Iron Claws Course Michael H Brown [PDF]

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Iron Claws

Grip Development and Bench Press Course

by Michael H. Brown

Published by:

Bill Hinbern Super Strength Training 32430 Cloverdale St. Farmington, Michigan 48336-4008 USA www.SuperStrengthTraining.com

About the Author ... Mike Brown-your modern renaissance man-is a bodybuilder, health advocate, electrical, mechanical and automotive engineer, inventor, Biblical researcher, lawyer and author who has been published extensively on a variety of subjects. No, he doesn't have any Ph.D.s, which is probably why he is able to get so many useful things done. Here are but a few of his very interesting publications:

Bloody Iron: Practical Knife Fighting Brown's Alcohol Motor Fuel Cookbook Brown's Book of Carburetors Brown's Lawsuit Cookbook: How to Sue and Win The Case for Polygamy Diagnostic Bodybuilding The Erwin Rommel School ofLaw-How to Defeat an Illegal Legal System Escape from Outer Alcatraz The Fish Carburetor Book How to Build a Junkyard Still Invisible Weapons Sex, Money and Power: The Bible Shows You How Son ofErwin Rommel-Taking Our Country Back The Strength of Samson: How to Attain It Suppressed Inventions & How They Work The Works of George Arlington Moore IMPORTANT!

The training routines and advice in this publication are intended only for people of normal good health and physical condition. Always consult a medical or health care professional before beginning any exercise program. In no way, either written or implied, should this pUblication be used to replace the advice from your physician. As with any physical endeavor, there is always an element of risk for injury. When following the routines and advice in this, or any other pUblication, always practice safety, proper technique and common sense. Neither the author nor publisher will assume responsibility for any physical injury that may result from following the routines and advice in this publication. Originally Published in 1974 Modern Reprint Edition Copyright © 1999 by Bill Hinbern Manufactured in the United States of America Published by:

Bill Hinbern Super Strength Training 32430 Cloverdale St. Farmington, Michigan 48336-4008 USA www.SuperStrengthTraining.com

Introduction Congratulations. You have just purchased a book with enough information in it to enable you to equal or surpass the gripping feats, hand strength, and forearm measurements of the old-time strongmen. I say "old-time" strongmen because, for the last several decades, we have witnessed men with truly Herculean physiques attain those physiques with drugs, extremely light weights, and "pumping" and "flushing" systems that accomplish nothing but an increase in so-called muscular girth. If the truth were to be known, the "pumping" and "flushing" methods probably do more to enlarge the blood vessels than to produce actual muscular tissue. It appears to be quite easy to build literally tremendous-appearing muscular size with very little increase in real strength or athletic ability. This type of training (pumping) results in a "puff adder" type of physique which deflates almost immediately upon discontinuation of training. One unfortunate young fellow, who followed such a method of training and built himself 18V4 inch arms, managed to lose his tremendous upper arm girth in a matter of weeks following an accident. Contrary to this, most of the' men whom I have trained on more logical methods keep the bulk of their size and strength months and even years after they discontinue training. How long do you think a "Mr. Universe" winner with 19 inch arms, whose idea of a "heavy" workout is 5 reps in the deep knee bend with 300 pounds, is going to retain his "puffery" after he discontinues training? The forearms are a different matter. Have you ever seen anyone with truly rugged looking forearms, thick hands, and stubby-looking fingers achieve such development with light weights? Or pumping methods? The odds are you haven't and you won't because an extremely high percentage of forearm tissue is comprised of tendons and ligaments. Neither of which respond in the slightest to "puff adder" methods. Why did I choose to write a book on "forearms". after writing The Strength of Samson? Two basic reasons. First, several weeks ago I "drove" 600 pounds off a power rack in a partial bench press and sprained my right wrist. Obviously, before I could work up to my eventual 1,000 pound goal, that partiCUlar weak point would have to be corrected. Second, I believe one manufacturer of equipment has set the iron game back twenty years with his theories of "bypass the wrist" and "full extension and contraction for full development." What, really, is the point of developing the strength to lift tremendous weights if your wrists are so weak you can't hold on to what you otherwise could lift? This fellow's premise is that wrists are inordinately weak; so eliminate them in exercise. Had the old-timers been fed such nonsense they would have laughed out loud. Careful examination of the anatomy of the forearm and accounts of the gripping feats of the old-time strongmen should quickly convince almost anyone of the literally mind-bending power and size the forearm, wrist, and fingers are capable of developing. Whereas 18 and 19 inch upper arms are the "in thing" today it was forearm girth that counted over half a century ago. How many of our modern day "puff adders" can boast 14 and 15 inch forearms? Or even 19 inch forearms as Apollon had? Can any of our present day "strongmen" bend coins with their fingers? The old-timers could. The "full-extension and contraction" theory doesn't hold water. Read the chapter on the Bench Press, page 5. Why a chapter on the Bench Press? I try to give my customers a little more information than they expect so they'll buy my next "master-piece!" Also included are a couple of other chapters that, while seemingly not related to grip development, may help you attain your overall goals. What should you expect in the way of results? Frustrating as it may sound, don't expect any increase in forearm girth whatsoever for the first two or three months. The deep-seated 1

