07 May 2018

[Full Fucking Redux] Baddest Motherfuckers Ever- Bruno "The Italian Superman" Sammartino

[Here is what amounts to a complete rewrite of my Bruno Sammartino article- I found much more information on the man, and the guy is such a goddamned legend he deserves far better than my original article.  So before I post another one or two articles this week, I thought this man deserved a tribute befitting the superhuman he was.]
  
Rest in Brutality, Bruno Sammartino 
10/6/1935-4/8/2018

Back in the day, if a guy was a wrestler, he was a bona-fide badass.  The sport, which grew out of what were essentially MMA fights with less striking and more wrestling (catch style), was filled with bad motherfuckers who ate big, lifted big, and lived big.  They were living proof that the Paul Bunyans and Spring Heeled Jacks and other men with skills so mad that they are often considered the fanciful bullshit of legends or conspiracy could have actually existed.  I realize that the same cannot be said for the modern era of wrestlers, since other than the Rock being ridiculously jacked and charismatic, none of them seem larger-than-life to the point of being supernatural. Back in the day, however, it was commonplace to hear stories like the fact that Andre the Giant drank 106 beers in a night, or Ken Patera and Masa Saito beat the shit out of 16 cops at once and then missed the verdict of their court case because they were out at a bar getting drunk and asleep in the courtroom, respectively, or any of another dozen wrestlers one could name off the top of their head who did shit better than the rest of us to a point where it isn't just not a competition- we're just participating in two different universes with two entirely different types of physics (Schwartz, Professor). 



It was from this era that the longest reigning WWE Champion in history, holding the WWE Title for 2,803 consecutive days, known as the Italian Superman came.  Bruno Sammartino, who presided over what he perceived as wrestling's fall into "the chemical years" (of which Hulk Hogan's apparently the evil figurehead), was so beloved by Italians and wrestling fans that they went quite literally berserk when a a heel who turned on him, stabbing him, smashing his cars, flipping over his cabs on the way to fights, and at one point a mobster friend of Frank Sinatra's even offered to shoot "Classy" Freddie Blassie on Sammartino's behalf.  Saying Bruno Sammartino was the ultimate babyface is like saying that James Ellsworth is the least physically impressive wrestler of the modern era- it goes without saying, and seems like an understatement even as it's somewhat hyperbolic.



Bruno was an Italian immigrant who had spent two years in the arctic environs of mountains of Italy (from age 7 to 9) running around like Brendan Fraser in Encino Man with a sharp stick and dining on dandelions and wild animals (DeLuca).  Yeah, so when you're telling your fucking sob story on Instagram about how a rough childhood and broken home are the reason you have a sub 350lb bench, take a big step back and literally fuck your own face, because big Bruno was so malnourished in his formative years that he only weighed 80 lbs at age 15. That year, Sammartino arrived in the US, the docs prescribed him a diet of meat and potatoes with a side of heavy lifting (holy shit, I was born in the wrong goddamned era) and shit proceeded to get real. 




Sammartino took to the weights like a stripper to cocaine, and competed in basically every single weightclass from 123 on up to heavyweight, which was his weightclass after only four years of lifting.  


Let that sink in for a second- Sammartino lifted and ate so hard that he went from 80 lbs to 225 in four years with no steroids, so the next time you're watching some dickhead on Youtube screaming about how everyone's on steroids, just thumbs down that video, eat a fucking steak, and go bench press until your fucking eyes bleed.  

