History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
One
by Dr. Ken Leistner
There are many fundamental differences among the participants
of the various aspects of the iron related sports. The emotional
response and make up of the athletes involved in strongman
competition differs from those who compete in bodybuilding
shows and powerlifters think and often behave very differently
than those who do Olympic weightlifting as their primary
sport. It wasn’t always like this.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training -
Part Two
by Dr. Ken Leistner
One’s choice of lifting activity could have been very
much determined by their geographic location in the 1940’s
through the 1960’s. Referring to the first installment
of this series, while most “training guys” did
the same basic exercises, different parts of the country,
different parts of some specific states, gravitated to one
of the three major types of lifting expression. The most
obvious example of this was the York Barbell Club located
in York, Pennsylvania.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Three
by Dr. Ken Leistner
In the days before the internet and immediate worldwide communication,
the wonders of bodybuilding, especially in California, was
brought to the attention of the many eager enthusiasts across
the country, through the pages of Joe Weider’s various
muscle building publications. It was necessary to present news
from all of the weight training related activities. There weren’t
enough of any one group of devotees that one could expect to
publish and distribute a “muscle magazine” and
make a living off of it if any particular group was completely
ignored.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Four
by Dr. Ken Leistner
The New York Scene.
In the New York City area, Olympic lifting was very popular
in the early to mid-1960’s. There were pockets of activity
that spread from The McBurney YMCA basement on 23rd Street
in Manhattan to Lost Battalion Hall in Queens, all the way
out to Suffolk County’s Islip Youth Center. All boasted
good lifters, some like Larry Mintz, a young Artie Dreschler
who is now active as the director of the Association Of Oldetime
Barbell And Strongmen, and Tom Marshall were of national level.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Five
by Dr. Ken Leistner
A Bit Of Lifting And Training History
From My Perspective.
With the proliferation of health clubs, spas, fitness facilities,
gyms, and the fact that most martial arts and yoga teachers
have somehow branched out into personal training or “their-specialty-specific
lose weight and inches fitness training” it might be
beyond the understanding of the last two generations that there
actually was a time when it was almost impossible to find a
gym that had barbells and dumbbells in it within the confines
of any town or village in the United States.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Six
by Dr. Ken Leistner
My Introduction to Equipment.
During the first few years of my training, I had little awareness
of the specific qualities that made equipment “good” or “bad.” My
guideline was whatever I saw within the pages of Strength And
Health, Muscle Power, Mr. America (and Young Mr. America),
and by 1964, Iron Man Magazines. Without knowing it, I had
very serviceable equipment to train with, and it allowed me
to learn and perform the basic result producing exercises.
Of the fellows I knew that began weight training, nearly one-hundred
percent had a basic 110-pound barbell and dumbbell set. Some
used a picnic bench to perform the exercises that were illustrated
in the magazines and one or two had a commercial quality bench.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Seven
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Let's Keep Talking About That Classic
Equipment.
In the early to mid-Sixties, my garage or basement, dependent
upon where I had my limited equipment set-up, would have reflected
the era’s typical “home gym” for a serious
trainee or at least one that wasn’t headed towards physique
competition. The belief, and one that within limits was a legitimate
one, was that a competition level bodybuilder needed more than
the so-called basics and the equipment that could provide those
movements. Thus the high level bodybuilders were seeking a
broad selection of dumbbells, a high and low pulley arrangement,
and numerous angled benches and they considered these to be
necessities.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Eight
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Early Awareness, Bars and Plates.
As a relatively astute young man whose compulsiveness leaned
towards “having to know everything” about whatever
it was that caught my interest, I often got hung up on minor
details but it assured the completion of any task or project
that was started. This made me a coach’s favorite and
when motivated to go to class, a favorite of most teachers.
Fortunately, there was only a two year period that could be
described as “fallow” relative to my high school
education and I salvaged my class standing in the final few
years by displaying a dedication to academics that reflected
my interest in football and strength training.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Nine
by Dr. Ken Leistner
York, Weider, and Jackson
If one lifted weights in the late 1950’s and early ‘60’s
when I received my start in the activity, they knew York and
they knew Weider. Both Bob Hoffman who was the owner of the
York Barbell Company and seemingly, most other business and
land holdings in York, Pennsylvania and Joe Weider were the
big names in the lifting and physique game. Their stories and
rise to the top of what resulted in two rather powerful business
empires came from the sale of equipment and nutritional supplements.