tendons and ligaments have to be strengthened before the muscular size itself increases. However, the increase in actual useable strength will be noticed almost at once. In my own case, for years, I had problems with opening various bottles, jar lids, etc. Two weeks after commencing these exercises opening any bottle became a snap, and in six weeks I tore apart my first 2 inch thick telephone directory. Once the forearm has been "firmed" measurements should increase as rapidly as the upper arm. Forearm measurements of some of the old-timers: Goerner, Hermann 16% inches Hackenschmidt, Georges 15 '12 Inch, Thomas 14% Sandow, Eugen 16'12 Saxon, Arthur 14% Now compare these measurements with the 19 and 20 inch upper arms and 13'12 inch forearms of our modern day "puff adder" physiques and contest winners.

The Dawn ofa New Age Editorial after depressing editorial appears in Iron Man Magazine bemoaning the state of the Iron Game, how we shouldn't neglect our "spiritual" development, telling us to take correspondence courses to get ahead in the financial world, and (in one case) telling us the world might come to an end! See the editorial for 1972 April/May (Volume 31 Number 4), if you think I jest. And, of course, the usual business about "not everyone can build a Mr. America physique." Don't forget the occasional remark interspersed throughout various articles about what a bunch of dumb slobs, bodybuilders and weightlifters are. Friends, I wish to take issue with this entire train of thought. I believe bodybuilding, weight-lifting, and related subjects are due to burst upon the 20th-century American social scene like a fire-storm. I believe we're all going to pull together in a way that the civilized world is totally unprepared for. First, in the words of Li1 Abner, "Who is us?" Having read Iron Man Magazine for years I just naturally assumed that the Joe Average interested in muscles comprised the bulk of the readership. Does the term "muscle-head" ring a bell with some of you? Let's scrap this assumption first and see ourselves in a more proper perspective. When I had sent Peary Rader my telephone number for my book ad I had considerable misgivings. After all, who could foresee how many pill-crazed body worshippers would call me up at 3 a.m.? I got one 3 a.m. phone call and that was it. The OTHER people who called me turned out to be research chemists, school teachers, physiology teachers, and the like. Quite a few correlated data and offered material for further research. Does this sound like a low I.Q. crowd to you? Second, let's take this "not everyone can build a Mr. America physique" business. Garbage. Anyone can do anything he wants to if he is willing to "pay the price." Anything the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve. I know some of you have heard this tired old bromide before but let's go one step further. In Probing the Unexplained, a book by Allen Spraggett, we're told that the Russians have kept certain musicians in a three-week somnambulistic hypnotic trance with the repeated suggestion they can paint, draw, etc. like the old Dutch masters. Not surprisingly, when they're brought out of the trance, they have an exceptional ability to paint. How many of us have experimented with hypnosis and weight­ training in depth? As far as the world coming to an end, phooey. The Pope was saying the same thing in medieval times because some son of perdition had invented the crossbow. According to my own calculations, Jesus Christ is due back on or before 1979 and I'm sure His angels aren't 2

going to let the place blow up in the meantime. 111 furnish archaeological evidence on this 1979 business if anyone is interested. Taking courses on "How to get along in the Babylonian money system" is something I personally can live without. If you don't ENJOY doing something you won't be any good at it anyway, and no well-meaning platitudes are going to edge you any closer to "success." Such advice is given to people interested in worshipping Nebuchadnezzer's golden image (the "gold" standard; though now it's just paper). Whatever happened to the men who tried to live their lives in Spartan simplicity, Christian charity, and honor? As far as spiritual development goes; I think we're hitching the horse up backwards here, friends. A Russian fellow named Sergei Kirlian and his wife devised an unusual form of photography. They were able to photograph the "aura" or color spectrum AROUND living things. The aura changes when the organism is sick. And one "faith healer" was photographed with streams of energy emanating from his fingertips. Let's build the temple walls before we try to tile the roof, otherwise none of it will ever get off the ground. As the Apostle Paul stated, you've got to learn the earthly things first: THEN the heavenly. The "state of the Iron Game" is due to only one thing. No one knows what we SHOULD be doing as opposed to what we ARE doing. One fellow is "storming the news media" but I doubt if he will achieve anything permanent. After all, there's nothing permanent in it for them. What are we doing? Drugs, for some. Some men will try literally anything for increased size and strength. Which is an admirable trait if it is carried out logically. Without drugs. Let's use an analogy. The automobile you drive today is more than the product of scientists and engineers. Disregarding the nut behind the wheel, most of our modern steering and suspension systems, engines, transmissions, power trains, and tires are so safe your grandmother can drive an average one from New York to L.A. with hardly a thought. What made them so safe? Was it the scientists and engineers? Or was it the race car drivers who tested every design, every alloy, every rubber compound, and every piece of steel on the competition tracks: some dying in the process? Why aren't we doing the same for the sick? Why aren't we in the public libraries and scientific journals digging out the opinions of the scientists and seeing if they WORK? How can you expect scientists, who think a "barbell curl" is an alcoholic in curlers, to realistically test a hypothesis that might someday benefit the weak and the sick? For example, a book on endocrine glands I have here before me tells about some test-tube stuffer who injected adrenaline extract into rats. They grew into GIANTS with bones twice as thick and heavy as in normal rats. Any of you ever tried desiccated adrenal gland as a dietary supplement? We all know the value of desiccated liver. On another page in the same book a fellow named Carrell extracted juice from the heart of a chick embryo and fed it to an embryonic heart for the equivalent of 3000 generations. Immortality? Fascinating new stuff, you say? The book is Glands RegUlating Personality by Louis Berman. He even claims the main reason gorillas are so much larger and stronger than humans is the excess pituitary gland secretions. Anyone for desiccated pituitary gland? The book was copyrighted in 1921. Once we experiment with this stuff and see whether or not it works, how do we get it to the sick and the weak? Simple. Write an article for Iron Man Magazine. You'd be amazed at the number of chiropractors that read it.