By the time he was college-aged, the 16 year old 105lb neophyte lifter kid without a word of English in his vocabulary had become a fucking weight room monster with a scholarship offer for wrestling from the University of Pittsburgh, and went on to win a bunch of lifting titles.  Sammartino basically treated being the best at everything the same way most people act when they're finishing a delicious sandwich- it was just what he did, and he neither sweated little shit nor bemoaned any "hard times" that befell him.  One of his favorite memories is travelling to an annual Strength and Health picnic and competition in York, PA in 1957.  In the era before people abandoned their pride and set up GoFundMes to pay for their travel costs, Sammartino slept on a motherfucking park bench and then proceeded to wipe he fucking platform with his competition.  He then repeated that process over and over, and by the time he was 22 be had won Mr. Allegheny in bodybuilding, set a world record for the bench press, and boasted the following lifts:

  • 565lb Bench
  • 625lb Squat
  • 675lb Deadlift
  • 365lb Olympic Press
  • 270lb Snatch
  • 370lb Clean and Jerk
Bear in mind when viewing those numbers that powerlifting didn't officially exist at this time, and the power lifts were just three of 72 lifts contested in odd lift meets at the time- it's not as though these guys specialized in them unless they just loved the ever-loving shit out of them.



The man was an absolute Milo of Croton-style beast of a pro wrestler, and while looking like a beardless Zangief, he racked up the following sick accomplishments as a wrestler:
  • 133 consecutive sell-outs in Madison Square Garden
  • 75 consecutive main bouts in Boston Gardens.
  • 21 straight sell-outs in Australia (a record that may still stand)
  • the largest crowd (90,000 people) in Japan (at least until 1972)
  • the all-time record of 125,000 in India (at least until 1972)
  • the only pro wrestler to sell out the Bull Fight Arena in Caracas (50,000 in attendance).
  • the record for total gates around the world (Deluca)
Bruno Sammartino's All-Time Best Lifts
  • Bench Press- 315lbs for 38 reps (Tatar)
  • Bench Press- 330lbs for 33 reps right after hitting a max of 500 for the day (Twichell)
  • Bench Press (Competition, with a flat back and two second pause)- 565lbs
  • Floor Press- 545lbs (Willoughby 133)
  • Strict Curl- 235lbs (Willoughby 138)
  • Olympic Press- 410lbs (Willoughby 133)
  • Deadlift- 705lbs (Willoughby 377), though he never trained it because he thought it was bad for the back (Twichell).  
  • Squat (Competition)- 685lbs (Twichell)
  • Snatch- 270lbs (both his snatch and clean and jerk were hamstrung by the fact his elbows wouldn't lock out fully, which he attributed to malnourishment while living in the Alps)
  • Clean and Jerk- 370lbs

Not too fucking shabby, especially considering the fact that he was fanatically drug free and trained in a time before supplements, and he put up his 565 bench on a rickety homemade bench with no uprights (Tatar).   His workouts were fucking legendary, and weren't spurred by anything but Sammartino's imagination, his defiance against gravity, and his titanic brass balls.



He fueled his lengthy, brutal, and frequent workouts by eating his fucking ass off.  At 5'11" and 270lbs, Bruno had to have been a big eater, and according to interviews, he'd routinely put away 24 lamb chops or four pounds of steak at one sitting and eat breakfasts of 12 eggs, a loaf of bread, a whole box of cereal, and two quarts of milk (Rouvalis).  Arthur Saxon himself would have been proud of Sammartino's total unwillingness to approach the dinner table with anything but contempt for food, because at every meal Sammartino's goal was stuff as much food down his gullet as humanly possible.  Obviously, Sammartino wasn't overly concerned with showing up at competitions ripped to fucking shreds- he was about looking so physically imposing his opponents had to wear Depends into the ring and with being so superhumanly strong he made legendary strongmen look like bitches.  Given the fact he lifted 3 days a week, did calisthenics another two days a week, ran 8 miles a day, and wrestled six to seven days a week, however, Sammartino was training to a point where he'd likely have dropped dead of starvation eating any other way.  As it stood, his diet was exactly what the doctor ordered, because Sammartino was so goddamned strong that he was capable of "doing amazing feats" at a moment's notice, like, press slamming 605lb Haystacks Calhoun so hard that he caved in the center of the ring (Deluca, Rouvalis).  That is a feat even the legendary Paul Anderson couldn't pull off- at one point he tried to lift Haystacks and failed harder than Tara Reid at sobriety. 

