Lat Machine Development of the Biceps and Forearms - Charles A. Smith

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Lat Machine Development of the Biceps and Forearms
by Charles A. Smith (1951)


Before beginning this article I would like to thank the authorities without whose help it would have been impossible for me to write this and other latissimus machine features. Particularly helpful information was obtained from the following books:

“Clinics for 1946” by George Morris Piersol, M.D.
“Principles Of The Physical Treatment Of Minor Injuries” by W.H. Northway, M.D.
“Aspects of Physical Therapy And Reconditioning in Army Hospitals” by O. Leonard Huddleston, M.D., Ph.D.

The above books are incorporated in one volume, “Clinics for 1946”, and may be obtained through your book dealer. The volume contains a wealth of knowledge and should be in the library of every authority and instructor.

I am a man easily swayed by emotion. I cannot help this, for I am as I am. Always have I found it easier to think with my heart than with my head. Music affects me deeply and human joys and sorrows vibrate the strings of my feelings with a profundity that sometimes makes me feel ashamed of my softness. My young daughter went downstairs to buy me my newspaper Thanksgiving morning – one of those chores that kids think so very important and productive of reward – and opening it, I read of the Long Island train holocaust. There was the stark, searing tragedy spread over the pages – pictures that told of the horror of broken bodies and blood – of anguish and sorrow and pain. Of the tears of the women left alone in shattered homes, and the agony of those who suffered in the wreck while waiting for rescue. And so I turned the pages and came upon another tragedy – young Tony Scarpati had killed a kid in the gang warfare of our Big Town. And I couldn’t help thinking that here was the greater sorrow, the bigger wreck. A boy, possibly paying for his crime against society with his life. And yet this wasn’t his crime, it was the crime of that very society against which it had been committed. “No place to go, Judge,” said one of Scarpati’s companions, “we have no place to go, nothing to do.”

I have always been of the opinion that we weight trainers bear a larger responsibility to those around us than any other type of athlete. How easy it is for us to guide the high, bubbling animal spirits of the young into the proper channels – into a normal outlet for their excess energy. I wonder if the crime would have been committed and the punishment meted out, if someone had gone up to young Tony and his companions that shot dice or played cards and said, “Hey, Tony – how big’s your biceps?” Just that magic word, that little square of common ground on which the candidates for juvenile delinquency and the lifters can meet. “How big’s your biceps?” Imagine how the young fellows would have compared arm size, would have been impressed by the body builder’s superior muscles, and beyond any doubt. would nave vowed to go and do likewise – imagine how the time previously wasted in outwitting the Law or idly spent in pool rooms would have been taken up builder stronger bodies. Henry Wittenberg, 190-pound Olympic Champion Wrestler and New York Policeman, hit the nail right on the head in a recent interview when he told me, “Kids soon realize that they can’t get stronger and healthier if they keep late hours and generally misbehave.”

Maybe, for the sake of a single word, “Biceps,” and the man to say it, Tony Scarpati will spend a considerable portion of his young life making restitution for the other life he took. Whatever happens, it is good to know there ARE people who care about what happens to young Scarpati and his companions. These are human lives and MUST be saved somehow.

Not only in the field of Welfare and the development of good citizens does weight training play a prominent role. In the repairing of shattered bodies, as well as broken souls, it has enjoyed outstanding success. Our veteran’s hospitals, crowded with wounded from Korea, and from World War II, make extensive use of dumbbells, exercise benches and Latissimus machines – all activities that are immensely increasing the popularity of weight training. In particular has the pulley and the Lat Machine been effective in strengthening upper backs, shoulders, and arms. Because the apparatus affords a greater range of mobility it has also been very prominent in developing the muscles of the upper arms, forearms and fingers after recovery from severe burns and other wounds. The resistance can be as light as a feather, figuratively speaking, and the number of repetitions used high.

In developing the biceps and forearms the Lat Machine has very special value. Curiously, the biceps is the one muscle of the body everyone knows – it doesn’t matter whether a fellow has never heard of a weight, just put your hand on his arm and he’ll say, “Biceps.” It is the general impression that the upper arm contains its greatest bulk in the biceps. This, of course, isn’t true! The triceps forms by far the larger part of the upper arm, yet it is the biceps brachii that is the show muscle, the impressive rising lump that gives shape and seeming height to the upper arm. It is a quick-responding group and a short session with a barbell and dumbbell can fast increase the tape measurement – subsiding in a little while, and needing the greater influence of the lat machine and its ability to reach the deeper, unused fibers of the biceps. The biceps is one of the easiest muscles of the body to gain definition in, and it is possessed of considerable endurance in that it readily lends itself to a great number of repetitions. The function of the biceps is to flex the forearm onto the upper arm and to supinate the hand – that is, turn the hand palm uppermost. If you doubt this statement, then try this experiment. Raise your forearm – right, to a point where it is parallel to the ground. The knuckles should be facing the side or turned out. Rotate the hand at the wrist, twisting the palm up and down while you have the fingers of your left hand on the biceps of the right arm. During the rotation you will experience a full and powerful contraction of the biceps, with the muscle bunching itself up high and hard.

Forearm muscles are among the most complicated in action in the entire body structure. The one ability that human beings possess over apes is that of crossing the thumb over the palm of the hand. Apes cannot do this for the movements of their hands are restricted. The forearm muscles also flex the wrist in all directions, rotating and twisting it. The forearms are also developed by gripping objects of weight and size – heavy dumbbells with thick handles build them up and it used to be a recognized feat of strength for a man to carry a heavy weight in one hand for as far as he could, the athlete covering the greatest distance proving the winner. Important indeed, are the muscles of the forearms, and as Steve Reeves has said in one of his interviews – “If you can’t hold it, you can’t lift it.” Strength of fingers, hands and forearms are important to every type of lifter and every effort should be made to bring these qualities up to a peak. In the exercises that follow, you will notice that with one exception the reps are high. The more blood you pump into these muscles, the nourishment they can absorb and the more quickly they will recover from the effects of exercise.
Here is the way to use this Lat Machine biceps and forearm course. First, go through your regular workout – whatever style of lifting you normally do. When you have finished this, take a short rest of 15 to 20 minutes and then finish with these Lat Machine exercises. During your rest period, drink a glass of fruit juice sweetened with honey, or a glass of orange juice with an egg whipped into it.

