odds and ends [bodybuilding related.

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  https://barbend.com/best-weight-plates/

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&t=8s

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   ON SECOND THOUGHT
Throwing away his father’s things a weighty proposition
By Kevin Paul Dupont Globe Staff,July 18, 2014, 6:38 p.m.


19
The day my father awoke, with both legs paralyzed, America was in the throes of the polio epidemic. It was a frightening time. Our family doctor hurried to the house that morning, tidy black medical kit in hand, and best I recall, the doc stayed with us until the ambulance pulled into the driveway and whisked my dad away to the hospital.

All that was well over a half-century ago, yet it is painful for me to recall it these many years later. Only five years old, I didn’t see or talk to him again for six months, until the day he came home, fiercely gripping a wooden cane and inching his way deliberately, painfully, up the steps to our front door. Silly for me still to feel emotional about it, I suppose, but I do, and bear with me here because it gets a little sillier, though I wish it weren’t so.




It’s about my father’s weights. I still have them. They are in my basement, which desperately needs to be cleaned out, and I’m intent on getting the job done this summer before “Hoarding: Buried Alive” comes knocking at our door.


My father used the weights, the clunky “Healthways Hollywood’’ cast iron weights, to put himself back together. His initial diagnosis was polio, the disease we all feared. In our neighborhood, and true in towns and cities throughout the land in the 1950s, each day grew eerily quiet in the afternoon, parents advised to have children nap in hopes of warding off the affliction. My father went to bed a seemingly healthy man one night, awoke the next morning with his legs lifeless, and it was no surprise, given the hysteria of the times, that the doctors immediately diagnosed polio.

Which, family legend had it, was not the same day my mother, a considerably smaller woman, plucked my dad out of the hospital bed at the Jamaica Plain VA and briefly dragged him around the room. No, by then the doctors had properly diagnosed it as GBS, or Guillain-Barré syndrome, another dreadful disease that mirrors some of polio’s most severe symptoms. Though it can be lethal, GBS typically is recoverable.




My mother dragged him around the hospital room because the doctors and nurses, by her eye, needed prodding. So did her husband. Nothing subtle about the patient’s wife.

“He’s not getting anywhere if you don’t send him to physical therapy!’’ she admonished the lot, including the patient, the man then only in his mid-30s, who came to England during World War II, married her, brought her back to the US. “He’ll never walk again if you don’t get his legs moving.’’

He was in therapy the next day. They got him moving. My dad recovered, enough at first to come home and then eventually in full. But it took a very long time. The clunky cast iron “Hollywood’’ weights were essential to his comeback. So, too, was skating.

For the 30-plus more years he lived, my father worked those weights faithfully. Virtually every night, sitting atop a sturdy handmade workbench in our basement, he would pull on the Healthways Hollywood Healthboot — a Medieval contraption by today’s refined gym equipment standards — and do 10, 15, 20 reps, typically 30 pounds of boot and accompanying weights strapped to a bottom of his leather shoe. He would keep the iron boot propped on the seat of a straightback wooden chair, strap in his foot, yank the chair out from under it all, and then repeatedly flex his knee to lift and lower the foot. He then would dismantle the boot and fashion the weights (2½ or 5 pounds each) into a small barbell set. More reps. Night after night.



Whether his account was accurate or not, I’m not sure, but he contended the GBS permanently paralyzed some of his leg muscles, leaving him to build up “the good ones that are left.’’ True or not, that belief made him keep going.

He also skated, fluidly, effortlessly, up to three times a week, dotting around from one rink to the next, be it MDC or private. Boston Skating Club was a favorite, even if it lacked his preferred deep-freeze factor. It was impossible for a rink to be too cold for my old man. He believed cold was better for his legs.

I often sat with him when he did his weights, the workbench rocking back and forth in rhythm with his leg lifts, classical music playing intermittently on the old Zenith radio in the basement. I went skating with him on school nights more than I should have, my word accepted far too readily that my homework was complete. We played catch in the backyard every summer, from Little League all the way through high school. I can still throw the knuckleball he taught me.




Next month will be 25 years since he died. I have hung on all this time to his old weights, his nicked leather skates, his trusty first baseman’s mitt.

They are the tangible relics of what we shared, testament to how dedicated he was to get better. If I hold these things, I hear his voice, clear as day, and that is precisely what makes cleaning out the basement now so difficult.

The cellar is full of paint cans, vinyl LPs, an old radio here, a bunch of broken hockey sticks there. Too much. Old clothes, bric-a-brac, bits of hardware, scrapbooks, entire newspapers. Junk. I know there really never will be a good time to let it all go. Right or wrong, now’s the time.

My father’s Healthways Hollywood weights are headed to the dustbin. They were the work, the worry, the way back. In his feet and hands, they were what gave him strength. Having the muscle to let it go is a much different story.

Kevin Paul Dupont’s ‘‘On Second Thought’’ appears on Page 2 of the Sunday Globe Sports section. He can be reached at dupont@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.

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 Arnold Schwarzenegger: Obsession With Size & Increased Drug Use Is Killing Bodybuilders

By Greg Patuto -
July 26, 2022

Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to speak out on the current state of bodybuilding.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has been successful in many avenues over the course of his life. It began when he made a name for himself on the bodybuilding stage and is still known as the best to ever do it. Recently, the seven-time Olympia champion has spoken out about some of the dangers in the sport. This includes an obsession with size and how dangerous it can be.

There has been many bodybuilding deaths over the last year that have hit the sport hard. Shawn Rhoden and George Peterson passed away suddenly at the end of 2021. Cedric McMillan also died in April due to heart complications. In a recent interview with Insider, Schwarzenegger claims that athletes are becoming “too obsessed” with size.

“THEY HAVE TAKEN IT, IN MY OPINION, TOO FAR. IT HAS GOTTEN TOO COMPETITIVE. THEY’RE GONNA TAKE MORE AND MORE STUFF THAT THEY’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO, AND SOMETIMES IT KILLS PEOPLE.”



Arnold Schwarzenegger Touches On Competitors Interest In “Size, Size, Size”
Arnold Schwarzenegger joined Insider over a Zoom call to discuss some topics in the sport. Schwarzenegger remains an influential voice around bodybuilding and continues to focus on his own health to this day.

READ MORE: Bodybuilders Are Dying: An Investigation Into Modern Bodybuilding, Health, & PED Use

Schwarzenegger became known for his freakish physique and incredible strength at a young age. Now, he explained how the weight continues to rise in the gym and competitors are doing more harm than good.

“THE MORE EXTREME IT GETS AND THE MORE COMPETITIVE THE TOP ATHLETES GET, THE MORE THEY ARE LIFTING WEIGHTS THAT THE BODY WAS NOT MEANT FOR,” SCHWARZENEGGER SAID.


The use of steroids is obviously common in bodybuilding and compared with heavy weight, competitors are able to build championship physiques. But at what cost? This has been the discussion over the last year.

Arnold Schwarzenegger reiterated the health risks around the substances that are being taken.

