ee eeMare Huster (Germany) celebrates going 6 for 6, with a PR total, atthe 1991 World Weightlifting Championships, Donaueschingen, Germany. Photo by Randall J. Strossen, PhD. Available in black and white, 11° 14 for $12.95 + ‘$3.00 S&H USA and Canada, $10.00 S&H all others. Write 10 IronMind Enterprises, Inc, 2.0. Box 1228, Nevada City, (€4.95959, USA, You'll jump for joy when you read MILO... A journal for serious strength athletes. ‘MILO features no non-sense articles on how to build size and strength, with an emphasis on Performance, not mere appearance. Look to us for coverage relating to everything from caber-tossing to wrist-wrestiing. Besides how-to articles, look for material on the great strength athletes, both past and present, and for contest reports on some interesting events you might not otherwise have been able to follow. MILO...a strength-oriented Publication aimed at providing rock-solid in- formation in the tradition of Peary Rader's iron Man and Liting News. Published four times a year (April, July, October and January), beginning April 1993. $19.95/year (4 issues) USA and Canada; single issues $5.00 each ppd. $39.95/year 4 issues airmail all others; single issues $10.00 each ppd, Send your name, address and subscription payment to: lronMind Enterprises, Inc. P.O. Box 1228 Nevada City, California ‘95959, USA tel: 916) 265-6725 fax:(916) 265-4876Editorial: Welcome to Milo! Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Ww elcome to MILO! ‘Whether it's wrist-wres- ting, weightitting, a Highlands Game event or even just hearing about some guy supposedly lft ing a barrel of whatever, there’s something fascinating about strength. And strength-in its many forms~is what MILO is all about. We're tremendously ex: cited about MILO and want you to know that, once again, you can ex: pect us to bring you a top-quality product that’s not exactly mainstream, and for good reason. The truth is that bodybuilding has always attracted more people than lifting, be- cause more people are interested in how they look than in what they can do. Thus, it's no accident that bodybuilding magazines have always outnumbered lifting magazines, and there are millions of articles on building bigger biceps but almost none on how to tear a deck of cards in halt. Some years ago, strength athletes looking for good information had several choices: For example, Peary Rader’s ron Man provided honest, informed coverage not just on bodybuilding, but on everything from Olympic-style weightitting to unique strongman stunts; Bob Hoffman's Strength & Health special ized in training information and contest coverage for Olympic-style weightit- ing, and Peary Rader's Lifting News was packed with contest results, from both Olympic-style weightlifting and powerlifting contests. Today, things have changed considerably, and there isn't a good source of information geared to people inter- ested in strength, from arm-wrestling to caber- tossing to weightlifting. Enter MILO: We will provide just that type of coverage, balancing both istorical and current in- formation, providing both background information and how-to information. Because Mike Lambert's Powerlifting USA provides in-depth coverage of powerlifting, MILO will go relatively light in that area, although we will still offer much of interest to powerlifters. And because Denis Reno's Weightlfter's Newsletter does such an excellent job reporting Olympiccltting contest results, we also won't run page after page of weightliting contest results, although we definitely will report, in some depth, on major contests. Besides our emphasis on strength in its many forms, some other things will distinguish MILO from ‘most other Iron GamePublications. First, we will carry litle advertising, and notably, things like dishonestly overhyped food supplements and nude videos will not be advertised at all. Second, because we favor function over form, we will limit our authors to people who really know what they are talking about, and as a corollary, we are less concerned about their writing style than in the acouracy of what they say. So don't expect our authors to tell you that, for example, doing clean pulls is hard on your elbows, or that 65 grams of protein a day is all you ‘need, or that Reg Park won the Mr. America contest. Of course, we won't be perfect, but you can have every con: fidence that we view our readers as the most sophisticated, knowledgeable readers in the Iron Game, and we will always remember that's who we are writing for. Third, while we would certainly like to reach the point of moderate profitability, rest assured that we will never com- promise the quality of ‘MILO for the sake of in- creased profits D. (ab)use in the strength sports has a long history, and our stance on the drug issue should be clear to every reader: We wish drugs had never been introduced to sports, and will oppose them at every tum, but don't worry about us conducting a tiresome anti-drug crusade. On a related note, while we will not provide information geared to help people cheat on drug tests, we will not bury our heads in the sand on the latest developments in drugs, testing, and related matters. In fact, in this premier issue of MILO you will find an article on new scientific technology that bears many parallels to the drug issue, and itis included because we want ‘our readers to make in- formed decisions, rather than act blindly out of fear or ignorance. Leading U.S. weightitting photog- rapher Bruce Klemens ‘once said that he viewed Peary Rader's Iron Man as “the thinking man's magazine" and that's ex- actly the mantle we would like to wear. Paul Kelso once told me that he thought our mutual pal, the late Chester O. ‘Teegarden, thought that a young man or woman didn't need much more than a barbell set and a good education. | would add that Chester would also have urged young men and women to join a church, of whatever kind they preferred. You should know that this also ‘sums up our philosophy because~as paradoxical as it sounds--we believe that to reach your zenith physically, you also need to develop yourself in- tellectually and spiritually Finally, | would like to thank each of you for reading MILO and assure you that your opinions are important to us-we always enjoy hearing from you. Rand} Issen, Ph.D. Publisher & Editor-in-ChietHenry S seven War I, the sport of weightlifting got a dramatic " . " boost in the United States, due to the arrival ofa young German strongman named Heinrich Steinbom. Prior to the appearance of "Henry" . Steinbor, the lifts com- 1 O Tn: ‘monly practiced in America e . were the bent press, the tv0- hands deadlif, curls and . various two-handed presses. A C t Henny showed the onversation possibiles ofthe quick its which had become popular p in Europe. The quick wit H enry Iifis-including the one-hand snatch, the pwo-hands snatch, and the two-hands le ind jerk--1 Steinborn, Jr cane Lifting fans of the early 1920s saw unbelievable poundages lified to arms length overhead by this Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. seine Geman and nere . nae inaied by his performances Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Ren lifting world ablaze when, in one evening in October 1921, he exceeded the known world records in the one-hand snatch, the two-hands snatch and the two-hands clean and Jerk, with lifts of 205-1/2 ‘pounds, 247 pounds and 347-3/4 pounds, respectively. Hewentonto establish personal records of 218, 275 and 375 pounds, respective- Jy, in these lifts. Although his snatching ability put Henry ina class by himself, his abil inthe twos lean and jeri some nar evn ease to appreciate: At the time of his official 347-314, Henry brokethe acknowledged world record of 345 set bythe massive Louis Cy, who outweighed Henry by ‘approximacely 100 pounds. A week ater, Henry called for 350 and after missing it ‘ice, came back to make what tured out to be 375, as the bar had been misloadedtt! This lift was not repeated in the US. for approximaely mo decades, tun the era of Steve Stanko, John Davis and Louis Abel. Some of Henry's other amazing ifs included one hhand-snatching a 170- poured barbell with a 1-5/8" handle for three reps, curling 175 for five reps, doing a “oneshand jerk with 252-1/2 (0255, and ofcourse, his hnonparei squatting: Henry, sans any support gear whatsoever, would uprend a 550-pound barbell, duck under it, doa rock bottom squat and then return the barbell othe platformall without any assistance. *Sieinborn's sped was simply dazzling," wrote Alan Calver, who also noted thas, “Although nearly 100 Ibs, lighter than Cy, Steinbor is capable of breaking most of Gy's records" David P. Willoughby credis Henry witha 953 squat and 373. 53 and says hat he, "ireualy introduced the Squat, as a weight training exercise 10 American weightlifter in the cary 19205" Willoughby to included Henry in his “super-ahlete" catego, since he ‘manifestly possessed the requisite combination of srenth, Speed, ailiy and endurance." And at about 5? 8° all and approximately 205 pounds, Henry was lean and muscular-.in sriking ‘contrast to many of the heavy-waisted Continental strongmen he was besting. Henry Steinborn was widely travelled and known to countess people, including Jean Paul Getty, long con- sidered the world’s richest ‘man. In fact, Henry apparently squatted the 315. 