Exercise 1.
Lie under the lat machine with your feet directly under it. Use a “thumbs around the bar grip”. The backs of the hands should be towards your feet – the palms will therefore be “facing” your face. From this position pull down on the bar until it touches the chest. DON’T let the upper arms move. Keep them absolutely still at all times. From this position pull down on the bar until it touches the chest. DON’T let the upper arms move. Keep them absolutely STILL at all times. When the bar touches your chest, try and press it down HARD and hold the contraction. Start off with a weight you can easily handle for 10 reps for 2 sets and work up to 2 sets of 20 reps. Make each movement full, complete and with the utmost of concentration.

Exercise 2.
The following is an excellent movement to utilize the lat machine for a peak contraction movement. In this exercise it is necessary to remove the bar and replace it with a broad band of canvas or a belt. Sit on a bench of the floor directly under the lat machine and sideways to it. Reach up and grasp the belt in your hand and sit down again. At this stage, the weight should be OFF the floor with FULL resistance right from the start of the exercise. KEEP THE UPPER ARM STILL. It can be rested firmly against the side of the head. From this position PRESS-PULL down and carry the fist back of the head. When the arm is completely bent at the elbow, hold it and turn the wrist up and BACK. You will experience a violent contraction of the entire biceps. Lower the weight and repeat. Start off with a poundage you can easily handle for 2 sets of 10 reps and work up to 2 sets of 20 reps before adding weight.

Exercise 3.
Place the end of an exercise bench on a box, under the lat machine so that the highest end is RIGHT UNDER the bar. Kneel at the lowest end of the bench and lay your arms along the sloping bench. Grasp the bar in the hands with a rather narrow grip and from this position curl the weight DOWN until the knuckles touch the shoulder. A tremendous amount of contraction can be gained from the use of this exercise. Make every movement STEADY and at the lowest point where the bar touches the shoulders, hold it there and the contraction of the biceps for a short count of three before returning the arms to starting position. You can also make use of an incline bench if using an ordinary bench with the end raised is too uncomfortable. The use of an incline bench is shown in the illustration of this exercise. DON’T allow the UPPER arms to move. Start off with a weight you can handle for 2 sets of 10 reps and work up to 2 sets of 20 reps before increasing the weight.

Exercise 4.
Place an incline bench with the slope towards the lat machine. Lie on the bench and have a training partner pull the bar down to your grasp. Don’t allow the body to move or the back to arch during this exercise. The hand spacing should be just shoulder width apart, the palms uppermost and the arms STRAIGHT. From this position and bending the arms at the elbows, curl the weight down to across the shoulders or top of the chest; return and repeat. Start off with a weight you can handle for 3 sets of 8 repetitions working up to 3 sets of 15 reps before adding weight. It is important to let the biceps do all the work. Don’t let the body help in any way.

Exercise 5.
A considerable size and amount of definition in the forearms can be built by use of the lat machine. While it is but rarely used for this, these forearm exercises have been slowly, yet steadily gaining in popularity because of the high number of repetitions which are possible. Considerable weight can gradually be built up in the exercising poundages, with even the muscles of the fingers and the entire hand benefiting. It is reported that Mac Batchelor has rigged up a special apparatus for exercising the forearms, built along Lat Machine lines. Remove the bar a substitute it with a belt or band of canvas. Place an exercising bench under the Lat Machine and rest the upper arm along the bench with the forearm UP. With the belt grasped firmly, and keeping the upper arm STILL, press down bending the hand at the wrist and turning the palm DOWN until it is as close to the forearm as it can get. Start off with a weight you can handle for 2 sets of 15 reps and work up to two sets of 25 reps.

Exercise 6.
Adopt the same position as in the previous exercise – upper arm resting along the bench and forearm pointing straight up, and grasping the belt or canvas band. From this position pull down and sideways allowing the forearm and wrist to rotate so that the hand turns right down around and UP. This is an excellent movement for strengthening the grip – the fingers and muscles along the back of the hand are greatly affected. Start off with 2 sets of 15 reps and work up to 2 sets of 25 reps.

Exercise 7.
Lay the forearm under the Lat Machine and away from it so that the cable is at an angle. Rest the forearm so that the hand is resting right on the edge of the bench with the palm of the hand facing DOWN. From this position grasp the belt attached to the machine and flex the wrist so that the palm is turned DOWN towards the forearm. Start off with 2 sets of 15 reps and work up to 2 sets of 25 reps. Concentrate strongly when performing all these forearm exercises.

This article concludes the series of Exercising with the Lat Machine. They have been received exceedingly well by all authorities and I have had many letters from physiotherapists telling of the use to which these Pulley and Latissimus Machine exercises have been put. It is nice to think one’s work is appreciated, and in response to scores of requests from body builders and Physiotherapists, I am continuing the series next month with The Complete Science of the Exercise Bench.

The ABC’s of Weightlifting, Part Five - Tommy Kono

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The ABC’s of Weightlifting, Part Five
by Tommy Kono (1969)

For more detailed information, and several useful weightlifting products, see here -
click >> http://www.tommykono.com/ << click

The Area of Balance

The subject covered in this article may seem so basic it doesn’t require any explanation yet many times the most fundamental things are overlooked or forgotten while a more complicated manner is stressed. For this reason I am calling your attention to a basic law of lifting in the following paragraphs.

In lifting, the Area of Balance is created by the base of your feet. Any time the bar travels beyond this base, whether it is behind or in front, you have lost control of the barbell. When this happens THE BARBELL WILL CONTROL YOUR MOVEMENT if you want to save the lift.

The Area of Balance is between the middle of the heel bone and between the ball of the foot and the first joint of the big toe. The Area of Balance is the shaded portion in the accompanying drawings. With the feet pointed straight ahead and parallel to each other, you have a greater fore and aft area (figure A) as compared to the feet angled outwards (figure B). This is one of the reasons why lifters who use the lay-back technique of pressing keep their feet parallel to each other – for a greater fore and aft movement of the hips in pressing and for maintaining good balance while the weight travels outward.

The barbell is not like a Yo-Yo where you can throw it away from you and pull it back with a snap of the wrist. If you weigh 150 pounds and you swing a 300 pound barbell (or for that matter a 200 pound one) away from you, you will end up traveling forward with the barbell if you want to regain control of it.

In all your lifting, whether it be pressing, cleaning, snatching or dead lifting (study figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively), keep the bar traveling within the Area of Balance for maximum efficiency. Think that the bar must travel within the column of air space created directly above the area your feet cover.

In pulling, keep in mind that for every forward or backward movement of he barbell out of the Area of Balance it means you are LOSING the height of the pull in direct proportion to the distance the bar travels out of the Area of Balance. Naturally, in the press, if the bar travels out of the Area of Balance in competition, you’ve lost the lift since you will have to take a step to regain your balance under the weight.