Weider also had what he often termed “a publishing empire” that
included gay oriented pornography-type magazines, at least
as they were judged in that time period.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Ten
by Dr. Ken Leistner
The Jackson Barbell
Doing most of my training in the garage, I had an awareness
of what was going on throughout the country, due to my obsessive
reading habits. I scoured the local newsstands for Muscle Power,
Mr. America, and Strength And Health. When it first hit the
press, York’s Muscular Development became a favorite
because it had a monthly powerlifting/odd lift feature and
unlike what was typical for Strength And Health that focused
upon Olympic lifting, articles about those who specialized
in the bench press, squat, or deadlift. I discovered Iron Man
magazine and because the first issue I saw featured Olympic
lifting champion Norbert Schemansky on the cover, it motivated
me even more to get stronger.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Eleven
by Dr. Ken Leistner
The Jackson Barbell (Part II)
As noted in the previous Part Ten of this series, Andy Jackson
produced what was considered by many to be the finest Olympic
barbell set in the world as a one man manufacturing force.
That he did it from the basement of his house in New Jersey
made him truly unique. Unlike most involved in weight training,
many fellows from my neighborhood knew the different bars,
plates, and nuances of the available equipment.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Twelve
by Dr. Ken Leistner
You're Taking Your Life in Your Hands
The date of the odd lift contest I had been recruited to compete
in arrived and not only would this be the first contest of
its type I had been a part of, it would also be the first I
had ever seen. All of us however, were prepared, not just in
our training, but in the “small details” that often
make or break a meet for a lifter. Through many decades, many
of my early powerlifting lessons benefited me and the lifters
I had the privilege to coach and/or handle at major and minor
meets.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Thirteen
by Dr. Ken Leistner
PLUSA and Some California Plates.
Quoting from last month’s History installment, allow
me to remind our readers that the equipment used for both training
and in competition often wasn’t safe. Steve Baldwin,
a very successful long time competitive powerlifter and friend
from Memphis, Tennessee who has an official 628 squat to his
credit at 181 pounds, offered some comments after reading the
June article. Those like Elite Fitness honcho Jim Wendler,
who told me that after his reading of Part 12, as much as he
already appreciated his equipment, “I was ready to kiss
my Monolift and bench press” may be taken aback by Steve’s
description of what passed for “competition conditions” in
the squat.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Fourteen
by Dr. Ken Leistner
More About Plates!
With the York Olympic Barbell as the “gold standard” among all others available in the United States in the 1950’s and 1960’s, it was an often overlooked fact that others, like the fine set manufactured by Andy Jackson in Springfield, N.J. could equal or exceed the York bar. As important as it was for York to maintain its reputation for having the best Olympic bar one could use, it was just as important that York’s reputation for quality Olympic plates be recognized and propagated.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Fifteen
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Once Again, Bars, Plates and "Can I get a Spotter Over Here?
