Building The "Mr. America" Type Of Physique

by Jake Hitchins

AT this year's "Mr. America" contest I had the opportunity to talk to most of the contenders, about the length of time they had trained and their methods. Without exception, all of these of the nation's best built men had trained with all three, barbells, dumbells and cables or springs. Although heavy weights had played an important part in building their famous physiques I was impressed with the fact that almost without exception they used dumbells only to pump up their muscles. They seemed to believe and rightfully too, that pumping up of the muscles of the torso and arms would show to best advantage in the contest. Some of these young men spent hours back stage in the well equipped training room provided by the Detroit Boys Club, in curling and pressing dumbells. They pumped their muscles up to the limit of their capacity.

I was particularly interested in the part that each of the famous three, barbells, dumbells and springs or cables had played in developing their physiques. I found that very heavy barbell training, the heaviest possible dead weight lifts and deep knee bends, very heavy pressing and curling, heavy rowing motions, with some weight lifting, had been included in the training of all of them. While it is necessary to practice considerable of the heaviest movements to build strength and large muscles, cable and dumbell training took much more of the training time of the contenders for the "Mr. America" crown than did barbells. Heavy barbells bring their results quickly, they build the largest and strongest muscles of the body, they build great strength, weight and bulk, but barbells alone will not build the very best physique, for they have a tendency to work the muscles in the same groove always. It is necessary to exercise and develop the muscles from every possible angle to build the greatest strength and attain the finest muscular development and the most shapely figure. Dumbells, and this includes dumbells for the legs, through the medium of Iron boots, and cables are an absolute essential in building the best physique.

Without exception, all of the contenders had used cables or springs to a great extent, for they believed, and rightfully too, that these devices were most excellent in building broader shoulders, deeper chest and broader, more muscular backs. Most of them trained a great deal in their rooms at home, many had been in the armed forces, notably the winner of the "Mr. America" crown, Al Stephan, who was a "sea bee," Sam Loprinzi, the runner up in the "Mr. America" contest and the "Most Muscular Man" winner who had been in the navy for some years. John Farbotnik, the winner of the best developed chest, who was the most recently discharged of any of them, and now is working with the rehabilitation of veterans as a civilian, Joe Lauriano who had been a member of the Merchant Marine, John McWilliams, the winner of "Best arms," who was injured while in the army, and Kimon Voyages, winner of the best developed legs, had served in the army for four years. While all of these men used heavy barbells when they were available, Al Stephan, 1946 "Mr. America," winner of the special award, "Best Back," second in the most muscular contest, carried a pair of York 40 pound adjustable dumbells and a York world's strongest cable set in his sea bag wherever he went. While the others were traveling they depended upon cables or springs to improve their development. Sam Loprinzi was stationed much of the time at Treasure Island, where he was a physical training instructor, Serg. Kimon Voyages was a physical training instructor at Randolph Field. So of the men who gained most fame at the "Mr. America" contest this year, Voyages and Loprinzi had the best chance to develop their legs to the limit through the medium of heavy barbells. The others spent most of their time on the upper body. McWilliams' arms, he had a leg injury which made it essential that he spend most of his training time on the upper body. Farbotnik, who had one of the most magnificent chests ever seen, to win the special award "Best Chest," with the stiff competition he encountered, Lauriano, "Best Abdominals" and of course Stephan, spent most of their time with dumbells and cables, upper body exercises.

Barbells are an essential for building the large and powerful muscles of the body. Dumbells are excellent as they offer continuous resistance day after day, year after year for life. A system of training which consists of leverage movements with moderate weights, and other movements with heavy dumbells will do things to the masculine physique which will please anyone. Heavy dumbells will bring most excellent results in strength and muscle building. Sig Klein believes that the best exercise of all, the key exercise, which was responsible for the great strength of the old timers, is the two dumbells clean and press. He believes that not a dozen men in the nation can clean and press a pair of 75 pound dumbells correctly 15 repetitions. The champs of the York barbell club practice this exercise to a great extent. Cleaning and pressing a pair of hundred pounders is one of the standard strength tests in the York Barbell Club gym. Any strong visitor is usually asked to show what he can do with a pair of hundreds. It was while having an impromptu contest that Frankie Spellman, 1946 Middleweight king, cleaned and pressed a pair of 115 pound bells.

Bob Hoffman has always been partial to two heavy dumbell exercises. The upright rowing motion and the continuous curl and press. The upright rowing motion is one of the best to improve pulling power, to increase one's record at cleaning and snatching, it also develops the entire shoulder assembly, broad shoulders, and sloping trapezius result from the practice of this exercise. Years ago when Bob entered weight lifting competition he always included these two exercises on his dumbell or tinkering days. Bent over alternate rowing motion, back hand curl bent over with one hand resting on a box or bench were two more of his regular routine. In 1933, when he made sensational gains during his famous twenty weeks of training, during which he established world's records in gains of strength, development and lifting ability, he trained during the first three months with a four day schedule following York courses 1, 2, 3 and 4 exactly as they were written. But for the last two months he concentrated on lifting motion exercises and weight lifting practice three of the days a week, two days were dumbell and cable days.

He reduced his weight from 230 to start, to 220, then built up to 243½ pounds of Herculean manhood. He broke all of his lifting records at his birthday show that November which was the completion of his twenty weeks training. But what is not generally known is the fact that two months later, he continentalled and jerked 325 behind neck, and back hand curled 145 pounds which was a world's record at the time. The alternate curl and press, the back hand curl leaning, the alternate rowing motion, the upright rowing motion, all contributed to his back hand curling ability. He performed ten repetitions with 1l0 in the back hand curl at the same contest, held at the Eagle Barbell Gym, late in 1933. Bob took a week's trip during the last winter and carried a pair of 42½ pound Aristocrat barbells with him, and when he came back he duplicated his feat of 13 years before of curling 110 ten times. All proof that dumbells serve very well as strength and muscle builders.