Figures C and D illustrate the correct and incorrect way in maintaining your balance over the Area of Balance. In figure “C” the actual balance is placed on the ball of the feet which is the correct technique. With this technique you have better control of your body movement. In handbalancing it is termed the “over-balance” technique. By having your balance on the balls of the feet you are able to “grip” the floor with your feet. In figure “D” you see the balance centered approximately in the middle of the Area of Balance and this leaves you very little control. This type of balance is akin to a boxer being caught flat-footed.

The ABC’s of Weightlifting, Part Four - Tommy Kono

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The ABC’s of Weightlifting, Part Four
by Tommy Kono (1969)

For more detailed information, and several useful weightlifting products, see here -
click >> http://www.tommykono.com/ << click

In this installment of the ABC series the information presented is directed more toward the benefit of the squat style lifters; however, the material in this article can be useful for both bodybuilders and power lifters.

Generally speaking, a majority of the squat technicians in the Olympic lifts can pull into the shoulders more weight than they can rise with. Or, should they have the ability to stand up from the squat clean they lack the extra power in their legs to jerk the weight overhead. This is often the case despite the fact that the lifter had performed many sets of heavy squats in training.

Improper squatting technique not only wastes the lifter’s time but also gives him a false sense of power in the legs which do not really serve him well for the squat style clean & jerk. What then, constitutes good technique in the squat exercise which will aid in the Olympic lifts?

The drawings accompanying this article show three of the variations used by the lifters of which one is the better style. Note the differences in the three techniques and figure why one is better than the other two. Compare the following explanation with your own.


Detailed Explanation of the Correct and Incorrect Methods

Figure “A” shows the body in an upright position which places all the stress on the thighs in coming out of the deep squat. Figure “B” illustrates a squat with the back inclined forward which takes most of the stress off the thighs and places it on the back. “B” technique employs a larger number of muscle groups so a greater load can be handled in the squat BUT it does not improve the cleaning ability. This is the style usually employed by the power lifers to get record poundage. A renowned superheavyweight not only employs this technique but also rides the bar NOT ON HIS SHOULDERS but almost on his mid-back; that is, below the rear deltoids. He also uses an extremely wide stance which brings into play muscle groups of the inner thighs. the MORE MUSCLE GROUPS EMPLOYED AT ONE TIME THE GREATER THE WEIGHT THAT CAN BE HANDLED. But, it doesn’t mean that the cleaning ability will improve.

Why is the inclined style an inferior technique to use for the squat clean? In figures “A” and “B” imagine the bar resting on the chest instead of on the shoulders as in the squat clean and it will become more obvious. In the upright squat position it makes very little difference but in the incline technique the body is forced to become more upright to rest the bar on the chest. This means that the advantage of using the back muscles becomes less; consequently, more stress is thrown on the legs, a muscle group unaccustomed to the load since it had shared the load with the muscles of the back.

Quite some time ago two middleweights who at one time or another held the world record in the Clean & Jerk trained together. The first middleweight used to squat with 400 pounds for 5 reps in almost every workout without much difficulty while the second middleweight in his best shape had a hard time performing 3 reps with the weight once a week. Yet, when the squat exercise was performed with the BAR RESTING ON THE CHEST, the first middleweight had a rough time completing one repetition with 375 pounds while the second middleweight who had a rough time with 400 pounds in back was able to successfully make 3 reps with 375 in front. The first middleweight had kept his back flat but used to incline his body forward as he went into the squat while the second middleweight always used to perform the squat exercise almost bolt upright. Incidentally, the 2nd middleweight also had a heavier development of the muscle right above the knees (Vastus Internus) than the first middleweight because of the correct squatting position adopted.

Squatting correctly for lifting requires a certain amount of flexibility in the ankles, knees and hips. This is achieved by stretching the calf muscles and the frontal thigh muscles and an ability to flex the lumbar muscles to tilt the pelvic girdle back.

The key points to remember in performing the squats for lifting are:
(1) Try to maintain a flat back with your chest held high (lungs filled with air),
(2) Keep the upper body as upright as possible as you descend into the squat, and
(3) Attempt to bring the hip joint as close as possible to the ankle joint when you reach the bottom of the squat. This means that the knees (viewing from the sides) will have to point forward and not upward.

Some lifters go into the full squat in the correct manner but instead of rising correctly they either fall into the lean forward technique or lose their flat back and collapse into a “bow” as in figure “C” to relieve the legs of the load and throw it on the back muscles. They can do this in the regular squat but the moment the bar is shifted from behind the neck to in front of the neck as in the squat clean then the effectiveness of the squat exercise is lost. Use the lean forward or “bowed” position and eventually you develop a thick set of spinal erector muscles; especially where the bow is the greatest. Use the bow technique and you also find yourself developing a thicker waist because of the pressure created in the abdominal region and from the thickening of the lower back muscles.

When you fall into the bowed squat position your balance shifts toward the heel which in turn automatically forces the back muscles to take the bulk of the load.

In all of your squatting movements in training whether the bar is resting on your shoulders or in front of your chest, always try to squat with your upper body as upright as possible. Incline or bow your back if you have to with the extremely heavy ones but try to execute the squat exercise correctly for the greatest benefit for your clean & jerks.

John McLoughlin - Hank Galiano

John McLoughlin
by Hank Galiano (1959)


If an obscure lifter of average strength suddenly comes along and unofficially breaks a long-standing world record by a few pounds, it would be commendable. However, if this unknown lifter surpasses the old record by over ONE HUNDRED pounds, there is every reason to call it phenomenal. Such has been the unique case of John McLoughlin, 198-pound lifter from the German-American A.C. in N.Y.C.

John has exceeded the two finger dead lift record of the famous strongman Hermann Goerner by exactly 103 pounds! Goerner established his record in this lift with 308 pounds back in the early 1920’s. No one has ever reported doing more until John McLoughlin performed his shattering 411 pounds before a number of reliable witnesses.

The two finger dead lift does not sound like too difficult a feat until one has tried it with a respectable poundage. It is truly a feat of finger strength and the ability to withstand pain on the fingers. Any one finger of each hand may be employed. John uses the middle fingers. It is executed in the same manner as the regular two hands dead lift, except that only one finger of each hand is used to grip the bar instead of the whole hand.