Train at Home Ever go into a commercial gym right after working hours? People stacked six deep behind every piece of equipment in the place. A body, sometimes two, on every bench. Barbells

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and dumbbells scattered helter-skelter by the slobs too inconsiderate to put them back in their respective racks. The odor of someone sweating off the previous night's pork chops permeates the air. One moron so busy checking out his profile as he unloads the bar he forgets 150 pounds cannot be taken off one side of a 345 pound Olympic set without decreasing the other side a like amount; disastrous consequences for the gym mirror he was checking himself out in. Athlete's foot lurking in the dressing room for the unwary. Sound familiar? It wasn't quite this bad at the last commercial gym I went to years ago, but the traffic I had to fight going to and corning from it more than made up for the difference. I've trained at home ever since. There are advantages to training either way. Usually there is more equipment available at a commercial gym than there would be at horne and the lighter weights are already fixed on the bars. Occasionally you might even get professional instruction but don't count on it. The last time I went to a commercial gym in L.A. some "contest winner" made me out a schedule and then promptly assigned some $2.00 an hour flunky to show me how to perform the exercises. When the flunky took me over to a leg press machine to show me how to do a "bench press" I got the distinct impression he didn't know quite as much about weight­ training as the management of the gym assumed. The really sincere gym owners in this country can probably be counted on the fingers of one hand. I am personally acquainted with one. It's not all the gym owner's fault, however. How many trainees do they ever corne across with enough sense to do EXACTLY as they're told? In my own nine years of training aspiring monsters I've managed to come across one. Narrow field, isn't it? What are the advantages of training at home? Many. The monthly net cost is much lower than a monthly gym membership. Once your equipment is paid for there is no other significant cost to be considered. And most gyms now require you to sign a contract for a year to make sure they get paid. You, the customer, are not a valid consideration. First the money, then (if you're lucky) the service. The same amount of money sunk in a power rack, a bench, and a barbell set is an investment; not an expense. They don't "run out" like a gym membership. If you decide to take a three-month layoff that's your prerogative, there's no "cost" factor other than the time you've wasted. Don't misunderstand me; I'm not "against" commercial gyms. The best gains I ever made were at Mits Kawashima's in Hawaii in 1966, from 190 to 230 pounds in five months. However, trainers like Mits are a rarity. Better to train at home than go to a place where the emphasis is on "businessmen" and long term contracts. If you can get training partners for your home gym; so much the better. The best kind are obviously the ones who either have their own equipment or are willing to help pay for yours. Even "spotters" are helpful. In my own case I had no-one in this town to train with. The local chiropractor sent me a couple of his remedial exercise patients (his first remedial exercise patient got sent to the physical therapist in the local hospital; the therapist promptly informed the chiropractor's patient what fools chiropractors were) and I managed to squeeze enough out of them to pay for all my equipment ($50 for three months, for personal supervision of every workout, a chiropractor's patients will pay it; it's tax deductible). Later on a friend of mine from California drifted in with his thigh-extension machine and another friend from New Jersey drifted in who we promptly put to work as a spotter. By that time one of my remedial exercise victims had gained enough strength to where we could also put him to work as a spotter. He kept paying me for the privilege, however. If you can tap into a friendly chiro, great. The one I go to loans me an occasional book on diet, yellow ligaments, physiology, and related SUbjects. Most expensive library I've ever 4

