shy.

Here are some facts taken from theofficial figures published for the 1950London NABBA Mr. Universe contest.This was the year of the legendary SteveReeves and Reg Park battle, whichReeves won.

Reg Park had calves of 17-1/2 incheson a 9-1/2 inch ankle. Great calves, byany standards. Steve Reeves, with thesame ankle size as Reg, had a calf of 17-7/8. For me, Steve was “the man withgolden calves,” albeit that they wereperfect diamonds in shape. I think it’ssafe to say that Steve’s unparalleledcalves set the standard by which allothers have since been judged.

Oscar Heidenstam had the biggestankle and calf measurements of the show.Truly massive at 10-1/2 and 18-1/4respectively! For sheer size, calves wereOscar’s most outstanding bodypart.

These three men give some idea ofwhat can be achieved given the rightskeletal advantages.

Reub Martin, famous for the bulk andspread of his shoulders and back, had thesmallest calves among the taller men. Healso had a somewhat lighter bonestructure in his legs than his upper body.For this contest he only registered a 15-1/2 calf with a 9-inch ankle. His thigh wasonly 24-1/2. Compare this with 26, 26-1/2and 27 inches of Reeves, Heidenstam andPark respectively. Despite hisshortcomings in the leg department, Reubwas one of Britain’s top physiques. Heliked to refer to himself as a strength


HARDGAINER18

athlete rather than a bodybuilder. And hehad the record to back it up. He took theBritish heavyweight lifting title in 1947,and was also famous for his straight-armpullover of 200 pounds, which wasaround his own bodyweight. Reub toldme that they measured him and Reeves(backstage at the Universe show) togetherfor shoulder-width, with calipers, andthey were identical though Martin was abit shorter than Reeves, so that wouldhave made Reub look a tad wider.

Reeves was much lighter boned in thelegs than Heidenstam, and his calf washalf an inch smaller. However, as hisankle measured a full inch less thanOscar’s, the shape and overall appearanceof Steve’s calves were superior.

Worthy of mention in the medium-height class, is Spencer Churchill whohad shapely 16-inch calf on a 9-inchankle. Incidentally, as one of Spence’straining partners at that time, I know thathe worked very hard to achieve thisproportion. He’s an example of thepleasing effect of a lot of muscle on arelatively light frame.

Reub Martin never paid muchattention to his calves. Perhaps this mayhave been partly due to the fact that as ahandbalancer and Roman ringsperformer, extra weight at the lower endcould be a drawback.

Nine inches can be considered amedium ankle measurement and thoughreally big calves aren’t impossible tobuild on this foundation, they are rare.The heavy-boned brigade go from 9-1/2upwards and that’s where you’ll find the18-inch calves. However, light-bonedmen can take heart from the fact that thesmaller the ankle is, the bigger the well-formed calf looks.

The moral of the story so far is tomake the most of what you’ve got,don’t be deterred by thoughts thatbigger and better calves are not for you,and grit your teeth and get on with it!

Calf trainingLet’s get down to the nuts and bolts ofcalf building. As lubrication, all I canoffer you, in parallel with WinstonChurchill, are “blood, sweat and tears.”I’m not promising that a “calflesswonder” can win awards for best legs,but he can build better calves.

The exercisesCalf raises are the key to your calfroutine. There are several forms but, inmy opinion, the basic, standing calf raiseis the best.

The donkey raise with a partnerseated on your back may be a fairsubstitute for beach training purposes,but that’s all. Seated calf machines arevery comfortable, but only really workthe soleus which is a small muscle thatlies deep to the gastro and gets plenty ofwork in normal standing calf raises.There’s also a toe raise exercise in whichthe heels are placed on a block and thetoes are raised off the floor. This works asmall strip of muscle on the outer side ofthe shin. In a lifetime of gym experienceI can’t remember seeing anybody doingthis movement. So, it’s back to the goodold calf raise.

The best way to do it is on a standingcalf machine, though some squattingmachines are excellent too. In days ofyore it used to be done with a barbellacross the shoulders which, unless you’remasochistically inclined, is no pleasureat all. Furthermore, the use of a calf orsquat machine makes for much greatercomfort because they have paddedshoulder yokes. With these machinesthere’s no need to concern yourself withbalance and you’re better able toconcentrate on the exercise itself.

Reps and setsReps should be pumped out steadily.Make a slight pause at the top of themovement when the muscles are fully

19ISSUE #80: SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2002

contracted. Do four or five working setsof between five and eight reps. Work thecalves twice a week maximum. This calfroutine should be part of an all-roundworkout which will, of course, includesquats or something comparable. Thisroutine is short and sharp so adjust yourmindset for maximum effort.

Note that the reps are low. Theimportant factor in calf work is theamount of iron you move in good form.For this reason you must set yourself apoundage target and when you reach it,set yourself another. Strive to constantlyincrease the weight. This will berelatively easy in the beginning, butlater it may only be a pound (or less) ata time. As stated earlier, the calves areused to a lot of work, from a very earlyage. What they are not used to is shiftinghuge amounts of iron—hence the lowreps/heavy weight routine. Shock thecalves into growth.

PsychologyPsyche yourself into it. Refuse to believethat good calves are only for the naturallyblessed. Tell everybody in your trainingcircle that you’re “going for it.” You’regoing to get those calves. People in thegym will be watching you, perhaps evenpushing you. Some may even take theMickey. It’ll be up to you to show them.

I remember a young Swede I hadtraining in my gym in London. He notonly told everybody that he was goingafter big calves, he also cut the lowerlegs off his training pants. As a resulthis calves were on display to all andsundry in the gym. His psychologicalploy paid off and his calves grew halfan inch in a short time.

Don’t be a “calfless wonder,” get yourglutes in gear and go to it!

Lou Ravelle has 54 years experiencerunning gyms, training, and coaching.

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Training good senseWhen I was in my youth, I had no time for injury-prevention or injury-awareness typeadvice. I only wanted articles on training, or inspirational type pieces that would helpcrank me up for my next bout with the weights. It was, however, my neglect ofinjury prevention, my taking of liberties with exercise technique, and use of high-riskexercises, that, eventually, was my downfall. There was nothing unusual about myattitude. It was the typical macho “it won’t happen to me” type outlook, and the “nopain, no gain” madness that have been the undoing of millions of trainees over theyears. I’m training injury-free today, but I’m unable to safely perform some of themost productive exercises—most notably, I can’t barbell squat, or do any type ofbent-legged deadlifting—which is a major loss.

Part of the training strategy needed to minimize the chance of injury, isavoiding high-risk exercises. While a few people like to boast of their heroicswith handling heavy awkwardly-shaped objects, for example, for each reportedsuccess there are many people who got hurt trying to do something similar, andrue the day they got caught up in such high-risk lifting. Play safe, be sensible,and don’t take unnecessary risks.

A body free of limitations that you can push hard for the rest of your life is a lotmore satisfying than a body limited by injuries but accompanied by a few anecdotesof what you used to be able to do in former “it won’t happen to me” days.

– Stuart McRobert

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I need some advice on the frontsquat. Is it a good alternative to theregular (back) squat? What’s the bestgrip to use?

In my opinion, the front squat is agreat exercise. It’s one of the mostunder-rated of the good exercises.Most people just do the regular backsquat and don’t even consider the frontsquat. The front squat is still “a squat”and it really makes no difference ifyou do it or the back squat version, asfar as your routine goes. It’s more amatter of tradition that most people do back squats, though front squats aremore tricky to perform than regularsquats. It’s my opinion that the frontsquat is at least as good, or better;unless, of course, you’re competing as a powerlifter, but even then it willtake a minimum adjustment to switchover to the regular squat, with no lossof strength—I’ve done it. Do what you like and prefer. If you preferregular back squats, do them. They canbe great too.

Many feel, me included, that thefront squat is an even harder versionof the squat than the regular one. I’vedone the front squat for years, withback squats too. I only do frontsquats now because back squats hurtmy neck area. Every time I backsquat, I end up with a stiff neck andcan’t turn my head for a few days. Ithink I’m getting a warning followingdecades of heavy weights on myspine. Everyone is different, so if youlike front squats, just replace the backsquats with them. No big deal. You’re

doing no less work, that’s for sure,and maybe even more work.

Ask Olympic lifters about frontsquats. You use less weight as youmust stand straight or else you’ll dumpthe bar. It makes you use better formand is more leg specific and less back-and-glute specific than the back squat.

You don’t actually grip the barduring the front squat. My finger tipsjust touch the bar and keep it in place.The bar rests in a groove in my delts,and my fingers just help keep it there.There’s no gripping involved. Ifyou’re in a power rack—which youshould be for the front squat, withpins set in place to catch the bar if youhave to dump it—you’ve nothing toworry about. Just get your balanceand form down pat first, and thenbuild up the weight.

Many non-Olympic lifters like thecross-arms method. Olympic liftersusually don’t use cross-arms whenfront squatting, since cross-arms arenot used in Olympic lifting. I don’tcross my arms. Use what feelscomfortable to you. Remember, the baris supported in a groove in yourdeltoids. Once you find what feelscomfortable, and you can keep goodform and balance, then you should beable to up the poundage quickly.Again, take your time to master formwith a light weight before you goincreasing the poundage.

The style that you use to support thebar (cross-armed or Olympic) is reallynot that important, as it’s not actuallyinvolved in lifting the weight. Isometimes do a technique demo for myclients. I do a little jig with a light baron my shoulders to show how the bar is

BOB WHELAN’S Q&ABy Bob Whelan

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wedged in my delts. I then do somefront squats with my arms out straightjust to demonstrate that the key is barpositioning and balance, and hasnothing to do with grip. On the finalfew reps, due to total body fatigue, youmust resist slouching on your form.You’ll need to strain to hold good formin order to get the last few reps. Gravitypulls you forward with the weight, andit’s harder to stay straight up whenyou’re tired. This is when your fingertips might help hold the bar in place.Sometimes I try “one too many” andend up dumping the bar in the rack.

Some people, especially those newto the front squat, may feel morecomfortable with a secure grip on thebar while squatting. Check outAtomicAthletic.com, as they now havea seven-foot bar, weighing 52 pounds,that has parallel-grip handles madeespecially for front squatting. KenMannie, strength coach at MichiganState University, has his charges frontsquat with this bar, and he loves thefeel of the bar while front squatting. Abar with this grip may solve yourgripping problem while front squatting.

The upright row is considered adangerous exercise by some. What’syour opinion of this exercise?