This amazing display of finger strength on the part of John McLoughlin is even more meritorious when one considers the fact that Goerner is classified as one of the strongest men that ever lived, and that one of his specialties was the dead lift, at which he is credited with 798 pounds. John’s best in this lift is a comparatively modest 530 pounds. This is the most astounding part of it all. John does not train on the two finger dead lift. In fact, he very seldom does it, and then only upon the insistence of the boys at the gym. He is very unassuming and overly modest.

John is 38 years old and has been training for some 20 years now. He isn’t a big fellow with big hands as one may expect. He stands 5’8” and weights around 190 with a 16½” arm and 8 inch wrists. He is proficient at feats of finger and gripping strength and has cleaned and pressed a pair of 103 pound dumbbells with bars 2” in diameter. He can also chin with two fingers, do a handstand on the thumbs and reverse curls 145 pounds correctly.

All in all, John can be classified as a man with abnormal finger strength, perhaps superior in that respect to even the mighty Hermann Goerner. It is for this reason that we salute John McLoughlin, the man with the phenomenal fingers.

The ABC’s of Weightlifting, Part Three - Tommy Kono

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The ABC’s of Weightlifting, Part Three
by Tommy Kono (1969)

For more detailed information, and several useful weightlifting products, see here -
click >> http://www.tommykono.com/ << click


This month we cover the third and most devastating error committed by a majority of good lifters in pulling for the Snatch and Cleans; a common habit that beginners fall into when they attempt heavy weights too soon.

In an interview with the Soviet Union’s chief coach Dr. Arcady Vorobiev, he mentioned that the biggest fault made in the Snatch lift by international calibre lifters was that, “They try to go under the weight too quickly.” In other words he meant that these champions do not fully exploit the strength they have in pulling the weight up because they fail to get maximum height in their pull. They tend to cut their pull short and try to go under the weight quickly instead.

Study figure A and note all the faults listed in the Analysis Box. In figure A the lifter is attempting to bring his shoulders down to meet the bar rather than bringing the bar up to meet the shoulders. This is akin to the previous article on the initial pull where the lifter started with bent arms to bring his shoulders closer to the bar. A lifter who is in this position will not have a strong finish pull but, instead, will have a strong “first” pull because he has dissipated his pull and now must rely on speed of movement to get under the bar to catch it overhead (for the Snatch) or on the chest (for the Clean).

A lifter who uses his arms too quickly on the first pull has fairly well developed biceps; especially is it pronounced where the biceps join the forearm. An “arm puller” also has less trapezius development because the biceps are called into action much more than the trapezius.

In figure A the upper body is still inclined forward a bit which means that the bar will be away from the body, giving you an additional disadvantage on leverage for the pull.

Now, study figure B and note the corrections listed in the Analysis Box.

In figure B the lifter has stretched his body as much as he can. The bar is traveling upwards too for the lifter is making every effort to lift his elbows directly up. This comes about because of the lifter’s effort to get a maximum UPWARD contraction of the trapezius muscles. The lifter even has his head tilted upwards as well as his line of sight. THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF THE PULL IS TO STRETCH OR LENGTHEN THE BODY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE BY EVEN TRYING TO CRANE THE NECK AND LIFTING THE CHEST UPWARDS.

Assuming that you have extended your body as much as possible to give you maximum height and then you contract your trapezius to the “craned neck” position, and at the same time driving down hard on the platform with your toes, you will have achieved as much height as possible on the pull with the least use of the arms. THE LESS ARM POWER YOU USE TO PULL THE WEIGHT UP THE MORE BODY POWER AND BODY LEVERAGE YOU MUST EMPLOY TO GET THE PULL, the correct way to achieve maximum pulling power for the Olympic quick lifts.


Maximum Extension in the Second Pull

In the article previous to this in the ABC series, I mentioned the importance of having your shoulders well over the bar when it reaches knee height (beginning of the second pull) position. This was to get you into the most powerful position for the second and more important pull.

Note the shaded drawings. In figure A only the shaded head is beyond the position of the bar while in drawing B approximately half of the shaded body is beyond the bar. In figure A because the major portion of the shaded area is BEHIND the bar, the lifter has his body weight resting toward the rear of his feet. When the body is extended in the second pull the lifter pulls the bar towards himself and backward because the body is EXTENDING TO THE REAR. Note how the bar, in figure A, has traveled backwards from the knee height position to the extended body position. This causes the lifter to jump back to catch the weight. The bar has also separated from the body in the unshaded portion of figure A which means you are losing some of the leverage for pulling.

In figure B the lifter has not only brought his shoulders backward but because of his correct shoulders-over-the-bar position at knee height the hips have driven forward and up. The shoulders moving backwards is counteracted by the hips moving forward. The end result is the bar traveling in an upright path instead of backwards as in figure A. If anything, the bar actually travels a little forward since the balance is brought more forcefully over the balls of the feet.

Extending the body to get the maximum height is most important but the extension must be UPWARDS and not backwards as in figure A.

How Can You Tell if a Training Program is Good? - William A. Sands

How Can You Tell if a Training Program is Good?
by William A. Sands (1996)


What standards should you use in choosing a weight-training program? There are numerous programs out there with endless variations of each, and when you read about them in the magazines or hear other trainers discuss their experiences, it’s tough to evaluate the information. To help you determine which programs are worth trying, I’d like to suggest certain criteria, or standards, a training method should meet.


Criterion One:
Has the program undergone experimental testing? This may refer to controlled laboratory or field studies or simply the presentation of data in the form of results about the effects of the program. It’s not enough to say that something was “scientifically tested”. Unfortunately, this phrase has been abused and become a garbage-can term that is merely descriptive and without much substance.

Most people are unable to interpret the results of experimental studies as they’re written in scientific journals because of the jargon and turf-related abbreviations. That’s too bad because in my experience when scientists take the time to carefully translate the jargon, anyone can understand the punchline. Most experiments are designed to answer a very simple question; for example, if you do that, will you get better results than someone who does something else or someone who does nothing? Any intelligent person can understand that.

Experiments are the only objective method I’m aware of for comparing programs. The rigors of the scientific method and careful attention to context can give us an excellent idea of a program’s effectiveness. I read with interest the extreme hostility that certain authors and so-called experts vent toward anyone who may not see their special system as gospel. A more productive use for that hostility would be to redirect it toward supporting unbiased laboratory and field studies comparing various programs. Otherwise, it’s just a waste of time and potential. Without controlled studies there is nothing to argue about.


