Training Course Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

Lung and Muscle Culture by Paul Von Boeckmann

Posted on Monday, June 18th, 2018 by John Wood

A look at Paul Von Boeckmann’s highly unique Lung and Muscle Culture Course. His big thing was Breathing Gymnastics in relation to muscular development. This certainly makes a lot of sense, the more oxygen you can get to the muscles, the stronger they will be. Also of note is the fact that this is the 12th edition – most strength books rarely make it to a second reprinting.

The Development of the Clean & Jerk by David P. Webster

Posted on Tuesday, November 28th, 2017 by John Wood

RARE Training Course Teaches You The Secrets of The KING of Lifts!

Back in 1964. Peary Rader himself printed up a fantastic training course entitled The Development of the Clean & Jerk by David P. Webster.

At that time, Webster was the chief weightlifting coach for Scotland and went on to become one of the foremost strength historians of our time. We managed to get our hands on a few ORIGINAL copies of this incredibly rare collectible booklet.

The Development of the Clean & Jerk is an in-depth, technical training manual, going over the finer points of the “King of Lifts” for anyone interested in lifting the maximum amount of weight overhead. 5½” x 8½” inches in size, printed on heavyweight glossy paper, textured stock cover, 46 pages with MANY rare images and diagrams.

Here are a few of the topics covered:

A comparison of the early Clean & Jerk techniques and styles of the 1900’s and how they have changed into modern methods

The “Clean” techniques used by the great early strongmen: Arthur Saxon, Thomas Inch, W.A. Pullum, Mark Berry and Alan Calvert, among others

The “Clean” vs. the “Continental style and the important details that you should know about each

The two unconventional techniques pioneered by Monte Saldo

The “Dive”and “Set” styles of cleaning and the countries that used them successfully pre and post-WWII

Some famous performances of the clean and jerk going all the way back to 1895

Observations of film clips and phot sequences from World Champions and Olympic Games competitors

The 12 technique questions that MUST be answered to lift the maximum amount of weight

A sequence of pictures outlining the technique of Jim Moir, British record holder and Scottish Champion and how he used them to correct two common faults

How to start the lift, and the proper back angles to use

Differences in Asian and Polish starting techniques

The meaning of “ANGULAR VELOCITY” and why you should know all about it

The three “Gold Key” positions and the one “rule” you must follow when pulling from the floor

Positioning the bar and how to properly pass the bar past the knees during the first pull

Analyzation and critique of EIGHT world champion lifters

The four main factors of balance in the clean & jerk and how to keep your balance during a maximum lift

How high does Schemansky, Zabotinsky and Vlasov pull the bar? An interesting comparison of the pulling heights of champion lifters

Summation of forces and how to work your muscles in the correct order

The biggest mistake that lifters make at the start of the lift and how to easily avoid it

The most important part of the pull, and how to engage the second pull

The fully extended position and how to lower the weight correctly and safely

Foot position, and where to hold the bar during the jerk

Elbow action and weight transference

Shoulder mobility in the clean & jerk

The path of movement of the bar during the clean

Common faults and how to correct them

Additional and recent information on better pulling technique

A you can see, this booklet is extremely information-dense and if you are interested in putting the MAXIMUM amount of weight overhead, the tips and techniques highlighted in it will help you do just that.

…Like all of our rare and vintage strength items, there are only so many copies of these courses to go around, and when they are gone, they are gone for good.

Get your copy today!

The Development of the Clean & Jerk by David Webster
_________ $19.99 plus s/h

Classic Grip Courses

Posted on Monday, October 16th, 2017 by John Wood

These 4 Classic Training Courses will teach you unusual exercises, training tips, workout ideas, feats of the oldtimers and the methods to build your own set of “mighty mitts”

Specific training to build an “iron grip and powerful forearms” was essential to the Oldtime Strongmen for what should be some very obvious reasons: you can’t bend a horseshoe, rip a deck of cards, or tear a phone book in half if you don’t have strong hands. This is also a big factor in why many of the Oldtime Strongmen were well known for their unbelievable grip strength – and why many of their records in that department still stand to this day.

Now you can learn exactly how to do it too, directly from the greatest strong men themselves with our collection of FOUR Classic Grip Courses. Each of these authors has the credentials and know-how to help you build some of the strongest hands around:

Developing The Grip and Forearm
by Thomas Inch

Thomas Inch was Britain’s strongest youth at 16, the first official Britain’s Strongest Man and at one time had the largest physical fitness correspondence school in Great Britain. He wrote an untold number of books, courses and training articles and was an excellent strand puller and all-around lifter but in Oldtime strength circles, the name Thomas Inch is recognized above all else for one thing: grip strength.