“SOMETIMES THEY ARE TAKING DRUGS THAT ARE DAMAGING FOR THEIR HEALTH AND ARE MAKING THEM SO STRONG THAT THE TENDONS AND BONES WERE NOT MEANT FOR THAT WEIGHT, SO THEN IT GETS INTO A REALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger made sure to state that there are plenty of dangers in other sports as well. He used skiing as an example. While it might be a recreational activity for some to do during a vacation, competitive skiing is fast-paced and could be dangerous at times.


Schwarzenegger also believes that the overall benefits of bodybuilding “have been tremendous” around the world. The interest in physical fitness and development of the industry has been huge over the last 50 years.

“THERE’S A GYM IN EVERY HOTEL, EVERY YMCA, EVERY SPORTS CLUB, EVERY UNIVERSITY, EVERY COLLEGE, EVERY HIGH SCHOOL, EVERY POLICE STATION, EVERY FIRE STATION, EVERY MILITARY BASE, I MEAN, EVERYWHERE.”



For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.





Greg Patuto
Greg has covered the four major sports for six years and has been featured on sites such as Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, SB Nation, NJ.com, and FanSided. Now, he is transitioning into the world of bodybuilding and strength sports.

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   MUSCLE BEACH PARTY ...1964  FILM STARRING FRANKIE AVALON AND ANNETTE FUNICELLO
Muscle Beach Party, produced in 1964,  is the second of seven beach party films by American International Pictures. It stars Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello and was directed by William Asher.
Dick Dale and the Del-Tones and Stevie Wonder appear in musical numbers, the latter aged thirteen and making his film debut, billed as "Little Stevie Wonder."
The movie was released two days after Peter Lorre's death.
 SYNOPSIS
 Frankie, Dee Dee and the beach party gang hit Malibu Beach for yet another summer of surfing and no jobs, only to find their secret surfing spot threatened by a gang of bodybuilders led by the dim-witted coach Jack Fanny (Don Rickles). All the while a bored Italian countess (Luciana Paluzzi) is trying to steal Frankie from Dee Dee and, much to everyone's surprise, he seems more than happy to go along with it. Her plan is to turn him into a teen idol, not unlike Frankie Avalon's real-life persona.
Due to some razzing from his former surfing buddies and advice from wealthy S.Z. Matts (Buddy Hackett), Frankie sees the error of his ways and goes back to his American beach bunny, Dee Dee.
CAST 
Frankie Avalon as Frankie
Annette Funicello as Dee Dee
Luciana Paluzzi as Contessa Juliana ("Julie") Giotto-Borgini
John Ashley as Johnny
Don Rickles as Jack Fanny
Peter Turgeon as Theodore
Jody McCrea as Deadhead
Dick Dale as Himself
Candy Johnson .... Candy
Rock Stevens (Peter Lupus) .... Flex Martian
Valora Noland .... Animal
Delores Wells .... Sniffles
Donna Loren .... Donna
Morey Amsterdam .... Cappy
Little Stevie Wonder .... Himself
Buddy Hackett .... S.Z. Matts (rich business manager)
Dan Haggerty .... Biff
Larry Scott .... Rock
Gordon Case .... Tug
Gene Shuey .... Riff
Chester Yorton .... Hulk
Bob Seven .... Sulk
Steve Merjanian .... Clod
Alberta Nelson .... Lisa, Jack Fanny's assistant
Amadee Chabot .... Flo, Jack Fanny's assistant
Peter Lorre .... Mr. Strangdour
CAST NOTES
Funicello reprises her character from Beach Party, although in this film (and three others that follow) she is referred to as "Dee Dee", as opposed to "Dolores." John Ashley's character, previously called "Ken", is now known as "Johnny."
Harvey Lembeck's Eric von Zipper character and his Rats gang from Beach Party are absent in this film, although they appear in Bikini Beach, Pajama Party. Harvey Lembeck's Eric von Zipper character and his Rats gang from Beach Party are absent in this film, although they appear in Bikini Beach, Pajama Party, Beach Blanket Bingo, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, and The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini. Lembeck as von Zipper (but sans Rats gang) also appears in a cameo in Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine. Lembeck also appeared in Fireball 500, another Avalon-Funicello vehicle, as an entirely different character. Peter Lorre appears briefly near the end of the film and there is a notice explaining that he will appear in the next installment of the series. Lorre died in March 1964; thus, this was his only appearance in the series.
PRODUCTION NOTES
Before production, producer Martin Ransohoff was going to make a film called Muscle Beach based on Ira Wallach's satirical novel. This was eventually made as Don't Make Waves (1967)
NOVELIZATION
 A 141-page paperback adaptation of the screenplay, written by Elsie Lee, was published prior to the release of the film by Lancer Books.
JACK FANNY'S BODYBUILDERS
In the above-cited paperback adaptation, the Jack Fanny character introduces his bodybuilders as Biff, Rock, Tug, Riff, Sulk, Mash and Clod, whereas in the film he calls them Biff, Rock, Tug, Riff, Sulk, Hulk, and Clod.
In two separate sequences, the latter version of these names is seen printed on their shirts.
Larry Scott, who played Rock, was well known in the bodybuilding world at the time and became the first Mr. Olympia. Due to his preference for a piece of gym equipment commonly known as the Preacher Bench, the bench also became known as the Scott Curl Bench. Gene Shuey who played Riff, and Chester Yorton who played Hulk, were also well known in the bodybuilding circuit. Peter Lupus (aka "Rock Stevens") was also a champion bodybuilder himself, holding the titles of Mr. Indianapolis, Mr. Indiana, Mr. Hercules, and Mr. International Health Physique. He is best known as Willy Armitage, the strong, mostly silent, member of the IMF team in Mission Impossible from 1966 to 1973.
COSTUMES  AND PROPS
The swimsuits were designed by Rose Marie Reid; Buddy Hackett's clothes were from Mr. Guy of Los Angeles; and the hat that Deadhead wears was designed by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth.
The surfboards used in the film were by Phil of Downey, California – aka Phil Sauers, the maker of "Surfboards of the Stars." Sauers was also the stunt coordinator for another beach party film that used his surfboards, Columbia Pictures' Ride the Wild Surf, which was released later the same year. Sauers was even portrayed in that film as a character by Mark LaBuse.
The "globe" telephone cover on Mr. Strangdour's desk is the same one in Norma Desmond's home in the film Sunset Blvd.
MUSIC 
The original score for this film, like Beach Party before it, was composed by Les Baxter.
Roger Christian, Gary Usher and Brian Wilson (of The Beach Boys) wrote six songs for the film:
"Surfer's Holiday" performed by Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello and the cast;
"Runnin' Wild" performed by Frankie Avalon;
"My First Love" and "Muscle Beach Party," both performed by Dick Dale and His Del-Tones;
"Muscle Bustle" performed by Donna Loren with Dick Dale and His Del-Tones; and
"Surfin' Woodie" performed a cappella by Dick Dale with the cast.
Guy Hemric and Jerry Styner wrote two songs for the film:
"Happy Street" performed by Little Stevie Wonder; and"A Girl Needs a Boy" first performed by Annette Funicello, then reprised by Frankie Avalon as "A Boy Needs a Girl."
OPENING TITLE  ART
The colorful, hand-painted mural that is shown in full and in detail as background during the opening credits is by California artist Michael Dormer, whose surfer cartoon character, "Hot Curl" can also be glimpsed throughout the film.
DELETED SCENE
 Although the end titles provide a credit reading, "Muscle Mao Mao Dance Sequence Choreographed by John Monte, National Dance Director, Fred Astaire Studios", no such sequence is found in the films release pints.
RECEPTION
John L. Scott of the Los Angeles Times called it "a romantic, slightly satirical film comedy with songs which should prove popular with members of the two younger sets it concerns — surfers and musclemen — and with oldsters who don't mind the juvenile antics." Variety wrote that "the novelty of surfing has worn off, leaving in its wake little more than a conventional teenage-geared romantic farce with songs ... Whenever the story bogs down, which it does quite often, someone runs into camera range and yells, 'surf's up!' This is followed by a series of cuts of surfers in action. It's all very mechanical." The Monthly Film Bulletin stated, "Indifferently scripted, and lacking the brightening presence of Dorothy Malone and Bob Cummings, this is an excruciatingly unfunny and unattractive sequel to Beach Party. William Asher's direction remains quite bright, but that is about all that can be said for the film."
The Golden Laurel, which had no ceremony but published its award results in the trade magazine Motion Picture Exhibitor from 1958 to 1971, nominated Annette Funicello for "Best Female Musical Performance" for this film in 1965.
The film was banned in Burma, along with Ski Party, Bikini Beach and Beach Blanket Bingo.
CULTURE REFERENCE
Don Rickles' character name "Jack Fanny" is based on then-popular bodybuilder and gym entrepreneur (and usually sharp-dressed) Vic Tanny. The forename "Jack" might also be a reference to another then-popular fitness instructor, bodybuilder, and gym-entrepreneur, Jack LaLanne.
Julie's remark to an angry Dee Dee, "Have you tried Miltown?" is in reference to the drug Miltown by Wallace Laboratories, a carbamate derivative used as an anxiolytic drug – it was the best-selling minor tranquilizer at the time.
Cappy's Place in this film (and Big Daddy's club in the preceding Beach Party) is a reference to Southern California beach coffeehouses in general and Cafe Frankenstein in particular.
This is the second and last time Avalon or any other "teenager" in the cast smokes cigarettes onscreen in the series – the Surgeon General's report on smoking was released on January 11, 1964, while Muscle Beach Party was being filmed.   

