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Old-Time Strength: Steve Reeves

(This is the final part of a series looking at old time strongmen and bodybuilders and the training methods and programs they followed. Note: The set, reps and weight used will be left out so you can tailor the program to fit your needs and strength levels.) Steve Reeves was born on January 21, 1925 in Glasgow, Montana. He began bodybuilding when he was 15, being the first to admit he had a good foundation and was an ‘easy gainer’, and after a year or so, soon had a potentially powerful physique. His first instruction was at Ed Yarick’s gym in Oakland, California where he was encouraged to enter and – won, all local contests. Reeves served in World War II and during that time he managed to obtain some training, albeit often with Tarzan like rope climbing, general free exercises, such as push-ups or dips, and tension exercises. Later he designed his own weights and basic pulley apparatus. In 1947, Reeves won the Mr America contest in Chicago at the age of 21. Reeves came in second in the contest in 1948 and also came in second to a 40-year old John Grimek at the Mr. Universe contest in London. That was to be Grimek’s final competition. After finishing third in 1949, Reeves won the Mr. Universe title in 1950. Reeves went on to international fame for playing the role of “Hercules” in the 1959 movie. He would reprise the role in “Hercules Unchained” in 1960. Reeves, who passed away in 2000, was the last of the steroid free bodybuilders. Here is the workout Reeves used during his 1950 Mr. Universe win: Overhead Press Squats Calf Raises Dips Chins Rows Incline Dumbbell Curls Ab Work (Reeves would work to failure with little rest between exercises, Grimek mentions this in Strength and Health Magazine in 1964.) Notes: Train consistently 2-3 days per week and add weight to the bar whenever possible and get lots of rest, eat good food and drink plenty of water. Understand that to be successful in any weight training program – hard work is a must! Half-hearted effort does nothing for you. If you’re new to weight training or grossly out of shape, consult a physician first. End of disclaimer.

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Old-Time Strength: Reg Park

(This is part of a series looking at old time strongmen and bodybuilders and the training methods and programs they followed. Note: The set, reps and weight used will be left out so you can tailor the program to fit your needs and strength levels.) Reg Park remains one of the greatest bodybuilders Britain has ever produced, with no discredit to any of the previous champions in the UK, be it the era, training methods, or post-war diet restrictions. Reg was the premier British bodybuilder to compare with, compete against and later surpass many of the American champions. Far more than just a muscle man, he had that something extra to distinguish him. Born in Leeds on June 17th, 1928, Reg enjoyed an athletic childhood, but with no great physical development in evidence as early photos prove. He was introduced to the delights of weight training by bodybuilder Dave Cohen when he was only 17 years old and made fair progress with basic schedules for a year. Reg enthused with bodybuilding after seeing the Universe show and started training hard as only he could. He increased his bodyweight form 180 lbs to 225 lbs, stood at 6’1” with upper arms gaining quickly from 14” to 18” in just one year. This tough training paid off and resulted with him winning the Mr. Britain 1949 title at a Health and Strength show. In 1950, Reg entered the NABBA Mr. Universe contest in London. He came a close second to Steve Reeves. After this brief setback, Reg continued undaunted and won the 1951 Mr. Universe title to become the first British bodybuilder to take the top award in bodybuilding. Later in 1958, he became the first man to win two Universe titles. Some of his top lifts were 510 pounds in the squat, 605 pounds in the bench press, 300 pounds press behind neck and 258 pounds in the dumbbell press. Here is a Reg Park workout from 1951: Squats Bench Press Dips Curls Dumbbell Bench Press Calf Raises Chins Ab Work Notes: Train consistently 2-3 days per week and add weight to the bar whenever possible and get lots of rest, eat good food and drink plenty of water. Understand that to be successful in any weight training program – hard work is a must! Half-hearted effort does nothing for you. If you’re new to weight training or grossly out of shape, consult a physician first. End of disclaimer.