33 to win a bet with Get, who had a longstanding in- terest in the Iron Game. ing began when he was a prisoner of war, held in an Australian POW camp during World War I, and it was there that he developed the Herculean power which would leave him famous forever inthe Iron Game. RUS: After your father was released from the Australian POW camp and he returned to Germany, he quickly established himself as one of the strongest men in the world. What were training conditions like then, in Germany? HS: After working very hard in the factories or the coal mines, or whatever, they went to the local pub-the pub wasn't like a right club now, or a barr it was like a restaurant with, abar. Women could ‘come there with the kids and talk, and the guys would have a couple of beers and go in the back and see how strong they were. Itwas like nowadays we have karaoke in the back; you can go sing and see how your voice is; they had barbells, so you could see how strong you were. ‘And don’t forget, they had worked all day; they weren't ust lying around all day and then coming in to see what they could lift JS: How was it that your dad came over to the US. after World War I? HS: When he came back to Germany [after being released from the ‘Australian POW camp] there was tremendous in- flation-money was worth- less, so he looked around, made a name for himself with his lifting, and got out of there; he would be called "an economic. refugee" nowadays: He came here to make his fortune...after making a ‘name for himself with his tery tee thoes fee liting, he went on into fenry "Milo" Steinborn, Photo professional wresting courtesy of Henry Steinborn, I Before my dad came to this country he visited Arthur Saxon...his mailbox had a newspaper clipping that said, "Arthur Saxon, Strongest Man in the World." My dad's plan was to get into show business or join a large circus, something like the lee Capades now. Arthur ‘Saxon tried to dissuade him, and told him that it wasn't like he thought it was anymore...it was over. Saxon knew what he was"But the old lifters know him as ‘Henry’--you talk to Grimek and he'll say ‘Henry Australian POW camp gym, where it all began. Photo courtesy of Henry Steinbom, Jr. talking about because he had been with the biggest show-Ringling Bros~and had travelled all around. After he [my dad] got here, he got into professional wrestling as a way to make aliving. This was like the golden era in American wrestling, with ‘quys like Frank Gotch and Farmer Burns. RUS: There's a story that your dad brought over the first Berg barbell with him and that was the set Bob Hoffman copied to design the York barbell. Is this a true story? HS: No. There was a dentist in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Campbell, who was interested in iting and barbell sets, and he was also a referee sometimes in the wrestling matches, and my dad became friends with him and he gave him [my dad] the bar. When my dad came over, he was really a stowaway--can you im- agine hiding in the hull of a ship with a 300-pound barbell set! RUS: How'd this story get started, that it was a Berg set that Hoffman copied for the York set? HS: Itwas a Berg. My dad lent the set to Hoffman then. Hoffman made the bar {the same] except he changed the collars--to the clamp style. | sti have the bar here...the Berg bar, US: Who hung the nickname "Milo" on your dad? Did Alan Calvert do that because he owned the Milo Barbell Company? HS: My dad took that [name] because he was affiliated with them, he knew some of the people there, so he took that name. RUS: To help promote Alan Calvert's company? HS: Well, he liked the name in one of the frst articles that came out on him, a very glowing article; they called him "Henry Steinborn Milo." The ‘weightlifters always con- sidered him “Henry Steinborn.” RUS: Not Milo? HS: Not Milo. "Milo" was more associated with the wrestling-he was Milo Steinborn the wrestler. People who know him as a wrestler don’t know him as Henry "Milo" Steinborn -they know him as Milo Steinborn. And then when Hoffman wanted to write about him they married the two names: Henry "Milo" Steinborn. But the old lifters know him as “Henry’--you talk to Grimek and he'll say "Henry." RUS: So much has been written about how your father influenced the Iron Game when he came to the U.S. What would you say about his impact? HS: My dad's contribution ‘was that he practiced and demonstrated the lifts that we now know in competi- tive liting. He came here right after the championships in Stuttgart, where he camein second to Moorke. He went to Herman's Gym in Philadelphia; the Milo Barbell Company was there; Strength was published there. He made the average guy realize that you didn't have to be like Louis Cyr in order to be a strong man; i's possible through development, speed and technique to be a good ltte-this was the begin- ning of modern iting, RUS: | would say that most people today would associate your dad's name with the squat, but have little idea of how proficient he was in the Quick its HS: He always liked to squat, there was no question about that. The quick lifts were his favorite, he liked to do them, he was very fast and he did very well at them, But as for the deadit, he said, "That's a good name for it" And as {or standing in front of a mirror and mindlessly pumping up his arms, he never did that. If people ‘would ask him why his arms weren't bigger, he would say, "t's not the size of the arm-it's what's init. That's what counts." In bodybuilding it was discovered a long time ago that, by [training with] light weights you can appear to be strong, and not be. The first was ‘Sandow--he was strong, but not as strong as he would have you believe; he was probably stronger than the average bodybuilder nowadays. He concentrated on his, posing and he had a classical build. | was surprised Welder said, "We've got a guy better than Sandow." Wel, what are we comparing-it's apples and oranges. RUS: After your father's arm (nerve damage) and leg (Tomb of Hercules accident) were injured, did that pretty much put a damper on his activity? HS: No. He continued wrestling and traveling all ‘over the world, and later ‘on, in the '40s, he went on the Pepsi-Cola Tour Pepsi-Cola sponsored a ‘group of wrestlers, and my dad's contract stated that he would squat at least 400 pounds at every performance, an un- assisted squat. ‘Sometimes they had two performances a day. They would go to military bases throughout the South, It lasted for a ‘couple of months...it was in44 oF 45, so he was 50 or more. US: That wil inspire some people. HS: People would challenge him to wrestle, and he would wrestle them. A lot of times, the soldiers would come up to him and say, “Hey, Milo, we've got this lieutenant here, he’s our physical ‘education instructor and boy we hate him-he's terrible. Why don't you kil him." There was a deal that if someone lasted three minutes with my dad, they got $50. He said that one guy came up to him and said, "Mr. Steinborn, I'm married ‘and have a kid, and could realy use the money, but ccould you promise that you won't break anything,” 80 my dad let him stay He would have a group of ‘guys from the audience carry the barbell in-they would be struggling to carry it into the ring-and then he would stand it up con end, duck down, rock it across {his shoulders)..he made it sound so easy! US: So, later in life, your father didn't sit around moaning and saying how he was getting old and couldn't do much ‘anymore? H. He just ‘thought, "I can’t snatch anymore because | don't ‘work on them anymore and my hand isn’t what it Used to be, so that’s something | used to d but he didn’t say, ‘I can't do this, | can’t do that.” He always thought he ‘could do whatever he wanted to do. One thing he maintained all along was the squat-it was the foundation, whether he could do any overhead lifting oF things like that, ‘The squat was like the fountain of youth-he "One thing he ‘maintained all along was the squat... The squat was like the fountain of youth--he could keep going back there and rejuvenate himself.We had to do everything in good form...If you have good technique and your technique is so ingrained, then later on all you're worried about is giving it all ‘you've got..." could keep going back there and rejuvenate himself, so that's why when this Pepsi-Cola tour came up, he had to get back in shape squatting and he got back in shape ina very shorttime. He was always capable of squatting. When he lifted the 800-pound elephant it was impromptu-he was about 57 years old. In the ‘gym in Oriando, Florida when he was 70 years old he did a 400-pound squat. In later years when his hand kept him from doing heavy overhead lifts, he still maintained the squat and the squat maintained him, You can do deadiits all of your life and | don’t know whether you will get the same benefits, RUS: How would you describe your father's training? HS: He wasn't into bodybuilding; you know, how can you put another inch on your biceps. He was very flexible, very fast, Before he did any heavy liting he did some