As I’ve gotten older I’ve developed anappreciation of Stuart’s conservativeapproach to form and exercise selection.I used to do the upright row with myhands close together, and pull the bar allthe way up to my chin. It never botheredme when I was younger, but does now.I still do it (but differently) and think it’sa good exercise as long as you don’tpull the bar up too high and don’t use aclose grip. I believe it becomesincreasingly dangerous if you go abovethe lower chest level.

I always do a few warm-up sets inthe upright row before the heavy sets.For both warm-up and work sets Ikeep my hands right on the edge ofthe knurl mark on a York bar (about16 inches apart). I lower the barslowly with a good bottom pause, andraise it no higher than chest/nipplelevel. If you do the movement thisway, your chances of injury aredramatically reduced. Of course, ifyou still get a negative reaction evento the modified version, eliminate theexercise. Never persist with anyexercise that causes pain or any othertype of negative reaction.

Some coaches feel that intensivebent-legged deadlifting on one dayand intensive stiff-legged deadliftingon another day each week is toomuch for the lower back, but othersfeel it’s okay. What’s your position?What do you have your clients do, asa general rule?

In my opinion, deadlifting of any formshould not be done more than once perweek. The muscles of the lower backfrequently need more recovery timethan other musculature. The deadlift isone of the toughest exercises and thereare many individuals, powerliftersincluded, who only deadlift onceevery other week (twice per month).

There may be a minority ofindividuals who can get away withdoing a variation of deadlifts twiceper week, but I feel that would beserious overtraining for the vastmajority of lifters. Deadlifting hardand heavy once per week is thefrequency I recommend.

Some people recommend trainingthe grip hard once or at most twice


HARDGAINER22

a week, but a few recommendtraining it almost every day, rotatinga number of different exercises. Howmuch is enough with grip work, andshould the grip be worked morefrequently than other bodyparts?

I may be the wrong person to ask thisquestion of, as I do grip work just toassist my strength training, not tocompete in any form of gripcompetition. It may be different ifyou’re seriously training to excel in agrip competition or demonstration,such as closing a certain gripper. Irecommend doing your grip trainingjust like you would any other muscle—hitting it twice every 7–10 days as perthe “commandments” of WhelanStrength Training. Why should the gripget any special extra attention, unlessyou’re really involved in gripcompetition, which I’m not, andneither are my clients.

It’s great if you have a strong grip,but your major lifts should be asimpressive, if not more so. I get agood chuckle when I see some of theguys who are so into grip work thatthey seem to forget they have a bodyattached to their hands. I know a guywho can almost close the numberthree gripper, which is veryimpressive and a lot better than I cando, but he can only bench press about250 pounds and squat maybe 350, ifhe’s lucky. He thinks he’s a strong guyjust because of his grip.

I think some people are gettingtheir priorities mixed up. Work yourwhole body, which includes the grip.Don’t put emphasis on the grip at theexpense of the major strength-training movements. People who canonly do feats of strength with the griparen’t real strongmen in my opinion.If their squat, bench press, deadlift,military press, etc, are done with

heavy weights, and they have astrong grip, to me, that’s impressive.To have a really strong grip and beweak in the major barbellmovements, is getting it all wrong.

What do you think of the bookMUSCLETOWN USA, by John D. Fair?

In my opinion, although it unfairlytreated Hoffman too negatively,Fair’s book is excellent. It’s full ofhistorical information and is afascinating read. The facts in it can’tbe disputed, but some of the negativethings about Hoffman were unfairlyportrayed. The same effort wasn’tmade to dig in detail into the personallives of other major characters in IronGame history. I don’t know of anynew book coming out with a morepositive spin on the York/Hoffmanside, but I’d love to see it.

The problem is that Fair seems togo out of his way to show Hoffman’sbad side. He seemed biased towardsJoe Weider and cynical/negativeabout Hoffman. Factual informationcan still be unfair. People usually digdeeper into personal negative things ifthey don’t like you, and omit some ofthe positive things. (The oppositeapplies if they like you). If you cankeep that in mind, MUSCLETOWN USAis a great book.

I love Hoffman. His influence gotme started in all this when I boughtmy first copies of MUSCULARDEVELOPMENT and STRENGTH ANDHEALTH, in 1964, when I was tenyears old. I admire the man and won’tlet Fair’s book change my admirationfor Hoffman. I’d like to see the samedirt-digging effort put into a bookabout other leading Iron Gamefigures, past and present, to helpbalance things.

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What’s the best description of howthe old-timers really trained?

The only real absolute about the old-timers is that they trained naturally,hard and progressively. They mayhave had crude equipment and limitedinformation, but they made the mostof what they had. If you take a closelook at old Iron Game literature,you’ll find a common theme: health,strength, vigor and longevity.Cosmetic results, althoughmentioned, were clearly secondary.The cosmetic results were believed tobe the end result of “doing the rightthing,” and were a reward for effort,discipline and a lifestyle commitment.

The titles of the popular books andmagazines reflected these values.There were STRENGTH AND HEALTH,HEALTH AND STRENGTH, PHYSICALCULTURE, STRENGTH, THE STRONG MAN,and numerous other titles. Comparethese titles to the best-selling trainingbooks and magazines of today—thedifference is astounding.

The pioneers of Physical Culturewere not just body beautiful posers.They were strong! Eugene Sandow andothers competed in various feats ofstrength. They had to make do withcrude training facilities and equipment,but they made the most of what theyhad. They had to endure the wrath ofsociety, as attaining health and strengthwas not a trendy thing to do in thosedays. This is how the term health nutgot started (they were definitely notcalled buff!) Even though they had farless information available, they sworeby the information they did have.

How many of us truly can saywe’re using the information we have?Jack LaLanne was so dedicated thathe trained his mind to visualizedisgusting images at the very thoughtof junk food. Cosmetic results were

seen as the reward for correct livingand hard training.

Many of our Physical Cultureforefathers went beyond physicalhealth and were concerned withmental and spiritual health as well.Peary Rader frequently wrote articlesabout spiritual health; and BobHoffman and Bernarr MacFadden, inaddition to writing about training,wrote about practically everythingdealing with health and happiness,including moral issues.

We now have much better overallequipment, gyms, and nutritional andhealth knowledge. But we also havethe horrendous mess of drug abuse.Public acceptance/involvement oftraining is much higher now. But mostof the training principles have beenaround a long time.

There’s nothing really new as far asstrength-training principles areconcerned. It just gets re-packaged.Read the “Letters from Chas” onNaturalStrength.com, and his articlesin old issues of HARDGAINER, as herepeatedly covers this topic. There’sno single training philosophy thatdefines the old-timers. Klein, Maxick,Cyr and Grimek trained differently,just as individuals today traindifferently. Chas stated that none oftoday’s training principles are reallynew. The only exception I can think ofthat may be considered new is theconcept of very slow speed training.

I’m curious as to what you thinkabout Arthur Jones, his writing andstrength training methods. Also,do you consider yourself anadvocate of HIT?

I have a great deal of respect forJones, and consider him to be one ofthe brightest minds in the history of


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strength training. I didn’t discoverhim right away though. My earlyinfluences were mainly from York(Hoffman and Grimek), Brad Steinerand later from the original IRON MANfrom Peary Rader. In the late 1970s Iwas temporarily influenced a greatdeal by Heavy Duty from MikeMentzer, but later realized that he justparaphrased and repackaged ArthurJones’ theories, so it was really JonesI was influenced by. I don’t agreewith everything Jones says, but mostof it. He definitely had a big impacton my beliefs.

I frequently use multiple sets, lowreps and barbells. I believe how youtrain depends on the goal of yourtraining. A powerlifter has to do lowreps, multiple sets and use a barbell. Abasketball player doesn’t. I don’tbelieve you have to go to failure to getgood results so long as you trainprogressively. It depends on the goal ofyour training and your circumstances.

When it comes to training stimulus,I’m mainly a poundage guy. A lot ofHIT guys never talk about poundage,it’s always only about going to failure.I always put poundage (in good form)first, ahead of going to failure oranything else as far as training stimulusgoes. Although I’m a big supporter ofgoing to failure, and controlled speedof motion training (for some trainees),for me they are clearly secondary toload progression.

I have a broad view of strengthtraining and can see many ways thatwork. I don’t feel the need to try topersuade people to do exactly what Ido, nor do I get personally offendedby differences in training philosophyother than those which use drugsupport. The most important thing isthat you’re natural and trying to trainhard and lift heavier. If so, we’rebrothers, and there’s no need to argueabout minor details.

In strength training, it’s all good aslong as you follow the sensible rules ofsafety, progression and recovery asexpressed in HARDGAINER. If you dopower cleans or don’t do them, I don’tcare so long as you don’t get hurt.Same with odd objects, going tofailure, etc. Just don’t get injured!

I see the various modes andmethods of strength training as tools ina tool chest. A craftsman can collectand use many tools to perform his art.Only a fool would throw useful toolsaway and insist on using just a fewtools. Different tools can be used fordifferent people. Some need low repsand multiple sets due to their goals, andsome need one set to failure.

Regardless of the method used instrength training, I always put thegreatest emphasis on load orpoundage progression. Effort withoutprogression is no better thancalisthenics or manual labor. H

The methods promoted inHARDGAINERwill pack onmuscle and strength for allwho conscientiously anddiligently put them intopractice. But the practicalapplication demands greatresolve, dedication, effort andpersistence. We provide thetraining advice you need, butonly you alone can providethe resolve, dedication, effortand persistence. Rise to the challenge, and then you’ll reap thewonderful rewards !


The deadlift is the King of lifts—it’s the bad boy on the block, ittakes no prisoners. If you don’t

respect it, and don’t do it with good formand on an irregular basis, you’ll get hurt.

Few men approach this lift, exercise ormovement (whatever you prefer to call it)with the proper attitude. Ihear from allkinds of authorities that it’s a uselessmovement, and a waste of time for abodybuilder. They are wrong. Every manwho uses a barbell should deadlift if he hasa healthy back, and he should do it with aflat back to keep a healthy back.

Something that opened my eyes to thedeadlift was, over the years, taking mypowerlifting team to prisons. The Pit haslifted at the Kentucky State Prison,Eddyville and the Marion FederalPenitentiary. Lifting in a prison againstmen whose struggles in life are different tomine and yours, and causes them to haverespect for what’s hard and not so muchfor that which requires skill. And in prisonI saw some very good deadlifters.

No disrespect for the wide-footdeadlift, but I didn’t see many wide-footdeadlifters in prison. What I saw wereclose-foot pulls through a long distanceof travel, done by men with a greatrespect for strength.

I’ve seen a close-foot deadlift of 760pounds done by a man standing about 6-1tall, and he weighed only about 180pounds. With a close stance is the wayyou want to deadlift if you want the mostfrom the movement.