Criterion Two:
Does the program indicate context? Specifically, does the author tell you how to apply it with regard to the following variables –

(a) Age. Does the author specify the target audience? Is the program for adults, masters, adolescents, preadolescents or someone else? Although authors may assume that only adults will use the program, how many times have you seen teens trying out the champions’ programs?

(b) Training Level. The same goes for training experience. Is the program for experienced trainers, intermediates or novices?

(c) Contraindications. These are often exercise specific. Are there exercises that could be harmful to someone with a fragile back or knee? Are there exercises that might replace those that could aggravate a previous injury? Are there strength levels necessary before one should undertake the program?

(d) Effective Duration. No program continues to be effective for all people under all circumstances indefinitely. Does the author indicate how long you can use this one before you need to modify your training or change it altogether? Understand that this doesn’t represent a weakness in the program, just a completeness. If the authors don’t know how long their programs will continue to be effective, they should alert readers to be on the lookout. It’s not enough to say that different people will get different results.


Criterion Three:
Periodization. Periodization is a much discussed but poorly understood concept. When you’re reading about training or conditioning programs, beware of buzzwords like “periodization,” “Eastern European,” “Russian,” “plyometrics,” “intervals,” “circuit training,” “negatives,” “pyramiding” and “stacking.” Specifically, a periodized program should provide the following information:

(a) Goals. The goals, or stages, of the program should be clearly indicated. Not everyone has the same goals to the same degree, and different periodization approaches will result in different effects. Although you could probably state that you want to get stronger or bigger or whatever, these are hardly specific enough to lead you to an effective training program. Unless you set intermediated goals – that is, unless you list exactly what you want from a program – you may slip into the “let’s just work out and see” approach that leads to few if any gains. In evaluating a training program, then, the questions become: Are the intermediate goals stated, and are they measurable?

(b) Monitoring. a program should have a provision for periodically taking specific measurements to determine if it is working. A properly periodized program has one or more monitoring variables that can indicate progress. It’s a shame to spend many weeks or months on a training system and get little or no benefit from it, particularly when some early measurements would have helped you see that your training was going nowhere. Handy signposts include one-rep maximums, girth measurements and body composition testing.

All training should occur within the prime window of adaptability, the point where the training loads are optimal to meet your goals. It’s a Goldilocks problem. You don’t want to train too much, and you don’t want to train too little. The muscle magazines, books and websites often devote considerable space to the need for athletes to avoid “overtraining,” to the point that we’ve lost sight of what the term means. Even so, you must monitor your training to avoid both overtraining and undertraining or detect them early enough to prevent serious problems.

(c) Model. A properly periodized program is based on a theoretical model that has been tested and shown to be effective. There are currently several established training models of volume, intensity, density, frequency, duration, progression and transition, among other factors. Some are more appropriate for elite performers, while others are more suitable for intermediates or beginners. Some periodized programs include a combination of components from different models. The periodized program you choose should be based on a model that was used successfully for athletes who had needs similar to your own.

(d) Training Load. Does the program give specific instructions on how to change the training load as you progress? A guideline to increase the weight when you can do 10 reps is too general. You want to know how to modify the generic program to meet your specific situation. Experience with the generic program will give you and/or your coach the ability to predict with greater consistency what changes will give the best results.

(e) Recovery. Are rest periods planned and implemented? This is perhaps the single most important part of a periodized program, yet it’s often just given lip service by programs that claim to be periodized but lack important features. Rest periods should be planned on a daily, weekly and monthly basis across several phases in a training year. The change in athletes’ attitudes about how hard they must work when they know they’re going to have scheduled rest periods simply amazes me. Intensity of both attitude and training load appear to be enhanced dramatically when trainees know they don’t have to maintain them forever.


Criterion Four.
The author should have a legitimate background and reputation, and this is not limited to the theoretical study of training alone. But you should consider it in light of what the author said, not necessarily who agrees or disagrees with him or her. Someone once said that the effectiveness of a coach may not be related to what the coach knows but rather by which athletes the coach can attract, and that goes for a training program as well. Be aware, however, that talented or genetically superior athletes can make poor programs look great because those people would probably succeed under almost any program.

Try to evaluate the author’s ideas on their own merits, without regard for reputation, testimonials or anecdotes. Experience is an important teacher, but it can be wrong. Many of the arguments about training I’ve read are based on personal preference or what I would call logical constructions, rather than experimentally derived facts. Logical constructions are an important first step, but they are not fact. Fortunately, exercise scientists can use experimental approaches to confirm or negate these constructions. It’s too bad that more of these so-called experts don’t attempt to test their constructions.

The ABC’s of Weightlifting, Part Two - Tommy Kono

Mike Karchut

The ABC's of Weightlifting, Part Two
by Tommy Kono (1969)

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This month we cover two of the three commonest errors made in the “pull” section of the Olympic lifts. The two errors are related somewhat not only because they appear in “lifting” the weight up for the Snatch or Clean (not Power Clean), but because the correct lifting action flows from one position to the next. Obviously, if you start a lift incorrectly, there is little chance of correcting the errors as the lift progresses.


Detailed Explanation of the Incorrect and Correct Method

The Initial Pull:
When an inexperienced lifter attempts to lift a barbell to the chest from the floor he invariably starts the pull with bent arms. The hips are held high because they are unaccustomed to employ their legs to start the pull. When the weights become heavier still, added to the above mistakes, they also tend to round their backs or hunch over since this is the strongest starting position for them. In effect, they employ the muscles which they have been most accustomed to using during their daily life. Some of the more advanced lifters fall into this habit too when going extremely heavy or trying for record lifts. I know of one West Coast middleweight who lifted using this technique and his best Clean & Jerk was about 315. The heavier the weight became the more he used to lean forward and flex his arms just prior to the start of the pull. This same middleweight, with some expert coaching from his dad and others, corrected this mistake and in combination with his improved training methods was able to SNATCH 325 using straps as a lightheavyweight 2½ years later.

When using this incorrect method, in an effort to give an all-out pull at the very beginning of the lift, the lifter will automatically start to contract his trapezius and flex his arms to bring his chest closer to the bar. The back too (either the lower or upper or both) hunches over to bring his chest closer to the bar. Exerting maximum power in this position brings about a couple of bad effects:

(1) The body or head “jars” before the weight leaves the floor because either the back bows more or the arms straighten out a little causing the body to change position without the bar being lifted. A more vivid example to explain this action would be that of a person who tugs on a slack rope which is attached to a stalled car. The rope will whip taut in taking up the slack and he would “jar” but the car will not move. Another good example to remember would be the story about the man who had a stalled car and needed a push to get it started. A woman driver came by and asked if she could help. The man told her that he needed a push but since his car has an automatic transmission he would have to be pushed up to 40 miles-per-hour before it would start. The accommodating woman reared her car back for about one hundred feet and then came at him from behind trying to build her car speed up to 40 mph.

