The Best Form Of Bodybuilding, Part II

by Bob Hoffman

Last month we told of the great success lifting specialists have had in winning physique contests, and something of the lifting success of many of the nation's best body builders. We sought to prove, and the weight of evidence strongly bears us out, that a combination of bodybuilding exercises and practice of weight lifting builds the best physique, the strongest, healthiest man, the best athlete.

Aside from a very few men in weight lifting, dwarfs in the 123-pound class, and huge men who verge on the mastodonic, in the super heavyweight class, lifters have been a magnificently developed group of men. The people who attend weight lifting contests are amazed at the symmetrical physiques, the athletic appearance and carriage of the lifting champions. Over a period of years the American heavyweight champions were magnificently built men. Al Manger, the champion of 1932, was a beautifully built man who doubled his bodyweight after the age of 21. Bill Good, the heavyweight champion of 1934 and 1935. was a magnificently built athlete who made a sensational appearance on the cover of this magazine. John Grimek, so well known to strength and health seekers over all the world, was the champion of 1936, and Dave Mayor, one of the best built big men the world has ever seen, the champion of 1937. Dave had arms which were really over 19 inches, very broad shoulders, wonderful latissimus development, about the broadest back we have ever seen. Then Steve Stanko, later Mr. America and the first Mr. Universe winner, had his session as heavyweight champion of 1938-40. John Davis, who had been winning the 181-pound class, moved into the heavyweight division in 1941 and was the champion every year he entered up to and including 1953.

Now we have a huge crop of lifters in the heavyweight class. Some of them are not exactly pretty in overall physical construction, but we need big men to compete against the 300-pounders in the rest of the world. It is difficult for a normal-sized human being to compete against the behemoths of strength, but we do have a man who can do it and has done it in Norbert Schemansky, 1954 United States heavyweight champion. This year he made a world record clean and jerk of 416 1/2. Three years before, on the same platform, John Davis had cleaned and jerked the then record of 402. Schemansky, who is world 198-pound champion, made almost as much as Davis as a 198-pounder when he lifted 399. His lifts at Los Angeles totalled 1,050, little short of the world record total. It does prove that a magnificently built athlete can still give the world's biggest and strongest men stern competition.

Jim Bradford is another example. While he weighs as much as 280 pounds he is six feet tall and has an exceptionally large framework on which to carry his weight. In Europe the people who had read his weight on the program were astonished to see that he was well-proportioned instead of fat like others of comparable bulk. Bradford's best official lifts are 340 press, 320 snatch, and 390 clean and jerk, but we expect him to do much more. He should soon exceed his best official total of 1,040 by 30 to 50 pounds.

We are proud of our weight lifters and we are proud of weight lifters throughout the world. They are a magnificently formed group of men.

An outstanding example is Mahmoud Namdjou, of Iran, a little fellow who repeatedly won world titles in the 123-pound class. Touni, Egypt's super middleweight during the years 1936-1950, possessed one of the world's best physiques.

We must remember that symmetry counts six points in the scoring for physique titles, as much as muscular development, twice as much as posing, general appearance, posture, carriage, skin, hair, teeth and face. A man must be born with the basis for a symmetrical physique. He must have a well-balanced skeletal framework. While a man with too long a neck, too long a waist, too short legs, or too stocky overall, might improve enough to win district physique contests, such a man cannot improve his defects or cover them up enough to become Mr. America, Mr. World or Mr. Universe. In that sort of competition you must have everything.

So there are weight lifting champions who would not finish at the top of physique contests because of lack of symmetry in their skeletal framework. Most lifters, however, as a glance at this year's national champions will prove, are handsome, finely built young athletes.

I sincerely believe that the practice of the three standard lifts should be a part of the training of any an, regardless of his physical desires. The "Olympic Three" have proven their worth in developing athletes in a wide variety of sports, not say nothing of "Mr." winners. Examples are Otis Chandler in track, Frank Stranahan in golf, Walt Barnes and Stan Jones in football, Randy Turpin in boxing, and a host of wrestlers. Among the outstanding "Mr." winners are John Grimek, Steve Stanko, Roy Hilligenn, Jim Park, Al Stephan, Steve Klisanin and Yas Kuzuhara.

Athletic supremacy in the world today is won only thorough long, hard intense and scientific specialization. While lifting specialists have won important physique contests, physique contest stars could not win lifting contests without considerable practice. Perhaps I should make that a major lifting contest, for Gene Bohaty did win his class at the open lifting meet held with Colonna's picnic at Norfolk. And Steve Klisanin, who was Jr. Mr. America last year, was national junior 198-pound lifting champion this year. Klisanin was a great all-around athlete, besides, having been selected as Kiski Prep School's outstanding athlete while Olympic decathlon champion Bob Mathias was also a student there. But top national and international success usually takes a great deal of specialization.

Practice of the Olympic lifts develops more outstanding physical characteristics than the practice of any other sport. During the many years while I was climbing the ladder from a complete unknown to be what people all over the world consider the world leader in weightlifting, I had many battles and arguments about the worth of weightlifting. For years we offered to show them. Our York lifting team challenged the champions in any other sport, the All-America football players, the national champion crew, the swimmers, the track and field men, and others to a series of ten athletic events. We knew the specialists would win their event; we knew we would win weight-lifting, but it was our contention that our men would perform better on enough of the other eight events to prove the value of weight training. We never had an acceptance of our challenge, although for a time we hoped a contest with West Point athletes might be arranged.

Bodybuilders, to have a symmetrical physique, which as we said counts six points in a contest, need the practice of actual weight lifting movements. Although I am not a rabid disbeliever in bench pressing, believing it has value in strengthening the pushing muscles, I certainly don't care for the type of physique which results from striving for proficiency in this particular lift.

I don't shudder easily, but I have shuddered upon seeing the men line up for odd lift contests. We can't prevent these contests, so all the A.A.U. national committee can do is accept them gracefully and try to modify them so the odd lifts will be an aid to weight lifting instead of a detriment.

The curl has little value, the upright rowing motion a great deal of value to the competing lifter. The full knee bend will strengthen the entire body for weight lifting. So an odd lift contest made up of upright rowing motion, bench press and squat has considerable worth.

The specialists in odd lifts too often have distorted, unsymmetrical physiques. People see their photos in physique magazines and many with normal outlooks are turned away from weight training, while on the other hand some "muscle happy" extremists cannot understand how these disproportionate men are beaten in physique contests. Weight lifting champions who win physique contests do so because they are symmetrical, well balanced.

Thousands of young men are spoiling their physiques by practicing too many sets of special exercises while neglecting others. Some practice little but bench pressing, others overdo the latissimus pull behind neck, others work too hard at concentration curls and cramping extension movements. These are all good exercises, but they are only several good exercises. You should strive for all around physical ability through weight training. Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Make the most of yourself.