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   https://www.setforset.com/blogs/news/history-of-weight-training

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https://plagueofstrength.com/scott-captain-boulder-shoulders-wilson-the-unsung-hero-of-the-arnold-years-of-bodybuilding/   SCOTT “CAPTAIN BOULDER SHOULDERS” WILSON- THE UNSUNG HERO OF THE ARNOLD YEARS OF BODYBUILDING
PUBLISHED ON JANUARY 3, 2019BY JAMIE CHAOS

Though it’s entirely possible you have never heard of this dude, in the early 1980’s everyone who knew anything about lifting knew who Scott Wilson was. He’s mentioned on the first page of the iconic Gold’s Gym Book of Bodybuilding, along with people like Arnold, Franco, and Rachel McLish- aka, the most elite of the elite at the time- and he was on more magazine covers than any bodybuilder not named Arnold in his competitive years. Trouble was, in the early 1980s, bodybuilding was about as awesome as it’s ever been, barring the early 90s- every weirdo who lived within 10 miles of a gym was crushing weights and steak and climbing up onstage to do battle. “Scientific” training consisted of going to biology class, then swallowing as much protein and d-bol as possible before benching four hundred for reps. These were not antiseptic gyms filled with sterile eunuchs fiddle-fucking around with foam rollers for 45 minutes before lifting paper weights per their expensive, shitbox coach’s program- these were old school, gritty, non-airconditioned gladiator pits filled with bad motherfuckers who were out to snap necks and cash checks. Well, not so much the latter, as there was no fucking money in it. Instead of the Gram, “getting official numbers,” and “being natty af” and not lifting shit, this was about stuff no one in the modern era seems to give a fuck about- pride, ego, and badassery.


Twice in history have there been such a spate of badasses in the sport of bodybuilding that people who had been born a decade earlier or later may well have been the face of the sport- the Arnold years and the Yates years. During those decades, so heavy was the competition that innovative lifters with sick physiques and cool personalities occasionally failed to reach prominence, because there were just so many crazy physiques at the time that the industry had to make some picks… and at the time Weider only picked athletes who endorsed their supplements. This is the tale of one of those men, a man with shoulders so fucking broad that until the recent glut of ridiculous synthol-infused shoulders, only Bruce Randall could block out more of the sun- Scott Wilson.


This lineup is a who’s who of 70s and 80s bodybuilders- the ageless Albert Beckles, Scott Wilson, always-the-bridesmaid-never-the-bride Boyer Coe, utter psychopath in the gym Jusup Wilcosz, and mixed pairs (yeah, they used to have mixed pairs bodybuilding) specialist Tony Pearson.
I recall reading about Scott Wilson early on in some bodybuilding books I purchased second hand, and my takeaways in reading about Scott Wilson is that no mere mortal could complete his workouts without an 8 ball of cocaine, a 20 oz t-bone for periworkout nutrition, and enough exogenous testosterone to drown a Brahma bull. His training schedule was so fucking ridiculous that it will probably make kids from Reddit vomit expletives and lengthy missives about steroid use and overtraining while they skip yet another workout to debate the latest useless Pubmed training study. We’re talking about a dude who said,

“If 15-18 hard sets per bodypart gave me the type of muscle mass and quality necessary to win one pro show, then 30-40 sets would certainly give me even more muscle mass and quality, and I’d win a bigger pro competition. If 4-5 workouts per week, two sessions for each major muscle group did the trick in Portland, then 6-7 days of training three times a week for each major muscle group would be better” (Weider 148).


Oh, it gets far, far more insane than that. As even a T-1000 would wear out parts and shred its human flesh doing 90 to 120 goddamned sets per bodypart, per week, Wilson burned himself right the fuck out trying to snatch the Mr. O crown off his competitors’ heads. Thus, he dropped all cardio and cut his sessions to exactly 60 minutes a day, training six to seven times a week with a full weekend off every two weeks. That’s right- he thought that he was damn near slacking when he started taking a total of four to five days off per month. Not the modern, faux-science-ordained week off once a month on top of three days off a week- exactly four to five non-training days per month was his idea of completely reasonable. Then, just to be safe, he decided to take a little break every three weeks and keep his abused, tenderized, and fried carcass on the couch for two weeks every three months (Weider 149).

Did I mention that he competed in Chet Yorton’s drug-tested federation for three years? Yeah, fuck that bullshit about natty bros not being able to recover from hard training.


Given that Wilson’s volume was likely triple or quintuple your own, you might be thinking he was weak as a kitten as a result. On the contrary, Wilson managed a near elite powerlifting total of 1760 with a 625 squat, 470 bench, and 665 deadlift (the AAU elite total was 1825) after doing a meet on a whim in his bodybuilding off-season (and I realize there are heavier totals attributed to Scott, but they were ridiculous poundages and utterly lacked citations). Thus, at 5’10”, 215lbs, and rocking 20″ arms and a 24″ unpumped shoulder width measurement, Scott Wilson was officially a bad guy in any gym or bodybuilding competition he entered.