For the bodybuilders in our area, it almost didn’t matter what bars or plates they used as long as the bars weren’t too badly bent and the plates actually fit onto the bars. These weren’t “givens” in a lot of the storefront gyms or basements we would find ourselves visiting. Anyone who saw themselves as a “lifter” wanted to use what they considered to be a “real” barbell which meant the York Olympic bar and preferably with York Olympic plates
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Sixteen
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Competitive Beginnings
If there was a consistent factor to odd lifting and powerlifting in the early to mid-1960’s, it was inconsistency. Even the equipment, as I've noted in our previous installments, varied from contest to contest and one could never be certain that the announced weight on the bar was in fact, close to the actual weight. Many know Pete Alaniz as "the Titan guy" and perhaps now, "the Eleiko guy" but few will recall that Pete was a competitive lifter. Coming from Corpus Christi, Texas he was, as expected, directly linked to the two biggest names from the region, names that old timers will recognize as being among the best in the sport.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Seventeen
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Rack Time
A lot of the good guys from Community Health which was originally opened and owned by Frank Bartels in 1964 or so, used to come over to the storefront gym in Valley Stream to train. They had a lot of good physique competitors and lifting types because they had great equipment, most of it home made.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Eighteen
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Sutherland and More
One of the enjoyable aspects of writing this series of articles for Pete Alaniz and Titan Support Systems is the feedback and correspondence generated from lifters I have not seen nor heard from in decades. My inauspicious career in strength related competition, one limited to and marked by a few local titles and a lot of enthusiastic participation in close to one hundred contests over a twenty-five-plus year period, allowed for contact with many individuals.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Nineteen
by Dr. Ken Leistner
More Sutherland and the Introduction of the Passanella Bar
As expected, Part Eighteen of our TITAN/ELEIKO series and the discussion of Jim Sutherland and some of the equipment he produced again stimulated comment from our readers. As per my statement within the body of that article, it was a correct assumption that the active, younger, competitive lifters of today had neither heard of nor seen an electric squat rack. Remember this please; the squat rack under any circumstances and in the application of its use as a “holder of a barbell at a specific height” for squats, pressing movements, or good mornings for example, must meet minimal safety standards.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Twenty
by Dr. Ken Leistner
A Few More Sutherland Comments and More About Equipment
When this series of articles began more than a year and a half ago, its purpose was to give ardent powerlifters information with an historical bent, and focus upon the development of powerlifting equipment through the growth of the sport. As Titan Support Systems continues to distribute Eleiko barbells, plates, and collars, the initial intent remains the same. However, the articles have ranged far and wide much to the satisfaction of most readers and will at some point, even wander into what should properly be termed “powerlifting attire.” I am of course referring to lifting suits, shirts, and wraps, items that younger lifters might surprisingly now learn did not exist until the late 1970’s.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Twenty-One
by Dr. Ken Leistner
A Brief Sociological Lesson for Powerlifters
Much of the response to the Eleiko USA retrospective that I’ve penned to date has come from younger lifters. I’m including anyone under the age of forty and from this younger generation of media-saturated lifters, their primary observation, question, and source of amazement is that they believe “everyone trained the same” or close to it in “my day.” The truth is that in the 1960’s in powerlifting’s early years, there would be one individual or small group of trainees who had a major influence on the training of others in a particular town, city, state, or region. Their “style” or approach to training would very much be “the way” it was done and comparisons of methodology throughout the country did demonstrate a relatively limited approach to increasing the squat, bench press, and deadlift. This should not be viewed as a negative comment because it’s actually positive!
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Twenty-Two
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Undue Influence
Last month I made reference to what I believe is a fact among younger lifters who have made a foray into powerlifting history: almost everyone trained the same. It may be more accurate to state that many if not most lifters in any specific locale trained similarly. As is well known among my regular readers, I believe that the Internet’s glut of training information and immediate dispatch of powerlifting related events and ideas has perhaps done more harm than good in the development of today’s lifters.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Twenty-Three
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Pat Casey and Southern California
I had what I truly believe was the honor of providing a monthly column for Powerlifting USA Magazine every month for approximately twenty-three years. During that period of time, especially in the magazine’s formative years, I often provided two, three, or more features in each issue. Needless to say, under the stewardship of Mike Lambert and relative to my comments about Mike and the magazine in past TITAN/ELEIKO columns, PLUSA eventually became, and remains, the primary source of information about all aspects of the sport.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Twenty-Four
by Dr. Ken Leistner
More "Training the Same" This Time from Brooklyn and Valley Stream!
It may seem a bit unusual to begin a monthly column that is dedicated to my perspective on the history of becoming stronger and the sport of powerlifting with notice of a bodybuilder, but I wanted to mark the passing of Dennis Tinerino. I have made it clear that at least until powerlifting became an “official” sport with sanctioned competitions, most Olympic weightlifters, powerlifters, and bodybuilders had numerous similarities in their training. I believe that the old-fashioned explanation given to the uninformed during the early to mid-1960’s will very much emphasize my point.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Twenty-Five
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Zuver’s Hall of Fame Gym, Circa Late 1960’S.