I want to say that it’s my belief thatthe deadlift builds more useable strengththan any other movement, and affectsmore muscle than any other movement.

The deadlift is also the easiestmovement to overtrain. It needs to betreated with great care.

To keep the back flat and tight is ofutmost importance. As you start yourpull, never let your back start to round,but keep it tight and flat. Here’s how todeadlift by the numbers:

As you step to the bar, place your feetno more than shoulder-width apart, andtoes pointed out so that as you bend overand grip the bar with bent legs, flat backand head up, the feel is right. Fine-tune thestance and toe flare until you feel right inthe bottom position.

The pull should start over your feet,and you pull the bar towards you as youpull the bar up. You must keep a flat backand begin your pull with good control.Do not jerk on the bar. In most cases thebar will be right against the legs just afteryou start the pull.

As you start the pull, your shouldersand hips must move at the same time!This is very important, and you may needa spotter/assistant to tell you if your hipsare moving up and your legs arebeginning to straighten and yet the barhas hardly moved from the floor. Thetypical error is that lifters raise their hipsfaster than their shoulders, and straightentheir legs too quickly. This error distortsthe exercise and puts massive stress onthe lower back, leads to rounding of theback, and injury.

By the time the bar gets to the kneesthe legs should still be bent, and the barshould be right against the legs. As youget close to the finish, push your hipsforward and stand erect. Don’t lean back,but stand erect with legs straight andshoulders pulled back. Deadlift correctlyand save your back.

The DeadliftBy Dick Conner

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The deadlift is a great lift—the onlytrue power lift, since the use of supportgear has ruined the squat and bench press.

Never deadlift intensively more thantwice a month, and never more than onework set per workout. If you’ve beentraining hard on the deadlift for sixmonths or better, drop the frequency toevery third week.

Here’s a good deadlift routine. It’s notthe only way to do it, but it’s as good as anyand better than most. Only work sets arelisted—warm-up work is additional, andnecessary—and exercises unrelated to thedeadlift haven’t been included here. Youmust, however, keep your overall trainingprogram brief if it’s to be effective.

1. Deadlift: 15 reps2. Back extension: 63. Negative chin: 104. Side bend: 15The back extension, negative chin, andside bend should be done very slowly—10seconds up and 10 seconds down.

Other issuesRecently a man asked me if I thought anabbreviated training program would beeffective for him. The man weighedabout 225 pounds at 6-1 tall. Heexplained that his best bench press was315 but after going on a veryabbreviated routine in which he only didtwo sets of bench presses a week, hisbench press went down to 300. As Iunderstood, he was doing a generalroutine with little assistance work andjust a few basic movements. I don’tknow how hard he was training though.Perhaps he wasn’t training as hard as heneeded to for good results. But to know,I’d have needed to see him train.

If this man is as heavy in bodyweightas he wants to be, and his main interest isthe bench press, he needs to addassistance work for the bench press,improve his technique, train hard and drop

back in his other work in order to have therecovery ability to cope with the addedassistance work. He would probably haveto trade some strength elsewhere in orderto boost his bench press.

If, however, you’re a true hard gainerand want to build bigger muscles, youhave to think in terms of gaining on yourwhole routine, not just your bench press.

If you’re a powerlifter you mustimprove your total, not just onemovement like the bench press. That’s theway a hard gainer needs to think.

I’ve known men who could deadliftover 550 yet who couldn’t bench press300. David Wedding, one of The Pit’spowerlifters, has been able to becomevery good at the deadlift and squat, with560 and 480 respectively, but his benchpress is sub par at 250, all at 165 poundsbodyweight. If David decided to drop thesquat and deadlift he could improve hisbench press by 20–50 pounds, but in theend he would lose strength overall.

Strength is a whole lot more than,“How good is your bench press?”

Of the three great pressingmovements, the bench press is thirdbehind the dip and overhead press. Don’tworry about one particular movement.Give each compound movement in yourroutine your best, which means in somecases no more than one work set perexercise, in other cases two or maybethree work sets.

Almost none of you can productivelytrain over twice a week, and most canproductively do no more than five worksets in a single workout. Some extremehard gainers can productively do no morethan three work sets a week.

You must find out for yourself. Ifyou’re not gaining, but you are traininghard and eating and sleeping well, in mostcases you need to train less.

I believe the following are the bestbasic free-weight movements: deadlift,squat, chin (supinated grip), press, dip,

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row (with a dumbbell), shrug and benchpress. Beyond this are the best assistancemovements: side bend, crunch sit-up, backextension and L-fly—these help protectthe back and shoulders.

The order these exercises are writtenin, in my opinion, is the order of theirimportance in building strength.

As for machines, the best are the legpress, old Nautilus plate-loaded pullover,and the pulldown.

The leg press must be a goodmachine—Hammer Strength’s, for itsprice, is hard to beat. The old Nautilusplate-loaded pullover is impossible toduplicate with a barbell, but it must bedone correctly—very slowly—and then

you have a great upper-back workout.The pulldown is needed by hard gainers,so it’s important. I don’t know ofanything else that can do anything thatthese exercises can’t. And consider thatThe Pit has vintage Nautilusmachines—1970 models. We also havesome of the new machines. And I’m inthe process of upgrading our barrel, bag,and log equipment.

We use all types of equipment, andknow well what works if you work. Butthe basics will always be the same, andthey will always be the best.

No equipment, however, is going toreplace your heart and mind in getting youthe strength you want. H


Especially for new readersWhile strength and physical development are our shared interests, some of youare primarily concerned with your physical appearance (with strength buildingbeing just a means to an end), others of you are primarily interested in strengthand strength feats, while a third group is interested in a combination ofappearance and performance. And some of you have physical limitations thatproscribe methods of training that other people gain well on. To cater for thesedifferent needs and preferences, HARDGAINER provides a diversity of traininginformation—but always within the framework of abbreviated training routines.Be prudent in what you select, only put into practice what’s appropriate for youto apply, and always keep safety uppermost in your mind.

There are many ways to train, each proven to be effective, but notnecessarily effective and safe for all trainees. All our contributors have their ownemphases and preferences, coming from their own experiences, but allrecognize that no single person “knows it all.” The opinions published inHARDGAINER are those of individual authors, and not necessarily those of thepublisher and CS Publishing Ltd.

The training methods promoted in HARDGAINER are physically verydemanding. If you have any doubts about your body’s ability to tolerate any self-imposed exercise program, consult with your physician. Proceed with caution.

– Stuart McRobert

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For about three years I’ve produced aquestions and answers column forwww.hardgainer.com. It was the first year orso of answers, together with a batch ofanswers from elsewhere, that were revisedand sorted out to produce FURTHER BRAWN.Some of you who don’t have internet access,or who prefer not to use the internet otherthan for work, have asked for a selection ofthe post-FURTHER BRAWN answers, revisedand updated, to be published in HARDGAINER.

Generally speaking, the answers dealwith topics either not covered in my books,or not covered in detail there.

I’ve noticed that my hands turn coldafter my 15 reps of squatting. After afew minutes my hands return to bodytemperature. Is squatting cutting offcirculation to my hands?

The bar placement on your shouldersand/or the hand position you use, may behampering your circulation. I’d suggestthat you try a slightly different barplacement—a bit lower, not higher—and awider hand placement on the bar. Tinkerwith those two factors, from workout toworkout, until you find a combination thatdoesn’t cause your hands to feel cold at theend of a set of squats.

In BEYOND BRAWN you say that the Tru-Squat helped bring you back into yourprevious condition after not squattingfor some years. I have a bad back andcan’t squat without extreme pain. Theonly thing I can do is one-legged squatsfor a short spell, then I’m forced tostop and do leg presses when the

dumbbells get heavy. Do you think the Tru-Squat would benefit me?

I’d say the Tru-Squat is worth a try, butdon’t go buying one to try it. Contact themanufacturing company, Southern Xercise(800-348-4907), and find where there’s amachine near you, and then contact theowner to see if you can give it a try for agood few workouts.

The Tru-Squat does involve contractionof the back musculature, but there’s noforward flexion, and there’s no weightdirectly against your spine. Also,substantially less weight is needed on theTru-Squat than in the barbell squat, toproduce the same degree of work.

Ball squats and hip-belt squats are twoother alternatives to consider, and both costpeanuts compared to a Tru-Squat.

The Tru-Squat continue to be safe formy back, but it irritates my kneessufficiently for me to have stopped using it.

I noticed in a lot of routines that Isee no exercises listed specificallyfor triceps, but the same routineshave specific exercises listed for thebiceps. Why?

Because there’s usually more work for thetriceps from the big exercises than for thebiceps. Dips, benches and overhead pressesall give the triceps a lot of work. Chins andsupinated pulldowns work the biceps hard,and rows give the biceps some work.Whereas most trainees include two of thepressing movements that really hit thetriceps, many don’t include the chin orsupinated pulldown. This is why curls areoften included in abbreviated routines.Relative to the size of the biceps, it’s strange

Miscellany of Topics #1By Stuart McRobert

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that a specific exercise is usually includedfor it while the calves and hamstrings maybe neglected in many cases, both of whichare much larger than the biceps.

If I squat heavy, do I have to do anyhamstrings work in addition to thesquats? What’s the primary purpose ofthe stiff-legged deadlift? Do I need todo stiff-legged deads if I squat heavy?

The primary purpose of the stiff-leggeddeadlift is to work the hamstrings,erectors, glutes and upper back. Squats hitthe hams, glutes and erectors (along withthe quads and adductors), but the stiff-legged deadlift, for most people, worksthe erectors and hams more than does thesquat. I’d recommend that you use thestiff-legged deadlift as a companionexercise to the squat, other than for short-term very-abbreviated programs. But besure you use impeccable form, and don’tuse an exaggerated or excessive range ofmotion for you. Never round your loweror upper back.

The stiff-legged deadlift alone isn’t,however, adequate to work the functionsof the hamstrings. At least in sometraining cycles, the addition of the leg curlis a good idea, to produce improvedbalance between the musculature andstrength of the front and rear thighs. If youcan’t stiff-legged deadlift safely, performone or two hard sets of the leg curl onceevery 4–7 days on a consistent basis. Inow include the leg curl as one of themost valuable single-joint exercises.

For the leg curl, be sure to use amachine and set-up that enables you toposition the axis of rotation of theapparatus so that it lines up with thecenter of your knees. If the two pointsare out of alignment, the leg curl willirritate your knees and produce moreharm than good. Use the right set-up ordon’t use the leg curl at all.

How close together should my handsbe when I sumo deadlift?