Bruno Sammartino Vital Stats
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 265lbs
Chest: 56"
Arms: 20"



By this time, you and I are two wholly different species if you're not dying to know how he trained.  In wild departure from the manner in which people approach training today, Sammartino didn't simply follow a bullshit, cookie-cutter program developed by and for candy asses- he honed a routine over the years that proved to be as successful as it was brutal. 
"I was working out three, sometime three and a half, hours a day with weights. I would work out in the morning because I wanted to be very rested up for the wrestling matches at night. So I would do a workout, then have a light breakfast, and then I would go to bed for a few hours. I would eat an early dinner no later than 3:00 so that it would be fully digested by the time I went in the ring. So yeah, I worked out very hard and heavy, but I always used to try and take a couple hours nap afterward just to recoup and rest up" (Wuebben).

Bruno Sammartino's Power Routine (Twichell)

Bench Press- 10 sets, working up in 2-rep jumps to his max (I'm guessing 2 sets of 10, 2 sets of 8, 2 x 6, 2 x 4, 1 x 2, 1 x 1). His 11th set was a death set with about 65% of his 1RM for the day.

Floor Press- 5-7 x 3 with ~550lbs (see pic above, because it's different than what I've done as a floor press)

Incline Dumbbell Presses- 5 x 5 (heavy as fuck- when he was training with the legendary Karl Norberg he was using 150-pound dumbbells) 

Incline Laterals- 5 x 5 (again heavy enough to make your eyes bleed, 125-pound dumbbells)

Cheat Upright Rows- 6 x 6-7 x 205lbs

High Pulls (to the navel)- 6 x 3-4 x 400-425lbs

Squats- 8 x 3-5 reps x 650lbs

Strict/Military Barbell Curl- 10 x 10 x 135 to 175 pounds (he'd also occasionally do cheat curls with 225)




Bruno Sammartino's Travel Routine (Twichell)

Because training is a bitch on the road, and Sammartino stopped squatting after a while because it hurt his agility and his knees, he had a routine of three basic exercises. 

Bench Press- 10-12 x 3-5 starting around 300lbs and work up to a single with maximum poundage, followed by a death set. 

Strict/Military Barbell Curl- 10 x 10 x 135 to 175 pounds

Standing Laterals- I'm assuming 5x5 as above, but he didn't specify in the interview)    




Bruno Sammartino's Beginners Routine (Kubik)

In the pre-intenet era, everything was done through online courses or published in magazines.  You know that shit-dog cookie-cutter course you bought off some nobody for far too much money?  Well, think of correspondence courses as the same thing, except they almost invariably came from someone who had actually accomplished something in the strength world.  The following routine was Sammartino's recommendation for beginners, so the volume is low.  Everything is done with a single warmup set and followed by 3 sets of 6 reps.  Weight work was done three times a week, with the bodyweight stuff done on two of the off days.

Squat- 3 x 6
Bench Press- 3 x 6
Barbell Curl- 3 x 6
Behind the Neck Press- 3 x 6
Upright Rowing- 3 x 6 (with a two second hold at the top)
Sit-Ups- 3 x 6

The bodyweight work for two off days (working up to sets of 100 on squat pushups and 15 on pullups):

Hindu Squats- 1 or 2 sets 
Hindu Pushups- 1 or 2 sets
Behind the Neck Pull-Ups- 2 sets
Calf Isometrics
Neck Isometrics


Sammartino was even jacked at the age of 70.

Sammartino kept training even into his old age, because that's what badasses do in retirement.  The following is the routine he followed in the picture above, doing it three times a week along with a seven mile daily jog.