stretching exercises. He had an exercise stick that he used for stretching and calisthenics. He did dis- locates on the rings. He could do giant swings [on a high bar). In Australia they did a lot of hand- balancing. He was the understander in an act in Germany. We used stall bars for alot of things. He was in a [POW] camp for 4-1/2 years and he was. ‘exposed to handbalanc- ing, acrobatics and all health practice, with kinds of things because today's aversion to the there were so manymen sun Who organized themselves into teams HS: In our culture people ‘everybody could do want to be brown today, something. Wehad to do so they fry themselves; he ‘everything in good did it gradually. The form-everything had to be problem is when you go ingood form. It youhave _outand get burned. He {good technique and your didn't get burned. He had | technique is so ingrained, allot of books on the then later on all you're whole health scene, j worried aboutis giving it McFadden’s books, fresh all you've got-going all air, walks in the woods, out for the lit; youre not ——_-good ood, and so on. worrying, I hope I've got my footin the right place; 1 RUS: What sort of taining hope my backis straight” program did your dad My dad took sunbaths, start you and your brother when nobody took on? sunbaths here...he always did that HS: When we frst started, ‘we never litted weights, RUS: Funny you should we used lle wooden mention sunbaths as a dumbbells. One of the Henry Steinborn one-arm snatching 170 pounds fora tiple on a 1-518" hnon-revoling bar, c. 1931. Photo courtesy Henry Stinborn, J.Henry Steinborn in his gym: 70 years of ge, sill squatting, rock bottom, 400 pounds. Photo courtesy of Henry Steinbor, Jr. exercises, you lie on the bench, with flye-type ex: ercises going through all the points of the compass to loosen up your shoulders. When we were first learning to lit, we'd take a bar, and clean the bar, and then we'd press it-one-arm lit. Then the one-arm snatch and the one-arm clean and jerk and then we'd go on to the two-hands lifts. He was a stickler-the worst thing you could do is cheat. We got so that as little kids, some guy would come to the gym, do something wrong and we'd say, ‘He's cheating, Daddy." Some guy who was struggling didn't want to hear that from some kid. He believed in doing the complete movements, My dad believed in doing flexibility work-he liked the idea of being as fiexible as possible. He believed in performing the full range of move- ‘ments~no short things, and no arching to get one more rep or whatever. US: Anything about diet? HS: He was a tremendous eater: He was a big meat eater, he liked eggs, he would eat all the "wrong" things, but anyway when he was lifting, he was burning that up. He ate what he felt like eating and he ate when he was hungry: "| don't eat by the clock: He listened to his body, US: Was your dad a big beer drinker? HS: He wasn'ta big beer drinker. US: Wasn't Arthur Saxon supposed to be an in- credible beer drinker? HS: Oh yes, he was. They [the old-time strongmen] all liked to drink [beer]. It ‘was part of their con- tract--they had to get so much beer to drink. They were stars so they could demand it, like a rock star demanding a limousine now. RUS: Who were some of the litters your dad admired? HS: He liked a guy like [Tommy] Kono because he showed that you don't have to weigh 400 pounds to do things; you can weigh half as much and do well Arthur Saxon was another-he was con- sistent; Sandow would start off with his heaviest weights, to scare off would-be challengers, and then he would ease up later in the week, taking lighter weights, and tel people they were higher ‘Saxon wasn't that way~some days it would be more. professional wil make the dificult look easy and the amateur wil make the easy look Gifcult. Saxon was @ professional. enn "He was a stickler-- the worst thing you could do is cheat... He believed in doing the complete movements."Paul Anderson: Force of Nature Bruce Wilhelm Two-time Winner World’s Strongest Man Contest I, is very difficult to pick spot to begin a story on Paul Anderson, and since so much has been written, itis really very difficult to add anything. So why ‘even write this article? First, because | was asked to by Dr. Strossen Second, because over the years, many stories have ‘materialized about Paul Anderson-and much of it is fiction and myth. Stories get better with age. | would hope to set the record straight or at least shed some light on them. Third, recently there has, been a lot of "Paul- bash- ing’~from his never han- dling the weights he claimed to, to not squat- ting full, o only God knows what else. Lastly, | have mellowed somewhat in my older age. Atone time | had a fair amount of strength, and | did not believe that there were many people stronger than |. So keep- ing this in mind, | decided to talk to the people who actually witnessed Paul's incredible feats, Alittle background is in order (this is really a rehash). Paul grew up a normal young lad with a liking for football. He played around with ‘weights to enhance his strength for footballStories range near and far about his first workout where he squatted from 400 pounds to 300 for 10 reps, to 315 x3. What ‘ever, he soon became a colossus in the squat. He squatted not because he liked it, but because he {elt it was good for him. In a recent phone conversa- tion with Paul, he said, "| never liked squatting, but | knew they were good for me." And were they ever. In early 1953 Paul had ‘somewhat of a reputation, and Bob Peoples of Ten- nessee invited Paul over fora workout. Paul proceeded to blow People’s mind by squat- ting 550 pounds not once but two times, He was 8°10" and 275 pounds more or less. I'm sure everyone remembers the photo /ron Man ran of Paul flexing, giving a side shot. Well, old Paul kept on getting stronger, ‘eventually destroying all ‘squat records. Football became a thing of the past. But the big news was his phenomenal success in Olympic liting, He destroyed record after record on his climb to the Olympics, but first, a short stop in Munich, where the young superman at 369 Pounds-with arms almost too big to rack weights pressed a world: record 408-3/4 pounds. ‘This was actually child's play for him as he had pressed 424-1/4 x 2 in training in Munich. Paul earlier in the year had stunned the Russians when he started hiss press 22 pounds above the ‘world record with 402-1/4 twas Gorky Park-and I'm sure you've heard as I've heard that people were “mind blown," tearful, as they had never seen anything so incredible. Probably what was in- credible was seeing a legitimate 23"-plus arm bursting out of his XXXL shirt. Hell, his forearm was bigger than Mr ‘America’s biceps. B.... up abit, Paul was really the bearer of bad luck. From a car accident in 1954 that he feels contributed to his hip problems, to breaking his wrist, his progress had been slowed. In his autobiography, he goes into much finer detail than | could ever. This book, by the way, is a must for every reader of Paul Anderson--or believer in strength. He gets into his personal relationship with God and really gives God credit for his comethrough in Melbourne, 1956, for the final third attempt 413-1/4 pounds clean and jerk. Really inspirational reading. ‘Well, life goes on and Paul destroyed world records in Philadelphia, 1956: 400-336-440, for a total of 1175 pounds. He was good for more, went to the Olympic Trials in San Jose, did not do as well, ‘and barely won the Olympics due to medical problems. Once again, ‘check his book for details. So all in all, Anderson was something to be con- sidered-a force of nature, In time, only a few men ‘ever come by with this type of power. What I'd give to see Hermann Goerner, Louis Cyr, Doug Hepburn and Paul ‘Anderson have a go at it. Well, by now most ‘everything I've written so far is common knowledge. But what of Paul after turning professional? His strength grew by leaps and bounds. Recently in a conversation with Pat Casey, the first man to bench press 600 pounds officially with no shirt, wraps, super arch, etc., he told me he saw Anderson in 1957 at Muscle Beach, California do something no man has done ever: He squatted 800 pounds for 10 reps, rested, then 800 x 10, 845 x 5, 875 x3. Now on the last two sets | may hhave the reps off, BUT you have 800 for 2 sets of 10 reps. That was no warm-up, no super suit, no super wraps, no power belt~I mean, what was this man made of? In regards to pressing power, Paul Magistrette, a former strongman and liter of some good caliber told me of going over to Westwood by UCLA, when "Tikes such as “The World's Strongest Man’ have been so ‘abused that we are somewhat reluctant 10 even raise the sub Ject. Nonetheless, if ony modem. ‘claimant ever deserved such recognition, in our opinion without question-itis Paul Anderson. This is hardlyan isolated opinion. When asked whether he had ary doubt whatsoever about whether Paul Anerson i his prime was the ‘srongest man inthe world, Peary Rader replied, Absolutely none’ (Rader, 1988). This should’ be surprising, since Peary often called Paul the ‘strongest man who ever lived (Rader, 1969, p. 12)" = SUPER SQUATS: How To Gain 30 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks by Randall. Swossen, PRO.