If your hands are very close, there are twoimmediate problems—no knurling on thebar (in most cases) and thus a weakenedgrip, and poor control of balance of the bar.I’d say you should have your hands abouthip width apart, and definitely on theknurling of the bar. With a stronger grip,and better control of the bar, your form canonly be helped, not hindered.

The first time I deadlifted I managed310 pounds for a few reps. I managedto get up to 395 for 5 rest-pause reps.I couldn’t figure out the trainingfrequency and thus couldn’t keeptabs on progression, so I decided togive the deadlift up. After a similartime period of squatting I onlymanaged 225 pounds for 5 in the fullsquat, without a belt. I realized thatI’m more gifted at the deadlift thanthe squat. I want to start deadliftingagain. The problem is that I can’tseem to get a gaining momentumgoing with the deadlift.

That you were able to deadlift so much thefirst time is extraordinary, and indicatesnatural ability well above the average unlessyou have a background in heavy manuallabor that built the required strength.

Your problem wasn’t deadliftingfrequency. You should never have beendeadlifting 310 pounds the first time out.Though an apparently simple exercise, thedeadlift still needs to be mastered by usinglight weights, and then gradually buildingup the resistance while maintaining perfectform. It’s impossible to master form bystarting out on an exercise with a weightthat makes you struggle. You took a hugerisk when you jumped into intensivedeadlifting without a period of adaptation.You could have suffered severe damage.


HARDGAINER30

Start deadlifting again, and do itproperly this time. First, learn all the insand outs of deadlifting. Only then shouldyou proceed. Start with 60 kilos or 135pounds—a 20-kilo/45-pound plate oneach end of an Olympic bar, plus springcollars. Master the form in a couple ofsessions, doing multiple sets of 6 repseach time, and until you have it off pat.Video tape yourself so that you canactually see how you’re lifting. Once formis perfect, and the groove entrenched, add5 kilos/10 pounds per week, for the firstfour weeks, and thereafter drop to just halfof that a week. Perform 3 work sets of 6reps each, following warm-up work.Don’t progress any faster than that.Impeccable form is imperative. Video tapeyourself every few workouts, to check onyour form. If your form degrades, cutback the weight, and build up again, butwithout any degradation.

Assuming you don’t have any setbacks,it will take you about eight months to get to310 pounds. At that point, cut back to 2 x 6works sets, following minimum warm-upswith 135 pounds, 200 and 265. If doneproperly you’ll get to 310 x 6 x 3 withperfect form and lots of potential forkeeping the progression going at 5 poundsper week for a further few months, andthen at a slower pace thereafter (assumingyou’re eating and sleeping well each day).Over the second half of the year you’regoing to have to crank up your nutrition,rest and sleeping habits, in order to providethe recovery “ingredients,” otherwise yourprogress will grind to a halt.

You may not be happy about theprospect of starting the cycle with 135pounds, but the thought of being able tohandle around 400 pounds a year or so fromnow should excite you. But you won’t getthere if you rush things now. (This rate ofprogress is unusually quick, a reflection ofyour above-average deadlifting potential.)

So long as progress is happening nicely,stick with deadlifting once every seven

days. But if or when progress starts to getreally tough, stretch out the deadliftingfrequency to once every 10–14 days.

The squat is potentially a greatexercise. You should continue to squatproviding you can do it safely. If you’vealso been making mistakes in your formand progression scheme in the squat, thenthat would seriously limit your progressand make injury likely. Please learn lessonsfrom your deadlifting, and apply themelsewhere in your training.

I read somewhere that Bob Peoplesused to alternate squats and deadlifts.When he became stale in one of themhe used to switch to the other. I’mthinking of trying this approach. Whatdo you think?

Peoples was a phenomenal deadlifter,though his round-back style is off limitsfor regular mortals. He deadlifted 725pounds at a bodyweight of 189 pounds, in1949! Peoples used many innovativetraining methods and pieces of equipment.

I’m all for doing what works for you ,though if you’re going to alternate thesquat and deadlift, the deadlift needs touse heavy thigh involvement or otherwiseyour leg strength is probably going toback track while you focus on the deadlift.If you deadlift with either the trap bar orshrug bar, you can get lots of thighinvolvement, and will alternate somewhatsimilar exercises, as the parallel-gripdeadlift has more in common with thesquat than the straight bar deadlift has.

Why are seated or standing overheaddumbbell or barbell presses in the “bigmovement” group with squats,deadlifts, dips, etc? In my opinion, Idon’t see how working such a smallgrouping of muscles would stimulatethe same growth as squatting 20 reps.


Any overhead press can’t compare withintensive 20-rep squatting when comparingtotal muscular involvement and growthpotential. But behind the really bigexercises—the squat and bent-leggeddeadlift—come the next tier of majorexercises, which includes the overheadpress variations, along with the dip, benchpress and chin, as examples. The overheadpress is included in the big movementgrouping to distinguish it from the isolationmovement grouping—laterals, for theshoulders, for example.

I’m 46 years old and as of now I’mstronger than I’ve ever been and I’mstill making progress. When should Iconsider stopping or changing thedirection of my lifting? I’m still in goodhealth and enjoy training. I don’t wantto take it too far and endanger myself.

There are no rigid rules here relative tonumbers, because there are big differencesamong individuals. I’d say you shouldcontinue getting stronger for as long as yousafely can, and for as long as you continueto have the appetite for it. How muchfarther you can go depends on where youare relative to your potential.

Perhaps you’ve been training for only acouple of years and can squat 240 x 20. Orperhaps you’ve been training for twentyyears and can squat 340 x 20. If the latter,I’d say you’re around the point where youshould move to maintenance strength workfor a while, and then live with the gradualdecline in strength that will take effectsoon, though perhaps not for a few yearsyet if you keep yourself in good conditionand health. But if you’re at 240 x 20, I’dsay you can keep progressing in strengthfor a while yet.

Either way, be sure you’re givingserious attention to cardiovascular healthand conditioning—three sessions perweek of 30–40 minutes of moderate

aerobic work, or much shorter bouts ofharder cardio work. Additionally, if youneed to burn calories through aerobicexercise for the sake of weight control,then walk for an hour or so each day.

Beyond exercise, do all that you can inother areas in order to look after yourhealth—eat healthfully, take plenty ofanti-oxidant supplements, avoid harmfulhabits and environments, sleep adequatelyand well, avoid severe stress, do work youenjoy, and have some regular butmoderate exposure to sunshine. And keepin mind that being happy is an importantpart of good health.

Is the deadlift a good substitute for thesquat, in the context of leg training?

Depends on the deadlift and theindividual. If you’re talking about thetrap bar or shrug bar deadlift, then forsure it’s a good substitute for the squat.For some people, that form of the deadlift(the parallel-grip deadlift) can provide amore productive workout for the legs.

If you mean the conventional straightbar deadlift, it depends on how much legwork it gives you. If your leverages favorthe squat more than the deadlift, thenusing the deadlift as your sole upper-legmovement will reduce the training effectin that area, and the conventional deadliftwouldn’t be a good substitute for the squatfor leg work for you. In such cases, thesumo deadlift may provide more leg workthan the conventional deadlift.

If your leverages are more suited to thedeadlift than the squat, then the differencebetween the deadlift and the squat, at leastfor leg work, may be more blurred. In thiscase, the parallel-grip deadlift is the way togo—then you can get the benefit of yourimproved leverages for the deadlift but withmore leg flexion than with a straight bar,and thus perhaps get more leg involvementthan from the barbell squat. H

HARDGAINER32

I’ve been training with weights since1973, though more off than on overrecent years. Since the start of 2002 I

did, however, resolve to get back intotraining regularly.

I’ve bench pressed safely for manyyears. Since I first began training, I wasgood at this particular exercise, being ableto bench press more than my bodyweightwith very little training. Being an injury-free trainee most of my life had ingrainedsome habits, but not necessarily habitsthat would work permanently. As we age,what seemed fine in earlier years may turnout to be safe no longer. Previous successdoesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve beendoing things properly. What the bodycould cope with during its youth is onething, but an older body can’t necessarilycope with the same habits. Of course, ifthe training habits were sound from thestart, then even an older body couldprosper on the same methods used onyoungsters. The safety or otherwise of agiven training approach will really betested if you try it when you’re mucholder. This is exactly what I did.

In January I started training “seriously”again. I started bench pressing anewfollowing a few years of not doing it. Ithought that my strength would come backquickly, like in the old days. The first dayback I could perform only two reps with85% of bodyweight. Within four weeks Iwas able to do ten reps with 95%bodyweight. My goal was to get some repswith 220 pounds, soon.

Late February, in a warm-up set with60% of my bodyweight, I felt a pain in bothshoulder joints, something I’d never feltbefore. I thought it was due to the musclesnot being warmed up properly. I kept onadding weight and doing reps. The paindisappeared. First mistake: not heeding awarning sign.

The following week, March 4, 2002, Ididn’t feel like training, but as it wasscheduled, I “had” to train. Secondmistake: not heeding another warning sign.Once again I felt chest-shoulder pain in thewarm-up sets. This wasn’t soreness butpain in the joints as if it was in the bones.Next was a work set with four pounds morethan the previous week, and then I’d finish

By Fernando Vallejo

FROM THE GRASSROOTS, IThings happen, and lessons to learnThis article may make for uncomfortable reading. It’s been included to illustrate why it’scritical that you’re always sensible and conservative in your training. No matter howexperienced one may be, the rules of sensible training still apply. Properly done, weighttraining is very safe and healthy, but take liberties and it becomes a dangerous activity.

I’ve learned the importance of safety-first training through some painful andfrightening experiences many years ago. Through foolishness I’ve been stuck under aheavy bench press bar without a spotter or safety set-up and stuck at the bottom of aheavy squat with no help or safety set-up, I’ve used appalling form to gut out final reps ofsets, and I’ve attempted maximal lifting before conditioning myself to it. I’ve paid a heavyprice for the foolishness, and so have countless others. Learn from our foolishness!

– Stuart McRobert

33

with a single-rep set. After the final multi-rep set, I didn’t feel like doing the single-rep set. Third mistake: not heeding yetanother warning sign.

But Idid go for the final set, the singlerep. I lowered the bar till it touched mychest, and I pushed it upwards, as usual. Inthe middle of the path, suddenly, my leftarm started to shake and I heard a noiseidentical to cloth being ripped. The painwas terrible. I stopped the ascent andslowly lowered the bar until it touched mychest. I didn’t dare look at my shoulder.And to make matters even worse, Iwastrapped under the bar, severely injured,with no safety racks, and no spotter to help.A terrifying experience!

