Hail to the Dinosaurs!
One of my older readers is an older gentleman
who started lifting in the late 40's or early
50's.
His timing was pretty good, because he saw many
of the great champs of the era.
For example -- he saw Doug Hepburn training when
Hepburn visited New York city. Hepburn finished
his workout by performing a one-arm handstand!
He trained at a gym where John Davis trained
near the end of his competitive career. Davis
would spot him in the bench press. That's not
bad for a young lifter -- to be spotted by a
six time World champion and two-time Olympic
gold medalist.
My reader later moved to Florida, and became
friends with Milo Steinborn -- the legendary
German strongman who came to the USA after
World War One and amazed the American lifting
fans with his lifting ability and his remarkable
strength in the squat.
Steinborn was the man who would stand a heavy
bar on one end and slowly wedge himself under
it until the bar tipped over and rested on his
shoulders while he was in a full squat. He'd
then stand up with it and perform his set --
and then reverse the process to get the bar
back on the platform.
Steinborn, you will recall, was a prisoner of
war during WWI. He kept in shape by training
with a homemade barbell fashioned from a long
steel bar and two enormous tree trunks. Talk
about a Dinosaur!
You may also recall that Steinborn once scared
the heck out of poor Sig Klein by going to his
gym, grabbing a 180 pound globe barbell, cleaning
it, and then holding it at his shoulders while
he performed a wild Cossack dance -- the one
where you start in a deep squat and jump up and
shoot your leg forward, first the right and then
the left -- as if you were doing a series of
bouncing one-legged squats.
Try it some time with no weight. It's not easy.
And then imagine the strength and power that
Steinborn possessed, to be able to perform
the feat with a 180 pound barbell!
Anyhow, my reader just ordered a copy of BLACK
IRON, THE JOHN DAVIS STORY. He mentioned that
they used to call him "Johnny D" -- the letter
"D" being short for "Davis" and short for "Deuce."
They called the champ Johnny Deuce because he
liked to do many, many sets of two reps in his
training.
He also shared a story about Milo Steinborn and
John Grimek. It's a pretty good story, so I
thought I'd share it with you.
My reader is talking with Milo Steinborn when
both Steinborn and Grimek are pretty well up
there in years.
He asks Steinborn if Grimek is still training.
Steinborn looks at him in surprise.
"Does a man give up his religion?" he asks.
To men like Milo Steinborn and John Grimek, that's
what training was all about. It was a way of life.
It was something you started as a young man and
continued to do until the end of your days.
I understand how they feel. I feel the very same
way. And if you're reading this, I bet you feel
the same!
As always, thanks for reading and have a great
day. If you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can learn more about Doug Hepburn, John
Davis and John Grimek right here at Dinosaur
Headquarters:
1. To grab a copy of my Doug Hepburn training
course, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/doug_hepburn.html
2. To order BLACK IRON: THE JOHN DAVIS STORY,
which includes details on John Davis' actual training
program from 1940 and 1941 (given to me by his
training partner), go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
3. For my new course on John Grimek's life, lifting
and training, go here:
http://brookskubik.com/johngrimek_course.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and my
Dinosaur Training DVD's -- are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "If you're not
training, start now. Once you start, never stop."
-- Brooks Kubik