‘Sone on Anderson At the 92 Obmmpic Weighting Team Trials, I had a chance 10 tall 10 Tommy Kono about Paul Anderson's sirength levels. Tommy, ofcourse, was an (Olympic gold medalist in 52 and ‘56 (plus an Ohrmpic silver medalist in'60), and was world champion five imes--should this guy know something about iting weights or what? | As well as describing some of | Paul's prodigious feats of eng athe had personally vitesse, Tommy summarized is etings with respect to Paul’ ifs and those who have recent chasen to erie them: 1) Anyone who never saw Paul ig should reserve judgment because his strength levels had tobe seen tobe beieved-it wasn’ just he size of the weights Paul handled but the ease with which he handled them that was 30 stagsering. 2) People have to recognize that many of Paul’ its were done under impromptu conditions such as Paul accommodating people by iting whatever was at and atthe moment. This onributes 10 the discrepancies in reporced weights etc, but should not diminish the signiicance ofthe ifs. Food for thought. Randall J. Srossen, PD. ‘Anderson was wresting, ‘and Paul M. watched Paul ‘A's weight workout with Dave Ashman, a fellow Olympic litter. ‘As they walked into the backyard, Anderson was standing in ahole. He was using a Jong bar loaded to 300 pounds. He cleaned it and proceeded to ‘one-arm pressit 8 to 10 reps with his right arm, Then he'd switch over and do 510 7 reps with hs let Now, we're not talking about a one-arm military press, but a heaverside arm press, and no matter how you slice it, that's awesome, This brings to mind an in- teresting story. In 1979 when | had retired from competitive Olympic litt ing, | was in York, Pennsylvania at the Barbell Club. John Grimek had encouraged me to try to litt the Cyr dumbbell. Well, was about 295-307 Ibs ~just depended on how much | had been eating~and | was playing softball for the York Barbell Club, but | stil iked liting heavy weights. | tried about 10 or 42 times to lft the Cyr bell, but due to the enormous thickness of the handle, I'd lose my grip as it came towards a high pull. I had cone-arm snatched 220-1/2 pounds before so | figured a 227-pound dumbbell lean to be in the realm of possibility. Well, being frustrated, Grimek came downstairs and was laughing as | tried to lit the dumbbell. Finally he said, “Hey, dummy, doit lke this." He grabbed the dumbbell wth one hand and with the other, gave it a pull. So then and there the ight went on: You use both hands~so that was the secret. Now it was no problem. However, get- {ing it overhead proved to be tougher than it looked. It took several workouts before | mastered the dumbbell Here | thought all these ‘guys had cleaned it with one hand and then pressed it overhead. I'd powercleaned over 470 pounds and snatched ‘over 400 pounds, and | knew that | had more pull than those guys. So what gives? | had done over 700 in astiftlegged deadlift because | needed surgery on my right knee. So basically what gives is that there were some aw- fully strong people out there before Bruce Wilhelm. My appreciation of old-time strongmen went up. : ) cowhere does take us? How about to Tommy Kono, who in March 1992, related to me an incident where Paul would do deadifts with metal hooks attached to his wrists with reps to nearly a thousand pounds. As for his ‘squatting power, Tommy related that in Fussia on a jerry-built apparatus, Paul did 8 or 9 reps with 700-plus pounds~all the bar would hold. ‘Another person | had occasion to discuss Paul with was John Grimek. In the late '50s or early '60s, he saw Paul squat 900 x 10 reps, 3 reps, 5 reps on several occasions. Later, Anderson was reported to become even stronger, eventually squatting 1,206-1/2 pounds, benching 627 pounds, and deadlting 820 pounds. He did a continental clean and jerk of 460 pounds at Steve Stanczyk's strength show in Florida about 1957-1958. Also he cleaned 480 pounds but blew the jerk as the bar was bent. After 1965-1967, Paul continued to lift, But now it was for his ministry. He'd drive all day to a com- petition, get there and watch the meet, give an exhibition, sometimes at 4:00 a.m.--punch nails through a 2"x4", one-arm press 280 x 10, squat 700-770 x 7-10 reps cold. So what is it to be made of the Paul Anderson myth? ‘Some people such as Herb Glossbrenner and Bob Hise glorify him and make claims that are absurd. Anderson told me he never front-squatted. So where did Herb get this 771? Anderson never pressed 600 x 2 or 3 repsHelp support the Paul Anderson Youth Home wih a contribution of $100 and receive this poster: Paul “Anderson Youth Home, P.O. Bax 525, Vidalia, GA 30974 or call (912) 537-7237. They can also provide in formation on Paul's book, auditapes and the new videotape on his fe 1AM HELPING PAUL ANDERSON WITH HIS GREATEST LIFT: GIVING YOUNG MEN A SECOND CHANCE De ecb nc oa lalia, Georgia 304 Dra as Hise claims; he did not —-Inmy conversations with problem with a 1,200-plus jerk press it either. Now! witnesses of what they pound squat, 1,160-pound want to make it very clear, _sawand what | could squat with silver dollars, Tm not saying Paul could gather from Paul himself,|___545-pound push press, or not do these lifts, but he believe, without a doubt, 6627-pound bench press. never claimed them-and! that anything Paul saidhe You know what made me doubt he would ‘could do~or did-he in- abeliever? Well, stay deed did doit. "ve no tuned, 13How Paul's Lifts Get Distorted |A recent example of how Paul Anderson's ifs have been dis- fred can be found in Steve | Neece’s article in MuscleMag_ faterational #721. Mr. Neece has made a nuonber of serious Jerors, onl one of which is reporting Pauli ou of Jontext, For example, Mr. [Neece artemis o discredit Paul Anderson's monumental 2o0-pound squats by ing 930 as his best public efor Wi did Mr. Neece fail 0 report the folowing? 1) Paul performed this lift as an exhibition at a powerlifting contest, after fist taking one warm-up with 820 and den iumping to the 930. According to the contest report, Paul ‘went into a full squat andl back up with no trouble at all..itis hard 10 believe the ease with which he handles these remendous poundages. 2) Paul, already in his 30’, had been out of regular training for years, having devoted himself 0 supporting his youth home with 4 grueling public-speaking schedule. 3) This was hardly the only it stance of Paul squatting 900+ in public, with ease. 4) The available equipment, rather than Paul's srength, ‘ypically limited his public lif. Mr. Neece’s article was poorly researched and contains many logical errors~sometimes telling haf che story is worse than tell- ing none. Randall 1. Strossen, Ph.D. “4 ‘The reason | now believe Anderson lifted the weights he said is be- cause of what several credible witnesses have said, especially Pat Casey. I've known Pat since 1965 and was impressed with his observations as well as being a stickler for truth, The other reason is that throughout my entire life, I've witnessed many strong men. I've had my ‘air share of strength, but ‘what | go back to is squatting 800 x 10 reps with no warm up, Remember, no super suit, no super wraps, no bench shirt, no elbow wrap. Just God-given strength plus a man who knew no barriers. He came from the backwoods: There were no mental barriers as many city boys had. Paul also tried many innovative training ideas, such as partial movements, isometrics, etc. In watching a video for sale by IronMind Enterprises, Inc., | watched Anderson lif. He was certainly not the greatest technician-and ‘what he lacked in technique, he made up in awesome power. L \ s far as his back lift of 6,270 pounds, I'm aware that itis alot of weight. How much really? In 1971-72, when | was teaching school in Phoenix, Arizona, | had an opportunity to train with a fabulous athlete Jon Cole. He was of the opinion that he was the strongest man in the world. He decided to receive credit he needed to break Paul's record in the back lift. He had a steel company in West Phoenix construct a back lit platform. Without any weight it was 2,500- plus pounds. Jon said he got under it, and damed near killed himself trying to move it. He decided then and there to pass on the attempt at a record in the back lift. This was when he dreamed up the sixift competition: three Olympic lifts and three power lifts. Well, as we all know it never came off On to the "60s and '70s, Paul continued to give exhibitions: Drive all day, lift at the end of the con- test, and turn around and drive home. Most lifts were just token lifts 700-800-pound squat for reps, one-arm press, back lift and a short talk. During these years Paul was never able to really get in consistent workouts. He just did exhibitions. Probably a good part of the injuries he suffers trom today are a result of his exhibitions and long drives. ‘Another area of Paul that few know about are the ailments and injuries he has received--doctors originally predicted that he wouldn't live to be 12 years old. Itis truly mind-blowing, itis truly a miracle that he is alive today. So, in conclusion, | think that all strong men will agree, Paul was truly one of akind. Some may find it difficult to