If he’d been born 20 years later, he’d only have posed to “Big Pimpin’.”
To say that Scott Wilson was more dedicated to the weights before or after him is an understatement- he sold the bicycle his mom won for him on a game show to buy a set of weights as a kid. – this guy was dedicated from an early age. After entering and winning the Mr. San Diego contest on a dare from his friends, Wilson won the Mr. California, Mr. America, Mr. International, and the Portland Grand Prix. Though he never took the ultimate bodybuilding crown by winning the Olympia, the man had a physique that kept his competitive with the bodybuilding elite for over 25 years during a time when bodybuilding peaked not once but twice.

Scott Wilson’s Ridiculously Extensive Contest History

1973 Amateur Mr. San Diego- 1st
1974 AAU Mr. California 1st
1975 AAU Mr. America 6th
1975 AAU Mr. America 3rd (Pro Card)
1976 WBBG Pro Mr. America 1st
1978 NBA Natural Mr. America 5th (Professional)
1979 NBA Natural Mr. America 3rd (Professional)
1980 IFBB Mr. International 2nd (Heavyweight)
1981 IFBB Canada Pro Cup 7th
1981 IFBB Mr. International 1st (Heavyweight and Overall)
1983 IFBB Grand Prix Denver 6th
1983 IFBB Grand Prix Portland 1st
1983 IFBB World Pro Championships 5th
1984 IFBB Canada Pro Cup 6th
1984 IFBB World Grand Prix 6th
1984 IFBB World Pro Championships9th
1985 IFBB Night of Champions 14th
1986 IFBB Los Angeles Pro Championships 10th
1986 IFBB World Pro Championships 12th
1987 IFBB Night of Champions DNP
1988 IFBB Grand Prix US Pro 4th
1988 IFBB Niagara Falls Pro Invitational 8th
1988 IFBB World Pro Championships 6th
1994 IFBB Masters Mr. Olympia 11th
1999 IFBB Masters Mr. Olympia 10th
2000 IFBB Masters Mr. Olympia 8th

According to Mark Reifkind, Wilson’s training partner throughout the 1980s, Scott’s placings were never due to his conditioning or size, but rather due to the fact that he despised posing and refuse to practice it (and the fact he endorsed the supplements of a company not named Weider). Thus, if you’ve a mind to compete and think posing is just an afterthought, think again.


You can almost hear demons sing when you stare at his delts.
Scott Wilson’s Valhalla-Style Training Routine
(Because he was endlessly battling legendary figures)

Shoulders

Seated Behind the Neck Press: 5 x 6-10
Dumbbell Side Laterals: 5 x 6-10
Dumbbell Bent Laterals: 5 x 6-10
I will agree that this program is extremely anti-climactic, after looking for it for a couple of years. I expected it to be four straight hours of ebola-style bleeding through the pores, with a pump so big your skin would rip halfways through and you could only complete it with liberal applications of super glue. One major takeaway here, though, is that the dudes with huge shoulders in the pre-synthol years relied extremely heavily on behind the neck presses.


Back

Deadlift: 5 x 5 reps
Bent Barbell Row: 5 x 6-8 reps
T-Bar Row: 5 x 6-8 reps
Pulldowns (Front or Back): 5 x 8 reps
One Arm Dumbbell Row: 5 x 8 reps
Barbell Shrug: 5 x 8 reps
Upright Row: 5 x 8 reps
In Scott Wilson’s time, people actually used this mystical art called autoregulation. Instead of asking faceless, uncredentialed and generally uneducated strangers insipid training questions or hiring a “coach,” they figured it out themselves. It was a wild time. Wilson claimed his back was always a weak area, from the time he won the Mr. California in 1973 until about 14 years later, and that he had trouble isolating his lats. His solution? He started doing trisets of barbell bent rows, lat machine pulldowns to the front of his neck, and t-bar rows, which took his massive arms out of the equation and allowed him to bring up his back in a hurry… without ever asking a single person he didn’t know for their unqualified opinion on his approach (Weider 135).


Chest

Incline Barbell Press: 4-5 x 6-8
Barbell Bench Press: 4-5 x 6-8
Incline Dumbbell Flyes: 4-5 x 8-10
Pec Deck Flyes: 4-5 x 8-10
Legs

Leg Extension (Warm up) 2-3 x 15-20
Squats: 6 x 15-6 (adding weight each set, obviously)
Machine Hack Squats: 4 x 10-15
Leg Extensions: 4 x 10-15
Sissy Squats: 2-3 x 10-15
Lying Leg Curls: 3-4 x 8-10
Standing Leg Curls: 3-4 x 8-10

Wilson wasn’t one of these fitspo pussies all the rage on the Gram these days. “One day (me being a stupid kid) I asked Scott how big his arms were. He replied, joking, ‘at least twice the size of yours.'” – Darren Monahan
Biceps

Wide-Grip EZ Bar Preacher Curls: 4 x 6-10
Close-Grip EZ Bar Preacher Curls: 4 x 6-10
Standing Barbell Curls: 4 x 6-10
Incline Dumbbell Curls: 4 x 6-10
Seated Dumbbell Concentration Curls: 4 x 6-10

My man would have given ancient Greek sculptors fatal cases of priapism.
Triceps

Lying Barbell Extensions: 5 x 6-10
Close Grip Bench Press: 5 x 6-10
Pulley Pushdowns: 5 x 6-10
Tragically, I couldn’t find anything on the man’s diet beyond a short quote about his competition diet, that he loved huffing his training partner’s post workout doughnuts, and that his cheat day feeding frenzies were on the order of the Saxons’ eating habits. (Reifkind). Given that everyone in that era bulked hard as hell and then cut on crazily low calorie bland food, I’d venture to guess that’s what he did as well. In his words, for a competition diet you should

“Start your diet early and keep on schedule. Once you get behind on your diet, you can never get back on schedule without sacrificing valuable muscle size. Generally speaking, the more bland your diet is, the more valuable it is when seeking peak contest muscularity” (Weider 467).

His supplementation regimen was even more old school. According to his son, he didn’t stay up on the trends after he quit bodybuilding, and according to his training partner, his endorsement of non-Weider supplements was what sunk his career.

“One day I had mentioned using pre-workout powders, and he said “What’s that?” I explained to him the common ingredients, their purpose, etc. and he said ‘Oh yeah, we had that. We called it coffee'” (Aaron).


In spite of the fact that he trained like he there was a kill team ready to execute his family if he slacked in the gym, he definitely maintained a sense of humor about it. Basically the Rodney Dangerfield of 1980s bodybuilding, Wilson was notorious for loving to hate lifting. When asked what his favorite exercises were, he said, “None. I hate them all equally.” He paused, considering, and then continued with, “on second thought, I guess I prefer the ones that allow me to lay down” (Aaron).