Old-Time Strength: John Grimek

(This is part of a series looking at old time strongmen and bodybuilders and the training methods and programs they followed. Note: The set, reps and weight used will be left out so you can tailor the program to fit your needs and strength levels.) What can you say that hasn’t already been said about John Grimek. He is a legend, without a doubt the greatest bodybuilder of them all. He did without drugs people. Grimek is the ideal. He was muscular and powerful, the total package. John Carroll Grimek (1910-1988) always enjoyed exercise. All exercise. He loved variety, always explaining he trained in “1001 ways” and recommended frequent changes in schedules, sets and reps and indeed exercise, just so long as one stuck to basics. Most of all John loved squats, an exercise many most certainly dislike, and many actually hate, or at least try to avoid, seeking easier variations of legwork. Even when he did not feel like training he would squat. He squatted all his life, right from the early days of the old Milo Barbell Company, and Mark Berry and Physical Training Illustrated books in which Grimek was featured in fine exercise pictures. Through the years of Hoffman’s Strength and Health, his own Muscular Development magazine into “retirement,” still squatting heavy even in his late 70s (years of age). Grimek is the only man ever to win the AAU Mr. America title more than once. His wins in 1940 and 1941 were so overwhelming that contest organizers from then on implemented the single-victory rule. He represented the United States as a weightlifter at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, proving he had strength and well as muscle. In 1948, at 38 years of age, Grimek beat the young sensation Steve Reeves at the NABBA Mr. Universe in London. A year later, in his last contest, the AAU Mr. USA, he beat Reeves again – as well as Clarence Ross, George Eiferman and Armand Tanny – and retired from bodybuilding competition undefeated. Grimek performed a 400-pound deadlift cold with no warmups, 600 pounds after warming up. His max squat was 700 pounds, bent press 300 pounds, overhead press 364 pounds and bench press 480 pounds. Grimek alternated routines regularly. Here is one of them: Overhead Press Chins Squats Bench Press Deadlifts Bent Press Rows Leg Raises Notes: Train consistently 2-3 days per week and add weight to the bar whenever possible and get lots of rest, eat good food and drink plenty of water. Understand that to be successful in any weight training program – hard work is a must! Half-hearted effort does nothing for you. If you’re new to weight training or grossly out of shape, consult a physician first. End of disclaimer.

Tuesday Video: Combat Conditioning

Here’s a little Matt Furey Combat Condtioning workout to watch.

For all those who say you can’t get a good workout with bodyweight. Give this a try and see how taxing it can be to your aerobic and anaerobic systems.

You’ll find out what the old-timers have always known: bodyweight workouts combined with weight training are a dynamite 1-2 punch to a bigger, stronger and healthier body.

Old-Time Strength: Bob Hoffman

(This is part of a series looking at old time strongmen and bodybuilders and the training methods and programs they followed. Note: The set, reps and weight used will be left out so you can tailor the program to fit your needs and strength levels.) Bob Hoffman – athlete, nutritionist, weightlifter, coach and philantropist – was born on a farm in Tifton, Georgia on Nov 9th 1898. When Bob was five years old the family moved to Wilkinsburg near Pittsburgh where his athletic career started from a very young age. He was an exceptional athlete especially in aquatic sports – his favorite being canoeing. His business started in the 1920s, at first selling oil burners, before developing into the massive York Barbell Company. Hoffman, while never a great coach or great weightlifter, was a man who influenced and guided weightlifting, bodybuilding and nutrition for half a century. He died on July 18th, 1985 suffering heart disease and dementia. Hoffman and his York Barbell Company are legendary in the weight game and many of bodybuilding’s elite trained at York for many years. Here is a routine from Hoffman’s “Simplified System of Barball Training” that was published in the early 40s: Snatch Curls Stiff-Legged Deadlift Overhead Press Rows Shrugs Squats Calf Raises Notes: Train consistently 2-3 days per week and add weight to the bar whenever possible and get lots of rest, eat good food and drink plenty of water. Understand that to be successful in any weight training program – hard work is a must! Half-hearted effort does nothing for you. If you’re new to weight training or grossly out of shape, consult a physician first. End of disclaimer.

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