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| A classic photo of John Grimek from John Wood's highly recommended Old Time Strongman site - which focuses on true old school training as I define the term. The top dumbbell is the world-famous Cyr Dumbbell. The middle bell was owned by Apollon. I did one-hand deadlifts and curls with it once - it's pretty awesome. I believe the bottom bell comes from Warren Lincoln Travis - but I may be wrong - if I am, please correct me. |
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
The other day I posted on the Dinosaur
Training - Brooks Kubik and Strength
Secrets Facebook Groups - which you
should join if you're not already a
card-carrying member at them - and
asked:
Who's your favorite old-school strong-
man?
and
Who's your favorite old-school body-
builder?
The results were surprising.
Many members listed people from the
1970's and 1980's.
The guys featured in the muscle mags
when many of us we're growing up.
I suppose that seems "old-school" to
some - although I certainly don't feel
"old" and I started training before
many of the supposed "old-school"
champions were featured in the
magazines.
Heck, when I started training, Arnold
was a teenager living in Europe.
My definition of old-school is a bit
different.
I define old-school as the period of
time before anabolic steroids and
other drugs became commonly used
in the Iron Game.
Steroids started to enter the picture
sometime in the 1950's - with the
Russians - and started to be used
by guys in the USA in the early
1960's.
So I use 1960 as the arbitrary cut-off
for old-school training.
Pre-1960 means old-school.
Post-1960 means modern, drug-based
training.
That doesn't mean that everyone who
trained before the 1960's was squeaky
clean on the drug issue.
Nor does it mean that everyone who
trained after 1960 used drugs.
But it does mean that the culture began
to change - and that we moved from:
1. A time when there no drugs in the
Iron Game (pre-1950 or 1960);
to
2. A time when a small group of people
who were "in the know" used them, and
very few other people even knew about
them (1960 to 1970);
to
3. A time when most people knew that
the top men used drugs, but the best
magazines (Peary Rader's Iron Man, for
example) discouraged drug use, and
some of the most popular and influential
authors of the time (such as Bradley
J. Steiner) STRONGLY discouraged
their use (the 1970's);
to
4. A time when more and more people
used them, and the magazines and
thought leaders pretty much stopped
opposing them (the 1980's and after);
to
5. Today's world, when the Iron Game is
infested with drug use, everyone knows
it, and everyone either ignores it, accepts
it, or condones and approves it.
a. Recognizing, of course, that we do have
drug-free powerlifting and bodybuilding
contests - and that Olympic weightlifting
is fighting to be a drug-free sport - but I'm
talking about the culture of the Iron Game,
and the over-all culture views drug use as
normal and accepted - and acceptable - and
to most, perhaps even necessary.
I define old-school as drug-free training,
and that includes a culture that refuses
to accept drug use in the Iron Game as
standard operating procedure - or as
normal - or as healthy - or as necessary.
So that brings me back to my admittedly
somewhat arbitrary cut-off of 1960.
Old-school is pre-1960.
Old-school is about training - not about
using more drugs that a pharmaceutical
rep peddles.
That's probably not a popular definition,
and it's certainly not a popular position,
but that's how I view things - and I'm not
going to change.
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. Here are some great courses that
focus on old-school training methods:
Dinosaur Strength and Power -
Course No. 1 - Strength Style
Arm Training with Doug Hepburn
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurstrengthandpower-01.html
A complete - and brand new - training course
that teaches you how to build strong, powerful,
and muscular arms - using the training methods
of the legendary Doug Hepburn.
The Bone Strength Project
https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/bone-strength-projectPDF.html
John Wood's unique program for building
your bones in order to increase your
potential for maximum muscle mass.
Dinosaur Strength and Power -
Course No. 2 - Heavy Partials
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurstrengthandpower-02.html
Another way of building your bones -
and strengthening your tendons and
ligaments - a must read for anyone
interested in maximum strength and
power.
The May-June Dinosaur Files
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-mayjune2018.html
Feature articles include:
The World's Simplest Bodyweight
Program
The Deadlift from Hell
The Valhalla Challenge
Bob Hoffman's Favorite Training
Program
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here at Dino Headquarters:
Hard-copy and PDF
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Kindle
http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:
"Just because everyone else is doing
it, doesn't mean that you should do the
same."
-- Brooks Kubik
BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .
We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle
bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:
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