It was the Winter of 1989....... I had asked my parents for a bunch of bodybuilding books that I had read multiple times already. How? I would sit on the floor at the B Dalton book store inside menlo park mall and read ALL of the books. But still, I was obsessed and had to have them all. Reading them a few times wasn't enough for me. The photos inside these books inspired me to train harder and get bigger. Little did I know or could I ever imagine that decades later, I would become … [Read more...]
Building Muscle is NOT As Complicated as the “Gurus” Say
I am fired up as I write this. After 3 weeks on crutches, I finally was able to return to my high school to coach the athletes. I am also back at The Underground Strength Gym coaching. After training the Football team, I spoke to the guys about how I was proud of their efforts. We crushed a training session and then I left it on them to hit hill sprints. "Train as hard as you want to Win" is a phrase I often use. It puts the responsibility on them to do the work. Being a bit limited with … [Read more...]
Chuck Sipes Inspired Workout: The 1-10-1 Method
It was a Friday and I was feeling inspired to go through a tough training session with an old school feel to it. I dug up some old muscle mags with Chuck Sipes, one of the strongest bodybuilders ever from the 60s. He favored heavy lifting and I have written several articles on Chuck Sipes (Find them HERE). Chuck's home gym is where he trained most of the time. The other times he trained was at his work when he was a Youth Officer for The CYA / California Youth Authority. Chuck had a … [Read more...]
252: Jim “Bandbell” Seitzer, Early Days Westside Barbell & Old School Bodybuilding
STRONG Life Podcast 252 is BEAST! Jim Seitzer started lifting weights in the mid 70s with none other than Louie Simmons. That's right, imagine graduating college and training to be a bodybuilder and on day 1, you see Louie benching 365 at the Ohio State University weight room and when you ask Louie, the strongest guy in the gym for help he says, "Just show up at my house tomorrow!" Jim began training for bodybuilding as a "Power Bodybuilder" in 1976 and went on to become a high level … [Read more...]
245 | Josh Rondeau on Old School Strength & Lifters of the Golden Era
Photo Cred: StartingStrength.com STRONG Life Podcast ep. 245 with Josh Rondeau. What a GREAT time this was hamming it up talking about old school strength with Josh. We bounce around a bit, of course, but you'll be inspired and educated to get after it, as always! In the video of this episode, you will see a tour of Josh's Garage Gym so make sure you check that out, especially if you're considering training people from your garage. Here's just SOME of the topics we discussed: … [Read more...]
1967 Mental Toughness Tips from Golden Era Bodybuilding
It's amazing that even in a 1967 Golden Era Bodybuilding Magazine (Muscle Builder) that people were talking about "This generation has gotten soft". This article was called Mom-ism May be the Reason Why You are NOT a Champion. As a parent myself, it is a reminder that the easy life and giving your kids everything you didn't have is NOT helping our kids. In fact, it only hurts them. This is also why I HATE when people send me gifts. Call me crazy but I want to EARN it. I want to BUY it. … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Insider Ep. 37 | How to Use Golden Era Bodybuilding Methods / Volume Training to Gain Size & Strength
Volume training was a BIG deal back in the 70s and then it made a comeback in the past 5-8 years. What's old is new again but the truth is, there is a time and place for everything. Who needs volume training and when should volume work be applied? When is the best time to implement volume training and who is best suited for volume work? How can you still train smart when applying volume training compared to the mistakes I made in my younger years by incorrectly applying volume … [Read more...]
Iron Roots – Ep. 11 – Mike Mentzer aka Mr. Heavy Duty
I was 12 years old, maybe 13 when I first came across the training of Mike Mentzer aka Mr. Heavy Duty. I remember thinking to myself, Holy s--t, this guy looks like he's been carved from stone! Mike had a different physique than the others and the photos of him in training were INTENSE. He looked like he was destroying the gym along with his training partners Casey Viator and Ray Mentzer (his brother). With The Iron Roots Podcast, it's important for me to bring back and share many of … [Read more...]
Strength Training & Life Lessons: Do The Simple Things Savagely Well
Do The Simple Things Savagely Well. I interviewed Jim Kiritsy for The STRONG Life Podcast and that quote has struck me ever since. It's simply saying, Brilliance with the Basics. Experts are not trying to impress you with the fancy fads and gimmicks. It's ALL about results. And lately, I've been focusing on 2 exercises: Squats & Deadlifts. Specifically, the hook grip deadlift. I don't go crazy on upper body work with my left shoulder which has been a nerve type issue since I was … [Read more...]
Iron Roots Ep. 6 | Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding
Here we go! Iron Roots Podcast ep. 6. This episode is about 1 of my favorite AND most recommended books, Arnold's Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. It was the mid 80s and I wasn't even a teenager yet, I was 11 years old or so and it was the Summer time in Israel. I was with my older brother and we walked to the local book store in town because my brother was getting into the whole training thing. He knew that the better athletes were strong and big so if he wanted success he was gonna … [Read more...]
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