After a great effort I got the bar off bytilting it to one side. Then I collapsed on thefloor and started to quiver—a vagal reactionto the pain. I was taken into emergency careat the nearby hospital. The next day my leftarm was blue because of the brokencapillaries, and lots of pectoral major fiberswere torn—a very serious injury.

By May I could bench press with30–40% of bodyweight. I was unable to do achin or even hang from a bar. I hope that nosurgery is needed to repair the damage. Forthe moment Ineed to train very carefullyand see the evolution of the recovery.

Listen to your body, train safely, don’t bein a hurry to add weight before you canreally cope with it. Use less weight and morereps, and get to your goal when your body isready. You can’t rush strength increase.Safety is the priority. Getting injured will atbest slow your progress, and at the worstmay lead to permanent problems.

Progressive resistance trainingemphasizes the importance of goingheavier and heavier to get bigger andstronger, but many of us (including me)have given exaggerated importance to it,and cut corners on form and safetymeasures. Now I can’t perform any chins,dips or even simple floor push-ups. I hopethat within a few months I’ll be able to do

them again. But recovering all of myformer strength is another thing. Mytraining may never be the same because ofa few moments of recklessness.

“Fernando, things happen,” said thedoctor who first examined me at thehospital’s emergency ward. Don’t forgetthis phrase, please. Things happen to all ofus. But bad things don’t have to happen inthe gym providing you follow the rules ofsensible training.

I hope you don’t need a serious injury tobe reminded of critical lessons ofproductive weight training.

In the back of my mind I did knowbetter, but I let foolish bravado, haste andlack of caution rule the roost. I knew Ishould have been much more cautious, andstarted with a far lighter bench press weight.I knew I should never bench press alone orwithout any safety set-up. Iknew I shouldheed warning signs, not ignore them. I knewI should never use low reps and singleswhen, in effect, Iwas a novice once again.But I wasn’t a teenage novice like when Ifirst started training, but a middle-agenovice. But despite all of this, Ibroke allthese rules, and what a heavy price I paid.

Sensible training means caution and aconservative approach at all ages, but evenmore so in one’s mid-life and later years.

I’ve reported my painful and humblingexperience to help you avoid making themistakes I did. Don’t think that you can getaway with breaking the rules of sensibleand progressive training. Train sensibly andsafely, or don’t train at all. H


Back issuesAll back issues of HARDGAINER areavailable, but the first 26 are inphotocopy format only.

The back issues represent atreasury of experience and advice.Please see www.hardgainer.comfor prices and discounts.

HARDGAINER34

Nautilus leverage machinesContinued from the previous issueMany trainees who had grown up usingbarbell or conventional weight-trainingmachinery were not psychologicallycomfortable with these new trainingdevices. Some remained resistant to anyand all machine-based exercise. Otherswere resistant, but saw the advantagesoffered by the machines. Their bias atwhat they felt were erroneous exerciseprinciples, fueled by the muscle-buildingmedia, allowed the acceptance of somemachines, but not Nautilus, which theyfelt were somehow different, and notresult producing. Others tried andaccepted Nautilus and other machines,because they felt the difference in theirstrength levels, and saw increases in theirmuscular tissue.

Somewhere in the middle stood theoverwhelming majority of athletes, strengthcoaches and fitness enthusiasts, wanting tobelieve whatever seemed to be true aboutNautilus or other machines, but not reallyin a position to know with certainty, despitetheir degrees, despite the books andjournals they had read, and despite whatthey were told by all of the pseudo expertsthat fill the field of physical exercise.

The development of the Nautilusleverage machines is, Ibelieve, another“great leap forward,” another step in theexercise revolution. The leveragemachines are aptly named, designed sothat the leverage factors of the machinesthemselves provide productive andefficient exercise. Exercise movementfeels right, feels balanced, and feels as ifthe muscles are being forced to work at

maximum levels of effort. They don’tutilize cams, sprockets, chains, cables,hydraulics or water-based resistance. Theyare, in the truest sense of the term,“redesigned barbells.”

The original Nautilus designs were anattempt to produce “perfect” exercisemachines, and some of them came veryclose to doing so. The Nautilus leveragemachines have been designed to provideefficient, comfortable and productiveexercise. They are not “perfect,” but thealterations in resistance as one movesthrough a complete range of motion causethe exertion of maximal efforts. Even die-hard barbell men have stated, “These feelgood, I like it!” after an all-out set on theLeverage Leg Press.

They are designed to be orthopedicallyadvantageous. I’ve always been leery ofthose manufacturers who proclaimed thattheir equipment was “orthopedicallycorrect.” My immediate response was,“Correct for whom?” Leg press machinesthat exposed the patella tendon toexcessive shearing forces and the lumbarspine to compression; pressing machinesthat caused compression on the lumbarand thoracic spine while causingimpingement at the shoulder joints;biceps and triceps machines whichcaused discomfort and extreme torquingforces upon the vulnerable elbow jointhave all been touted as “the next step” inexercise technology. The Nautilusleverage machines do in fact providemany orthopedic/structural advantagesthat are not presently available in otherpieces of equipment.

The leverage machines are tools thatcan, if used properly, provide a degree ofexercise intensity that can’t be equalled by

THE STEEL TIPA Newsletter for Strength and FitnessBy Dr. Ken E. Leistner

35

a barbell or dumbbell. Most of the leveragemachines provide a type of exercise thatcan’t be provided by other forms ofexercise machinery. The orthopedicadvantages and safety features relative tofree-weights, and the variation in exercisethat’s provided by these advantages—suchas scapulae movements and synergisticcontractions—make the leverage machinesthe perfect choice for heavy-duty gyms,high school and university settings, and thehome fitness market.

As always, the proviso in reaping thepotential benefits from this relatively newform of exercise methodology, is theapplication of “proper” trainingtechniques. The Nautilus leveragemachines can lead the dedicated trainee tolevels of training intensity heretoforeunattainable, and for that reason only, weuse them in our facility, like the resultsthat our patients and clients receive fromtheir use, and have no hesitation in singingtheir praises in our newsletter.

Shotput curlsJamie LaBelle is a young man with asterling athletic background, and aninnovative mind. He has made a number ofimportant contributions to our trainingfacility, and is constantly experimenting andattempting to improve specific exercises inan attempt to increase their productivity.

Recently, Jamie suggested that we usea shotput, or different sized shotputs, toincrease the intensity of our forearmworkouts. As a “finishing touch” to ourforearm or biceps work, the shotput willbe held in a reverse curl position, with apronated or palm-facing-down grip. Theelbow is tucked tightly into the side, andthe shotput is then curled in a slow andstrict manner. The negative or eccentriccontraction is done more slowly andcontrolled than the positive movement. Inaddition to working the brachioradialisand other forearm flexors, the intrinsicmuscles of the hand and the finger flexors

are placed under a high level ofcontraction. Doing each arm separatelyallows a high degree of concentration.

The effects of this movement havebeen terrific and immediate! As a finishingtouch to the major arm or forearmexercises, the shotput curl provides ahigher degree of muscle stimulating work.I suggest that one begin with a women’sshotput, weighing 4 kilos, or 8.98 pounds,and gradually work up to the men’s full-sized, 16-pound shot. The small-sized shotis perfect for those with relatively smallhands or short fingers, while the 16-pounder will serve the Tim Krumries ofthe world adequately. The 12-pound men’shigh school shotput is an intermediate sizethat can be used exclusively as the forearmworkout of the day.

If one does reverse shotput curls to apoint of momentary muscular failure orfatigue, and then holds the shot with thehand pronated and the forearm flexed atapproximately 45 degrees until thatposition can no longer be maintained, orthe shotput falls from the hand, this canserve as a very adequate muscle stimulatorfor that day.

The interest that’s sparked by the use ofeasily available implements can be a boonto any program, especially when thoseimplements are easy to integrate into theexisting program, and produce veryworthwhile results.

‘‘Carbohydrate drinks’’Volume 2, No. 1 of THE STEEL TIP, in anarticle entitled “Ergogenic aids,” brieflymentioned the proliferation ofcarbohydrate drinks. These supplementalproducts, according to the advertisingmaterial, are “ready to drink complex-carbohydrate energy quenchers,” “theperfect source for fueling muscles beforeand during strenuous exercise, andrefueling after your hardest, most vigorousworkouts.” Further, we learn that at leastone product is “extracted from grain for


HARDGAINER36

accelerated absorption” so that “as fast asyour body depletes glycogen stores . . . itreplenishes them.”

The ultimate source of fuel for musclemovement is glucose, or simple sugar.Glucose is best derived from carbohydratefoods, although the body has the capacity toconvert proteins and fats to glucose also.So-called complex carbohydrates, long-chained sugar molecules, tend to enter thebloodstream at a slower “more sustained”rate than those foods designated as simplesugars, i.e., the short-chained molecules.

The body will store a certain amountof glucose in the muscles and the liver, inthe form of glycogen, for use duringactivity, and will then deliver more to thebloodstream, and ultimately to the cells,as the need demands. Obviously, high-intensity strength training demands acertain amount of blood sugar or glucose.If glucose or glycogen stores are low ordepleted, levels of what we usuallydefine or refer to as “energy” will bedepressed, and muscular contraction willbe less than optimal.

One of the most overlooked andimportant facts regarding carbohydratemetabolism, is that the ultimate source ofthe glucose is unimportant. As THEREALITIES OF NUTRITION by RolandDeutsch states, “. . . the origin of thevarious sugars matters no more to theorgans and cells which will use themthan do the origins of oxygen matter tothe lungs. Glucose is glucose.” Virtuallyall of the single sugars which are notglucose are converted to glucose by theliver, because glucose is the onlycarbohydrate that most body cells use forenergy. If this is the case, it should beobvious that one can eat fruit,vegetables, grains or other carbohydratefoods, all of which will undoubtedly beless expensive than any “speciallyformulated” carbohydrate-energy drink.

Foods which are high in refined sugarsuch as candies and pastries may cause a

rapid rise and subsequent fall in bloodsugar levels, which would have adetrimental effect on one’s workout.However, if one eats sensibly, making sureto eat a relatively high proportion of thedaily caloric intake in the form ofcarbohydrates, getting these from varioussources, then one’s available sugar levelswill not be an inhibiting factor duringtraining. If one feels the need for additionalcarbohydrates and/or calories due to theincreased nutritional demands of intensivetraining, high-quality carbohydrate-bearingfoods are easily obtainable. One or twopieces of fruit an hour or so prior to trainingwill supply all of the “workout fuel”necessary for training.