Lat Pulldowns- 5 x 15 x 130lbs
Lateral Raises- 10 x 15 x 40lbs
Bench Press- 7 x 8 x 150-250lbs
Dumbbell Bench Press- 5 x 10 x 100lbs
Dumbbell Curl- 10 x 10 x 40lbs
Overhead Tricep Extension- 4 x 15 x 40lbs
Leg Extensions- 5 x 20 x 125-160 lbs
Crunches- 100
Leg Raises- 75
Alternate Leg Raises- 75
Bicycles Crunches- 100
Crunches- 100

By the time he was 77, Sammartino's routine had changed somewhat, but still outpaced your average 20-something athleisure-wearing Instragram superstar.  Once a badass, always a badass, it seems:  
"Three days a week I do roadwork. I had hip replacement, and the doctors tell me I can walk as fast as I want, but I’m not allowed to run. So I power walk. I do between four and five miles. Then I come home – I have a well-equipped gym downstairs – and I do about 800 leg raises and leg crunches for stomach work, and then I stretch a little bit. And that’s it. The next day, I work out with the weights. Now, do I lift heavy weights anymore? No, I’m 77, and my weight is not 275 anymore. I’m 215 now, maybe 220 with my clothes on. For example, on bench press, I don’t go higher than maybe 215 for reps. For shoulder work I do 35-pound dumbbells for side laterals. Nothing really heavy anymore, because, #1, I’m old; #2, I’m not as heavy as I was; and #3, I don’t want to put too much stress on the joints at this stage of my life. I use weights that are comfortable for me" (Wuebben).

Lest you think Sammartino was simply a huge, strong guy and a pushover outside of the ring, that was about as far from the truth as any natty bro's vociferous claims about how natty they are.  Sammartino was still willing to throw hands after he retired, and one of his backstage rumbles is fucking legendary.  At the age of 51, Sammartino was a commentator rather than an announcer.  Spying six large non-wrestlers backstage, Sammartino approached them and told them they were going to get in trouble with security.  One of the six, a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, grabbed Sammartino's hand and tried to play the old hand-squishing game to "prove his dominance" in the same way pussies like Neo-Nazis and those fucking "men going their own way" would attempt to.  Then the man uttered what were luckily not his last words, telling Sammartino he was washed up and sucker punching him.  Sammartino, being the Italian Superman, knocked that motherfucker out with a single punch and proceeded to fight the other five single handedly, until the Iron Sheik jumped out of the shower and into the fracas bare-assed naked.  The two of them proceeded to stomp the ever-loving fuck out of the six men and presumably went off to share a grilled steer and a couple kegs of beer (and given it was 1980's Iron Sheik, I'm guessing at least an 8-ball of coke).


Sammartino did not look small sandwiched between Sergio and Arnold, with whom he trained in the late 1960s.

Clearly, none of us are going to be Bruno Sammartino, because there's only one Italian Superman, and he just died.  We can, however, do our best impression of that bad motherfucker and honor him by eating a hell of a lot more and training a hell of a lot more, because judging by the standard that man set in just four years of training, we have all failed to come within screaming distance of our potential.  Nothing whatsoever should stand in your way in becoming the best possible version of yourself, and anything you tell yourself is a reason why you can't get huge and superhumanly strong is just a fucking excuse you're made because you're a whiny bitch.

Don't be a fucking bitch.  Go make it happen.

Sources:
Deluca, Fred.  Bruno Sammartino (1972).  The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban.  26 Nov 2010.  Web  7 May 2018.  http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2010/11/bruno-sammartino-fred-deluca.html

Iron Sheik and Bruno Sammartino fight in locker room story.  Youtube.  2 Mar 2009.  Web.  7 May 2018.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oLtJIx9ghM

Kubik, Brooks.  Old gold from the living legend.  Dinosaur Training.  31 Jan 2012.  Web. 7 May 2018.  http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2012/01/old-gold-from-living-legend.html

Kubik, Brooks.  The top training program of 1969!  Dinosaur Training.  7 Nov 2014.  Web.  7 May 2018.