believe or comprehend the poundage he handled, but deep in their hearts, they have to take off their hats to. a man who did not use supportive gear or drugs or train on modern equipment. Through persistence, ex- perimentation and fanati- cal drive, he was able to mold his body into a lifter. Brief though his Olympic liting career was, he won a gold medal. In the power lifts, the poundage he lifted, as well as the poundage he was supposed to lift, are hard to believe. To try and speculate what he could have ted under optimal conditions is an exercise in pure fantasy. Let his real efforts speak for Paul Anderson. Some of his lifts will never be equalled Others in due time may be surpassed or have been already. But in the minds of all strength athletes and fans, | ask you only to do one thing, that is load 800 pounds on an Olympic bar, step under it, lift it up, back out, and walk back and rack it. Don't even try to squat it-just try to move it, Then | believe your appreciation for Paul ‘Anderson wil jumy auantumteaps ifOne Way to Do It Dr. Ken Leistner Chiropractor Tron Island Gym | here was one fellow in Gur neighborhood who made people gasp as he walked the streets. He was known as the biggest, strongest man in a neighborhood where being big and strong was a definite positive. Steve Juda had frst found the barbell while in high ‘school. In 1960, it was safe to say that he was one of the very few in the area who lifted weights on a regular basis. He wasn't athletically active in school, but was a good student. The books and the weights took up his time and upon graduation, he left for the University of Butfalo, hauling his very muscular 175-pound physique with him. “I might drop down to 165. Everyone thinks | have too much muscle." Being one of the few weight-trained {fellows in the neighbor- hood, Steve had the respect and admiration of many as he was terribly strong for a teenager his size, he was going to college, and he was well liked. No one heard from him or saw him around Christmas time, Imagine my shock when I was walking down the street in May and saw what had to be the largest man I could ever remember seeing. "Steve?" | asked in- credulously. ‘tt can't be.” Itwe fast-forwarded to 1993, | would have said,"It was really an eye-opener for me. To get really big and really strong required a bit more than just training." "No way," to which he would have replied, “Way, dude." Way, indeed. At 8'8", Steve Juda rolled with muscle, about 265 pounds of it! "Holy moley man, what happened?” Simply put, Steve got hooked on being power- ul. Always considered to be a strong guy, instead of cutting down, he found some like-minded training partners (lunatics, some ‘might say) at Butfalo and began to gain weight. "t always did squats, but | really started to crank up the reps and got into drinking lots of milk If that sounds like a familiar recipe for success, it should. ‘twas really pretty simple, at least in theory. | trained three times a week and did all the ‘big’ exercises." These "big! movements included barbell squats, deaditts, rows, presses, and bench presses, While a few ancillary things would ‘occasionally be done, Steve and his crew pounded away on the basics. They also did a lot of other things. Asa very successful businessman today, I'm sure the memories are painful, but Steve has never been like everyone else. A friend of my cousin dated him a number of years ago and said, "You know this guy. He's a lot of fun and really nice, but what's the deal?" The deal was his apart- ment. Not a house, an apartment. No furniture, but benches in the living room, squat racks in the bedroom, a cable/pulley set up across the kitchen, Weights everywhere. He loved to train and due to his work, often had to train at odd hours, making a home gym the only reasonable alternative. ‘The man walked what he talked when it was time to make sacrifices and not give up his training, ‘At Butfalo, he and his friends licked their way across a six-lane highway in order to win a bet. They won the annual pizza- eating contest, primarily because Stove and his partner split up the duties in the belief that a definite demarcation would allow for greater consumption: One chewed while the other swallowed! A. 5°8", Steve cartied his weight well and athletically. His arms were huge-the proverbial hanging hams. His thighs were huge and in thinking about it, he was huge in the traps, back, butt, and all of his other major muscular structures. "There's a really easy way to look at this. It you had a routine where you just did squats, bench press- ing, deaditts, and curls, you'd pretty much cover everything. You can add stuf but | don't know you'd have to, especially if you substituted a barbell or dumbbell press for the bench some days, and maybe rows for the deadlift." This was the basis of Steve's philosophy in the mid-sixties. | can remember being invited to eat dinner at his house, seeing /ron Man for the first time (Nor Schemansky was on the cover), and watching Steve devour what | thought should have fed six people. "Strawberries for dessert!" said a delighted Steve. | didn’t realize that having com: any (one of the few times qualified as company anywhere) meant soaking the strawberries in heavy cream and then having them placed on top of cake. Boy, was | at the right place. "You've got to eat. Not a lot of junk, but you see how I ate tonight? That's what you've got to do when you're training hard and trying to get really big and really strong." It was an eye-opener for me. To get really big and really strong required a bit more than just training. Steve also had one of the best ‘ears around. His black 1954 Corvette wasn't what ‘one would call finished, especially with the 1959 Caddy taillights shooting off the back, but seeing the original Incredible Hulk buzzing around in a car that seemed tiny in his presence was an inspiringsight and remains an in- spiring memory, I. 1986, Steve gave a program to my training partner Jack Lawrence and me, with the ex- pectation that we would "either be killed or grow." twas extremely demand- ing, but it was @ program that | went back to a number of times when | needed to maximally stimulate my body. The heavy singles work demands that the trainee et plenty of food, rest and recovery time. We put up a sign in our garage gym, "Gain a Pound a Day, the Steve Juda Way." ‘Two times per week, this, is how we did it: Bench Press - 63: three singles-3-3, Dumbbell Incline Press ~ (30 degrees) 3x6 Deadlift - 6-3-3. Barbell Row - 3x6. Standing Dumbbell Pross ~ 3x6 Barbell Curl - 3x6 Rest five minutes Barbell Squat - 6-3-3- three singles-3-3, 3 On those movements where we did three sets of six reps, the first set was a lighter warm-up set with the final two sets being the hard, intense ‘work sets." With the bench press, deadlift, and squat, weight was added to each set as the reps dropped. For the final two sets of triples, we would drop ‘weight from the top single or double and try to use the same weight for both final triples if possible We would spend the five minute rest between the completed part of the program psyching up for an all-out onstaught on the squats. It was while doing this specific routine that | had my famous "Garage Door’ incident, talked about for years by the neighbors. We had the old York squat standards. In retrospect, they were very flimsy and the weight saddle was very nartow. After fiish- ing my top set of squats (I ‘can't today recall the weight but it was a lot) walked back into the racks, looked to my left to place the bar back:in the saddle, and said to Jack, "In?*, to which he replied, fou're in* Of course, | wasn'tin, and | walked out from under the bar as the ‘ight side of the barbell headed for the floor. The crash was thundering as all of the plates sid off and hit the concrete garage floor, as we never used collars. Before the end of the bar hit the floor, the loaded let side did What the laws of physics demand, and the bar plunged off to the let Again, plate by plate the floor was bombarded by the 75- and 100-pound York plates. The bar, now free of its burden, literally sailed through the air and ‘went right through the ‘wooden garage door, leaving a splintered mess inits wake. We were stunned. The noise in those few seconds had been deafening and now, the silence was overwhelm- ing, Oritwas until my father came running down to the garage. ‘Somewhere between his day job and night job, he had been eating dinner. Fork in hand, napkin stuck in his shir colle, he looked around, surveyed the situation, and calmiy turned to us. "You assholes get this weight shit out of the garage by tomorrow of I'l break it up with my sledge hammer" was the command as he turned to finish his dinner. Needless to say, | eventually talked my way back into the garage, and of course did all of my training there or inthe loft over my father's welding shop. ‘Steve Juda’s experience made me believe that at 5'5:3/4", | could do more than have a nebulous goal of "gettin’ bigger." It was at that point that | envisioned myself at 220, pounds and began work- ing towards it. "It was while doing this specific rout that I had my famous ‘Garage Door’ incident, talked about for years by the neighbors." 