Pulling the weight is very similar to this. You cannot exert everything you have at the very beginning of the pull.

(2) By exerting maximum pull at the start of the lift you dissipate all your force to overcome the gravitational pull on the barbell and would have nothing left for the second and more important part of the pull.


Now, to the approximate correct starting position, and I say “approximate” because it depends on a person’s height and body structure in regard to how high the hips will be in relation to the shoulders. A lifter may start with his shoulders well over the bar but when the weight actually begins to leave the platform the shoulders would be right above or even slightly behind the bar. The lower back is held rigidly straight or even arched in. THE IDEA BEHIND THE INITIAL PULL SHOULD NOT BE THE MOTION OF PULLING BUT THE ACT OF SEPARATING THE BAR FROM THE PLATFORM. If you concentrate on the principle of creating more distance between the platform and the bar your back will retain its position without hunching nor will you tend to flex your arms so quickly: hence achieving a smooth and accelerated pull. THE INITIAL PULL SERVES ONLY TO PLACE THE BODY AND BAR INTO THE STRONGEST POSITION FOR THE SECOND PULL.


The Second Pull

There is very little difference between most correct and incorrect positions but the effect of the minor differences makes a great deal of difference in the final result. In both cases the bar is fixed at knee height but the positions vary only by the placement of the shoulders.

When a lifter is positioned with his shoulders right above the bar, because the balance of the body is more in the middle of the feet, the lifter has a tendency of straightening his body backward; i.e., the shoulders go backward, using the hips as the pivoting point. The shoulders-over-bar position also prevents you from using your legs forcefully to extend the body upward. The end result is that the bar is pulled backwards and the lifter must jump back to catch the weight at either shoulder height or overhead, depending on whether he is cleaning or snatching the weight. A point to remember is that the more you jump back the less height you will have in the pull for you dissipate the pulling or height force by giving in to the jumping back or horizontal force.


There are two key positions in achieving maximum pull (in the next installment the other position will be discussed). When the bar is at the knees the shoulders should be well forward of the bar, so much so, that the balance of the body is on the balls of the feet. An inch or so above this bar-at-knees position brings your body into the best body position possible to get the combined maximum explosive force of your back, trapezius, legs and calves. This shoulders-well-beyond-the-bar position prevents you from pulling the bar backwards. On the contrary, instead of the shoulders pivoting backwards around the hips, the hips will now swing forward and upward when you attempt to extend the body and, at the same time, the shoulders will travel up instead of toward the rear.


Analysis : Initial Pull

Faults:
Back is bowed.
Arms are slightly flexed.
Trapezius muscles are contracted.

Corrections:
Back is flat or even arched in (chest held high).
Arms are straight and taut.
Trapezius muscles are taut.


Analysis : Second Pull

Faults:
Shoulders are directly above the bar.
Hips are too far back.
Body balance centered over the feet or towards the heels.

Corrections:
Shoulders well ahead of the bar.
Hips ready to drive forward and up.
Body balance on the balls of the feet.


Next – continuing with the pull.

Super Strength - Don Ross

Charles A. Smith

Super Strength
by Don Ross (1991)


A muscular physique indicates power. It’s no wonder that average people stop bodybuilders to ask how much they lift. This question is often annoying to bodybuilders, whose routines produce primarily visual rather than functional results.

There are many different approaches to increasing muscular size. Although an increase in muscular size indicates increased strength, each of the approaches results in different types of strength. I’ve written a lot about sustained strength from heavy, nonstop descending-set and superset training. Endurance strength from high-rep training, on the other hand, allows you to do more with lighter poundages. When most people think of strength, they envision explosive strength – those huge bench presses, powerful squats, and big overhead presses.

This is why people want to see you arm wrestle the local tough guy at parties. If you can tear a telephone book or bend a spike at a get-together, they’ll be more satisfied than if you just flexed your muscles. People want to see strength performances. Seeing is believing.

Practically speaking, that extra strength can bring about victory in athletics. It can save the day in an emergency situation where strength is needed at once to move a heavy object. Strength makes emergency tasks possible. All through life you will run into situations where you’ll be glad you took the time to train for strength.

The early bodybuilding champions almost all trained for strength, and the strongman bodybuilders remain legends – from Eugen Sandow, John Grimek, Marvin Eder, Reg Park, Chuck Sipes and Franco Columbu to contemporary muscular powerhouses like Dean Tornabene, Ray Mentzer, Tim Belknap, and the list goes on into the future. Those who do well in physique shows but whose poundages are lacking can improve their strength considerably by incorporating the following techniques into their training.

In most cases you should do your strength training during a period of gaining weight. These workouts should be short and basic with days in between for growth and mental and physical recuperation. Shorter workouts with fewer exercises and sets allow you much more energy for power. At first, while your mind is conditioned to longer bodybuilding workouts, this may seem too brief, but if you stay with the program you’ll experience that excess energy in the form of increased strength.


The Power Bodybuilding Program

The exercises may look simple – they’re mostly basic movements – but any accomplished power-bodybuilder will tell you that it’s not so much the complexity of the exercises as it is the effort and attention to correct form.

Begin each exercise with warmup sets. Do deep, slow movements to stretch ligaments and tendons, while “waking up” the mind and muscles. Next, do your heavy sets. Explode on the positive movement, and use controlled return movements.


Day One

Bench Press, medium-wide grip, lowered to mid-chest, elbows out.
2x6, 2x4, 2x2, 2x1.

Incline Press. Use a barbell and set the bench to 35 degrees.
2x5, 2x3.

Dips. Add weight, lean forward, keep your elbows out.
4x4-5.


Day Two

Overhead Press.
2x6, 2x4.

High Pull.
One set each of 6, 5 and 4.

Shrugs.
3x8.

Bentover Row. Use a medium grip. Keep your body parallel to the floor. Pull the bar to your body, hold, and lower slowly.
2x6, 2x4.

Power Chins.
Use added weight, and straps if needed. Stand on a box or bench and boost yourself up, then lower slowly. Do the first set with a wide grip, the second with a medium grip and the third, narrow.
3x6, one set of unweighted chins x max reps.