If one is concerned that his or hercarbohydrate stores are depleted at theconclusion of a training session, then figs,raisins, dates, a sweet potato or tomatojuice will quickly replenish those stores.

Advertisers can talk about a product’s“unique complex carbohydrate,” but to thebody this will soon be glucose, and asmentioned previously, glucose is glucose.There’s no molecule of glucose that’ssuperior to another glucose molecule. Theenergy drinks are advertising genius at itsbest because it preys on the insecurities ofa group of individuals who are oftenfastidious or compulsive about all aspectsof their training.

Propagating the belief that one is“missing something” that will affect theirtraining sessions, especially if this magicingredient is easily obtained fromcommonly found foodstuffs, makes thisauthor wonder about the honesty of somemanufacturers and distributors. But whenthis is compounded by the efforts to sell aproduct that’s vastly overpriced relativeto the other foods that can supply thesame glucose molecules, I no longerwonder; I know.

Reprinted with permission from Vol. 2, No.9, September 1986 issue of THE STEEL TIP.

H


It’s the start of your first term at collegeor university, and you’re discovering anew-found freedom. A fresh student

loan means you have a lot of money in thebank. What’s more, there’s no one to tell youwhat to spend it on. If like me you’re totallyserious about getting much bigger andstronger, then you’re going to have toemploy some apparently radical (relative tothe common student’s behavior) practices inorder to make decent bodybuilding progress,and build muscle.

My university life began in September2001. I’d not moved far away from home butthe changes to my life were just the same asif I’d moved a thousand miles away. As afreshman I found there were manytemptations and freedoms that didn’t exist athome. But I was left without the manyconveniences of home.

I’m a real hard gainer. I have troubleadding size and gaining strength eventhough working my backside off in the gymon an abbreviated program. My out-of-the-gym factors are critical to my progress,

even more so than for a “regular” hardgainer. Getting them in order is top priorityif I’m to build muscle and might andachieve my goals. I’ve had to overcomemany problems in order to get my nutrition,rest and recovery in good order to promoteprogress in the gym.

Bodybuilding nutritionUniversity and college food is usuallyoverpriced, poorly cooked, high in saturatedfat and artificial additives, and just plain badfor your health and bodybuilding efforts.There are, however, some choices you canmake whilst at the cafeteria which will bebeneficial for your health and bodybuilding.Here are some basic guidelines:

Chicken breastsMost colleges will have a grill area offering avariety of cooked meats. Select a grilledchicken breast, and add desired low-fatcondiments. A chicken breast will yieldapproximately 25 grams of protein and 4grams of fat.

By Charlie Bass

FROM THE GRASSROOTS, IIUniversity/college life and trainingI vividly recall my four years at college, 1978–1982. Had I known then what I know now, Icould have done much better with both bodybuilding and my studies. As it was, I gavetremendous priority to bodybuilding, but trained inappropriately and thus wasn’t able to takeadvantage of my extreme motivation and the height of my recovery powers. What a waste. Ifyou’re a college student, make the most of what potentially may be your most productivetraining years. It’s possible to make your best bodybuilding progress while applying yourselffully to your academic studies providing you know how to train and recover.

About halfway through college, and partly out of disillusionment with bodybuilding (dueto my inadequate knowledge of how to train), I moved my focus almost totally to anotherpassion—veganism and animal welfare. I remained a vegan for four years before finallyaccepting that such a regimen was unsuited to me. I reverted to a mixed diet, though stillone free of meat, and returned to bodybuilding with a vengeance.

– Stuart McRobert

HARDGAINER38

EggsAvoid scrambled or fried eggs, and choosethe boiled alternatives. Eggs are an excellentprotein-rich food.

Cereal and toastChoose unprocessed cereals and bread, suchas bran cereal and wholemeal toast. Shy awayfrom high-fat spreads and sugar-loaded jamsand jellies for your toast. Opt for a low-fatspread or low-sugar jam/jelly.

SaladsCafeterias usually have a salad bar.Vegetables contain many vitamins, mineralsand anti-oxidants, as well as fibre. Avoidhigh-fat dressings and pick out lower-fatalternatives, or even vinegar.

Subs or baguettesCafeterias usually offer a range of baguettes,pre-packed and “self-constructable.” If youconstruct your sub right you can get around30 grams of protein, 60 grams of carbs, andabout 10 grams of fat. My personal favorite isa chicken sub with tuna, tomatoes, cucumber,mustard and pickle.

The three-meals-a-day meal plan offeredby most universities and colleges leaves a lotto be desired. This leaves it up to you to getyour nutrition in good order. Three meals aday isn’t usually enough for a serious trainee.You should be consuming protein-rich food(whilst not neglecting carbs and healthfulfats) every three hours or so to keep yourselfout of catabolism, i.e., your body feeding onitself to obtain energy. Catabolism is yourarch enemy whilst trying to gain muscle. Igenerally feed 6–8 times a day. Don’t,however, think that you have to rely on solidfood meals to obtain your nutrition—supplement with blended drinks and shakes.Liquid meals tend to digest faster so the gapbetween a liquid feed and a solid meal, forexample, will probably be quicker(depending on the individual and the drinksyou concoct) than that of two solid meals.

Blended drinks are convenient as theyare quick to make and consume, easilyportable, and involve no mess. You can takethem to a lecture or seminar if your feedingtime happens to fall in class, with minimalinterruption. Most lecturers don’t mind ifyou eat or drink during class so long asyou’re discrete. Alternatively, drink thepotions between classes. Many times I’vealso taken one of my concoctions to a partyor other event to get my nutritional “fix”(discretely, of course) when my feeding timehappens to fall in this period. With the desireand dedication you can have quality nutritionthroughout the day without neglecting otherareas of your student life.

Here’s an example of my daily nutrition:

Meal 1 (in my room)100 grams of Quaker Oats in skim milk, threeegg whites, a banana and a litre of water.

Meal 2 (in the cafeteria)A chicken and tuna baguette (sub) withmustard, pickles and salad items; and a litreof water.

Meal 3 (in class)Liquid feed of milk, skim-milk powder,cottage cheese, banana and peanut butter.

Meal 4 (post workout)30 g of whey protein in 300 ml skim milk, 95gm dextrose in 500 ml water, and separate500 ml of water.

Meal 5 (an hour later, in my room)250 g lean minced beef, 100 g rice, a bowl ofsalad vegetables, and a litre of water.

Meal 6 (in my room)Two bowls of bran cereal in skim milk.

Meal 7 (right before bed)1,200 ml skim milk, an apple.

This yields approximately 3,500–3,800calories, the correct amount for me to gain on.

39

Meal preparationTo prepare your own meals you’ll need tolearn basic cooking skills. Most kitchenappliances come with instructions on how tocook some basic foods. I suggest you investin a book or two on the subject; you may evenbe able to take a course. You don’t need to bea master chef, but you need basic skills.

You’ll need some basic equipment tocook with. The kitchens or kitchenettes are,more often than not, poor in colleges anduniversities. Not only that, but food stored inthe communal fridge is at the threat ofthieving hands. I strongly suggest that youinvest in the following equipment:1. A suitably sized refrigerator (a freezer

compartment is not essential but maycome in handy)

2. A small microwave3. Some sort of grill for cooking meats, e.g.,

the George Foreman grill4. A hand blender and calibrated beaker5. Kitchen scales6. Some common kitchen attributes (plates,

knives, forks, etc.)7. One or two small (500 ml) thermos flasks

or equivalents

I’ve found these things to be very helpful.You must check though that you’re able tohave such items in your room. If you explainyour case to the accommodation officer anddemonstrate your culinary skills andknowledge, you should get approval. Find away to get these items into your room.

You’ll also need to know how much foodyou’re consuming on a weekly basis, so youcan budget for it. The figures don’t need tobe exact, but exact helps a lot more. Toknow this you must determine what you’reconsuming on a daily basis. As Stuartadvised in BEYOND BRAWN, I suggest youcompose several daily dietary schedules tomeet your caloric and macronutrient needs.Then you’ll know how much milk, eggs,bread, chicken, etc., to buy when you makeyour weekly trip to the grocery store. Here’smy weekly grocery list:

Three gallons of milkSeven cans of tuna fishThree dozen eggsTwo containers of skim milk powderTwo containers of cottage cheeseSeven chicken breastsA kilo of lean minced beefA kilo box of riceA kilo bag of pastaA bag potatoesTwo loaves wholemeal breadA box Quaker OatsTwo boxes raisin bran cerealA bag of applesTwo bunches of bananasVarious salad itemsA jar of natural peanut butter.This usually costs me around £40/$60.

Most universities or colleges have someform of store on campus. This can prove to bevery convenient if the items are reasonablypriced, but you may have to make a trip to thelocal supermarket. This is why you mustknow what you consume on a weekly basis,to avoid “Oh, I need more eggs” halfwaythrough the week, or running out of milkbefore the next shopping day. Get organized.

SupplementsAt the best of times supplements can burn asubstantial hole in your wallet. But whenyou’re a student, and on a tight budget,supplements are usually out of the questionfor most people. Saying this though, don’tthink that supplements are a necessity. Theyaren’t. They are exactly what they’recalled—supplements. Your focus shouldalways be obtaining quality nutritionthrough a well balanced diet. I’m onlysaying this as most people freak out oversupplements these days and give them waytoo much attention—this goes for studentsand non-students.

Some supplements may be useful postworkout, in liquid meals. Some supplementsprovide a concentrated form of nutritionthat’s easily dissolved in milk or water and


HARDGAINER40

which is quickly digested by the body. Theonly supplements I believe in are a qualityprotein supplement (for post-workoutfeeds), a good multi-vitamin and possiblydextrose or equivalent. Most of the time,however, post workout I rely on my “poorman’s protein shake” which mainly consistsof skim-milk powder in skim milk, withpossibly three cooked egg whites, and threeor four bananas.

Drinking and student lifeDrinking not only burns a hole in your walletand eats up your weekly budget very quickly,but it has several negative effects on yourbody. Alcohol consumption may reducetestosterone levels. Drinking also impairs theabsorption of some vitamins and minerals.Further, it has a dehydrating effect andprovides a lot of useless, empty calories.Avoid alcoholic drinks if you’re seriousabout making decent gains. This is especiallyapplicable to the hard-gaining and very-hard-gaining folk.

I know about the kind of treatment and“static” you can get when you’re a nondrinker in a college or universityenvironment, where drinking is rampant.Here are some techniques you can employ tomake yourself fit in, minus the drink.

When you’re at a party, or drinkingvenue, find some sort of covered cup and putwater in it. It’s unlikely that people will lookin and see what you’re drinking so they willassume you’re drinking like the rest of them,and treat you no differently.