Anyone who has participated in the sport of powerlifting knows that there is but one publication that represents the sport of powerlifting, and it is POWERLIFTING USA. In the past few months PLUSA, like this series on the TITAN SUPPORT SYSTEMS web site, has featured historical articles. In addition to the usual selection of fine training related materials, there is information about the original Westside Barbell Club. Certainly, when the modern era lifter hears “Westside,” they immediately visualize Louie Simmons and his stable of incredible lifters and all of their national and world records.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Twenty-Six
by Dr. Ken Leistner
The Philosophy of Abbreviated Routines
One of the long standing debates running through the powerlifting community was noted in a Powerlifting USA Magazine monthly column of mine many, many years ago. I discussed the use of what I termed “an abbreviated routine,” one that consisted of limited exercises and volume. On one side of what has at times been a contentious argument, are those that believe that abbreviated routines will only work for a drug free lifter. The reasoning is that without drugs, one cannot “stand” a great deal of very hard, stimulating work and will be unable to efficiently recover workout to workout or week to week throughout the course of a pre-contest preparation cycle or long term training cycle to receive much benefit. A drug free lifter will only, some think, be able to benefit from a limited amount of hard, heavy lifting.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Twenty-Seven
by Dr. Ken Leistner
More Philosophy of Abbreviated Routines
Few need to be reminded that when powerlifting became an official sport in the mid-1960’s, it truly was a scorned step-child relative to Olympic weightlifting. The latter was seen as a legitimate sporting activity, well organized, administrated by national and international bodies, with long established rules and regulations, and an entrenched following that included many athletes who were involved in other sports. The three competitive Olympic lifts formed the training backbone for almost every athlete that participated in weight training activities. Of course, any participation in “lifting” was rather limited as most coaches and athletes still viewed weight training as a sure path to athletic deterioration.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Twenty-Eight
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Rotation
The most recent articles in this series have been related to abbreviated programs. The columns have generated quite a bit of inquiry, most of it from younger lifters, and centers on the question, “How can this be possible?” Every competitive and “wanna be” lifter of today has trained in facilities chock full of equipment where the norm is to use as much of it as possible within any specific week. They came into the sport decades after the first real strength training machines and multitudes of different benches had been installed with no concept of the limitations placed upon training if one has no more than a barbell and a squat rack for example. Even those who have chosen to train at home with only a barbell and power rack, or at a well equipped gym but with programs calling for no more than the use of a barbell and dumbbells, have been exposed to the vast array of available equipment.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Twenty-Nine
by Dr. Ken Leistner
More On Lee Moran and “The Incident”
I was pleasantly surprised with the rather heavy response to the TITAN/ELEIKO Part Twenty Eight article of September, 2010. Before continuing the saga of Lee Moran’s 1,003 pound squat at the 1984 Senior National Championships, I would like to expand upon the concept of “coaching and handling” as quite a few of the younger lifters were a bit lost relative to my comments in last month’s installment. I admittedly have been removed from the powerlifting contest arena since 1998. I have continued to train some competitive lifters but have not attended any contests since the five annual meets that we ran for many years at our Iron Island Gym, the last of which was in 1998.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Thirty
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Dumbbells
In a world of specialization during an era of specialization, one of the lost aspects of effective training for powerlifters has come from the demise of dumbbell work. There are those like Louie Simmons who combine many new, innovative approaches to training with “old school” techniques and equipment and Louie specifically incorporates some dumbbell work into his programs. Most do not and for those lifters who are so specialized that they take an “Eastern European Olympic Weightlifting Approach” to powerlifting, doing only the three lifts or some variation of them, they may never use a dumbbell in any training program.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Thirty - One
by Dr. Ken Leistner
More Dumbbells
I could make the obvious joke and point out the knee jerk reaction of many in the strength community who said, “Yeah, Dr. Ken wrote about dumbbells from a lot of self knowledge, he is a dumbbell because of his adversity to kettlebells!” To me that would have been funny but allow me to be brief and clear. There is nothing “wrong” or incorrect about doing any training with kettlebells but it is not an efficient tool and for some applications not a safe tool relative to the use of a dumbbell.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Thirty - Two
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Dumbbells for Everyone
For those who saw the 1986 film “Back To School” starring the late Rodney Dangerfield, there is a line that became a catch-all for many things in our house among the children, and something I heard repeated on the street for a very long time; “Shakespere for everyone!” I could entitle this “Dumbbells for everyone!” because many powerlifters miss the boat when it comes to fully utilizing dumbbells in their training.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Thirty - Three
by Dr. Ken Leistner
More Dumbbells for Everyone
I was contacted by a fellow I knew in high school whose son was a patient and trainee of mine and he mentioned that he had been reading the ongoing Titan/Eleiko series of articles and remembered how so many of my classmates and others around school thought that walking through town with a loaded barbell in order to accumulate free plates was “just the strangest thing anyone could do.”