Inch’s “unliftable” Challenge Dumbbell has defied thousands of strong men over the last hundred years (and still does today). Many a strength athlete tried but failed to break it off the ground…

After many years and numerous requests, Inch finally decided to put in writing the methods by which he had developed his incredible levels of grip strength. So here it is, once again made available to the potential “grip masters” of the strength world Thomas Inch’s wonderful course: “Developing the Grip and Forearm” (originally published in 1930) and now available in high-quality modern reprint edition. Don’t let weak hands stand in the way of lifting limit poundages. This training course. will strengthen the weak link between you and record poundages. Fully illustrated, soft cover, 8 1/2″ x 11″ in size, also includes a list of historical grip feats

Iron Claws
Grip Development and Bench Press Course
by Mike Brown

Iron Claws is a rare and extremely hard-to-find training course, full of valuable and result producing information, and is now available once again. In the early 1970’s, Mike Brown set out to bench press maximum weights using a unique partial range of motion training program that he designed. The weights kept growing heavier and one day Brown sprained his wrist with over 600 pounds on the bar. He realized then and there that if his bench press was going to get any stronger, his wrists and forearms would need to follow suit. His research and subsequent experimentation became “Iron Claws: Grip Development and Bench Press Course“.

This extremely interesting training course first appeared in 1974 among the many unusual titles in The Madison Co. book catalog. Few copies were printed and even fewer were sold but now you can benefit from this course in the high-quality modern reprint version. You’ll learn about how the oldtimers developed 16″ forearms and enormous coin bending grip strength, the author’s special wrist roller, rack rebounders for heavy bench pressing, training in mud, and a variety of other unique training ideas.

How to Develop a Powerful Grip
by Edward Aston

Edward Aston is certainly qualified to teach you how to build a strong grip… he was The World’s Middle-weight Weightlifting Champion, British Heavy-weight Champion Weightlifter, and Britain’s Strongest Man from 1911-1934 (he retired undefeated.)

Aston knew full well that stronger hands meant greater strength everywhere else and in 1946 wrote “How to Build a Powerful Grip” teaching how he did so throughout his colorful strongman and stage career. Sit back and read about the pet feats of grip strength of such notable grip masters as: Caswell, Vansittart “The Man with the Iron Grip”, Breitbart, Marx, Topham, Samson, Tolson, Fox, Sandow, Inch, etc.

All in all, this publication is not only very informative but entertaining as well. It will provide you with exercises and techniques which can not be found anywhere else. Get a copy and add it to your grip training library, you’ll be glad you did! Fully illustrated, soft cover, and 8-l/2″ x 11″ in size.

Molding a Mighty Grip
by George F. Jowett

Molding a Mighty Grip was published as a part of George F. Jowett’s “Molding” library and features one of Jowett’s specialties: grip and forearm training. Formerly a blacksmith and chain maker by trade, Jowett developed powerful hands, 8 1/4″ wrists, 15 1/4″ muscular forearms, and 17-3/4″ upper arms making his incredible feats of grip strength legendary.

Jowett’s most famous feat was that of lifting a 168 lb. anvil by the horn to shoulder height and pressing it with one hand! Alan Calvert, founder of Milo Barbell Co., referred to Jowett as the most scientific weightlifter in America. This booklet describes Jowett’s unique exercises for developing each digit of the hands and turning them into “iron claws.”

In addition, Jowett reminisces about many of the famous old-time strongmen and their specialty feats of grip strength. A great book available once again for the truly serious student of grip strength. Get a copy today and start training your grip the way the great George F. Jowett trained his! Fully illustrated, soft cover, and 8-l/2″ x 11″ in size.

Classic Grip Course Collection (4 Booklets):
_________ $39.99 plus s/h

Strength & Bulk Training for Weight Lifters & Body Builders by Reg Park

Posted on Monday, September 25th, 2017 by John Wood

TRAIN LIKE MR. UNIVERSE!

Reg Park Shows You How!

When you’re talking about the greatest bodybuilders who
ever lived, Reg Park is right at the top of everyone’s list.

Reg won the Mr. Universe contest three times (nearly a
4th) but his muscles weren’t just for show – with a
behind-the-neck press of 300 pounds and a squat of
over 600 pounds, Reg was not just one of the strongest
bodybuilders of all time but one of the strongest men
of all time too!

You would think that Reg would have
some “top secret” training methods
that helped him build such
incredible size and strength…

Actually: Reg built his
strength with nothing
more than a handful of
basic exercises and a
lot of hard work.