In a weird move, the universe snatched away both of the epic Scott Wilsons of the world this year (the Walking Dead/Way of the Gun actor died in October), and given the fact this man lived and died tragically overlooked due to the ridiculous competition he faced, I channeled my inner Buliwyf because “A man might be thought wealthy if someone were to draw the story of his deeds, that they may be remembered.” Given that this Scott Wilson would have insisted on having zombies in a fucking show about zombies if he had been involved, he deserves far more accolades than the other one does anyway. So when you next decide to have a drink, throw a toast up to Scott Wilson, one of the baddest bodybuilders of whom you’d likely never before heard before today, and from whom we can all definitely stand to learn a thing or two.

Sources:

Aaron, Scott. Personal correspondence. 18 Dec 2018.

Grymkowski, Peter, Edward Connors, Tim Kimber, and Bill Reynolds. The Gold’s Gym Training Encyclopedia. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc., 1984.

Ladon, Jacob. Veteran old school bodybuilder and powerlifter Scott Wilson passes away at age 67. Generation Iron. 7 May 2018. Web. 29 December 2018. https://generationiron.com/veteran-old-school-bodybuilder-and-powerlifter-scott-wilson-passes-away-at-age-67/

Reifkind, Mark. Scott WIlson from start to winish. Risfblog. 19 Dec 2006. Web. 2 Jan 2019. http://rifsblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/scott-wilson-from-start-to-finish.html

Sprague, Ken and Bill Reynolds. The Gold’s Gym Book of Bodybuilding. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc., 1983.

Weider, Joe and Bill Reynolds. Joe Weider’s Ultimate Bodybuilding. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc., 1989.

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BILL PEARL ... 1975 INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY CONOR HEFFERMAN
CONOR:
Your approach to training has always been to use heavy weights for quality lasting muscle. It was in articles about your training as far back as 1953. You always combined pushing movements and lateral movements for total development of all three heads of the deltoid muscle. Will you update us on your deltoid training?
BILL:
If you know enough about anatomy, you understand that you have three deltoid heads, all of which are important in competition bodybuilding.
The posterior delt., the smallist of the three, is nearly as important as the lateral and front heads. When I make out a delt routine, I make sure to include exercises for each head. 
I have always been impressed with weightlifters’ deltoids. Years ago, they convinced me that the way to obtain  thick deltoids is with overhead presses. Therefore, I became a firm believer in heavy behind neck, military and dumbbell presses.
The posterior deltoid’s seem to get lost in the shuffle because one seldom gets to see the muscle in action.  It is lacking on some bodybuilders because they do little to attack that area. I stress bent-over exercises and incline exercises facing into an incline-bench.
CONOR:
How many days a week do you work your delts?
BILL:
For best results, three days a week, I work them only twice a week now because business affairs and my road cycling training keep me pretty busy.
CONOR:
Suppose you wanted to get them in top shape for a contest, what would you do for them starting at this point?
BILL:
I’d do military presses, five sets, five reps, medium grip. I believe small muscle groups like deltoids, biceps, even pectorals respond very well with low repetitions. I think the large muscle groups like thighs and back respond better on high repetitions. Therefore, on deltoids I keep my repetitions at five for virtually everything I do. On lateral movements I might raise the reps to eight to affect a stricter style.
 CONOR:
Would you do them sitting or standing?
BILL:
Either way, but whatever I started my program with that’s what I’d stay with.
CONOR:
Would ou take the weight off the rack or clean it to the shoulder for pressing?
BILL:
I would take it off the rack.
CONOR:
You mentioned laterals. Is there a specific way you do them like rotating the arms inward in a “coffee pouring” movement?
BILL:
My second exercise would be lateral raises. I raise them slightly above shoulder level, to the side only, not the front. I don’t think rotating the hand one way or the other is necessary. I’d do five sets of eight reps. I would space the sets about the time it would take a training partner to do his set.
CONOR:
Would you move that fast on your heavy military presses?
BILL:
Yes, but naturally your poundages will suffer. Fast sets is certainly not the way to handle heavy poundages. The main idea is to work the muscle the best you possible can. When it gets tired, 135 pounds can feel as heavy as 185 pounds. If a muscle is working 80 percent of its maximum, regardless of the weight, it’s the most you can ask of it. Weight isn’t the important factor. Muscle movement is a function of the training conditions set up for it. If you make the conditions difficult, the muscle works hard with less weight.
CONOR:
Following your laterals what exercise do you do?
BILL:
Press behind the neck with a medium-wide grip, seated. I let each rep rest on my shoulders before pressing back up again. I would not brace my back against anything because there is too much chance for cheating. Even in my military presses I don’t believe in cheating or partial movements. I let it down to my shoulders, stop, and press back up without any bounce. I will hold my breath through the press movement up, and exhale as I lower it. I tell my students to always take a deep breath at the start of an exercise and exhale at the finish of it. You can’t go wrong on your breathing that way.
CONOR:
You’ve done movements for the front and lateral delts, so where to from there?
BILL:
I’d do some kind of rear deltoid exercise, I’d do bent-over laterals. The movement is the same as lateral raises standing, but bent-over. However, you have to raise them forward, more like in a swan dive position. If you raise them directly sideways, you’ll get more back than rear deltoid. You try to move them in and arc about eight inches ahead of the shoulders. It isn’t necessary to brace the head against anything. Again, eight repetitions, five sets on all lateral movements. I stop the weight momentarily at the tip of the movement, and also at the bottom. I don’t like to cheat them. Back to the standing laterals. I don’t like to do them where you bring the dumbbells together in front of you at the start of the movement. You get a flying start on the movement that merely lessens the effect of the resistance. Keep the elbows slightly bent. That prevents the movement form being too restricted.
CONOR:
That’s a total of 20 sets. Does that conclude your deltoid training? Do you vary it at all?
BILL:
That’s it, 10 sets, five sets of five reps on the pressing movements. five sets of eight on the lateral movements. I may do upright rows in place of the standing laterals. The military press and press behind the neck I do without fail, all year long. I might occasionally exchange the military press for double-dumbbell presses now and then. The bulk of the deltoid work would lie in the presses. The lateral movements I do mainly for the rear deltoids. Remember, most of the pectoral exercise like incline presses and prones get the front deltoid also. It’s easy to develop out balance if you don’t do rear deltoid work.
CONOR:
You’ve always considered the trapezius an important muscle. It’s naturally involved in deltoid training to some degree. Do you work it along with your deltoid routine?
BILL:
No, I work the trapezius along with my back routine.
CONOR:
Do you do anything special to chisel in extra cuts before a contest?
BILL:
I would think that chiseling in extra cuts would be more a function of diet than anything extra you might do. If you’re on a meat and water diet for six months, roughly speaking, and you don’t get cuts, I don’t think you’re ever going to get them regardless of what you do with the weights.
CONOR:
What other body parts do you work with your deltoids?
BILL:
Chest, shoulders, and legs I work together. I start out with my chest because that was my weakest point. Shoulder work has always been my favorite. I enjoy it.
CONOR:
Doesn’t chest work tire your deltoids?
BILL:
Even if it did, it wouldn’t matter because I wasn’t trying to be Paul Anderson. Lifting a lot of weight wasn’t my goal. Like I said, I merely shift the amount of weight downward and continue. Development, not strength is the keynote.
CONOR:
Have you ever had a severe shoulder injury?
BILL:
Yes. It was stupidity. I had enough forewarning. I continued to train through the pain until the shoulder finally gave way. It was not sudden injury. The months of setbacks aren’t worth it.
CONOR:
Since you work heavy on deltoids , how would you caution someone to approach the program so as to avoid injury.
BILL:
Warm up. The initial set should be very light. The sets can then become progressively heavier. This applies mainly to the heavy movements like presses or squats. I don’t have to use the progressive system on lateral deltoid movements. The smallest of the muscle group and the type of movements used for it don’t necessitate it. I wouldn’t take 500 pounds off a rack and attempt to squat with it without a warm up. However, I’ll warm-up wherever and whenever necessary. The whole purpose of training is being in top shape so you can go on training all your life.
CONOR:
You look like you’ve been taking your youth pills, Bill. How old are you?
BILL:
I’m 45. I’m still doing fine.
CONOR:
You won Mr. America in 1953. What did you weigh then?
BILL:
193 pounds. My highest was 241. The longer I stayed in there training, the bigger I got. Even the kids today, they’re bigger they they were in the earlier years of bodybuilding. The training concepts are fundamentally the same. Perhaps they are more highly motivated. I think it’s a matter of stiffer competition with the great growth of the game. Motivation is stronger, maybe. It’s the same as the four-minute mile. When the barrier was cracked, it became easier for others in some mysterious way.
CONOR:
How would you start a beginner on a deltoid routine? You’d start them with presses and what else?
BILL:
No, I don’t start them with presses because of the injury problem. I would slant it toward upright rowing and incline laterals. I would consitute the pectoral exercise as part of the deltoid exercise. I would add lateral raises. As he went into the second and third programs I’ve set up for him, I would give him some kind of pressing movements. He’d use dumbbells instead of barbells. I’d work him slowly, avoid any chance for injury. I’d suggest three sets on any exercise. Not many people at that stage can settle down to six days a week training, two to three hours at a time. Twenty sets is strictly big time. The average bodybuilder can’t do it. If you’re a bench press specialist, you should incorporate some kind of rear deltoid work into your training. Not ten sets of rear deltoid exercises for six months, rather five sets for as long as you insist on bench pressing. You must take a very long range view in this matter of development.
CONOR:
A concluding question, Bill – how long do you think it would take a fellow starting from scratch to get to the point where he could win Mr. California?
BILL:
Five years, minimum. Most Mr. America’s average eight years. I won Mr. America after three years of training. I was big and raw-boned. I was lucky. Also, the competition back in 1953 wasn’t what it is today. At any rate, to reach the top, you have to make bodybuilding a large part of your life. You must be gainfully occupied or employed. Idleness and bodybuilding have never mixed. The best bodybuilders invariably have always been the busiest with outside affairs, school, jobs, purposes, or what not. Actions compliment one another. Action is life. Success in bodybuilding depends on it.