If you are so situated that you can use barbells and dumbells, by all means permit them to playa major share in building your strength and your health. But if you don't have weights at home, if you are traveling, living at a hotel or on a ship, don't feel that you have a good excuse to let yourself get out of condition. You can use cables or springs.

The future of cables is very uncertain at present. Just as the United States government has had such a hard time making up its collective mind about O. P. A. and about the continuation of the draft, it has not made up its mind about rubber. One account tells us that they intend to purchase natural rubber to help the financial condition of the other nations. They will pay more for this. Another story informs us that the synthetic rubber plants will be continued and there will be plenty of rubber for all purposes. But while our law makers don't make up their minds, we are the only country in the world that cannot obtain rubber chest expanders, shoulder broadeners, or whatever they are called, just as during the war we were the only nation in the world that was not permitted to manufacture barbells. The papers tell us that the little yellow men did not injure the rubber plantations, rather the five year rest during which they were not tapped, did them good. That there is a half million tons of rubber lying in storage in the east which could be shipped immediately.

Several times as much rubber can be obtained as we used before the war. Yet manufacturers in this country can not get a pound of natural rubber to be used in cable exercisers. England has plenty, we had placed orders with two companies there for a supply but they wrote later saying that they could not obtain a license to export these rubber cables because their country had an agreement with our country not to ship any in. So there's the situation, with the world supply greater than ever, we are told that there will be no rubber for cables this year and next. We purchased a large quantity of balloon cord, with which we have made up over 40,000 rubber cable sets, but all of these are sold but a few thousand. When they are gone there will be nothing left for the future but steel springs.

We had plans, a very special rubber exerciser that we felt was the best yet developed, but it must wait. Laws may be changed overnight, but until they are, once again, the richest country in the world has to be the only country in the, world to do without certain essential things.

The fellows who get the remaining thousands of rubber sets will be lucky, for they are the best, serve well, build plenty of strength and muscle. But the steel springs which are available, will serve well too. Their chief disadvantage is that they pinch the back at times, with considerable discomfort. If they are kept away from the skin they will serve well and long. But whether you can obtain the rubber gym or whether you use the steel expander, be sure that this device plays a regular part in building your body. For building the arms, shoulders and upper back, for enlarging the chest, they are unexcelled.

Hoffman once wrote that he believed the back press with heavy resistance similar to a two handed bent press with weights, was the best arm developing exercise. Every exercise with the springs or cables alone is a wonderful exercise for broadening the shoulders. The magnificent back, the fine shoulders, more than any other feature won the title, "Mr. America," for Alan Stephan. And more than any other thing, cable training helped him obtain this wonderful development. As so often written, the practice of what we call "the thousand exercises," practicing a multitude of exercises builds the strength and develops the muscles from every possible angle. If you wish to obtain the limit in strength and development, cable training is an essential. If you are so situated that you can't use weights, you can build a physique which looks as good as any, by using the Cable Home Gym alone. You won't be able to build as great strength in the back and legs, but you will, by using the York stirrups and practicing the many exercises which are possible with them, build two or three times as much leg and back strength as the average man possesses. By practicing the good old result producing exercises with the springs, or cables alone you will build a truly magnificent upper body. The front press, the back press, the pull down from above with knuckles up and palms up, straightening the arms at shoulder height, the front pull, the lateral raise, the archers movement, the single arm press, are the best shoulder, arm, back and chest developing movements with cables.

Standing on the cables and straightening the back will produce a good measure of back strength, pressing out the legs while holding the handles of the rubber gym is a good developer for the legs, the deep knee bend with stirrups holding the handles at the chest is a fine leg developer. A great many exercises which are normally performed with weights can be performed with cables or springs and stirrups. The lateral raise, the forward raise, the two hands curl, the upright rowing motion, the two hands press while sitting, the back hand curl, curl under arm pits, and a great many exercises in the wall pulley position and using the York home gym as a rowing machine.

If you train with cables alone five training periods a week is a good program. An hour before the evening meal, an hour after the evening meal, or an hour before your usual going to bed time, are the best periods of training. The only advantage of training in the morning is the fact that you are sure to complete your training, events may transpire during the day which will interrupt your training. To obtain best results from cable training and other forms of progressive exercise too, it is important that you never miss an exercise period. When you miss you have thrown your training for a loss so that you won't progress for a week. If you can't avoid missing, train two days in succession to make up for it. If you train with barbells and dumbells, use your cables two other days a week, on the tinkering or easy days as we call them.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

- The most widely publicized physique athlete in the world at the present time is without a question ALAN STEPHAN. The current "Mr. America" has received magazine and newspaper publicity galore, been in new reels, featured already in several national radio programs and has been seen and heard in television broadcasts. here Alan Stephan is posing with the trophies he won in the recent "Mr. America" physique competition. The large victory trophy at the left of the photo was awarded by Strength & Health magazine, the athletic statue trophy in the center was presented by the A.A.U., and the trophy at the right was also donated by this magazine to Alan for winning the Best Back award.

- This superb pose of JULES BACON of the York Bar Bell Club was taken during the course of his posing exhibition at the Junior National Weightlifting Championships at Akron on May 19th. It is evident from this impressive physique pose that the "Mr. America" of 1943 is not resting on his laurels.