Thursday, July 16, 2009
The Nautilus Double Chest MachineIt's a real shame that machines get such a bad rap these days. The fact of the matter is that the whole 'point' of a machine is to gain a training advantage which can't be had any other way.
Here's a great example: the Nautilus Double Chest Machine. The upper "fly" portion of the machine thoroughly pre-exhausts the chest muscles and then the trainee can immediately switch right into the decline press movement. Both exercises allow the upper arms to be in a position where the pectorals are fully contracted.
If you have access to this machine, count yourself lucky, there aren't many around.
(Photo courtesy of Michael Petrella)
Labels: Chest Exercise, Fly, Nautilus, Nautilus Double Chest, Nautilus Machines, Negative Training, Pre-Exhaust, Strength machine
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Monday, April 13, 2009
The Bridge PressThe 'bridge press' was an early precursor to the modern bench press. In this case though, no bench required and the bar began on the abdomen and was heaved to begin the lift. The lift was also aptly referred to at times as "the belly toss."
This was a favorite lift of Arthur Saxon and I'm sure it served him well in developing strength for his wrestling pursuits. Saxon's record of 386 pounds was broken by Joe Nordquest with a lift of 388 pounds (shown above).
Labels: Arthur Saxon, Belly Toss, Bench Press, Bridge Press, Chest Exercise, Joe Nordquest
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Wednesday, July 18, 2007
From page 51 of 'Super Strength' by Alan Calvert:
"The chest and lungs are the storehouses of your power. A big rib-box means plenty of room for the lungs. Big lungs are of immense value to the super-strong man. They enable him to keep up for many minutes at a time of exertions which would exhaust an ordinary individual in the course of a few seconds.
Therefore your first aim should be to increase the size of the rib box; and even if you do not intend to try for super-strength, or if you are not interested in any other kind of exercise, I most earnestly recommend you to practice the movement described in the following paragraphs.
If you don't have a few chest expansion movements in your training - you should!
To learn more about how to expand the chest and enlarge the rib-box, I recommend the following resources:
1. The Key to Might and Muscle by George Jowett
2. Super Strength by Alan Calvert
3.. Combat Abs by Matt Furey
4. The New Bodybuilding for Old School Results by Dr. Ellington Darden
"The chest and lungs are the storehouses of your power. A big rib-box means plenty of room for the lungs. Big lungs are of immense value to the super-strong man. They enable him to keep up for many minutes at a time of exertions which would exhaust an ordinary individual in the course of a few seconds.
Therefore your first aim should be to increase the size of the rib box; and even if you do not intend to try for super-strength, or if you are not interested in any other kind of exercise, I most earnestly recommend you to practice the movement described in the following paragraphs.
| A few months daily practice will increase the girth of your rib-box by several inches. As the rib box grows larger, the shoulders will get proportionately broader, the lungs will get bigger and you will find that you will have vastly endurance as the size and power of the lungs increases. Furthermore you will find that you arms and legs will develop automatically. A big-chested man can get arm and leg development at a much more rapid pace than can the man who has a small rib-box and correspondingly small lungs." |  Lionel Strongfort from 1931 |
To learn more about how to expand the chest and enlarge the rib-box, I recommend the following resources:
1. The Key to Might and Muscle by George Jowett
2. Super Strength by Alan Calvert
3.. Combat Abs by Matt Furey
4. The New Bodybuilding for Old School Results by Dr. Ellington Darden
Labels: Chest Exercise, Chest Expansion, Combat Abs, Lionel Strongfort, Super Strength, The Key to Might and Muscle
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
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