Rance, Chasyn.  Training.  Chasyn Rance.  Web.  7 May 2018.  http://www.chasynrance.com/training.htm

Rouvalis, Cristina.  Wrestling with fame: Bruno Sammartino still a hero to fans.  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  28 Oct 1998.  Web.  7 May 2018.  http://old.post-gazette.com/magazine/19981028bruno1.asp

Schwartz, Nick.  The most unbelievable Andre the giant drinking stories.  Fox Sports.  27 Nov 2016.  Web.  6 May 2018.  https://www.foxsports.com/wwe/gallery/best-andre-the-giant-drinking-stories-072516

Tatar, Ben.  Sport stars and celebrity bench press rumors.  Critical Bench.  Web.  7 May 2018.  http://www.criticalbench.com/pro-athletes-bench-press.htm

Twichell, Jon.  Power training interview with Bruno Sammartino (1964).  The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban.  24 Apr 2018.  Web.  7 May 2018.  http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2018/04/power-training-interview-with-bruno.html

Wrestling Professor.  Ken Patera & Masa Saito vs Waukesha police department.  6 Aug 2016.  Web.  6 May 2018.  http://www.armpit-wrestling.com/ken-patera-masa-saito-vs-waukesha-police-department/

Willoughby, David P.  The Super-Athletes.  New York:  A.S. Barnes and Co, 1970.

Wuebben, Joe.  Old-school ass kicker Bruno Sammartino.  Muscle and Fitness.  2013.  Web.  7 May 2018.  https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/interviews/old-school-ass-kicker-bruno-sammartino-extended-interview

WWE.com Staff.  Nine things you need to know about Bruno Sammartino.  WWE.  18 Apr 2018.  Web.  8 May 2018.  http://www.wwe.com/article/nine-things-you-need-to-know-about-bruno-sammartino

37 comments:

  1. It's the body hair that fuels his power.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeeeah, Jamie, yeeah!

    Bruno still does bicep curls with 70 lb. dumbbells (at age 74) and used to have bench competitions with Arnold and Superstar Billy Graham....and he outlifted them while they were gassed to the gills. He can still bench 225 like it's his job. The other stat that he talked about, which a lot of the Olympia guys can do (with juice, of course)is lateral raises with 100 lb. dumbbells. It may be a non-CnP-approved exercise, but still speaks to the fact that he's naturally strong as shit.

    Great article on a class act and a guy who proved that you can be a strong, burly m'fer without any chemical enhancement.

    So Rant, when you come around talking shit--which you inevitably will, you tired scumbag--know that it is possible to have a helluva build without roids. And it aint happening with the kettlebell tomfoolery you waste your time with.

    ReplyDelete
  3. dude as soon as I nearly smashed my cock while doing lateral raises I never did that exercise again. This was 12 years ago. Fuck lateral raises. They don't make you stronger and they risk a cock smash.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yo I just came across this site. Good shit man. I'll be back.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lorenzo,

    Welcome 2 the site. Me - I'm the Asian Chaos and Pain, a title I didn't ask 4 but earned. Jamie is the original Chaos and Pain. He pretty much runs this joint and he has the final word. I want to warn u about something, seeing as how ur a new arrival. U can find a lot of h8rs commenting on this blog, but try to brush that shit off. To wit, some h8r named Rant is constantly accusing Jamie and me of juicing, despite the fact that we would never ever touch that shit. So pay no attention 2 the h8, and again, welcome.

    Peace,
    Dracoy

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dracoy, harden the fuck up. XO, Everyone else that reads this blog

    ReplyDelete
  7. DRACOY'S VOICE MAIL 4 REALJuly 1, 2010 at 6:07 PM

    Hey The Masses, Dracoy isn't here right now. Please leave a message at the beep, h8r.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've decided I like this Dracoy fellow, he's a good parody of 12-year-olds on the internet.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good health to yer pupik!

    I (The JEWISH chaos and pain) would like to welcome you to Jamie's (the original chaos and pain) site. Seeing as how I'm the Jewish Chaos and Pain, I should be the first to let you know a few things.

    Don't mind the alta kocka known as Rant. He's a nebech. The goy af tzu lochis posts all over the place here. Everyone knows Jamie is a mensch, and that makes rant MESHUGENAH!!!

    I'm the Jewish chaos and pain, a title that was not vehklempt, but earned from schlepping to the gym at the kibbutz and going meshugenah.

