The 7 Secrets Of The Old Time Bodybuilders
By Tyler J. Bramlett
Since your visiting this site I know you care about 2 things…
First is getting jacked and second is doing it without the use of drugs. I’m with you!! After all what man doesn’t want to build a powerful, strong and jacked looking body. (If you’re thinking not me then your either a liar or you should bail from this article RIGHT NOW).
So who am I and why should you read this article?
Simple… You’re interested in getting big naturally and I have spent my life traveling around learning from some of the most respected drug free fitness experts in the industry. In this article I am going to tell you about the one thing that every single one of those experts references and how it can help you build your body.
But… Before I do I want you to take a moment right now to think critically about what I am going to say…
Because in all of my travels and through everyone that I trained with there was a common theme that was present… I would ask about the best ways to get strong and jacked naturally and they would almost always reference an old time bodybuilder.
They would talk about the people they had met and the stories that they had herd. They talked about iron game legends like John Grimmek, Reg Park, Steve Reeves and many others and told me what they thought the difference was between those guys and the guys training today.
Here are those secrets…
SECRET #1 – The Old Timers Lifted Heavy And Often
Perhaps the most common theme that I learned was that everyone, I repeat EVERYONE lifted heavy! There was not a man among them that didn’t pick up heavy iron.
But, and this is where I think we go wrong nowadays, they also lifted for volume. How is this so you might ask? Well, they seemed to take the time between rest periods to talk and relax. This way when it was time to bring it on another set they were ready.
I even herd a story of the late, great weightlifting legend Paul Anderson putting 2 squat racks on either side of a pasture about ¼ mile apart. On one he had 900lbs and would do just one rep. He would then take a golf ball and club and golf his way to the other rack where he had 700lbs and do a set of 3-5 speed reps.
He continued for hours they said getting in set after set of heavy lifting with ample rest and guess what? He went on to win the Olympic gold in weightlifting and sported a pair of 36” thighs to boot!!
SECRET #2 – The Old Timers Did Gymnastics
It’s no secret that gymnasts have some serious upper body and abdominal development. The old time bodybuilder used that to their advantage!
They didn’t go out there and tumble across the floor like the little girls you see these days, but they did partake in extracurricular activities like hand balancing (standing on your hands) and ring training.
The bottom line is this… If you lack the shoulder or abdominal development you want then it may be time for you to start learning a little gymnastics!
SECRET #3 – The Old Timers Did Bilateral And Unilateral Training
Although the old timers lifted heavy and accumulated a ton of volume with the big lifts like squats, deadlifts, bench presses and rows they also took the time to work in some serious unilateral training.
I once herd that John Grimmek would run the dumbbell rack doing a set of alternating curl and presses for max reps and would end up working up to repping out with a pair of 100lb dumbbells!!
They also worked on unilateral leg training like one leg deadlifts and squats to not only boost their athletic ability but to add extra mass to their glutes, hammmies and quads. So make sure you do some unilateral training in your workouts.
SECRET #4 – The Old Timers Did The Olympic Lifts
This is one that has long been forgotten. Nowadays we preach about rows and pullups as if they are the only route to back development. But take a moment to look at any Olympic weightlifter and notice the superior development of their spinal erectors and muscles surrounding their shoulder blades.
The Olympic lifts are by far the best exercises for developing the back muscles and if you use them you will also be building muscles that look as good as they perform!
One of my mentors once told me that to know the strength of a man, look at his spinal erectors and shake his hand. This brings me to my next secret…
SECRET #5 – The Old Timers Trained Their Grip
Nowadays, grip training is an underground thing but back then it was the mark of a man to have a strong grip. Often times due to the nature of their lifestyles, men simply had strong hands. But, many if not all of the old time bodybuilders took time each week to specifically train their hands.
It wasn’t uncommon for the old time bodybuilders to have 9” wrists because of their massive grip development. Just take out a measuring tape and check yourself and you will be humbled!
Train your grip at least once a week, do things like lift thick handled dumbbells, pinch 2 plates together smooth side out and hold for time or take a weight plate by the end and see if you can curl it while keeping your wrist in line with your forearm. If you train your grip, you will notice a plethora of gains in all of your other lifts!
SECRET #6 – The Old Timers Ate Good Food And Lots Of It
To get big, you must eat big!! It wasn’t uncommon for the old time bodybuilder to eat several lbs of meat every day in addition to drinking 2 quarts of fresh milk and following it up with veggies, bread and pie for desert.
In fact some of the most well-known old time bodybuilders were also eating champions. Just ask anyone who knew John Grimmek and you will hear numerous tales of his eating exploits in addition to his feats of strength.
You must eat a lot but you must eat clean. Without going into great details, you need to consume high quality food, organic and naturally raised meats and plenty of protein. Do this and you will get big!
SECRET #7 – The Old Timers Lived The Lifestyle Of A Bodybuilder
Back in the day the old time bodybuilder served as an inspiration for others. They spoke at local meetings about the benefits of healthy eating and exercise, they championed the gymnasium and all in all they lived the lifestyle of the bodybuilder.
Sure they wanted to look good naked but to them it was more important to be a figure of health then purely of beauty. They lived, trained, ate and slept for physical culture and if you want the outstanding results they got then this is what you need to do!!
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And there was more time. Earlier in the fall of my freshman year, I had suffered a back injury – I had broken a transverse process in my lower spine (the week I was going to get my first start, no less). Though a relatively minor injury, it did keep me off the field for a few weeks.
By becoming smaller and weaker! Your body is pretty smart at these types of things. It adapts to having to carry itself farther by making itself lighter.
