At the time of this writing, my body is on the mend since my knee surgery and blood clot last March, 2021. My knee is not 100% and as we get older, if you have had an injury or a surgery in the past, I believe it is safer to DOUBLE the length of "recovery time" to ensure you don't rush through the full healing process. So if the Doc says 6 months, I do not believe that in 6 months you have the green light to go ALL out. Instead, take months 6 - 12 to rebuild to greater heights. Use … [Read more...]
Inside Mike Mentzer’s Heavy Duty Book & Training Methods
I came across Mike Mentzer's training methods as a kid. In fact, if memory serves me properly, I began reading about Mike Mentzer around age 11. You see, I would read my older brother's bodybuilding books and magazines for 2 years before I actually began training. I began training in June of 1989 but leading up to that point, I would dabble in lifting the weights my brother had in his room. It was strange to me that I would lift weights for 2 or 3 weeks and then quit. I thought something was … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Insider: The Development of Muscular Bulk & Power
From Anthony Ditillo's Book, The Development of Muscular Bulk and Power There is something about bulk and power training that invades your very soul. It is extremely hard to put into words. The exercise movements themselves are quite simple to perform. The routines one must utilize in order to gain rapidly that much sought after strength are not especially interesting or dynamic in appearance. All in all, powerlifting and bulk training is a rather mechanical robot like procedure, which is … [Read more...]
Iron Roots Ep. 12 | Dinosaur Training
It was the mid 90s and bodybuilding was starting to go from 220 lb competitors to 275 lb competitors. On the other end of the spectrum, Fitness magazines began to get popular along with body pump and spin classes inside gyms. The hardcore gyms began closing or tried to change to appeal to the masses. There was not much opportunity for those who wanted to lift heavy and hard and feel part of a community. IF you were lucky, you came across THE book that took a stand against ALL the fads … [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...]
The Keto Diet Circa 1968
Recently I was gifted with yet another BIG box of old school magazines. Health & Strength, IronMan, Muscle Builder & Power..... These magazines are gold and it's amazing how I find information from 40-60 years ago that are sometimes brought forward today as if someone invented them. I honestly feel much of today's training is overly complex as is the nutrition. In turn, results are less even though information is more easily and readily available at the touch of a finger or via … [Read more...]
The 6 Most Effective Strength & Muscle Building Methods
I've been doing a LOT of thinking about the various ways I have trained since starting back in 1989, well over 25 years of experience. I thought about the methods that wasted my time and didn't produce anything but all show and NO go muscles. Those days bother me BIG time because they have scarred me for a lifetime and unfortunately didn't help my success in athletics. I also thought about my days of squatting 455 lbs for reps. My days of breaking away from what the other guys in the gym were … [Read more...]
WHY Iron History Is SO Important
I've traveled around the country and have done some crazy things to get my hands on vintage, historical strength training equipment. This article was written in 2010. This was a time when I rarely came across collectors. People flipping vintage equipment as a business is different than guys like myself who actually TRAIN on this equipment. People have offered me money for my 150 lb globe dumbbell and I've told them I won't sell it, ever. You can offer me 15 or 20 grand and that money means … [Read more...]
Can YOU get Stronger Than Guys On Steroids? Yes, Here’s How.
I have been accused of being on steroids since I was in high school. I STILL remember those days. It was as if none of the kids could fathom someone building muscle. Looking back, I have to laugh. I trained with infinite mistakes and could have made 10X the progress if I had a mentor with someone who knew what they were doing. With my knowledge today, and seeing the natural greats from the Silver era, especially of men like Chuck Sipes and Chet Yorton, you KNOW you can develop extreme strength … [Read more...]
Power-Bodybuilding Workouts
Above, Roger Estep - 1 of the Pioneers of The Power - Bodybuilding Method ___________________ After laying low on training the past month, going minimalist style with low volume & frequency plus chowing down on lots of food lately, I'm gonna put good use to these calories. I felt my body was needing a break coupled with a super hectic work schedule, listening to my body is crucial to staying healthy. My appetite is finally back and my motivation is that of a run away freight train. I … [Read more...]