7The Winds of Change Blow Through Weightlifting Lyn Jones National Coaching Director U. S. Weightlifting Federation IWE Rule Changes ‘The huematona Weighing Feder hn (7) acpi ‘hanes fe Sanu 1, 199% 1) New men's boi clases are (ot ats 30,047,783, 9,98, 108, fond 18. 2 Netrre eae are (abil) 45 90 549, 64 70, 78.83 5) Minin oe fer partition in Wild Changs and bpp Games 18 yeas ere and wore 4) No abnances rice) ca eon the ie gen ang at the eunpetion tage The fer may apps hao the highs one ae 5) The treieper rt. etd eee 6) Compentrsmay wear eon pice oe fing cose age acl sir’ maybe nom andar singe ioe fing cyt pr sonsmay be rare unde or over Oe ig ae (us ayn be wor ad of the singee 7) ane pee eae bandage maybe oon the ee 6) Png gover rena pal ards may ever 9) Tap on the fle myo be tached ote plover 10) Wh om sg, acompritor marnot ter his ou 11) Daring the wgh heifer eo at re and si for ental tring ‘temps om bot if. Alsager ‘ie and hanger ut lobe gi 12) Presenation of fers willbe 15 es bfre ea of compton. 13) One mr called bev he ee eer the sa of his ater afer 30 seconds, ‘earning signals gen. When a ler ftiows ims hes aowed wo ote aa rin ial1. certainly is shaping up to be a banner year for weightitting with the IWF rule changes bound to stir things up [see sidebar]. However, many other changes too are taking place due to the political and ideological changes in the world, The Junior European Championships took place in Card, Wales in November and provided an historic moment in our sport. It was the last time the mighty Soviet Union or CIS would compete as one team. As of January 1, 1998 the twelve republics which made up the CIS compete in- dependently. What will this mean? Will it mean that instead of the USA and other nations facing a ten-man team from east of the Carpathian mountains, ‘we will now face 12 ten-men teams, 120 liters? It could happen. tt is within the rules. All those liters from the republics who often were not selected for the Soviet team for various and political reasons (witness Orazduriev in Barcelona) now have their chance. The chance is now reality, but will it happen? The economic climate in the former Soviet bloc countries is one of dis- aster. There is not enough money for food and heat- ing, let alone sport. The huge Sports Ministry in Moscow has been dis- banded and closed. There is no longer funding for coaches or fulltime litters, no funding for performance bonuses, and litle funding for travel. Ata recent IWF Executive Meeting, Nikolai Parkhomenko announced that there is no funding available to send the Russian team to the World ‘Championships in Australia. I Russia does rot have the funding, how about Moldavia or Azerbaijan? Unlike some sports like track and field, hockey, figure skating, etc,, our sport does not generate any substantial money for athletes. So, although at the World Indoor Track & Field ‘Championships in Canada recently, there was @ good representation from the former Soviet Republics, the athletes themselves could have gotten themselves to Canada on money earned on the European circuit. This could not happen in weightitting O,. first real in- dicator as to potential representation from the republics will be seen at the European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria in Apri. However, of course, travel in Europe is alot easier than to Australia, With the next two World Champs being in Turkey and maybe Los Angeles, the situation is not going to get any easier. Moving on to other changes not specifically linked to the former Soviet Union, an in-depth look at the Junior European results shows some in- teresting facts. Three European titles go to Turks! Interestingly though, these Turkish winners are all former Bulgarian Muslims who "a have defected or "Will it mean that emigrated to Turkey instead of the USA following the Messiah and other nations Souleyomanoglou. They too have changed their names. Look too at the Greeks, a silver and a fourth place-unheard of previously. Are the facing a ten-man team...we will now ‘face 12 ten-men teams, 120 lifters?" Greeks recruiting in Albania where they found their Olympic Champion, Dimas? How often in the past have we seen a Spanish lifter taking a medal from a Bulgarian and a Romanian-it happened in Cardiff. Not since Serge Reding have we seen a Belgian place high. Demeure 4th at 67.5 kg. These are significant and remarkable changes. There are all sorts of in- dicators in these Junior results, and this is really where we must look for the effects of change. The established senior liters, are stil around in the former eastern bloc na- tions and many will stil ‘compete for a fow years, but ifthe system of developing these lifters nolonger exists, the junior events will show the early signs. The Junior Worlds in the Czech Republic will be a most interesting event for the discerning \weightltting observer. However, we must not become too excited as Chemerkin looks a worthy successor to Kurlovitch, no matter which republic he represents. Then again, he and others may emigrate to Australia and make it the force in World Weightlting. Viad, Blogoev, Kunev, Botev and Marinov are now all Australian citizens, and | hear some other Olympic Champions are looking Down Under of change! ff] "The winds 18th Junior European Championships, Cardiff, Wales, November 1992 52 kg. Total, Group A (Europe) fee Sth Te (na Th Rat ear ae ast inewtsin 54 oS stp ites’ fa on wm aoe CEoaemd ot as as fe she Ebgnuone Tn sue We fs mang 56 kg. Total, Group A (Europe) Ne Meg Sah ett ‘imowiniin LS tae 2th Lownie Ge ae se oF uty SComrtaw 4 us bt at Gage a io eat aie Shug Ms Bs at Binh TDeitnver Tot au Es sou tonsa IN wt ao inet Fon as mS ashe fietectedoe AotW tei 60 kg. Total (Europe) mee SED Toe SET EMSA Ha GE PERS IES SE a Sa ie SE GR HEE. BEG oe tik ES MEE MES Ee ine SEI ER ESSE 5 2 ER 67.5 kg. Total (Europe) hw Be iB Pa Eas g Howat OB Betoun a Se ss 75 kg. Total (Europe) wgggeegeeses uu hs Ska oe ee its tas i amy wan ‘te Sats ‘ES ash ie Bly io ame oe 82.5 kg. Total (Europe) ee a Shp Sat to Leah OS 82 Leeanthne OR RSD CSareden TR BSD 90 kg. Total (Europe) essere Seieteley oe Ee eee Saleen Sears sucess Bea Eo BiG Be zee Siamese me Sas BSS 100 ke. Total ‘eur age sia eqns tens ieee SS fscreeyer esl cliey —ogheem HE GEES fon ib ate 110 kg. Total, Group A. omer Sstbebe owen Soft toname ee (Europe) he amg Sat Jet To he fae fas ans hg te fe fs 22 dy MN mee Has eM ot iss ei & ims (Europe) ae sa sa a ey heetGenee th eto I TO +110 kg. Total, Group A eam Sh Sek Venta ita Oe SE fae ty (We om eu St te as as Sap {oi wom tas fo. ashy ‘ms ie ‘as 3s fe io ‘tepeeec ieThey Never Come Back? Some Do: The Ronny Weller Story Klaus Arndt Novagenics, Germany C hances are that you've heard of Ronny Weller before. The young German was one of the sport stars of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) who joined the all-German team after reunification Lifting for the GDR he had already won the Junior World Weightitting ‘Championships in 1987, and a bronze medal at the ‘Seoul Olympics in 1988 and again, the Junior World's in 1989. The fu- ture seemed bright for Ronny Weller, and after so many years of hard work in what many believe to have been one of the best sport systems in the world, he was eager to make his way to take the ‘crown of weightiting~a gold medal at the Olympics, We all know that he has {ulfiled his dream. Win- ning the gold medal in ‘weightltting (Heavyweight Division, 110 kg) at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 was his biggest success $0 far. What makes this victory so remarkable is the fact that, it followed a sensational comeback ater a terrible auto accident in December 1989, leaving Fonny in the hospital for a long time with life-threatening skull in Juries and a broken leg. He stayed in a coma for two days and when he When Ronny Welle-virually returning from the rave finished in second plac atthe 1990 World Weightlifting (Championships in his native Germany, pandemonium resulted, and Ronny responded by throwing his shoes tothe ‘crowd! Photo by Randall. Sivassen, Ph.D."You know a miller’s Every single sack of carried into the mill and then up to the funnel where it was work, do you?. corn had to be emptied." slowly recovered, his career seemed definitely to be over. Ronny’s shin-bone, just healed from a stress fracture he got during the prepara: tions for the Junior World Championships the same year, was broken again in the accident and wouldn't heal properly. It was Spring 1991 before his leg was fixed in a complicated operation and finally healed. The long recovery time was hard for the young liter, but his burn- ing desire to compete with the world’s best provided him with remarkable energy: March 1991 found Ronny Weller training again. "| used only very light weights in the beginning, and gradually increased the workioad," he says. "It was a long way to full training sessions again, but finally 1 got back to my old train- ing regimen of 2-1/2 hours, two times a day." [ he main reason Ronny recovered so fast is the fact that his body was so well-trained. He could barely run when he started to play soccer at his home village of Neu-Hardenberg in Saxony (in Germany, soccer