Power Curls. After a set of strict curls for 10 reps, take a heavy barbell. Rock forward, then swing the weight to your chest, using momentum and keeping your back slightly bent. Lower the bar very slowly, then immediately begin another rep.
2x6, 2x4.


Day 3 – Rest


Day 4

Squat. Go down to just below parallel.
2x8, 2x4, 2x2.

Front Squat or Leg Press. All the way down.
2x5, 2x3.

Bottom Half Squats. Start in the full squat position. Come up halfway.
3x8.

Calf Raise. Use three toe positions.
6x6.


Day 5 – Rest


Day 6 – Supports and Lockouts.

Bench Press Supports. Begin with 20% more than your maximum bench press. Lie directly under the racks with the bar set at a height that requires a two or three inch movement to lock out. Lock out the weight and support it for 10-20 seconds or until the weight forces itself down to the racks. Do 3 sets, trying for 20 seconds. Now remove 20% of the weight and try to do a set of 6-10 lockouts.

Squat Supports and Lockouts. Perform this exercise as you did the bench press supports. Keep your legs locked for 3 sets of up to 20 seconds. Reduce the weight by 20% and do a set of 6-10 short-range lockouts.

Overhead Press Lockouts. Set the bar on a rack so it is level with the top or your head and don’t stand on tiptoes to measure this. Press the weight overhead, using a weight that lets you do 6 reps and no more. Do 3 sets.

Deadlift. This is a full-range movement. Take a few deep breaths between reps. Do 3 sets of 4 reps.


Day 7 – Rest

Now let’s review the strength techniques used. Use lower reps and ascending-set progression. Take longer rests between sets – around 3 minutes, or enough to completely regain your energy for the next set. Use controlled negative movements when lowering the weight. Use some cheating on the high pulls, power curls and power chins. On leg day use partial movements, breaking the squats into several different range of motion exercises.

Having been around both lifters and bodybuilders, I have observed that bodybuilders trying to apply bodybuilding philosophies to power training often incur injuries. They always go for more and always go to failure. Experienced lifers, on the other hand, back cycle frequently in poundages and take a light week every 4 to 6 weeks. The results of this are often continuous gains without setbacks due to injury and staleness.

Let’s take the bench press as an example. You work up to 2 sets of 2 with 300 pounds. On the next workout increase your bench press sets by 2½ to 5 pounds. Do the same on your third workout. For the fourth workout go back down by 5 pounds. 300, 305, 310; 305, 315, 320.

Ted Arcidi uses another method. On the first workout he goes all out for maximum efforts. The next time he uses the same exercises for the same number of sets and reps but lifts 40 to 50% less weight! In this way, he alternates heavy weeks with maintenance weeks.

A study of the techniques used by Olympic and Powerlifters will help you avoid injuries and bypass staleness while seeking strength.

The Chest Shaping Squat, Part Two - Joseph Curtis Hise and Thomas Bruno

Reg Park

Paul Anderson

Charlie Richards at a bodyweight of 237 pounds. A short time ago we saw him at a weight lifters picnic in Denver, weighing 220. He performed a full squat with 520. Charlie is the first person in the world to squat 20 times with 400 pounds, having done this the first time he tried 20 repetitions. He has also supine pressed on a bench with 340 on several occasions and just failed to overhead press 350 at the picnic when his foot slipped on a mat. (Peary Rader)



The Chest Shaping Squat, Part Two
by Joseph Curtis Hise and Thomas Bruno


(Hise) Taking for granted that the former proof is very simple and easy for you to perform – this is the way it is taught to your mentally incompetent friends and me, which from my suspicion forms 100 percent of the Yankee population. Go th the mirror – shrug or contract most vigorously the throat and front neck muscles that are attached to the rib box – pulling the rib box as high as possible, usually two inches or so, breathe in vigorously through the mouth while doing this. This is Costal Breathing; Eellsian Extreme Style, your friends and I learn in no other way. Those who have good control of the upper chest muscles can perform costal breathing without so much noticeable face-making and neck contraction in the mirror, but your friends will ever learn it except by this extreme style practiced first before a mirror an then with a deep knee bend weight. This complete breathing costally causes the upper chest to bloom upwards and as it rises and falls the bar will heave up and down like a boat bouncing on the water. This is “Rhythmic Shoulder Rise”, as explained by Bruno and it is not made by you, it is caused by full large ranged costal breathing, Eells Style.

This style takes far more air into the lungs than any other style of breathing. It throws the exercise strain between the third and fourth ribs in the concussion caused by the rebound on full lungs from the squat. The abdominal breathing squat throws it near the sixth rib or nearly the bottom of the lungs. My lower chest measure decreased 3½ inches almost at once, it went to the top to stay. Air is 25% thinner here than at Homer, Ill. Yet I am never very breathless here from squats so my lung capacity must be nearly a third greater, all gained in top of chest.


(Bruno) Physiologists aver the statement that function makes for structure in regards to the human body. We know the statement is a correct one. I have personally seen, especially in regards men’s deformities created by the type of employment in which they are engaged. Specifically, men who are lumber pilers and stackers in the West Coast lumber camps and also in regards men who are machinists. In the former case the men assume a stooped over posture from which they seldom, if ever, straighten up because of working in that position day in and day out. In the latter case most of us are acquainted with or have seen the way in which machinists and blacksmiths carry their arms, most always in a bent position, seldom will you ever find one who carries his arm straight in the natural position. The reason is these men have worked their muscles, tendons and ligaments in a way which did not give them complete extension or contraction.

(Hise) Coal diggers in Southern W. Va. that work in high coal that is cut from side to side thru the middle scoop off the top bench coal first. This prying and hauling back with the scoop causes a decidedly noticeable development of the latissimus dorsi and it bulges to great thickness in its attachment to the spine. The spine to casual inspection appears deformed because of the tiny adjoining spinal muscles. With a coal loader there is a large latissimus muscle with an accessory scrawny man attached.

(Bruno) The human body will respond to treatment and will build structure only in regards a necessary function, so I ask you when in reading what I have to say about this breathing style to approach it with an open mind. If you decide to use it, give it a fair trial. I assure you that you will be well repaid for honest and conscientious endeavor.

In what is to follow below I will merely state my observations, not based on theories, but on what I have discovered or noticed for myself and which has given me excellent results, although I make no claims in regards to having approached perfect physical symmetry nor great strength.

I am merely one more of an army of Iron Tossers who has been seeking a way through the maze of contradictions which we know to exist in our chosen hobby in order that I might gain for myself a modicum of results which would satisfy me.