been to. What sort of equipment do you need? I prefer a power rack, a flat bench, and a barbell set. That's the basics. The easiest way to obtain dumbbells, and plates is simply to let people know you're in the market. More people than you think have the stuff pitching around. Last week I picked up a hitchhiker in Lexington who sold me over a hundred pounds of steel plates, dumbbell bars, and collars for $14.00. Avoid plastic-coated plates. They eventually come unglued. Iron Man Magazine classified ads are an excellent source for both buyers and sellers. Used equipment, from someone in a panic to get rid of it, sometimes goes dirt cheap. And a buyer advertising can be very selective. The primary advantage of training at home? It's not the absence of lines behind the weights. It's the ability to experiment at your leisure. Practically every great discovery in history has been uncovered by an Edison, a Ford, or similar sort puttering around his own unfinished workshop. Should weight-training be any different? Did Arthur Jones invent the Nautilus machines in the factories he has now, or were they invented out behind his garage? About a month ago I had what I thought was a stroke of genius on the design of a forearm machine: a device like a thick-handled steering wheel to roll weights up from the ground. I hotfooted it over to the public library to check out every book on anatomy (for forearms) I could find. What I found was that of over a dozen muscles in the forearm and thirty-three in the hand, only two are used for rotating the wrist clockwise and two counterclockwise. The other forty-one are used for gripping. However, the research I did led me to conclude the humble wrist roller would be a fantastic device if it could be made out of a round piece of wood about four inches in diameter. The public library is available to all of us. Many methods and training aids discovered by physiologists, chiropractors, and the like go unused simply because most trainees don't do the study and research that they should. I don't mean books written by those already in the field (of which I'm as guilty as any); I mean scientific journals, advanced nutritional journals, and anything scientific pertaining to the human body. For example, one little item I came across in my reading was about a Chicago physicist who measured the electromagnetic field created by contracting human muscles. He reported the strength of such a field as one five­ hundred millionth part as strong as the magnetic field surrounding the whole earth. This subject alone would probably keep your home gym hopping for months with experiments and the like. Weight-training is, for all practical purposes, still in the scientific stone age. I spent months digging around in the records of the "bronze age" for my book, The Strength of Samson (a product of a home gym and the public library), and if the trainee of today can ever break away from the hidebound rut of present routines and attitudes I sincerely believe that every weightlifting record and physical measurement currently extant will be smashed beyond belief using information available NOW. Let me know if you write a book, I might even publish it for you!

The 1,000 Pound Bench Press

Part I

How It Will Be Attained

The other night one of my trainees in Massachusetts called me up for his monthly training advice. It seems that the people where he trained had no idea of what they were doing. He went so far as to inform me that a World Champion in the 242 pound class in Powerlifting had absolutely no idea of what he was doing. The powerlifter simply came into the

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gym at his appointed hour, brought his lunch with him, and simply "trained his brains out" for about four hours twice a week. The lifter's best bench press was in the neighborhood of 510 pounds. In case you're wondering about my preoccupation with the bench press let me explain. My basement ceiling is just a tad over six feet high and my lower back was somewhat damaged in service. Both factors preclude any overhead lifting. You're probably thinking, it's safe to predict a 1,000 pound bench press and ten years from now someone will do it. I'm betting it will happen within two or three years. Maybe less? Why? I think the weight-training fraternity is finally ready to accept the "scientific method." Meaning, find out what works and then USE it. Lately there has been a lot written (by various authors) about "rtegative resistance" but I doubt if it's here to stay or if it will be instrumental in really meaningful strength increases. To me, negative resistance is nonsense. What on earth is the purpose of developing "weight lowering" strength? I realize many individuals point to the large increases in weight that can be lowered (what's next; "not lifting" strength?) but careful examination and comparison of "weight lowering" movements with partial positive movements I believe will show partials have the edge. One of my customers for my book, The Strength of Samson, reports that his partial bench press (about a 2 inch travel) increased from 225 pounds 10 reps to 385 pounds 10 reps in 30 days. And a former Illinois State Powerlift Champ in the 242 pound class telephoned me one night to inform me that his partial squats had increased from 800 to 1200 pounds in two weeks. As Larry Lawson pointed out in an article on Paul Anderson in Iron Man Magazine, 1956 February/March (Volume 15 Number 5), whatever can be lifted partially will, with persistent training, eventually become a complete lift. I have yet to read or hear of anyone saying, "what goes down must come up." Also, and this is mere personal opinion arrived at simply by rummaging through a few anatomy books, I believe negative resistance may prove to be the most dangerous method of training yet devised. For this reason: a muscle is considerably weaker than its attaching tendon so that if extreme stress is put upon the limb the muscle "tears" long before the tendon becomes involved. Now, suppose the muscle actually becomes stronger than the tendons to which it is attached (which I believe is possible with enough "negative" training)? Do you have the usual "charley horse", or a condition requiring extensive surgery? So, while negative resistance may have its place as simply a way of enabling the trainee to get the "feel" of a heavier weight, I think it should be used sparingly. What benefits will be received from training for such a lift? Great strength, obviously. You're also liable to find a couple of side benefits you didn't expect. Like a friend of mine on the Honolulu Police Dept. who spent three years moving his bench press up to 500 pounds without using partial movements. When he started he weighed 187 at a height of 6' 3". The night I saw him bench press 550 pounds he weighed in at 290 pounds without an ounce of fat. Unlike the current crop of "puff adders" who are primarily concerned with measurements, my friend was concerned with strength. He developed a 19Y2 inch arm in the process (I measured it myself) and I would be willing to bet others would claim 22 inches for the arm he had. It's unfortunate most bodybuilders don't realize that pursuing measurements is like chasing butterflies; they11 elude you. Pursue a more easily definable goal, like a 500 pound bench press, and the "butterfly" will come and land on your sleeve. Also, while I'm throwing out an occasional brickbat, let's forget all this "a muscle has to have full contraction and full extension for complete and maximum development" insanity. This statement is true only in one case: if the muscle is separated from the body of the organism and placed in a tank of nutrient solution. This same muscle in solution generally has to be "trimmed" because it grows so fast. Any of you ever had such a problem? So, you think possibly you might want to attempt the Everest of bench presses and 6