    Never buy shribnis from a moil. It was a suchashandeh. He makes it SO chewy.

    Jamie's shmekeleh may or may not be muktzah. I don't care to find out personally. If you do, get in line.

    You have been warned. By me. The Jewish chaos and pain. Who is me.

    ReplyDelete
  10. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    hahahhahaahahahahaha

    Dracoy is such a fucking faggot

    ReplyDelete
  11. I went to Dracoy's stupid youtube channel. He doesn't even lift a lot. But he suits up like he's getting ready for extended deep sea diving. But he doesn't. He talks a lot, though.

    Dracoy tells all his friends how he pisses people off posting shit on here. It's a total gimmick. He figures that since it's the internet, he'll never meet anyone in person. Which, of course, enables him to talk big.

    I would love to meet him in person. I'd knock the slant out of his face. Fucking tool. Dracoy, you tell me where you live. I want to meet you. I promise you, before a word is spoken, I will tap you out. You will h8 it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. DRACOY'S VOICE MAIL 4 REALJuly 2, 2010 at 1:23 AM

    Hey Anonymous, Dracoy isn't here right now. Please leave a message at the beep, h8r.

    ReplyDelete
  13. DRACOY'S VOICE MAIL 4 REALJuly 2, 2010 at 1:24 AM

    Hey Boni, Dracoy isn't here right now. Please leave a message at the beep, h8r.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jamie, you should let Dracoy do the next post for the blog.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Haha, I'd pay to read that.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Yo Boni,

    Excuse me if there r soem typos in this commment. Its really hard to type while ur mom is giving me a blowjob. Oh shit, hold on... "Teeth, Boni's Mom, teeth! Damn, bitch."

    Anyways, Boni, let's try to put our differences aside. Anyway, ur dumb internet threats aren't fooling any1 anyway. "SHIT, BONI's MOM, wATCH THE TEETH, BITCH."

    Damn, BOni, ur mom is doing u a favor. She's going to mkae me tap out with her teeth brushing against my throbbing cock. Hahahaha.

    Sincerely,
    Dracoy

    P.S. pwned.

    ReplyDelete
  17. what the fuck is this highschool-eaque aproval seeking bullshit I'm reading here. Dracoy, i'm impressed. It must be hard to lift weights with jamie's cock consistently shoved down your insecure inferiority complex stricken throat.

    You taken getting on your hands and knees to suck someone off to a new level.

    I like these blogs, I love the workouts. I think jamies a tough motherfucker with some excellent insights. But I ain't about to put a collar around my neck, give the leash to jamie, and make it my life's work to live in his shadow like you so blatantly are.

    You need to quit being a pussy and gain some self-esteem and self-confidence.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Dracoy, I looked at a few of your silly videos, and there is no way you are as stupid as you write. It's time to drop the act.

    Now, one of these guys (and I forget who it is) is banging your mother on a daily basis.
    Which one is it, and how is that going for you?

    ReplyDelete
  19. that was me. My bad dracoy, homie.

    Girl wanted some crack and had no loot.
    Sheeeeeiiiit. I didn't know she was yo momma.

    If you notice a slightly poopy taste when she kisses you goodnight, try not to think too much of it.

    ReplyDelete
  20. DRACOY'S VOICE MAIL 4 REALJuly 2, 2010 at 2:53 PM

    Hey Anonymous, Dracoy isn't here right now. Please leave a message at the beep, h8r.

    ReplyDelete
  21. DRACOY'S VOICE MAIL 4 REALJuly 2, 2010 at 2:53 PM

    Hey Anonymous, Dracoy isn't here right now. Please leave a message at the beep, h8r.

    ReplyDelete
  22. DRACOY'S VOICE MAIL 4 REALJuly 2, 2010 at 2:54 PM

    Hey Anonymous, Dracoy isn't here right now. Please leave a message at the beep, h8r.

    ReplyDelete
  23. You fuckers need to realize (1) Dracoy is the only fucker I know consistently applying the CNP methodology, and subsequently, (2) Dracoy is making the biggest gains of anyone I know.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I got my first week of heavy singles done.