is what football means to American kids). His family had owned a water-driven com mill which was passed from one generation of Wellers to the next since 1588 Free enterprise wasn't practiced in the GDR and Ronny's father, Gunther, lost the mill. His property was taken away from him, a destiny he shared with many other people in the country of "real existing socialism." Gunther Weller had to break with the family traditions and became a sports coach in the East German army. Ronny was thirteen when his father was moved to Frankfurt/Oder near the Polish frontier. Believe it cr not, but the young ‘Weller didn't like the town's soccer team, so he decided to switch over to ‘weightitting, He was first trained by his father. Ronny's talent ‘soon became obvious, and he joined the local sports school. For the next years he lived \weightitting from morning to evening and coached by his father, Ronny Weller won his first championships on local and regional levels. But soon his performance found the interest of higher personalities. "The national sports committee became aware of his potential, and it was decided to give him the best training facilites," his father says, a slight sound of bitterness in his voice even today, "He was taken away from me and became a member of the rational weightlifting team of the GDR In those early spring days of 1991 it was Ronny’s ‘father Gunther again who encouraged his son to go back to training, and under his caring eyes Ronny's comeback started. "knew he had the potential. Ronny is the last of a long line of Wellers. Since we've had the corn mill all our ancestors had to work very hard. You know a milier’s work, do you? In the old days there were no technical means to support those guys. Every single sack of com had to be carried into the mill and then up to the funnel where it was emptied. I'm sure that this hard labor somehow had its influence over the generations." And everything Ronny did seemed to make his father's theory look true. He gained back his original strength and at the '91 World Championships in Donaueschingen in Germany he caught na- tional weightiting coach Rolf Milser's attention. Milser, a famous weightlifter himself with a long record of national and international successes decided, to become Ronny’ manager. When Ronny Weller beat former world champion ‘Artur Akoev from the Soviet Union in the Barcelona Olympics, the image of his face filled with tears of joy was televised internationally ‘The way to this victory hadbeen everything but a ‘one-way road, and Ronny hhad shown himself and the world what true dedication and belief in ‘one’s own capabilities can produce. Today Ronny Weller is living in Duisburg. After the Bertin wall came down, his family moved to this industrial center in the Ruhr area, only a few kilometers away from the border to the Netherlands. He is serving in the army of united Germany, but unlike so many others of his age, he enjoys a rela- tively free duty in one of the special sports squads, where he can concentrate solely on his weightitting When talking to him today, you can feel the deep confidence the gold ‘medal has given him: Victory poundage was a new all-German record. ‘Ata bodyweight of 110 kilograms, | made a total of 432.5 kilograms with 192.5 in “Reissen* (snatch) and 240 in "Stossen' (jerk). | beat Akoev by 2.5 kg. in the total and 6 kg. in the jerk." Ronny had stuck closely to the i structions Rol Milser had siven the German team in Barcelona: "First secure a ‘medal and then go for the gold." When he snatched 1925 kg. Ronny knew that he would get at least a silver medal. So in the lean and jerk he frst secured the second place with a successful 225 kg, attempt and then went up to 295. At the same bodyweight Akoev struggled hard to get this weight up. When Weller finished with 240, Akoev failed in his last attempt. y ( hat really makes this medal so remarkable is the fact that it was won absolutely clean," his father ‘adds. ‘In the weeks prior to the Olympics Ronny was tested 40 times, sometimes twice a week!" Then Gun- ther Weller starts talking about drug testing and what the German athletes think about it. "You know that testing is very strict here in Germany, especially in the weightltting division. | do really believe that good genes and proper training ‘can bring you to the top ‘even in the liting disciplines, Ronny is the best example for that." His son agrees silently, nodding his head. “1 doubt whether controls are that strict in the eastern countries. Not because they don't want to, but because of all the political trouble they have at the moment. ‘Just think about the civil wars over there." In these words you can feel the ‘emotions many German athietes express in close circles today. With the ‘enforced initiative of German ‘government and sport organizations, leading to over 4,000 drug tests last year in Germany alone, a growing number of athietes ‘ear having a harder time against competitors from countries where drug testing isnt that strict. In Barcelona, Ronny had started in the 110 kg. division or tactical reasons. The super- heavyweight tle was aimed at by his teammate Manfred Neriinger who finished second then. But even 180 kg. giant Neringer, one of the most successful German litters ofall times, saw himself challenged by Ronny Weller recently. Inanational competition at Mutterstadt, Ronny beat Nerlinger, the un- defeated German su- petheavyweight champion for more than eleven years. “I showed Nerlinger how to do i,” says Ronny, and you can hear the pride in his voice. German weighting officials see Ronny Weller as the coming German su- perheavyweight star. ‘And those who know his background have litle doubt that he will be the rman to beatin the 1996 Olympics. I Readers: Do you have comments, suggestions, or news items? Be sure to send them to us and weit iy to use them tn our next issue: MILO, P. O. Box 1228, Nevada City, CA 95959, USA or fax (916) 265-4876. "Ronny had stuck closely to the instructions.. ‘First secure a medal and then go for the gold’."24 So You Wanna Be a Strongman? Dennis Rogers Professional Strongman \) / le growing up ‘asa young Virginia boy, | often spent my afternoons with tests of strength and endurance. | remember tearing down my mother's clotheslines in order to remove one of the metal posts which, along with some mounted tires, served as backyard weights. | would lift often, dreaming that I was an Olympic weightliter and the strongest man alive. ‘Thanks to the good Lord and some consistent hard liting, my strength grew rapidly, to even my own amazement. What would I do with my new-found strength? Would | become an Olympic litter? Or maybe a strength specialist? | could set a world record deadlift, win the gold ‘medal in the clean and jerk, or possibly even create my own lifts and feats. It had been done before: Cyr held back four horses, while Sandow lited a small pony over- head. The “Mighty Atom" could not only burst chains, he could also bite through them. There was even one fellow named G. A. Taylor who lifted a 185- pound anvil suspended from his ears! Earifting was definitely out for me, but the idea of setting a variety of records and testing my strength in more than one area nodoubt seemed appealing. But where would | start? Maybe you're faced with the same dilemma? Maybe powerlifting just isn’t your bag, or you're a ‘wee bit underweight for the average sumo wrestler. Or possibly you too just need to get your creative juices flowing, With this in mind, let me introduce you to three powerhouses who are masters at what they do, and to the sports or art they excel in. Maybe the bug that bit them will snap in your direction! When 6'5", 280-pound Cari Braun walks onto the field, there are whispers that he is wearing a skir, but in reality he is sporting the traditional kit of a Highland competitor. He isa strongman of the Scottish games, a com- petition of seven grueling tests of power, skill and endurance, ‘The idea began some 700 years ago, and today, competitions are ex- tremely active throughout Scotiand, Australia, the United States and Canada. Comprised of events such as the stone throw, 56-pound toss for height, 28- and 88-pound weight throws, sheaf toss, hammer throw, the farmers carry and the ccaber toss, competitions are exciting to say the least. Itis truly a treat for the spectators, who come inthe thousands to watch these men toss telephone poles and sling heavy Weights for distance. Braunis the U.S. and Canadian champion of the games and recently took second in the professional division at the World Championships held in Balloch, Scotland--quite an accomplishment for a man who was only intro- duced to the sport some six years ago by his high ‘school coach. Today, traveling around the world to compete against other kilted giants is away of lite for Car This year he plans to ‘compete in over 35 games and continue his record- setting fashion. He currently holds the ‘American record in the sheat (bale of hay) toss, ‘83'2" set in April 1992, and believes he can surpass this by as much as 2’ this ‘season. When asked his opinion of the most difficult event, he quickly replies, ‘the caber toss... takes a tremendous amount of time to