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Thirty - Four
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Making Dumbbells for Everyone
Before getting into the construction of home made dumbbells and discussing the archaic “revolving sleeves” that were part and parcel of every 110 pound set of standard weights sold throughout the 1950’s and ‘60’s, I want to present an e mail from Jan Dellinger. For those who don’t know, Jan was York Barbell Company’s representative from approximately 1976 into the early 2000’s. He probably held every job the company had to offer but after John Grimek retired, was best known for being the one guy in the office who could actually answer lifting related questions. He remains one of the true historians of all aspects of the Iron Sports and as the one person who worked side by side with the great Grimek, has all of the behind-the-scenes stories.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Thirty - Five
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Let's Make Dumbbells
Typical of the era and like almost all of the other teenaged boys I knew at that time, I had a job that kept me busy after school, in the evenings, and/or on the weekends. With time “off” to participate in high school sports, most of my “employment related work” was left for the weekends although a Saturday afternoon high school football game would often be approached after working with my father or uncle from 6 PM Friday evening, until perhaps 8 AM Saturday morning without a hint of sleep.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Thirty - Six
by Dr. Ken Leistner
The Strongmen
When it was time to train for an odd lift contest or powerlifting meet in the early to mid-1960’s, the fellows I would occasionally train with would do their best to have an Olympic barbell available. Any quick reading of the thirty-five preceding articles in this Titan series would make it obvious that the rules of “early powerlifting” borrowed liberally from the sport of Olympic weightlifting. Not yet being official, not yet being completely organized, and not being wholeheartedly accepted by those who ran national and international weightlifting, perhaps it was easiest to do what made the most sense which would have been to adapt the weightlifting rules to this new sport.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Thirty - Seven
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Early Beginnings for Powerlifting's Bar
I can recall an article written in the Weider publication Muscle Power, the forerunner to Muscle And Fitness magazine, and it noted that one did not necessarily need an Olympic barbell with rotating sleeves to perform the three official powerlifts, once the bench press, squat, and deadlift, in that order, were standardized as the competitive lifts. What seemed like a small bit of news was actually something that assuaged the apprehension of a lot of prospective powerlifters. I was typical of the “home trainee” of the early 1960’s in that I was serious about training, considered myself to be a part of the very small cult like following of consistent weight trainees in the area, had a lot of actual weight or barbell plates I could load onto a barbell or dumbbell bars, yet did not own an Olympic barbell.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Thirty - Eight
by Dr. Ken Leistner
A Brief But Necessary Explaination of “Powerlifting Vis-à-vis Olympic Lifting” Part 1
My compulsive nature is most comfortable when I can maintain both order and the order of completing tasks in a sequential manner. However, an interruption in communication with Ivanko Barbell founder Tom Lincir due to his schedule, and our readers’ repetitive request for further explanation about “Powerlifting as it was then” requires a month’s delay in Part 2 of our discussion about the necessity of having rotating sleeves on a barbell used exclusively for powerlifting.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Thirty - Nine
by Dr. Ken Leistner
A Brief But Necessary Explaination of “Powerlifting Vis-à-vis Olympic Lifting” Part 2
While it was my intention to return to the ongoing discussion related to powerlifting equipment and specifically questioning the need for a bar with rotating sleeves, the thirty-eighth installment of our TITAN series of articles sparked a great deal of comment and a number of requests for additional information.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Forty
by Dr. Ken Leistner
A Brief But Necessary Explaination of “Powerlifting Vis-à-vis Olympic Lifting” Part 3
That specific photo of Joe Weider has always provoked controversy. In fact, physique man Dan Lurie said in an interview that Joe used “retouching art work on several of his pictures. Putting his face on well built men is not new for Joe.” I know that much of the York gang of the 1960’s always believed that Joe had attained his peak of development for the 1953 Mr. Universe Contest and none were impressed.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Forty-One