Still, it’s always
a good thing to
have a look at
how a Champion
actually trains…

What exercises does
he like to use?

…or not use?

…how many sets?

…how often does he train?

…what about the “mental” side of training?

Fortunately for us, Reg Park has, in fact, answered all these questions (and many more) in writing… Now you can learn directly from the man himself through a training course which Reg wrote way back in 1960 and which is now available in high-quality modern reprint format:

Reg Park won the Mr. Universe title three times (1951, ’58 and ”65), and nearly a fourth! ~ (finishing 2nd in 1970 and ’73 and 3rd in 1971)

You know you’ve made it as a physique star when you are instantly recognizable even from the back — Reg presses a few dumbbells at Muscle Beach

Reg shows his championship form — Reg would be the first to tell you that his training consisted of basic exercises and a lot of hard work.

Strength & Bulk Training for
Weight Lifters & Body Builders

Table of Contents:

Preface
Introduction
Classification of Body Types
Conflicting principles of Training
The Basic Principles of Weight-Training
The Principles and Degrees of Strength
and Bulk Training
Strength Training for Body Bulk and
Muscle Size
Increased Strength
Strength and Bulk Training Exercises
Increase Strength Essential for Learning Advanced Techniques
Varying Strength and Bulk Training Routines

(1.) First Strength and Bulk Course

(a.) Stabilizing
(b.) Developing a Positive Attitude
(c.) Poundage Increase
(d.) Overloading

(2.) Second Strength and Bulk Course for Weight Lifters, Second Strength and Bulk Course for Body Builders

(3.) Third Strength and Bulk Course for Weight Lifters, Third Strength and Bulk Course for Body Builders

Recording Training Sessions … Rest … Food … Sticking Points … Regularity of Training … Limit Poundages … Single Attempts … Mental Horizons … Boredom … Injuries and Stress … Layoffs…

A List of Strength Trainers
Strength Training for Athletes
Conclusion
Exercise Illustrations

This basic, no-nonsense training guide cuts through all the fluff and gives you only the essentials for getting results. Strength & Bulk Training for Weight Lifters and Body Builders was originally published in 1960. The modern reprint edition is faithful to the original, is 8-1/2″ x 11″ in size, 30 pages long and contains some pictures.

Strength & Bulk Training for Weight Lifters & Body Builders by Reg Park
___________$19.99 plus s/h

Hand-Balancing for Muscular Development by Bill Hinbern

Posted on Friday, September 30th, 2016 by John Wood

I used to fall flat on my face…

but NOW, I can hold a handstand like an expert
every single time!

Let me tell you what made the difference:

I couldn’t tell you the exact year, but I’m pretty sure I was around 10 years old or so… What I do very clearly remember was that it was on a Saturday afternoon when I found an article on hand balancing in an old magazine. My intentions were admittedly to be able to show off in a more dramatic manner…

I thought that holding a hand stand and being able to walk around on on my hands was just about one of the coolest things ever. I figured that with my new-found knowledge, come Monday morning I was going to impress all my friends at school (if I didn’t decide to run off and join the circus before then, of course!)

I didn’t bother to read the article though, I just jumped right in to trying to duplicate some of the exercises shown in the pictures. I did a lot more falling than balancing… It some how wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. What should come as no great surprise is that it didn’t go very well and my first hand balancing escapade ended in frustration after less than a half-hour.

This was a case of making several classic mistakes: the first was attempting to jump in at a level far above what I was capable of, the second was not having any kind of plan and the third, was completely ignoring the written directions (not that it would have done much good, given the other afore-mentioned issues.)

To these you can also add in my own unrealistic expectations so its pretty easy to understand why things ended up the way they did. Despite my initial lack of success, my fascination with hand balancing skills still remained…

An Oldtime Secret of Strength and Development

As I mentioned earlier, my initial interest in hand balancing was basically just to show off — and it’s a pretty good way to do so — but if you take a look back through the history of strength training you’ll notice something else about it that stands out. Many of the oldtime strength athletes used hand balancing as a way to build incredible strength and upper body development.

The list of strength athletes who were also great hand balancers reads like a “who’s who” of legends: Sig Klein, John Grimek, Doug Hepburn, Paul Anderson, Jack LaLanne, Bert Assirati, George F. Jowett, Steve Reeves, Otto Arco, Bert Goodrich and Clevio Massimo… just to name a few that come immediately to mind.

