Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Last week I sent an email with 10 old-school
training tips and challenged you to guess the
person or person who said them.
And I said it was pretty hard to do.
Well, so far, NO ONE has guessed the right
answer. That means the official contest is
over, but let's see if anyone can get bragging
rights by getting the right answer.
So here are the tips once again -- read through
and see who it makes you think of -- who it
sounds like -- and who might have said it:
OLD SCHOOL TRAINING ADVICE
Name the person or persons who said:
1. "My first pointer is this: Don't overdo."
2. "Resolve to go easy; for bodybuilding must
be a gradual process."
3. "Always incorporate the progressive element
when it is practicable; make the work harder,
or longer, or more difficult -- advance in
some way. This is the great 'secret' of
physical strength and development by exercise."
4. "When your exercise is heavy, like wrestling
or weightlifting, the every-other-day plan will
suit most persons."
5. "If you are exercising for development
primarily, intense concentration of the
muscles is of great help."
6. "Do not do your extreme best on an exercise or
feat more than two or three times a month."
7. "Avoid staleness. When you have no heart for
your training, or when you seem to tire too easily,
take three or four days rest and avoid all thought
of exercise."
8. "Sleep is the best thing in the world for
avoiding staleness and for hastening the results
of exercise. Sleep is the energizer par excellance
for the athlete and the bodybuilder. I cannot say
enough in its favor."
9. "I have found it a good plan to take a certain
number of deep breaths between movements while I am
resting the muscles. But deep breathing WHILE you
are doing heavy leg work is of especial value."
10. "Don't neglect to strengthen the feet and ankles.
They bear the weight of the whole physique. When a
140-pound man succeeds in adding 40 or 50 pounds of
weight to his body, it is no wonder the ankles feel
it. Strengthen them as you go along."
I'll give you some additional clues.
All 10 training tips come from either ONE or TWO
writers -- and from ONE article in a magazine
published in the USA sometime in the mid 1940's.
The answer is NOT George Hackenschmidt -- because
the article also refers to things that Hackenschmidt
told the author. (In other words, the author or
authors either knew or met Hackenschmidt.)
The article that featured the 10 tips ALSO gave
the following advice:
"Use complete movements ... Incomplete movements,
especially if the strain is heavy, tend to shorten
and cramp the muscles.
Do not hold extreme tension of a muscle long at a
time. . . .
Full, slow contractions are best for the development
of big muscles . . . "
So think about it. In 1945, who would have been
suggesting strict form, full range movements, not
holding extreme tension (i.e., no "cramping"
movements), "full, slow contractions"?
So with those additional clues -- does anyone
want to try for bragging rights?
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. If you missed yesterday's big announcement,
head over here -- the Dinosaur Training DVD's
are BACK:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dvds.html
P.S. 2. My other Dinosaur Training books and
courses are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. One final hint for anyone who wants
bragging rights: Think outside the box.