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  https://blendjet.com/products/blendjet-2

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  "I saw a guy at the gym tonight wearing a hoodie and on the back it said "Hoodie On World Off". I think this perfectly encapsulates the problem with gyms today. 20-30 years ago, before cell phones, the gym was a great place to hang out. A good gym would have good guys in there who liked to train hard but there was always a sense of camaraderie in the gym, people would talk to each other, bust each other's balls and spot each other. It was a good atmosphere and a fun place to be. Today, people put their head phones on and pull the hoodies over their head and escape into their own world. At least 80% of the gym is on their phones during the workout, texting between sets and totally ignoring everyone around them. People do their own thing and won't even look at anyone else. if you ask someone to work in on an exercise, they look at you like you're crazy because you're invading their private space. These cell phones are having a horrible effect on society, probably more than we even realize. They are addicting and they encourage isolation and, eventually, depression and increased stress. I highly recommend that the next time you workout, shut your phone off. Put it in your gym bag, your locker or your car. Leave it off until you leave the gym. Look around and enjoy your surroundings, really focus on the muscles you are working - feel the pump and the contraction of the muscles. If you run across someone who isn't immersed in their phones and doesn't have head phones on, maybe you'll meet someone new or get a spot from a fellow gym member. By "turning the world off", you are missing the fun and the joyful experience that comes from having a good workout and really enjoying the experience of training in a gym. You don't need to take 20 selfies and videos of you in the gym to have a productive workout and you don't need to act so serious and shut out the world around you. Enjoy the experience while you can! Trust me, it goes by fast!!"

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  n 1928 Kasper Berg of Berg Barbell began making "the first modern Olympic barbell." The Berg Barbell was used in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic games and soon thereafter York Barbell company, Jackson Barbell and others began copying, thereby standardizing the Berg Olympic barbell.

