Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Carl Lanore asked me to do a show on SuperHuman Radio covering sensible and effective training for his female listeners who want to get started on the road to life-long strength and health.
As luck would have it, I happened to be reading an old issue of Strength and Health magazine where Abbye "Pudgy" Stockton presented a pretty good workout for beginners.
Pudgy Stockton was world-famous back in the 1940's and 1950's. She started out as a cute but overweight young woman (hence the nickname, "Pudgy") who worked as a telephone operator -- one of the traditional "women's jobs" of the era.
Then she met Les Stockton, a gymnast, acrobat and bodybuilder who was a regular at California's fabled Muscle Beach.
Les and Pudgy hit it off and started dating -- and eventually married. And somewhere along the way, she asked him to give her a trainin g program.
He did -- and it worked so well that she became world-famous. She transformed her body into eye-popping proportions. They called her "the female John Grimek" -- and that was high praise, because Mr. America and Mr. Universe winner John Grimek was considered to be the best built man in the world.
Pudgy opened a bodybuilding studi and trained hundreds of girls and women in old-school physical culture. And she trained thousands more by mail and through her monthly articles in Strength and Health.
Here's the kind of simple program that Pudgy advocated for beginners, featuring a barbell and a pair of light dumbbells:
1. Alternate rowing with dumbbells 1 x 6
2. Deep knee bends 1 x 8
Note: You can do these with or without weight when you begin your training. If you use weight, you can hold a barbell on your upper back and shoulders, or you can hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands (with your arms hanging extended so the dumbbells are at your sides).
3. Barbell bent-over rowing 1 x 6
4. One-hand dumbbell rowing 1 x 6
5. Military press with barbell 1 x 6
6. Alternate dumbbell presses 1 x 6
7. Bent-legged deadlifts with barbell 1 x 8
8. Alternate-style leg raises 1 x 8
9. Standing calf raises 1 x 8
10. Crunch-style sit-ups 1 x 8
Beginners should start with very light weights, and perform one set of each exercise. The workouts should be fast, fun and easy. There's no need to strain and struggle.
Don't train every day. Train three times a week, with a day of rest between every workout. Mon/Wed/Fri works perfectly. So does Tues/Thurs/Sat.
To progress, add one rep every other workout to the exercises where you begin with 6 reps. When you reach 12 reps, add 2.5 pounds weight to your barbell or dumbbells, and drop back to 6 reps -- and repeat the rep by rep progression.
On the exercises where you begin with 8 reps, add two reps every other workout. When you reach 20 reps, add five pounds to your barbell or dumbbell and drop back to 8 reps -- and repeat the progression.
If possible, add some easy walking every morning before breakfast. Nothing too far or too fast, and nothing strenuous. Just get in the habit of getting out and moving. Your body needs to move. Life is movement. Staying active keeps you young and healthy.
IMPORTANT: Be sure you know how to perform the different exercises. A qualified coach, instructor or trainer can teach you the exercises very quickly because they are simple, basic and easy to perform.
After several "cycles" where you increase the reps, add weight and then drop back to the lower rep count and repeat the process, you will have established a good base for more advanced training. But don't rush things. Start out light and progress at a slow but steady pace. You'll do much better in the long run if you start out easy and work your way up slowly. I know that many people suggest using a much harder, much heavier program whern you begin your training, but remember, there's a reason why they call them "CRASH PROGRAMS." Everyone who does them crashes and burns. Slow and steady is safer, better and in the long run, much more productive.
Thanks to Pudgy Stockton for providing endless inspiration to generations of trainees -- and as always, thanks to everyone for reading this article. If you train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. 2. For more advanced workouts for beginners (men and women alike), see my book,
CHALK AND SWEAT:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "If today is your first day of training, it's a red letter day in your life." -- Brooks Kubik
