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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