SIG KLEIN was a master
of many hand balancing feats
and valued it highly

There was a period of time when
the only training that JOHN GRIMEK
did was handbalancing

Big guys can learn handbalancing too: Doug Hepburn balanced with ease at a bodyweight of 305 lbs

Why it’s much easier than it looks
(If I can learn to do this, anyone can!)

It took a little while, a few decades, in fact, but eventually my interest in hand balancing came back in a big way. There were several factors which contributed to this: first of all, I got really interested in improving my overhead press, and hand balancing is one of the “lost” methods that the oldtime lifters used to use for doing so.

Second, as the time passed, I got a little more of this “stuff” called wisdom (which tends to accumulate over the years) and I grew up more than a little. One of the most important things that happened was that I no longer expected to become an expert over night…

I had the motivation and I had the wisdom, but what I was lacking was a plan. It an amazing stroke of luck that right around this time, (and thirdly), that Bill Hinbern also came out with a
fantastic training guide which outlined decades of hand balancing
knowledge. With this guide in hand, I was no longer in the dark as
far as how and where to get started. My “getting started” frustration
and anxiety disappeared instantly.

Introducing your Road Map for Hand
Balancing Success: Hand-Balancing for
Muscular Development by Bill Hinbern

Now, I know that hand balancing might look pretty complicated but once you understand the principles — and know which specific skills that you should be practicing — it’s actually very simple. This is the course that helped me get started. Here’s a look at many of the things that you will learn:

1. The very specific and exact ways that your body maintains a sense of balance and why understanding them will be
critical to your hand balancing success

2. How to quickly and easily solve the common problems of unbalancing and overbalancing (two of the most important things you can know)

3. The best ways to fall safely and correctly (info which you will NEED to know.)

4. How your hands and fingers must be positioned for the perfect handstand

5. The 16 preliminary exercises (with and without equipment) that you can use to build a solid
foundation

6. A selection of 7 barbell exercises to use in preparation for hand balancing workout, AND suggestions on the specific days of the week to focus on them

7. The 4 basic parts of the perfect hand balance and why you will end up flat on your face if you
leave out any of them

8. The 3 simplest ways to “get up” into the hand stand position

9. How to correctly use a wall for hand balancing practice

10. The best locations and positions for your gym mats

11. The Best “type” of surface for the
most effective hand balancing training — and which surfaces to avoid

12. The 2 keys to practicing hand balancing with or without a partner

13. How to perform “The Headstand,” The “Handstand,” “The Frogstand” and 7 more basic hand balancing moves

14. How to perform a handstand from a cartwheel

15. How to condition your hands, fingers, wrists and forearms for supporting your
bodyweight with a unique exercise called “The Gargoyle”

16. The finer points of “The Press-Up Handstand,” “Half-Lever Swing Up,” “The Chairstand” and 12 more
Intermediate hand balancing movements

17. The 5 different types of “floor bars” and why you may or may not need to train with them

18. Why “The Tiger Bend” is one of the most effective exercises and how to use it to build strong, powerful arms (a favorite of Sig Klein)

19. Twenty Advanced Hand balancing moves guaranteed to impress anyone

20. Seven different methods for progressing to the one armed hand stand

21. How to perform “The Snap Down” – a spectacular way of finishing off your hand balances

22. Four different variations of “The Planche”

23. Methods for Mastering the Press-Up from Planche to Hand Stand

24. How to walk up and down stairs on your hands

25. “Hopping” on one hand, two hands, and stacking and removing blocks

26. How to perform a hand stand from the seated position

27. The most difficult part of the Backward Roll up into The Handstand and a quick tip for conquering it easily

28. Details for mastering the MOST impressive hand balancing feat of all…

29. The hand Balancing movement that is also one of the very best for building abdominal strength

29. Four different stretching exercises for maintaining strong, flexible shoulders

30. The One most important thing to remember above all else for hand balancing success

31. An Anatomy chart of all the major muscle groups

32. A Full resource section for all equipment described and used throughout the course

Hand-Balancing for Muscular Development by Bill Hinbern
__________________$29.99 plus s/h

Does it work? Here’s the Proof:

The Basic Hand Stand: All other skills can only be accomplished by mastering this movement. Not bad for a former nose guard with zero previous gymnastic experience!

If you’d have seen me when I started you would never have thought this was even possible.

Yes, it took plenty of practice to be able to do this. Hand balancing is a lot like riding a bike, after a while you just “get it” and you wonder why it ever seemed so difficult in the first place…

Staggered Balancing: Another challenge is to hold a balance with your hands at different heights. One of the most popular methods of doing this is using a common kitchen chair but you can learn to do it just about anywhere.