If you’re going to a party or bar offcampus, be the DD (designated driver). Thisis a fail-safe method of not getting grief fornot drinking, because without you peoplewouldn’t be going.

Don’t make a big deal about not drinking.Take care of getting your own drinks anddon’t rely on people getting rounds in foryou. This way people will neither see whatyou’re drinking nor be interested as they willprobably be too busy wondering where theirnext drink is coming from.

Getting to sleep, and on timeGetting enough quality sleep is so importantfor making decent progress, especially forhard gainers. But getting to sleep in a collegeor university environment can sometimes bevery difficult due to all the commotion goingon. I nearly always get to bed at 11:00pm atthe latest, to ensure I get a full eight hours ofsleep every night. Asking people to keep thenoise down usually ends up in them makingit louder. How do you ensure you get a fullquota of sleep each night? Here are somemethods I’ve personally found helpful:

a. Get yourself some comfortably fitting earplugs if you sleep in a noisy area of thecampus. They must be comfortable enoughso that they don’t need regular adjustment.These may not come cheap, but will be anexcellent aid for reducing backgroundnoise, though not eliminating it

b. Ensure that the curtains in your room aredense enough to block out all externallight. You may have to replace the ones inyour room if they are poor in this respect.If this is impractical, invest in an eye shadeto eliminate light whilst you sleep. It mustfit comfortably enough so that you don’thave to keep adjusting it.

c. Make sure your room is at a comfortabletemperature. A too-hot or too-cold roomcan be ruinous to your sleeping. But don’topen the window to cool the room down ifit’s too hot, as this can allow external noiseto enter, disrupting your sleep further. Turnthe heating off. If the room becomes toocold, add an extra blanket to your bed.

d. Designate a time that you have to get tobed at, then get to bed at that time.

Employing these measures should helpyou to get to sleep on time, and for longenough. Never compromise on your sleep.For a hard gainer, progress can unnecessarilystall due to lack of quality sleep. H

41

Here we are, another issueolder—and we would hopewiser, better trained and

another percentage point closer to ourgoals of strength, health and that always-around-the-next corner “perfect body.”

Even in the short time since the lastissue, aging has taken place in our bodies.Some parts of us are fractionally lessefficient, yet if—and only if—we’vebeen training, eating and restoringourselves as we should, some parts maybe fractionally better and more efficient,and perhaps bigger as well. It’s really upto each of us individually. Our bodiesage, but our job is to guide that aging sowhile the years add up so do the benefitsof increased experience, body-wisdomand effectiveness in individual training.

Western culture is a roughneighborhood in which to age—theculture overall is only interested in youth,beauty and gold medals. Look at certainHollywood celebrities who have facesetched in permanent smiles due to onetoo many trips to the plastic surgeon.

Your perceptions and beliefs—at thereal gut level—about aging and whatbeing “old” means, will guide what you doand how much you can maintain. Veryrecently a lifter I know set personalrecords in both the front and back squatsthough he’s been training for 22 years, halfof his life, and his progress seems certainto continue. His secret? After all this time,over the last year he finally—and I domean finally—learned how to train in away that was friendly to his body.

The “magic” was in several mutuallysupportive factors, each inter-linking andsymbiotically augmenting the power of

the others. First, he absolutely cleaned uphis exercise technique. What were theeffects of this? Well, he initially had ahard time dealing with a drop in exercisepoundage. Losing 50 pounds off a squatwas hard to swallow, and by increasingthe depth to “all the way,” he lost another50 pounds. Some lifters would be on thebrink of suicide at that point. Now he hadno belt, no wraps, no depth questions,and no excuses. It became a situationwhere “It’s all you!” meant exactly that.

With each change there were fewerinjuries. The lower-back ache, tighthamstrings and repeatedly pulled mid-back became faded images of paststubbornness and ego. Best of all, hefound he could once again squat down tothe floor without pain, as his knees gotbetter and better.

Further, he quit training to failure.He learned to stop a rep or two short,and he was clever enough to find a wayto blend his “blood and guts” mentalside with what his body really wanted.What he did was set his rep goal, usually5–9 reps, and if the last rep or two justwasn’t there, he would rest a minute orso and do two more reps. This satisfiedhis driven personality yet built onesuccess after the other into his memoryand nervous system.

He also quit “obliterating” himself inmost of his workouts, which were oncedescribed as “Klingon-like.” He learnedto “tease and tweak,” to “suggest andencourage” rather than “beat to death,”and what a change it made.

Finally, he quit doing exercises whichwere painful and damaging to his body. Inhis case this meant bench pressing—oldrotator cuff tear that just wouldn’t standheavy strain—behind the neck pressing,


Aging and Training, Part 2By Gregory Steiner, DC

HARDGAINER42

French curls (recipe for triceps tendinitis)and barbell rowing (to his chest, far too farforward for the good of the lower back)were all dropped.

All these changes, followingadaptation, led to new PRs when mostpeople are trying to do no more than treadwater. I would also add that thisindividual is back in training for a returnto competitive sprinting after a lapse of20 years. So much for aging!

Broad types of painPain is the usual limiting factor formost people, and if interpretedcorrectly as to what pain means, this isnot a bad thing. Continuing on fromdiscussion of the four-step pain cyclefrom last issue, I’ll talk about types ofpain relevant to the weight trainee.

In the broadest terms, the main causesof pain are chemical, tissue ischemia(which is another way of saying the tissue“starves” or “chokes” and has insufficientoxygen from bad circulation), musclespasm, and pain after exertion.

The chemical causes involveconditions such as trauma which set upan inflammation response in whichchemicals such as histamines andsubstance “P” are produced. These andother inflammation chemicals in turnirritate free nerve endings—the “barewire ends” of pain-conducting nerves.

As we age and injuries accumulate,there are more chronically inflamedareas, and as it’s human nature to avoidmoving painful parts (so as to avoid painitself), we get stiffer.

Ischemia, the “choking,” can takeplace from bad circulation, or perhapsnutritional inadequacies. An interestingexperiment shows that when someoneperforms forearm exercises while ablood pressure cuff is inflated aroundthe upper arm, he will experience painwithin 20 seconds. If the cuff is inflatedand no exercise is performed, he will

hurt anyway within 3–4 minutes. If theexperiment is done again on a personwith bad circulation or a low metabolicrate, there will be a sensation of pain in20–30 minutes due to slowness andinsufficiency of blood transport bringingoxygen with it and removing wasteproducts produced by the muscles’work. This condition apparently causesrelease of the histamines, for example,and here comes the pain.

Muscle spasm itself contributes toischemia. The spasm itself is consideredactive—it expends energy and createswaste products though in an involuntaryand often painful contraction, yet tocomplicate matters the spasm constrictsblood vessels which narrow the“breathing” tubes of the muscle, so tospeak. The combination allowsischemia to develop and therefore thepain producing chemicals as well, onceagain causing pain.

Post-exertion pain is the one we’remost used to—it’s the usual pain causedby training with weights, especially forhigher reps. The mechanism is ratherlike that of muscle spasm, though over ashorter time. Exertion causes metabolicwaste products to accrue, yet thecontraction of the muscle temporarilycloses off some of the supplying bloodvessels while the muscle contracts, inturn temporarily reducing oxygenationand waste removal. One study showedthat an isometric contraction of but 60%of a muscle’s maximum would result innearly complete constriction of thesupply vessels. In blood pressure terms,the constriction—more technicallycalled “occlusion”—takes place whenthe pressure exerted by the muscle onthe blood vessel walls exceeds that ofthe systolic blood pressure within thevessel. It’s rather like pinching off ahose. Again the waste productseventually irritate nerve endings, andthere’s pain again.

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Another factor to discuss is swellingitself, in this case related to the “pump”felt after exercising a muscle. Wasteproducts can create an increase inpressure in and around the muscle, whichcan create a reflexive contraction, whichincreases ischemia and therefore pain.

Reps themselves contribute to pain inanother way—especially the delayed“day after” pain we’ve all felt andsometimes hated and sometimes enjoyed,as we’ve proven to ourselves we’veworked hard.

As we age, and the waste removalbecomes less swift, we take longer torecover from training. Interestinglyenough, in a younger person the day-after soreness may arrive before that,perhaps some hours later. Thegenerality is that the older the person,the longer it takes until the pain andsoreness become “the day after the dayafter.” Why? Circulatoryinsufficiency—the oxygen supplydepartment is suffering from budgetcuts and the garbage men are on strike!

In practical terms all thisinformation makes a good case forrestorative measures which aidrecovery. Years ago, measures such assaunas, cold plunges and massage havebeen usual practice for reinvigoratingtired, sore bodies. Some of us havelearned that a “light” workout day,while painful at first, seems to workwonders in relieving soreness later on,and now you know why—circulationhas been enhanced and waste productsremoved or metabolized, and thus nolonger around to be irritating.

Specific types of painThe most commonly injured part of amuscle is the musculo-tendinousjunction, that place near either end ofa muscle where the working,contracting part of the muscle mergesinto the stringy, grisly bit that

connects it to the bone. Such injuryusually hurts on movement orcontraction, yet true tendinitis such aswith the Achilles or pec tendons willhurt on pinching, squeezing or rollingthe tendon back and forth.

Ligaments can hurt as well, thoughthe pain is of a different quality, and it’s apain any athlete can definitely dowithout! Stretching, or deep pressure,will cause the pain.

Adhesions are similar to bits ofVelcro, which connect bone to joint,ligament to bone, muscle to muscle,and so on. They are usually a by-product of trauma or surgery and inthemselves are not painful, but whatthey do is create undue tension andtugging on structures, that in turn sendout pain signals.

Cartilage can cause pain too, thoughonly the disc cartilages in the back andthe meniscus structures in the knee havetheir own fibers. More often, cartilagebecomes rough or displaced and, likeadhesions, creates pressure or tension ona pain-responsive structure.

Bones can hurt, though generally it’sthe covering of the bone that has a verylarge number of pain receptors—justknock your shin!

Finally there’s organic pain. Painthat’s worse at night, is unaffected byposition, does not respond topainkillers or is accompanied by weightloss or changes in bowel/bladderfunction, should be looked at straightaway by a doctor.

But, it’s not all bad. There’s astrong psychological component topain perception and our reactions to itwhen we perceive it, and I’ll look atthat next time.

Gregory Steiner, D.C., was born andprofessionally trained in the USA, but isresident in the UK. His chiropracticpractice is in Glasgow.

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HARDGAINER44

Editorial and disclaimerYour Editorial in issue #79 was the mostimportant piece I’ve read in 79 issues. Ibelieve that more thought and discussionon this subject are needed.