want to know where to start? Here's what I would suggest. My 290 pound friend with the 550 pound bench press used what I will have to call the "step-ladder" system of training for want of a better term. He would do 10 sets. Five "up" and five "down." Another friend of mine moved his own bench press up over 150 pounds in nine months using the same method. Both of them used full movements. Here's roughly the way it works Start with a warm-up weight. One set of ten. Add enough weight to get eight reps comfortably. One set. Add enough weight to get six reps comfortably. One set. Add enough weight to get five reps comfortably. One set. Add enough weight to get three reps comfortably. One set. Now, work back down in weight the next five sets using the weights you worked up with but try to increase the repetitions. When you're doing more reps on the "downside" add weight to all sets (about 5 or 10 pounds). Now it gets complicated. Let's use the above system with partial movements only. You 11 be amazed at how little time it takes you to surpass 500 pounds 2 inch travel. Remember what Larry Lawson said? Here's where the complications corne in. Even at 2 inch travel 600 pounds is a lot of weight. So much so, in fact that an almost unbelievable amount of oxygen is used up on every repetition. What goes up once relatively easily the first time is extremely difficult the second and literally unbudgeable the third. Complication number one is lack of oxygen. The next thing you 11 notice at that weight, as I did, is the neck tendons become heavily involved and a vein that runs down the side of the neck becomes heavily engorged with blood. Why this happens, I don't know. However, I believe complication number two can also be solved. The third complication is this: very few of us have the wrist strength to "push" against such weights with any degree of speed without spraining. The primary reason I wrote Iron Claws is because I sprained my right wrist lifting a 605 pound weight in the partial bench press. In order to avoid the foregoing complications, here is a routine that I would suggest following twice a week in addition to the step-ladder system. Wrestlers bridge 2 x 10 Upright rows 2 x 10 Wrist curls 2 x 10 Squats 2 x 10 The above exercises should be done with extremely moderate weights and the poundage not increased until the weight actually begins to feellight. The wrestlers bridge is ohviously for the neck tendons and the blood vessel I referred to earlier. The upright rows are simply to work the muscles between the shoulder blades from a different direction than the partial bench press and thereby removing any "weak link." The wrist curls are, of course, to keep you from spraining your wrist. The squats should be done with an Iron Man Magic Circle. Personally, I think the Magic Circle is an ugly-looking piece of apparatus but it does permit the utilization of more lung space than a conventional bar and when you get to the 600 pound mark and beyond you're going to need every cubic inch of lung power you can muster. In fact, it's going to take you several minutes of deep breathing after each set of partials past 400 pounds to recover your air. Eventually you'11 be up to 1,000 pounds 2 inch travel. What do you do then? Obviously if you can lift 1,000 pounds 2 inches in a maximum effort you're not going to be able to heave the same weight up 4 inches. However, with a little work on it, moving the weight 2 inches shouldn't be an earthshaking undertaking. Simply leave the rack pins in the same position and RAISE THE BENCH by putting % inch thick boards or sheet steel under it. When you have four V2 inch boards or sheets of steel under the bench it's time to drop the pins and start 7

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allover. As the 1,000 pounds travels its way down the pins, your assistance exercise program is going to have to change somewhat. For example, at the 6 inch point substitute a heavy triceps exercise for the upright rows. A couple of other things I would recommend are a close study of nutrition (for example, vitamin A affects the pectoral muscles) and a hypnotism session every night (except Sunday, of course) to remove potential mental stumbling blocks before they have a chance to take hold in your mind. Let me know if you develop a 22 inch upper arm in the process.