Yes, that IS a classic MILO globe dumbbell under my right hand (in the interest of full disclosure, it was “blocked” so that it didn’t roll but the ability to hold it otherwise is not too far off.)

The “Figure Four”: Once you get pretty good at the basic hand stand, you can move on to more challenging skills. This intermediate move is called “The Figure Four” since the body looks like a “4” when viewed from the side. You’ll find it discussed in detail on page 41.

Narrow Balancing: Adjusting the width of your base is another way to work on different skills. Look closely and you’ll see that my thumbs are touching, a surprisingly difficult balance. If you want to improve your overhead press, this movement builds tremendous shoulder strength and stability.

So Get Started Already!

You wouldn’t have read this far if you didn’t mean business… It took roughly two decades between the time I first got interested in hand balancing to the time I was actually able to accomplish it but I could have condensed that down to only a few weeks if I knew the right place to begin…When I started, I had the desire and the motivation, but I lacked the know-how. Today, the know-how is now right in front of your face. I can only dream of where I might be if I had Bill Hinbern’s course way back in the day. You have a chance to not just get started, but to get started at the best possible place and know exactly what you should be doing. It is like the difference between taking the long, slow, frustrating road which may or may not get you to where you want to go… or, on the other hand, you can take a straight-line “shortcut” right to the top.

Yes, there will be work involved, there’s no way around that, but there sure won’t be any more work than what is necessary… Hey, if I can learn to do this, anyone can, take the plunge and order your copy of Hand-Balancing for Muscular Development right now and maybe one day you will run off and join the circus!

Hand-Balancing for Muscular Development by Bill Hinbern is a paper and ink printed course and is not available in e-book format.

The course is paperback, consiste of 72 pages, profusely illustrated with dozens of rare pen and ink drawings and has a heavy-stock cover. An Anatomy chart, kilo to pounds conversion table and full list of resources are also included.

The contents and topics covered in this course can be found else where on this page.

Hand-Balancing for Muscular Development by Bill Hinbern
___________$29.99 plus s/h

The One Hand Chin Course

Posted on Tuesday, June 17th, 2014 by John Wood

You never know what you might find in a dusty, forgotten corner of an old used bookstore… Here’s a nifty course — that most strength historians don’t even know exists — which contains some pretty interesting and unusual training ideas.

Jack Lewis

Posted on Saturday, July 13th, 2013 by John Wood

Jack Lewis

One of the lesser-known strength authors was Jack Lewis, of London, England. Lewis did most of his training with chest expanders and built a pretty impressive physique. We may reprint one (or more) of Lewis’ courses in the near future.

The Billard Golden Triumph Barbell Training Manual

Posted on Friday, January 18th, 2013 by John Wood

The Billard Golden Triumph Barbell Training Manual

The Billard Barbell Company, out of Reading, Pennsylvania, hit the scene in the early 1960’s and featured their equipment primarily in department and sporting goods stores. If you got one of their weight sets, you also received this nifty training manual featuring Bruce Randall, the 1959 Mr. Universe winner. Randall made appearances at sporting good stores promoting and demonstrating Billard equipment. As a side note, Billard was actually the third barbell company based in Reading, PA (after the Good Barbell Company and the Reading Barbell Company.) In addition to weights, the Billard Barbell Company also boasted a national championship caliber softball team.

Secrets of the Squat Snatch by Larry Barnholth

Posted on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012 by John Wood

Secrets of the Squat Snatch by Larry Barnholth

Weightlifting was changed forever in a two-car garage gym in Akron, Ohio. It was there, at the American College of Modern
Weight Lifting (ACMWL) that Lawrence “Larry” Barnholth essentially invented the “squat” style of snatching — a technique which became the standard, and which has gone on to help lifters who used it to set hundreds of National and World Records since then. In 1950, Barnholth, along with his top student Pete George, put together this nifty course “Secrets of the Squat Snatch” which outlined the necessary training for learning the method. This booklet is incredibly rare since only a limited number of copies were printed.

The Bruno Course of Bodybuilding

Posted on Sunday, March 18th, 2012 by John Wood

Here’s a look at the cover of the incredibly rare “Bruno Course of Bodybuilding” authored by The Living Legend himself, Bruno Sammartino. You can see by Bruno’s thick bone structure that he was a man built for some serious horsepower but don’t forget that he still had to work for his strength.

In The Bruno Course, he covers a dozen or so basic exercises which were his favorites, some “weight” exercises, some bodyweight movements and some conditioning work… simple, but highly effective. You can read more about The Bruno Course in The Dellinger Files Volume I.