I’m a 46-year-old man who hastrained 30 years in the martial arts, andwith strength training, both as a traineeand an instructor. These pursuits havegiven me great satisfaction but alsostruggles similar to those that youdescribed. I’ve noted in privatediscussions with peers, and in men’sgroups I’ve attended, that the issues youraised have particular relevance for meand for many men who have been harmedby messages that we ourselves perpetuate.Therefore, I now prefer to participate inthe less exciting, but indispensablediscussions of this sort rather than themore popular yet-another-way-to-train-properly rhetoric.

I’d like to address another topic. I’mrelieved that you added a Disclaimer onthe credits page. Let that admonition be aclarion call for readers to investigate—forthemselves—the science and art thatunderlie this field, rather than surrendertheir good minds (and bodies) to thesuggestions of authorities in any exerciseforum, regardless of how experiencedthey claim to be, how inspirational theysound, how articulate they are, or howmuscular they appear. I believe that it’sonly through education of this sort,coupled with the advice in your #79Editorial, that we may exploit theopportunities that this excellent fieldprovides, and give trainees the tools toevaluate the advice of others.

With your “ten years wiser”retrospectives, and these present

additions, you’ve shown an ability for self-examination, humility, andprogressive thought that I find rare in this field.

– Arty Conliffe

The mindThe mind is the most important tool inyour training. It takes a good mind tounderstand how to train properly. Toomany people listen to others in thetraining world. The advice somebodybuilders give is downright dangerousand shouldn’t be considered. Thesepeople are drug-fed genetic wonders thatprey on average people with averagegenetics, to fuel their massive egos. Thesedrug-fed individuals like to impresstrainees with their “vast knowledge” oftraining advice. They would have youbelieve that training five or more days aweek is essential for building a big,muscular physique. These individualswould have you working each bodypartfor 10–20 sets. This works for them sosurely it would work for you, is the usualway of thinking Wrong! If you don’t takedrugs and have poor to average genetics,you’ll overtrain and gains will stop.

This is where your mind comes intoplay. Do you listen to these geneticwonders, or make a stand and listen toyour mind? They will try and break you.They want you to train like them so theycan influence you and increase their egos.

If, when these people come over toyou in the gym, you cut them out ofyour mind, you’re halfway there. Don’tbe rude, just tell them you train yourown way, and leave it at that. Hopefullythey will leave you alone, but if theypersist, be right to the point. Tell themthat, one, you don’t take steroids and,two, your genetics suck relative to

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ISSUE #80: SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2002 45

theirs, and leave it there. Don’t upsetthem, as otherwise your membership ofthe gym might be terminated.

At the end of the day you trainyourself. Be your own person and buildyour own body.

When it comes to using the mind intraining, it helps to have a driven self-important mind, clear of distractions.You must have a will of steel whilegetting out the last few reps in a set of20-rep squats. The discomfort becomesalmost unbearable, and the bar digsdeep into your traps, but you mustpersist and complete the set. It hastaken a lot out of you, but you’ve doneit! Your mind helped you out when youneeded it most.

Now imagine that your mind let youdown and, a few reps short of the 20, itsaid, “This is too tough, but you nearlydid it . . . maybe next time you’ll do it.”With that mentality, after you finish theset you’d feel guilty for stopping afterbeing so close. Your mind andwillpower let you down. You could havefinished the set; you had the strengthbut not the mind power.

You can’t train full-bore all the timeas otherwise overtraining will catch up with you. But every workout must be a challenge.

You could put yourself in a fantasysituation when it comes to your workout.Watch a inspirational movie or read agood training book. If you put yourselfinto a hero’s role, for example, you couldgo to war with the weights. Do whatworks for you.

Use your mind in the gym. It’s yourone and only true friend. It knows youbetter than anyone else. It will help youout in times of stress or need. But abuse itand it will work against you. It will letyou off a hard workout and slow yourgains, if you allow it to. Work with yourmind or it will work against you.

– Matt Ware

Return to shoulder healthIt can be difficult for a hard gainer tokeep healthy shoulders and still work theupper body effectively. As we’ve learnedfrom recent issues of HARDGAINER,squatting, deadlifting and bench pressingshould be done with a retracted shouldergirdle. That means the shoulders are to bepulled back as hard as possible. Cableexercises are the best way I’ve found tohelp develop this ability. The old-timersused cables to perform feats of strength.Three exercises were used extensively,and I’ll discuss them momentarily.

Most of us have probably seen thepoor sporting-goods store versions ofcables, or “chest expanders.” That’s notwhat I’m talking about at all. The morehandy among you can make your own setwith surgical tubing. Alternatively, buyyour own ready made. I purchased theFabled Cables from IronMind®

Enterprises. I recommend them highly.Now onto the exercises, traditional

ones practiced by the old-timers.The first one is the basic front chest

pull. Arms are out in front of you, parallelto the ground, holding the cables. Youthen pull them back until your arms arelocked out in the crucifix position. Thisworks the shoulders to help stabilize theupper back for bench pressing, squattingand deadlifting.

The second one is the downward pullto back. Hold cables directly overhead,palms facing each other. Pull down andout until arms are locked out in thecrucifix position once again. This one,too, works the shoulders, along with thetraps and triceps.

The third one is the back press-out.Place cables behind mid-back, palmsfacing each other. Press the arms out tothe sides until they are in the crucifixposition. This works all the upper-bodypressing muscles, and a perusal of old-timer pictures will show what greatshoulders and upper backs they had.

HARDGAINER46

I recommend that each of theexercises be done for 3 sets of 10–15reps. Add cables slowly over time.

These exercises will build musclestrength from directions that traditionalbarbell exercises can’t. They also canhelp rehabilitate rotator cuff and othershoulder injuries. Work these exercisesslowly and progressively, with care, andyou can gain additional shoulderstrength and stability.

– Jody Shealy

Shoulders make a manWe’re all aware of the terrific visualappearance well-developed shouldershave. Strands have the potential todevelop this area to its fullest, in terms ofstrength, power and size. Recent trendshave made the bench press a favoriteamongst lifters. This has contributed, inmy opinion, to both poor posture (due toan imbalance between the front and rearmuscles of the body) and a lessfunctional physique. Although I believeall muscles should be strengthenedequally, if you’re going to give moreattention to certain areas, make thoseareas the back and shoulders.

Whilst on holiday last year I deviseda two-week program to target myshoulders. The only equipment I had wasmy strands. I only wanted to spend20–30 minutes a workout and althoughyear-round I usually train two or threedays a week, in this case I thought a bitof specialization would do me no harm. Imade the decision to train almost everyday for those two weeks, taking a dayoff whenever I felt tired. I wasn’t doingany leg work for those two weeks (myreward for being on holiday) so I knewthat I wouldn’t overtrain. Here’s theprogram I used:1. Back press: brief warm up then 5 rest-

pause singles2. One-arm overhead press:

5 rest-pause singles

3. Overhead downward pull to front: 5 rest-pause singles

4. Front chest pull: 5 rest-pause singles5. One-arm curl: 5–8 rest-pause singles6. Abs (optional)

Start this program with a resistance thatyou feel is working you hard but leavesyou knowing that you could have donemore. It’s vital that you cultivate thisfeeling of energy. Having nothing left atthe end of your workout is a definite no-nofor this program. Add resistance as andwhen you see fit because you should betraining hard and testing yourself, but eachrep should be a certainty. I believe this ishow the old-timers used to train andbenefit from frequent workouts withoutburning out, before the days of steroids.

A word on the pulldown to the front—if you wish to substitute it with animprovised one-arm row, do so.

My results from this program weretwo inches around the circumference ofmy shoulders. People even commented onmy increased development—not bad fortwo-weeks worth of work.

I’m a typical gainer, and I couldn’ttrain this way on a regular basis, andalthough you’re welcome to try to do so, Iurge you not to, as I believe it will lead toovertraining if sustained too long. It alsogoes without saying that I didn’t, andnever will, use any body-enhancing drugs.I say this because some people may notbelieve such improvements are possiblefor a drug-free typical gainer. The resultsare a testament to good training withstrands, hard work, good food andadequate rest. Remember that strength isa feeling as well as a demonstration ofdynamic physical movement, and there’sno sense in tearing that down with drugs.

– Nick Tangi

Training is for lifeSomething that has been hard earned isthe point that training is for life, and

ISSUE #80: SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2002 47

If you like this sample issue of HARDGAINER, and would liketo subscribe to the printed edition of the magazine, pleasevisit www.hardgainer.com for more information, orspecifically go to http://www.hardgainer.com/order.htmlto order online. For snail mail, please use one of theaddresses on the contents page of this sample issue.

many years of sensible drug-free trainingis required to build the best possiblephysique together with building health.Keep this in mind when considering anymad temptation to, for example, add toomuch weight at a time to a givenexercise, perform a dangerous exercise orunplanned act inside or outside of thegym, return to training too soonfollowing injury, etc. You have a wholelifetime to train, and it isn’t worth riskingthat for some temptation that may offershort-term personal gain or egogratification, but at a heavy price.

Work hard, train wisely and you’llexperience the consistency of training thatwill deliver consistent progress.

– Peter White

Training frequencyLike a lot of HARDGAINER readers I’m anolder trainee, 48 years old. I used to bestuck in planning my training programswith a seven-day time frame. Why? Whoknows—tradition probably.

I now train with weights one day, resta day, get in some cardio work andassistance exercises (L-fly, lower back,abs), rest a day, etc. So every other dayI’m resting.

– Gary Nickless

INSPIRING QUOTES“Everyone takes the limits of his ownvision for the limits of the world.”

– Arthur Schopenhauer

“When I was a young man, I wanted tochange the world. I found it wasdifficult to change the world, so I triedto change my nation. When I found Icouldn’t change the nation, I began tofocus on my town. I couldn’t change thetown, and as an older man I tried tochange my family. Now, as an old man,I realize the only thing I can change ismyself, and suddenly I realized that iflong ago I had changed myself, I couldhave made an impact on my family. Myfamily and I could have made an impacton our town. Their impact could havechanged the nation and I could indeedhave changed the world.”

– Unknown

“Putting off an easy thing makes it hard, and putting off a hard thingmakes it impossible.”

– George Lorimer

“Be kind, for everyone you meet isfighting a battle.”

– John Watson

“Better to do something imperfectly thanto do nothing flawlessly.”

– Robert Schuller

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in mycareer. I’ve lost almost 300 games; and26 times, I’ve been trusted to take thegame’s winning shot and missed. I’vefailed over and over and over again in mylife. And that is why I succeed.”

– Michael Jordan

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