    Every lifting day (3 times a week for me):

    30mins: Clean presses
    30mins: Deadlifts superset with Bench Press
    30mins: weighted chins superset with BNPs
    30mins: Squats superset with Barbell bent Rows

    all at >90% 1RM
    I made huge gains everywhere. My body feels fucking wrecked, but my squats and deads went up 70lbs and all my other lifts have skyrocketed too.

    I bought a bar and gonna get some plates so I can set up my 1RM Clean press in the basement and lift it whenever I pass by it.

    should be fun.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Keep me out of this, you fucking retards, haha.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Some interesting comments down memory lane there. Anytway, seeing as the subject was raised above and it is on the new hatecast, the concept that the natty is better off training frequently...
    https://www.t-nation.com/training/the-best-damn-workout-plan-for-natural-lifters
    https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-natural-train-more-often
    https://www.tigerfitness.com/articles/post/high-frequency-training-workout
    I am not saying infrequent body part training does not work at all, just seems to be more sources saying the opposite strategy is superior. So judge as you see fit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I gave that more thought and totally agree- steroids allow you to slack, quite frankly. That's where their "magic" lies- you can train less to reap more benefit than a person not on gear.

      Delete
    2. According to Greg Nuckols..Over the course of a training career, it seems like steroids allow you to build about twice as much muscle as you’d be able to build drug-free.
      https://www.strongerbyscience.com/much-steroids-increase-hypertrophy/
      So, in terms of hypertrophy, according to that, roids are a massive deal.
      No moralising here, just trying to establish what is reality in this training lark.

      Delete
    3. It also seems that in terms off strength, roids are not so great. Same author says When looking at world records, experimental evidence, and cross-sectional studies, the resulting picture shows that steroids increase your competitiveness in strength sports by about 10%.

      To clarify

      When both drug-free AND drug-using lifters reach close to their body’s physiological peak (something like 10-15 years after they start training), they are pushing as hard as they can, which means that their training will actually be very similar in structure. The only big difference is that drug-using lifters will have their performance around 10% higher than drug-free lifters, if not a bit more.

      https://www.strongerbyscience.com/steroids-for-strength-sports/

      Delete
    4. Not according to JC Hose, or a number of other mid century authors
      All said early to mid thirties. Those science based does are idiocy and excuse making for sucking. They're a sure party to killing motivation and selling for mediocrity .

      Delete
  27. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Mate I am italian and you forgot to mention the most iconic thing this guy did back in the day when he was a weakling: once his family was dying of hunger so he and his brothers brought home and ate a dead horse found near a gutter (it was probably used by some nazi while they occupied Italy in the early 40s)

    ReplyDelete
  29. I have no direct experience of roiding but it seems that there is some synergy between roiding and pump training. The natty will get pisspoor results from pump training, exotic muscle splits, one body part per day and all the techniques of squeezing and holding etc.
    For the natty all that is suboptimal at best. You need titanium balls to succeed as a natty, a long hard struggle with heavy weights, heavy compounds.
    The roider may be the smarter trainer in many ways, it's a question of judgement. For the few who make money from the game, roiding makes a lot of sense. Obviously the number of young and youngish dead bodybuilders tells us the risks are real, bad cholesterol, organ enlargement etc are real. But can be well worth it.
    But for the vast majority, I doubt it enhances their life, just like plastic surgery and the like does not address the issue in the majority of cases. You remain you, more than likely an exploited,isolated individual, little prospects, victim of the system, trying to live a fabulous fantasy...

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    1. Definitely not the case. There were old time physical culture guys with great builds who only did light weight with tons of volume and bodyweight stuff .

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    2. Mmmmm, body weight stuff is not what I was thinking about, I was thinking more about the isolation stuff. I actually agree that a good volume of moderate training could in fact be superior. When I said heavy weights I was referring to compound exercises. I think training long trumps training hard.

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  30. And seriously, this is sick...http://www.fakeweights.com/

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