by Dr. Ken Leistner
The Rotating Barbell and Ivanko
After a few months of discussion involving the politics and behind-the-scenes events that affected powerlifting and the founding of the sport, I would like to continue the point of debate that also affected the sport at one time. In any storefront gym or garage where lifters gathered to train, there was almost always a discussion involving the merits of utilizing a barbell that did not have rotating sleeves as per the standard Olympic barbell.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Forty-Two
by Dr. Ken Leistner
More On Rotating Sleeves
After the publication of Part 41 of this series of articles, the title of this month’s piece could have been “Let The Debate Begin.” There was an overwhelming response to my comments that there was no true advantage to utilizing a barbell with rotating sleeves when performing the squat, bench press, or deadlift.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Forty-Three
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Entering the Modern Age
I admit that I have enjoyed the responses that the most recent articles in this series have evoked (or provoked) as much as I have enjoyed writing the articles. For those readers new to this column which now includes forty-three monthly installments, the past few months have been spent explaining why it isn’t necessary to use what the lifting community refers to as a “power bar” or “Olympic barbell” for training if one is a competitive powerlifter.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Forty-Four
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Great Solution
With the past three-and-one-half years’ worth of discussion about the use and changes in training equipment, barbells, squat racks, and more, the use of the Olympic or power bar for competitive or non-competitive lifters has definitely provoked the most response. In my own case, I have achieved the “best of both worlds” with a combination of two terrific products. Remember the past few months’ columns please. I believe I established a viable opinion if not fact, that a barbell with rotating sleeves is not a necessity for those interested in squatting, bench pressing, and deadlifting the most weight possible.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Forty-Five
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Troubling and True - Breaking Barbells
With the past three-and-one-half years’ worth of discussion about the use and changes in training equipment, barbells, squat racks, and more, the use of the Olympic or power bar for competitive or non-competitive lifters has definitely provoked the most response. In my own case, I have achieved the “best of both worlds” with a combination of two terrific products. Remember the past few months’ columns please. I believe I established a viable opinion if not fact, that a barbell with rotating sleeves is not a necessity for those interested in squatting, bench pressing, and deadlifting the most weight possible.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Forty-Six
by Dr. Ken Leistner
More Troubling and True
“Dear Dr. Ken,
I have a question that I would like to ask in a respectful way. I have read and enjoyed your articles in different publications and on line for years. You are always straight forward and honest about things. In the old PLUSA Magazines you stayed out of the politics and commented honestly about the state of the sport. The series here at this site has been very informative. Here is my question, the main purpose so far has been about your personal history in the sport and equipment.
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Forty-Seven
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Commentary on Specialization
had given consideration to discussing the “specialized” equipment and apparel that has been associated with the sport of powerlifting for decades and realized that an age of specialization now spans a number of generations. I have always described myself as it relates to my profession, my interests, my daily and weekly activities, and my focus as a “football guy.” I initially began to train at the age of twelve in order to “be a better football player.”
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History
of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part
Forty-Eight
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Powerlifting USA
In late April of 2012, Mike Lambert announced that POWERLIFTING USA MAGAZINE would cease print publication after the May issue. A final issue of PLUSA was perhaps the last thing I had ever considered as a possibility. Everything changes or ends, everyone grows older and often, just old, but this is a change that my emotional attachment would not allow me to see on the near horizon.