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  CHUCK NORRIS ... MARTIAL  ARTIST /   ACTOR
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris was born in Ryan, Oklahoma, in 1940, to Wilma  Scarberry and Ray Dee Norris, a World War II Army soldier. Chuck was the oldest of three brothers.
When Norris was sixteen, his parents divorced, and he later relocated to Prairie Village, Kansas and then to Torrance, California, with his mother and brothers.
 Chuck has described his childhood as downbeat. He was nonathletic, shy, and scholastically mediocre. His father, "Red", went on alcohol drinking binges that lasted for months at a time.
Embarrassed by his father's behavior and the family's financial plight, Norris developed a debilitating introversion that lasted for his entire childhood.
Chuck joined the United States Air Force as an Air Policeman (AP) in 1958, and was sent to Osan Air Base, South Korea. It was there that he acquired the nickname "Chuck" and began his training in Tang Soo Do (tangsudo), an interest that led to black belts in that art and the founding of the Chun Kuk Do ("Universal Way") form.
When Norris returned to the United States, he continued to serve as an AP at March Air Force Base in California. He was discharged from the U.S. Air Force in 1962.
Following his military service, Norris applied to become a police officer in Torrance, California. While on the waiting list, he established his first martial arts studio.
In 1962, Chuck began to participate in martial arts competitions. He was defeated in his first two tournaments, dropping decisions to Joe Lewis and Allen Steen. He lost three matches at the International Karate Championships to Tony Tulleners. By 1967, he scored victories over the likes of Vic Moore.
Chuck won the 1967 Tournament of Karate, by defeating seven opponents, until his final fight with Skipper Mullins.
That year, 1967, Norris was declared champion at the S. Henry Cho's All-American Karate Championship at the Madison Square Garden, taking the title from Julio LaSalle and defeating Joe Lewis.
During this time, Chuck also worked for the Northrop Corporation and opened a chain of karate schools, including a storefront school in his hometown of Torrance, California.
Chuck's official website lists celebrity clients at the schools; among them Steve McQueen, Chad McQueen, Bob Barker, Priscilla Presley, Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond.
In early 1968, Norris suffered the tenth and final loss of his career, losing an upset decision to Louis Delgado.  Later, that year, he avenged his defeat to Delgado and by doing so won the Professional Middleweight Karate champion title, which he then held for six consecutive years.
Norris successfully defended his All-American Karate Championship title, in a round robin tournament, at the Karate Tournament of Champions of North America. Again that year, he  won for the second time, The All-American Karate Championship. It was the last time Norris participated and retired undefeated.
Norris met Bruce Lee, who was known for the TV series, The Green Hornet. They developed a lasting training and working relationship.
In 1969, Norris defended his world champion title at the International Karate Championship. He not only retained his title, but won Karate's triple crown for the most tournament wins of the year, including the Fighter of the Year award, by Black Belt magazine.
The same year, Norris made his acting debut in the Dean Martin film, The Wrecking Crew.
In 1972, Chuck dubbed as Bruce Lee's nemesis in Way of the Dragon. The film grossed $5,307,350.50, beating previous records set by Lee's own films, The Big Boss and Fist of Fury.
Way of the Dragon went on to gross an estimated U S $130 million worldwide. The film is credited with launching Norris toward stardom.
In 1974, Steve McQueen observed  Chuck's potential and encouraged him to begin acting classes at MGM.
Norris wrote Winning Tournament Karate in 1975. The book covers all phases of executing speedy attacks, conditioning, fighting form drills, and one-step sparring techniques.
Norris's first film-starring role was 1977's Breaker! Breaker!. The low budget film turned out to be very successful.
In 1978, Norris starred in Good Guys Wear Black. No studio wanted to touch it, therefore, his producers four-walled it, rented theaters and pocketed whatever money came in.
Good Guys Wear Black, produced on a $1 million budget, eventually
grossed over $18 million.
In 1987, Chuck published the New York Times Best Seller,The Secret of Inner Strength.
Norris married Dianne Holechek, in 1958. He was 18 years of age and she,
17 years old. In 1962, their first child, Mike, was born.
Following 30 years of marriage, Norris and Holechek divorced in 1989, during the filming of The Delta Force 2.
In 1998, Chuck married former model Gena O'Kelley, 23 years his junior. She  had two children from a previous marriage. She delivered twins in 2001.
In 2004, Norris informed Mary Hart, of Entertainment Tonight, that he did not meet his illegitimate daughter, Dina,until she was 26 years old. In 1990, she sent a letter informing him of their relationship, one year after he had divorced with his first wife Dianne Holechek.
In 1990, Norris established the United Fighting Arts Federation and Kickstart Kids. As a significant part of his philanthropic contributions, the organization was formed to develop self-esteem and focus in at-risk children as a tactic to keep them away from drug-related pressure by training them in martial arts.
Norris is noted for his contributions towards organizations such as Funds for Kids, Veteran's Administration National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, the United Way, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation in the form of donations as well as fund-raising activities. His time with the U.S. Veterans Administration, as a guest-speaker, was inspired by his experience serving the United States Air Force in Korea. His objective has been to popularize the issues that concern hospitalized war veterans such as pensions and health care.
Due to his significant contributions, and continued support, Norris
received the Veteran of the Year award in 2001 at the American Veteran Awards.
In India, Norris supports the Vijay Amritraj Foundation, which aims at bringing hope, help and healing to the defenseless and innocent victims of disease, tragedy and circumstance. Through his donations, he has helped the foundation support ediatric HIV/AIDS homes in Delhi, a blind school in Karnataka, and a mission that cares for HIV/AIDS infected adults, as well as mentally ill patients in Cochin. 
In 2000, Chuck starred in the film The Cutter, where he plays a detective on a rescue mission. That year, he also  published the novel The Justice Riders, co-written with Ken Abraham, Aaron Norris, and Tim Grayem.
In 2007, Gotham Books, the adult division of Penguin USA, released a book penned by Ian Spector entitled The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 facts about the World's Greatest Human. Norris subsequently filed suit against Penguin USA claiming "trademark infringement, unjust enrichment and privacy rights".
Norris dropped the lawsuit in 2008. The book is a New York Times Best Seller. Since then, Spector has published four more books based on Chuck Norris facts.
Chuck published the political non-fiction book, Black Belt Patriotism: How to Reawaken America, which reached number 14 on The New York Times best seller list in 2008.
In 2008, Gameloft produced the video game Chuck Norris: Bring On the Pain for mobile devices, based on the popularity Norris had developed on the internet with the Chuck Norris facts.
The next year, Tyndale House Publishers issued The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book: 101 of Chuck's Favorite Facts and Stories, which was co-written and officially endorsed by Norris.
Since 2010, Norris has been a nationally syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate writing on both personal health issues and broader issues of health care in America.
 Next, Norris played a mercenary in The Expendables 2. The 2012 film was a success and grossed over $310 million worldwide.
In 2015, Norris and his wife Gena founded CForce Bottling Co. after an aquifer was discovered on his ranch located in Navasota, Texas.
Chuck starred in the 2016 commercial for the beer Hoegaarden. He also appeared in the advertisement for United Healthcare.
In 2017, Flaregames produced Non Stop Chuck Norris, an isometric action-RPG game for mobile device and is the second game to be based on his popularity developed by the Chuck Norris facts.
 Norris became Fiat's ambassador, a "tough face" for its 2018 commercial vehicles. Fiat says Norris embodies four pillars of its business: determination, reliability, dynamism, and competence.
In 2018, Norris also appeared in an ad for Hesburger, a Finnish hamburger chain. That year, he also did a commercial for Cerveza Poker
third commercial that year was for Toyota.
In early 2020, Norris starred in a QuikTrip commercial for their Snackle line of food. In it Norris descends in parachute where he shoots hot-dogs out of a cannon at a crowd of people. That year, he appeared in the series finale of Hawaii Five-0.
In 2021, Norris was obtainable as a tank-commander in World of Tanks during the Holiday Ops event. He gave players extra missions and featured a unique voice-over.

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   https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/body-building   