Now in coming to matters of supreme importance in regards to the results you can expect from using this breathing style or technique, pay close attention and read carefully, so that you may carefully implant in your own mind the proper method of procedure so as to facilitate your receiving the maximum of results in a minimum of time.

First I might say that it will make little difference as to which style of deep knee bend you use. If you use the style in which you place the bar on your shoulders behind your neck, may I advise you to use a cambered (bent) bar in order to facilitate and guarantee your proper performance of the deep knee bend with the minimum of annoyance and maximum of safety to you. If you use the hip belt knee bend you can disregard all the above and merely concentrate on the breathing.

Now having gone along with you up to the point in which you have the cambered bar on your shoulders perfectly balanced, let us assume the proper stance in regards how far our feet are apart. I personally seldom set my more than 16 inches apart and generally nearer 12 or 13 inches. (Hise used this approximately in the middle 1930’s – now he uses the squat with heels 2 to 6 inches apart. If the feet are too wide, the concussion effect caused by the rebound is impossible. The exerciser should place his heels at a “comfortable” distance apart, which is usually near 12 inches. Many will need a plank under their heels to give stability – high heels of loggers’ shoes are just right for the majority. Now having hurdled this difficulty, let us go on to the proper breathing methods which I assure you will give you the utmost aesthetic potential of which your chest is capable of assuming.

Take three very fast deep breaths, through the mouth of course. No exerciser should ever breathe through his nose when exercising (nose breathing is very natural for Eells, experience forced this mouth breathing for exercise purposes). Make supreme efforts to breathe in such a way as to make the efforts felt way up in your upper chest. This is the secret of this most superior chest growing squat. You must strive to get away from abdominal breathing in the squat, which can only ruin the aesthetic effect of your chest to onlookers.

Now if you are breathing correctly, your chest and shoulders will rise and fall in rhythmic fashion – and NOT your diaphragm, as in the case of abdominal breathing. Abdominal breathing squats will square the lower rib box, while this upper chest, or costal breathing squat will give you the tapering effect so earnestly sought by most bodybuilders to the utmost degree of which your body is capable of assuming. Beginners can expect wonders from this style of breathing, and advanced men who have been using abdominal breathing will work remarkable transformations on their chests in period of three months of so as I did in making the change in breathing style from abdominal to costal style.

Having finished the third deep breath and with proper poundage loaded on your cambered bar, you suddenly lower yourself into the squat, making an effort to bounce off of your calves upon hitting the bottom by the simple expediency of contracting your leg muscles which will snap you upwards in order to give you your maximum potential in squat leverages, and repeat never less than 20 times.

Now in regards the style of squat you should use, round back (for the rebound is performed back-style as Hise calls it or with the spine in straight position in “round back style”), or with the normal flat back position used by Rader and Berry. I will say from observation, follow your own natural inclinations, sooner or later you will find the style in which you can exert your leverage to the utmost advantage and efficiency in the squat. Do not be overly influenced by what you read about others advocating, use what will bring to you the results in the shortest possible time, and remember that all of us possess individual variations in leverages as far as the squat is concerned and that you are exercising for results in a minimum time. I might add at this time if you are of the tall string bean type that it may be to your advantage to squat with your thighs parallel to the floor, as Peary Rader advocates, and if you are having trouble with your back adopt a strict flat back style in the squat, at least until your back is well again, and then let your conscience be your guide.

Function builds structure. Use the abdominal breathing style and you lose all chances of PLEASING chest shape. Adopt the style of breathing which forces you to breathe high in the upper chest and you build a structure which gives you a pleasing effect, a pleasant taper from waist to under the arm and the piling on of growth at the upper part of the chest where the tape may never reach it, but which the eye will reach instantly, for in this new style of breathing discovered by Roger G. Eells and used by him to the exclusion of others we have the magnum opus of technique.

In coming around to the pullovers, I will try to give you a short outline as to how they should be performed, poundage and what style I have found best. To begin with, the bent arm pullover has it all over the other pullovers for many reasons:

1.) It is not so hard on the deltoid muscles which cap the shoulders and therefore allows us to avoid sprains.
2.) It gives afar more pleasing aesthetic effect to the chest, for straight arm pullovers reach the lower chest principally, whereas the bent arm pullover arches and reaches the upper chest almost exclusively, a valuable exercise to be used in piling up growth at the upper part or your chest where it will make you look your best in conjunction with your breathing squats performed as listed above.

Now in coming to the amount of weight to be used, do not go over 60 pounds, and this for very strong men with favorable leverage at the very most, as a chest exercise. More will work wonders on your arms, but will result in stalemate as far as your chest is concerned and here is my reason for asking the use of a light weight in the bent arm pullovers. When using a very light weight in the bent arm pullover all your chest muscles are relaxed, as your arms go backwards behind your head and because they are relaxed you will get maximum amount of stretching and arching of your chest and rib box. Now in using a heavier weight the opposite effect is noticed, due to the use of the heavy weight your arms alone cannot handle the situation so all the chest muscles chime in to help, principally the serratus magnus which intertwine the rib box, so as the arms start backward behind your head as you are lying in a horizontal position the chest muscles clamp around your chest like steel bands in order to help you complete the movement. But where is the stretching and arching of the rib box? Gone. Nonexistent, because we have defeated the very purpose which we sought to accomplish, viz. the maximum stretching and arching of the rib box.

As we come to the actual performance of the bent arm pullover I will say in th beginning you should be using a bench about 10 or 12 inches high, 16 inches wide and about 48 inches long to perform on in order to allow the bell to drop down below the level of the bench top. Lie down on the bench with about a 40-pound barbell (or a short bar 15 or 18 inches long in cramped quarters) in your hands, which should be 10 to 12 inches apart. Your lower arms and upper arms to be bent at right angles with the elbows at your sides. Now lock your arms in this relative position all the way through the movement and start the bell on its way back, meantime breathing very deeply through the mouth and continue the movement until the weigh is at least as low or lower than the level of the bench top. It is of utmost importance to keep the elbows at the same distance apart, as when starting, and the upper and lower arms are always in the same relative position of right angles to each other throughout the complete range of the movement. Having reached the lowest extremity in which the bell has descended you bring the bell back to the starting position, exhaling in the interim and repeating at least 20 repetitions.

If you do this correctly the barbell will describe an arc throughout the complete movement, and your elbows as they reach the lowest extremity will be pointing upwards and not horizontally (as they would be in the straight arm pullover). Do the exercise slow and rhythmically and results for you are assured, if you render honest endeavor to master and make these exercises second nature to you.