The 1,000 Pound Bench Press

Part II

One of the problems inherent with attempting to be an "authority" in any field is that just when you think you've got all the answers somebody drops a chance remark and adds a whole herd of new questions. This has happened to me twice in the last two weeks by or because of fellows who stopped by to see what we were doing in the way of research, workouts, and the like. And, also in the last two weeks, basic metallurgy forced us to completely redesign our power rack and bars. First, the metal. When a normal barbell bar is loaded with 700 pounds of plates it takes on physical characteristics normally not associated with such equipment. It bends, which is to be expected. Then it twists, also expected. Then the fun begins. Here's what happens. Force is applied to the bar and sometimes one end of the bar comes flying up while the other remains stationary, if you're off balance. Or you push against the bar. For a second it seems motionless. In actuality the bar is bending in the middle. Once the "slack" is taken up, the bar has bent as far as it is going to, the weight literally leaps off the rack pins and whips back and forth in the air. This "whipping" motion is extremely hard on the palms of the hands and the: wrists. At present we have figured out two ways to eliminate this. Instead of the standard barbell bar, we use one made out of a special type of steel which won't begin to bend until 1,500 pounds or so is placed on each end. "Whipping" is eliminated, at least for the next fe\\ months. Another problem occurs when the bar is dropped back onto the rack pins. Shock~ from metal slamming metal run down the arms causing no end of discomfort. Nor is it possible with extremely heavy weights to "gauge" exactly how much force is required to move it at the extension position. Don't apply enough force and the bar won't move. Apply too much toe rapidly and the bar may come flying up but you may be nursing a sprained wrist for somt time. A little device we thought up may solve both the "shock" and "applied force" problem. We call them "rack rebounders." They're simply blocks of steel with holes drilled in them tc accommodate the rack pins. On top of the steel block sits a coil spring. On top of the col spring reposes a "saddle" or "cradle" for the bar. When you plop the bar down it won't sene shock waves down your arms simply because the spring "gives" with the weight. On tht upstroke, part of the weight is "boosted" for you at the beginning of the movement so, insteac of struggling mightily with the actual 700 or 800 pounds you have on the bar, your initia resistance may be half that. As the springs uncoil, the heavier a load you absorb until th{ entire load "clears the decks" so to speak. Also, if you're a real glutton for punishment, YOt can load a bar well past your single limit on a partial movement and actually WORK with the weight. Granted, it won't travel very far, but it WILL TRAVEL. Let's say you dump 1,00( pounds on the bar and it only travels one inch up to a 3 inch coil spring. Keep working witt it and eventually, even with 10% of an inch at a time, your half ton weight will clear the 8

"saddles" and THEN you can start rrusmg the bench, lowering the pins, etc. Another advantage to "rack rebounders" is that you can keep "pumping" a tremendous weight long after the failure point of normal partials. If you're totally confused at this point look at the drawings of rack rebounders on page 17. Give us a phone call if you wish us to make you a set. They will be advertised in future issues of Iron Man Magazine. For those who haven't done so, I would suggest ordering Bill Anton's course, You Can Bench Press 400 Pounds, advertised in Iron Man Magazine and apply it to partial movements. Another little goodie that I haven't had time to investigate is one told to me by Bob Simpson when he was up here from Knoxville a couple weeks ago. Bob was featured in Iron Man Magazine, as the fellow who pressed 525 from a rack and then couldn't hold it at arms length. Bob's method of training consisted of "push-pressing", using his legs, enormous weights up to about nose level. He worked up to about 1,000 pounds in this fashion and then his back gave out. Who knows? Had his back held up he may have been the first man in recorded history to military press I ,000 pounds? I recall years ago working up to 3 sets of 8 reps in the "push press behind neck" with 220 pounds at a bodyweight of 180 and felt like the weights would go up forever, until the "contest winners" saw me doing it and told me that was NOT the way to do things. So I went back to doing them strict with a whole lot less weight. Like a dummy. The blind leading the blind. Anyway, Bob told me about a bodybuilder where he trained who experimented in the bench press and the squat in rather unusual fashion. This fellow would have a weight somewhat in excess of his best limit attempt handed to him and he would slowly lower it, and then bounce it up and down on his chest (or haunches if he was doing squats) for several repetitions. In two weeks this fellow's limit bench press and squat each increased by about 60 pounds. However, being a bodybuilder, he wasn't much interested in great strength and abandoned that line of endeavor to pursue other more "measurement" oriented goals. Anyone else care to try this and let me know the results thereof?

Chiropractic for Strength and Bulk Increases Have you ever noticed how many people take up weight-training in their lives? And how few succeed? Let me cite a couple of examples. The first case is myself. I've horsed around with weights since 1964 and by 1966 weighed 230 with a 340 bench press. Then I quit training for a year and lost 40 pounds, probably due more to poverty than lack of proper training. Off and on for the years following I tried to regain what I had lost and could never seem to quite "make it." Doubly frustrating was the fact that everyone training under my supervision made fairly respectable gains. It wasn't until 1973 that I began to deviate from the accepted "norms" of the weight-training world and surpassed myoid strength levels. What was the problem? I couldn't blame improper training alone, I had gained 70 pounds in two years on what I now consider stone-age training methods. Like everyone else, I was all concerned about "muscles." But there wasn't anything wrong with the muscles themselves. I did notice a sharp pain in my lower right back whenever my 20 reps in the squat approached the 250 to 270 pound mark. I went to a local chiropractor for two years and didn't improve a bit. Finally, not suspecting my local chiro didn't know what he was doing, I went to one in Richmond on the local man's day off as I could hardly walk and didn't want to wait another day. The Richmond man suggested an x-ray and the results were something I hadn't expected. My entire spine was tilted so far to one side that the weights I put on my back created pressure primarily on ONE SIDE of my body. Through continued 9