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 DAVID  SHAW .... THE STORY /  by JOSEPH HORRIGAN, D.C.
I first saw David Shaw compete at the ’74 Junior National Powerlifting Championships. David was the impressive, strong and confident descriptions of the man that his friends and competitors have used for the past 30 years. Articles about David, his competitions, his training and his training of others, such as the late Dave Johns, have appeared in IRON MAN and more recently in MILO.
Dave Johns wasn’t David Shaw’s only connection to the bodybuilding world, however. Shaw visited Joe Gold at the original Gold’s Gym and World Gym regularly and sometimes trained with strongman Steve Merjanian. Bodybuilders talk about Shaw’s physique, and powerlifters talk about his strength. Said legendary bodybuilder Dave Draper, ‘Record-setting power is often released from cumbersome bodies. Dave Shaw’s super strength bursts from a heap of well-placed river rock and a slab of rough-hewn granite. The man’s a mountain.’ Most trainees simply say, ‘Wow,’ when they see a photo of Shaw deadlifting 848 pounds.
Johns sought Shaw’s help because he wanted to look thicker and more powerful. At a photo shoot at the Soft Tissue Center with Shaw, world-class shot-putter John Brenner (550-pound bench press, 800-pound squat and 460-pound power clean) and former NFL player Pete Koch (best known as an actor for his role as Swede in ‘Heartbreak Ridge’), the photographer asked the three to hit a biceps shot. I informed the photographer that they were not bodybuilders, but she insisted. Brenner and Koch reluctantly flexed their arms, and Shaw followed suit. When Koch saw Shaw, he chided, ‘Great. Dave had to flip up the 22-inch [arm].’
The aspect of Shaw’s career that perhaps carries the most weight is a training style and program design that can enable anyone to make training a lifestyle for the long haul. So often trainees stop working out because of injuries or time restrictions due to life changes, such as school, jobs, career, relationships, marriage and children. Some years ago I witnessed a conversation between Shaw and bodybuilder John Heart. John was impressed with David’s strength and size and asked him how many hours per week he trained. David replied, ‘Three hours per week.’ ‘No, I mean how much did you train when you held world records?’ John said. Replied Shaw, ‘Four hours per week.’ John changed his training along the lines of Shaw’s suggestions, and he gained strength and size and won the Natural Mr. Universe competition.
Shaw wanted a training style he could maintain throughout life’s changes. He earned an A.A. degree, a B.A., and then he worked full-time while training and competing on the national and international levels and earning two master’s degrees. Sometimes when the schedule was very tough, Shaw would perform just one exercise per day. He felt that was certainly better than not training at all. Any trainee can find the time to perform one exercise at home. It’s critical for trainees to be able to train, work and achieve higher education. I recently attended a seminar given by a new strongman at the L.A. FitExpo. His nutritional program alone was a full-time job.
One very interesting point for those who train at home is that Shaw trained the bench press and squat at home alone. That’s quite a feat for someone who benches more than 500 pounds and squats more than 800. That type of training requires complete honesty with one’s self. Shaw did go to a gym to train the deadlift with world champions Terry McCormick and Bill Kazmaier.
David Shaw’s accomplishments in the 275-pound class include an 821-pound squat, 523-pound bench press (without a shirt) and 848-pound deadlift. His other training highlights include: 460×1 and 350×11 on the barbell row, 300×10 on the pulldown, 100×6 on the concentration curl and 100×5 on the standing dumbbell curl after a deadlift workout.
Shaw’s training program led to five world records, one national championship and the Guinness Book of World Records for the deadlift. The pinnacle of his career came on March 27, 2004, when he was inducted into the California Powerlifting Hall of Fame with other legends such as Pat Casey, George Frenn, Roger Estep, Terry McCormick, Larry Kidney, Enrique Hernandez and Tommy Overholtzer. The induction ceremony drew powerlifters, bodybuilders, football players and Olympic weightlifting coaches to watch and applaud. Dave Draper traveled to Southern California to see it, an appearance that echoes back to a time when there was more camaraderie in the iron game, more respect and a sense of connection to others who trained regardless of which sport they competed in.
Sometimes we can best see ourselves through others’ eyes. Pat Casey said, ‘David Shaw is the most honest, clean-cut man I have known. He possesses phenomenal strength, and I don’t think he realized how strong he is. He has always been a perfect gentleman. David came after me in the iron game, but I followed his career. I have the utmost respect for him.’
Fitness pioneer and gym legend Joe Gold stated, ‘David is always a gentleman. He is one of the few people who knew his body and how to train it.’
Doc Kreis, head speed-strength and conditioning coach at UCLA, said, ‘David Shaw is the example of an athlete whose sportsmanship, determination and passion evolved into his becoming the best.’
David Shaw has been in the iron game for 35 years and is associated with strength, class, grace and dignity. He has now taken his place with the former legends of his sport. He passed away in 2016.

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  ROGER ESTEP ... POWERLIFTING LEGEND OF THE IRON GAME
Roger Estep, born in 1948, is a name that most are unfamiliar with, however this image of Estep has probably been seen by anyone that has ever looked up anything about weightlifting on the internet.  Roger Estep was a very successful power lifter during the 1970’s.  He not only held a world record in the Squat, but also received a Silver and Bronze Star in the Special Forces.
Some of Roger’s amazing feats of strength were an 815-pound raw back squat, and 675 pounds for 10 reps on the back squat during training.
Another place Roger holds in strength history is connected to the original Westside Barbell club in Culver City, California.  When he visited Westside in Culver City, his competition total was 1600 pounds.  His total quickly jumped up to 1800 pounds after learning some new methods from other legendary names in the Iron Game at the original Westside Barbell Club; Bill West, George Frenn, and Pat Casey – the first 800-pound squatter.  (It was not until after the death of Bill West that Louie Simmons began to call his gym Westside Barbell, in tribute and respect to the Culver City crew that he learned so much from.)  Louie would later ask Roger about what he learned at Westside, and after seeing how fast Estep raised his Total, Louie would say that he knew he was on the right track.
Roger was an elite lifter in the sport during this point in history.  Many successful lifters during his heyday have said his visit to California contributed to a great change in the sport, at the time.  Roger brought new, and unconventional training methods from Westside back east to West Virginia and to Louie in Ohio. 
Westside was writing articles on new methods like Box Squats, power rack training, partial pressing, and pulling from deficits and blocks and Roger brought all these new methods back east.
With not only the strength he possessed, but his physique as well, Roger Estep is a great example of why training can and SHOULD be individualized.  Roger built his physique with much of his training being Singles, as many as 12 sets of 1 sometimes.
This is in stark contrast to the equally legendary and successful lifter Ed Coan.
The lesson here:
Do not be stuck in the dogma of one training methodology. Humans have been lifting weights since ancient Greece, and the perfect program that works perfectly for every single person does not exist.
 Guys like Roger Estep built world record numbers and an incredible physique using tons of heavy singles, and then you have Bill Kazmier who would do multiple sets of 15 and 20 and nothing lower than 5’s for much of his training.
Roger Estep died in 2005, at age 57.

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[Humble Narcissist]

  "I saw a guy at the gym tonight wearing a hoodie and on the back it said "Hoodie On World Off". I think this perfectly encapsulates the problem with gyms today. 20-30 years ago, before cell phones, the gym was a great place to hang out. A good gym would have good guys in there who liked to train hard but there was always a sense of camaraderie in the gym, people would talk to each other, bust each other's balls and spot each other. It was a good atmosphere and a fun place to be. Today, people put their head phones on and pull the hoodies over their head and escape into their own world. At least 80% of the gym is on their phones during the workout, texting between sets and totally ignoring everyone around them. People do their own thing and won't even look at anyone else. if you ask someone to work in on an exercise, they look at you like you're crazy because you're invading their private space. These cell phones are having a horrible effect on society, probably more than we even realize. They are addicting and they encourage isolation and, eventually, depression and increased stress. I highly recommend that the next time you workout, shut your phone off. Put it in your gym bag, your locker or your car. Leave it off until you leave the gym. Look around and enjoy your surroundings, really focus on the muscles you are working - feel the pump and the contraction of the muscles. If you run across someone who isn't immersed in their phones and doesn't have head phones on, maybe you'll meet someone new or get a spot from a fellow gym member. By "turning the world off", you are missing the fun and the joyful experience that comes from having a good workout and really enjoying the experience of training in a gym. You don't need to take 20 selfies and videos of you in the gym to have a productive workout and you don't need to act so serious and shut out the world around you. Enjoy the experience while you can! Trust me, it goes by fast!!"

This is not just the gym but everywhere.

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