learn to balance the 18° pole, let alone turn it’ (flip the ‘aber so that t sits at 12 o'clock, requiring both power and timing). For Braun, the games represent the ultimate form of competition; however, he is quick to note his respect for the strength-masters of other arenas. ‘One such performer who earns this respects, in the opinion of many, the ‘reatest at what he does to ever walk the earth. His name is David Patton, and he is aliving legend in the world of arm- and wrist-wrestling, so much so that he was even ‘commissioned to train Sylvester Stallone for the movie “Over the Top." P... ‘who started arm-wresting and wristwrestiing as a teenager in high school, captured his first World title in Canada in 1979 and has won 33 such titles to date. How can he have won so many in only 15 years you may ask? Simple, he does not allow size to restrict him. In other words, David Patton is one of the few men ever to win World titles in mul- tiple weight divisions on the same day despite a bodyweight that fluctuates between 150-160 pounds, For those of you who don't know the difference, in arm-wrestling you are required to pin your opponent's hand, wrist or forearm to a pinning pad. Armewrestiing is performed both standing and seated. In wrist-wrestiing you obtain avictory when any of the aforementioned areas of your opponent touch your opposite forearm. Wrist-wresting is always done standing. Carl Brawn tossing the eaber. Photo courtesy of Dennis Rogers.Dave Paston, on righ, dwarfed by 400-0dd pounder Cleve Dean. Photo by Randall Sirossen, PhD. Dave is best known in wrist-wrestiing circles for his record ten consecutive wins at the World Wrist: Wrestling Championships held in Petaluma, California. As far as arm-wrestling, his greatest victory to date is his first place finish at the "Over the Top’ finals held on July 26, 1986 in Las Vegas. ‘Arm-wrestiing and wrist-wrestiing success is not just related to technique as many may think, Dave's training consists of three high repetition workouts per ‘week, as well as Tuesday night arm-wrestling practice, which is held in the basement of his home. His weekly bouts with other notables such as his ‘World Champion brother Ray and U. 8. Champs ‘Tom Watson and Tony Barbee keep him in peak condition. To be good at arm sports, you must have tough enduring tendons. If you have ever had a chance to look at Dave's forearms, you know what | mean, Another athlete who carties a set of tendinous tree trunks is Slim "The Hammer Man’ Farman. Standing 6'6*tall, in a long-sleeve shirt he gives 1o hint of his extraordinary power. However, when you shake hands with him you quickly realize that this is a man who means business. By trade, he is Slim, "The Hammer Man Farman. Photo courtesy of Dr. Ken Leister. a stone cutter in the old-time tradition...need | say more! k nown around the world as "The Hammer Man," Slim is the undis- puted king of the leverage lifters of both yesterday and today. In fact he is so far above his competition that this boy is betting that itis a long time coming (it ever) before anyone will ever challenge him and his hammers to a duel Sim himself will present a check for $10,000 to any foe who can leverage a pair of hammers heavier than his. That's right..a pair of hammers. Slim Uses two hammers in performance and at last check, they weighed 0-1/4 pounds each! But challengers beware, Slim handles this weight somewhat easily, Hammer lifting is not all that Slim does. His large powerful hands and wrists enable him to crush 60 penny spikes easily and drive 40-penny nails through 2-1/2" planks with a mere sweep of his hand, Another one of his feats that also proves to be the best on record is as follows: Taking a 6/8" steel bar 4’ in length, he places it over the bridge of hi nose. Then he tits his head backwards and begins to bend the bar into a U-shape using his ‘arm power alone! A phenomenal feat to say the least, ‘Slim became interested in Performing feats of strength when just a boy atter witnessing a performance of the Mighty ‘Atom, Now in his early 60's, he is in my opinion ne of the best strongmen of all time. Have | sparked any inter- est? | hope so. Remember, all success starts with a beginning Where the beginning is, is upto you! ff}Lift More, Using Matveyev’s Principle Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. Publisher & Editor-in-Chief N... Jantzen and Andy Johnson were two prety typical teenagers: They talked cars and girls, and they lited weights ‘Actually, as far as the last item went, they mostly benched. In fact, not only did most oftheir workouts consist of set ater set of bench presses, but they also viewed every workout as an opportunity to hit a new PR in ther favorite lit "Come on, Norm," Andy would urge, as Norm would strain to bench five pounds more than he had in their last workout. And then they would change places and repeat the scenario. Yes, this system bears some striking similarities, to the one used by Bulgarian iting coach Ivan Abajiev during his team's glory days. And, to be sure, young and relatively inexperienced lifters really can hit PRS with incredible frequency. Nonetheless, most people with even reasonable knowiedge of and ex- perience in the Iron Game frown on the idea of treat- ing every workout as an ‘exercise in resetting your ‘one rep maximum (RM), Just in case you train like Norm and Andy, or accept the doctrine of limiting 1M training more on faith than on understanding, let's shed a litle light on the issue and show you a7"Depending upon the individual, somewhere after several weeks or so of IRM training, things start to break down. how a little patience can lead to big, big PRs. Ityou are aller, or just someone primarily inter- ested in strength, the logic in favor of concentrating on 1RMs certain ‘seems appealing enough: Your goal is to perform the highest 1AM possible, so shouldn't that be the focus of your training? After all, why spend a lot of time doing five sets of five, when you're after a big one-rep effort? The problem with an ‘over-emphasis on 1M training is best under- stood in the context of short-term versus long-term progress: I your goal is to move the heaviest weight possible for one rep, i's hard to argue that anything other than a lot of 1RM training will give you the best short-term results. The issue clouds, however, ‘when we leave the arena of short-term results Depending upon the in- dividual, somewhere atter several weeks or so of 4M training, things start to break down: At first you just don’t make any new 4RMs; then you might start to slide backward and actually fal with your current PR; staleness sets in and injury might be just around the corer. you stand back from things a litte, it seems very reasonable that there ‘would be a built-in damper on reaping con- tinuous results from 1AM training-if not, after all, everyone would soon be lifting world record poundages. On the other hand, if you do nothing but high-rep work, you will never reach your 1AM potential. So what's the strength athlete to do? I he solution to this dilemma lies in applying What is called "Matveyev's Principle." In this approach, the strength athlete plots out a several- month training program that is based on cycles of successively lower repet- tions. Even though the concepts straightforward, it might sound lke a mouthtul, 80 let's walk through an example, using a structure recommended by Lyn Jones, the US. Weightliting Federation's National Coaching Director. Don't worry, though, if you never plan todo a snatch or clean and jerk in your life-this approach is just as suited to the powerlits, or to any other ltt for that matte. Let's begin by working backward from a big con- test where you would like to hit a major PR. Ideally, you would begin your Primary training 13 weeks. ‘out: This allows for three four-week cyctes, followed by a week for recovery, and then the big day. Applying the basic logic of Matveyev's Principle, we can expect that the first cycle will use the highest number of reps per set and that this number of reps per set will be reduced for the second cycle, and then again for the third cycle. For ex- ample, your frst four-week cycle can be based on sets of five reps; your second four-week cycle can be based on sets of three reps; and your third four-week cycle can be based on sets of doubles or singles. Follow this third cycle with a week of light work, and then hit a ‘major PR in the fourteenth week. That's how the principle is applied, and even if you are confident that it works ‘extremely well, you might | wonder why. In particular, the higher-repetiion cycles are: 1) easier on the body, 2) better suited | to stimulating muscle growth, 3) more effective in reinforcing the neural pathways involved, and 4) less taxing psychologi- cally Sure, this approach requires more discipline than simply following Norm and Andy through an endless series of 1AM workouts, but youll end up with fewer injuries, more muscle, beter skills, a more positive attitude, and most important, a much higher maximum itUltimate ~ Growth Through Genetic Technology James Fujima Biochemistry Department Purdue University \ . ith the invention of anabolic steroids, science has inadvertently