exercise I was actually weakening instead of strengthening myself. My nerves and spinal ligaments were literally being torn apart. Fortunately, my Richmond chiro is one of the few (about 10% of the profession) who actually knows what he's doing and he's slowly but surely getting me straightened out (or rather, my spine is). The other case is a fellow who bought The Strength of Samson and told me he had never been able to get his body weight past 170 unless he literally gorged himself with food in which case he went up to 180 and lost it as soon as he slowed down his food intake. At the same time he told me one leg cramped up real bad if he squatted down on his haunches for a few minutes. He didn't realize it but he had just pin-pointed his major problem. Nerves not only carry electrical impulses from the brain to the muscles, they have a tendency to weaken the muscles if they (the nerves) are irritated. Heavy exercise generally makes the situation worse. What happened to this fellow I don't know but I HOPE he found a chiro believing in corrective care (most practice a remedial "whack crack six bucks and get back" sort of profession). Other facets of weight-training are far more subtle. Nutrition, for example. All the authorities holler about "protein." But, as Landone points out in Electronic Properties ojFoods, protein, fats, and starches are deadly poisons. If you don't think so try injecting the stuff directly into your bloodstream sometime and see if you don't turn your toes up. In my OVin case I wondered why I made better gains on pineapple juice than I did on fresh, raw milk. Sound odd? That's what I thought too when I first read it but Landone cites numerous hospital and institutional experiments to prove that pineapple carries a slightly POSITIVE charge of electricity and all animal products slightly NEGATIVE. Landone was by no meallS a vegetarian (he died in 1945 at the age of 98); he simply points out that no matter how well­ balanced you may THINK your diet is, if it consists of primarily negative-charged foods you will eventually run down. In one section of the book he cites a study of 1000 x-rays: 500 vegetarians, 500 meat eaters. The meat eaters all looked fairly normal on the films but the vegetarians ALL had swollen and collapsed intestines, very small lungs, etc., etc. Another subject is drugs. Some take them and gain and some don't. There's no point in my moralizing on the subject; I'm no expert on them and if you refuse to obey the Good Book and truck with sorcerers ("sorcerer" comes from the same root word in Greek that we get "Pharmacist" from) then what befalls you is your own lookout. Of course, some of the "trainers" who write articles about the "Zen Masters" and the rest of the "Eastern religions" currently flooding the country may be partially to blame. Practically all the so-called "Eastern religions" indulge in drugs as part of their rites, etc. And one of these "religions" considers cows so sacred they not only worship the dumb animals, they bathe and DRINK a mixture of butter, milk, curd, cow urine, and cow excrement as part of their "religion." (Reference National Geographic Magazine series 1971). Long as the pill-poppers indulge in the drugs, they might as well avail themselves of the protein supplements! Yeccch. The point I'm trying to make is this: treat your body the way the Almighty intended and you may reap benefits you never expected. In my own case my corrective therapy (NO drugs) resulted in my height increasing from 6' 1" to 6' 2W' in less than three months, and I'm 31 years old. Incidentally, according to an AP release dated December 19th, 1973, Sky lab 3's astronauts all gained an inch or more in height since November 16th, when they were launched into space. One grew almost two inches. Wonder what would happen if you left short people in a weightless environment here on earth for several weeks?

Forearm Anatomy This is a rather presumptuous title for such a brief page but I feel it necessary to warn you of a thing or two concerning the forearms. One thing I noticed after reading several books on anatomy and several on grip development is that the fellows writing the "grip" books were 10

very poorly schooled in anatomy. Worse than me, even. Some of the exercises recommended are downright ridiculous and others downright dangerous. For a specific example, one fellow (a world record holder at one time) recommended "tightening jar lids" as an exercise. Lots of luck if you tighten it too far and the jar breaks and slices your hand open. Just for the record, the tendons you see on the back of the hand and elsewhere are seated very deeply in the arm and a deep cut on the hand is likely as not, if it gets infected, going to cause you considerable misfortune. Infection will travel to the "seat" of the tendons a lot quicker than you would think and it takes (there are exceptions) the surgeon's knife to remedy the damage. So please, DON'T put strains on your hands they're not ready for. And if you MUST punch someone aim for the stomach, I've seen hands swollen and infected so badly they were three times normal size from someone's tooth coming out and lodging between the knuckles. Developing An Iron Claw