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History of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part Forty-Nine
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Specialization Part Two
In late April of 2012, Mike Lambert announced that POWERLIFTING USA MAGAZINE would cease print publication after the May issue. A final issue of PLUSA was perhaps the last thing I had ever considered as a possibility. Everything changes or ends, everyone grows older and often, just old, but this is a change that my emotional attachment would not allow me to see on the near horizon.
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History of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part Fifty
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Specialization Part Three
With what is my consistent and ongoing complaint about the state of affairs in the game of football, I utilized the installment of two month's ago to begin another foray into a heated area of powerlifting discussion.
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History of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part Fifty-One
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Bench Press Backtalk!
Three years ago our family moved from a gang-influenced blue collar neighborhood to a safe, quiet, blue collar neighborhood. In both instances, our neighbors, for the most part, were and are hard-working individuals that included tradesmen, firefighters, police officers, manual laborers, and landscapers of mixed ethnicity. In our current area, there are a large number of bay men and dock workers as our 1.1 square mile village sits on the water.
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History of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part Fifty-Two
by Dr. Ken Leistner
"Best of Bench Press"
Three years ago our family moved from a gang-influenced blue collar neighborhood to a safe, quiet, blue collar neighborhood. In both instances, our neighbors, for the most part, were and are hard-working individuals that included tradesmen, firefighters, police officers, manual laborers, and landscapers of mixed ethnicity. In our current area, there are a large number of bay men and dock workers as our 1.1 square mile village sits on the water.
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History of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part Fifty-Three
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Ted Arcidi, Respect Earned!
It should come as no surprise that discussions about the bench press, more than the other two official powerlifts, still evoke the strongest of responses among powerlifters. In the sport’s earliest days, I believe that the three individual lifts, contested in the order of bench press, squat, and deadlift, were given equal attention and were approached with equal enthusiasm. Men who trained consistently with the intent of becoming big and strong did squats.
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History of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part Fifty-Four
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Prototyping Part 1
Having spent twelve days without electrical power, heat, hot water, and water that led to the hospitalization of over one hundred individuals who were exposed to e coli and other dysentery infections after the local sewage treatment plant and electrical substation blew up as the result of Hurricane Sandy, our family fully understood the difference between being inconvenienced and truly affected by tragedy.
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History of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part Fifty-Five
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Prototyping Part 2
In the TITAN SUPPORT SYSTEM column I wrote for December 01, 2012, HISTORY OF POWERLIFTING, WEIGHTLIFTING, AND STRENGTH TRAINING PART FIFTY FOUR: PROTOTYPES, PART ONE, I described the horrific events surrounding the hurricane that caused so much damage in our area and specifically in the Village of East Rockaway. I noted that “As I write this column, three weeks after the storm, very little has changed…,” and in truth, seven weeks after the storm, as I write Part Two of this prototyping related series of articles, very little has changed for many of the residents.
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History of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part Fifty-Six
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Prototyping Part 3
The use of computers has streamlined the exercise equipment prototyping procedures and this is from one who is almost completely “computer useless.” I’m a terror at responding to e mails, can navigate to a very few, select sites I use for information gathering and research, but still require assistance from my wife or daughter to do the most simple computer tasks.
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History of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part Fifty-Seven
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Prototyping Part 4
I’ve always taken the request to assist any equipment, exercise machine, barbell, and/or plate manufacturer with seriousness and appreciation. I assume that any new product represents an investment of time, effort, and money that will very much determine the individual’s livelihood. For some of the “small time” companies or singular individuals who either successfully founded a business in this very high risk industry or failed with their initial product, it is or was in fact a matter of their livelihood, and ability to support their family
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History of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part Fifty-Eight
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Prototyping Part 5
There was a significant amount of feedback regarding last month’s article about machine and power rack prototyping. I thought that our readers might enjoy some comments from long time lifter and trainee Dan Martin of California. I have included my responses to him:
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History of Powerlifting, Weightlifting and Strength Training - Part Fifty-Nine
by Dr. Ken Leistner
Prototyping Part 6
One of our TITAN readers asked why I presented eccentric training and the equipment used for it as a point of emphasis for prototyping information. He wanted to know if it would have been more effective to use an example that was “something more closely related to powerlifting” as opposed to Nautilus machines.
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