Many years ago, before most of today's weight trainees were even a gleam in their daddy's eye, a fellow named John Y. Smith used to specialize in the one-handed deadlift. The late Harry Paschall, who used to write quite regularly for Iron Man Magazine in the 1950's, had met Smith several years earlier and, in Paschall's opinion, Smith's hands looked like iron claws. Years of one-handed deadlifting with thick handled barbells had so thickened Smith's finger tendons in the palm of the hand that those same tendons stood out like the webbing on a duck's feet. Smith at the time was doing one-handed deadlifts in his exercise routine with about 400 pounds. Paschall, who could do almost 300 pounds in the same exercise, decided he could equal Smith's performance without a whole lot of effort. Paschall made his living as an artist. After a few weeks of specializing on the lift he gave it up as he was afraid he would lose his artistic ability, the tendons in his hands were developing far more rapidly than he had expected. His hands too were beginning to look like "iron claws." The foregoing is simply an illustration of how important one-handed deadlifts are to those interested in developing great gripping powers and forearm girth. Harold Ansorge, a professional strongman of the 1930's, was capable of over 500 pounds in this same lift. Ansorge had such prodigious strength in his hands that he was featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not as being able to tear the corner off a deck of 52 playing cards using only his thumb and index finger. Ansorge was also good at spike bending and tearing through SEVERAL telephone directories at a time. In recent times the squat has been called the "king of exercises" but I believe the one­ handed deadlift to be a superior exercise for all around strength and power. 111 admit I personally soured on the squat as "the exercise" after seeing a photograph of one of the world's best squatters wearing wrist braces to "push press" a 500 pound weight. It seemed to me that his leg and lower back strength would be advantageous for pulling a plow but, considering this same individual weighed over 300 pounds, his great strength wasn't much good for anything else. A close investigation will show that the one-handed deadlift affects many of the same muscles the squat does and a couple more besides. In the one-handed deadlift the legs, lower back, and upper back are all affected to a degree. So are the lungs if the exercise is performed vigorously enough. Of course, you will only be able to lift what you can hold onto with your hands which for most modern-day weight trainees is very little compared to what the other muscle groups have been developed to. In my own personal and highly prejudiced opinion I believe full two-handed deadlifts should be avoided unless you're determined to enter powerlift competition. The position for performing the lift is highly unnatural and the chance for injury is enormous. Someone lifting a weight with one hand while the other hand provides a "brace" for the lower back via the knee 11

,­

-------- -

--

---

I

is in very small danger of injury. The worst that can happen is the weight will simply slide ( of your grip (unless you're dumb enough to use a dumbbell for this lift and drop it on y( foot). Straps are another matter. If something goes "snap crackle or pop" in my 0' framework I would be immediately disposed to turn loose of the weight in all haste. How c you turn loose of something you're strapped into? Sort of reminds me of seat belts fo] motorcycle. Whoever invented straps for weight-training furnishes us with a classic exam] of backwards thinking. Why not just strengthen the wrists? It's not that hard. What sort of a routine would I suggest built around the one-handed deadlift? Here': couple of examples. Be sure to get a pipe to slip over your barbell in succeeding stages fo] snug fit. Build the diameter of the bar up to 21/2 inches or larger. That way when you lift it t entire hand will have a "purchase" instead of just the crooks of the fingers. Training in Mud

In my book, The Strength of Samson, I apologized to everybody for coming acros~ statement that "Samson trained in mud" (not in the Bible; I probably could have tracked down though) by Dr. Ellington Darden in an old issue of Strength & Health that I could figure out. Dr. Darden, in his article, seemed to think it had something to do with the muscl having to work BOTH ways instead of simply against the force of gravity. Which makes ser but I don't think that is the primary reason for lack of muscle soreness, etc. after a workc when you train in mud. What is a "training in mud" chapter doing in a forearm and grip development book?] sure a lot of people would like to try it if it weren't for the tremendous inconvenience cleaning up afterwards. However, suppose you were to take a clean garbage can, fill it wi mud, and then stick only your hands and forearms into it and work them? In a situati where there was absolutely no muscle soreness after the workout wouldn't it be possible work that body part every day? Or even twice a day? Granted, your food intake would have be enormous but, if this theory is correct, think of the rate of progress you could attain, FOl times faster than normal. A word of caution. At the moment this is just that, a theory. The mud should be of uniform consistency. And it should get thicker as you progre making whatever you're doing harder. Commonly known as progressive resistance. What sort of apparatus or method do you need to thicken the mud? None if y progress rapidly enough. The water in the mess will evaporate and you may have to slOl little back in occasionally. If so mark a line on the inside of the can so you 11 know where t "water level" is (or should be). What sort of exercise machinery you should use in your garbage can is anyone's gue Presumably something in which the hand must be forced open as well as closed. Peary Rae of Iron Man Magazine sells some excellent devices. I would recommend his Superman ( Developer Model M2 (get all 4 strengths), and his Plate Grip Developer & Weight Holder Me M4. On this you will have to figure a way of lashing the plates directly to it. Connecting 1 device to a chain and then the chain to the weights could be a real experience in frustratio: Of course, you could use a Samson 3 Inch Diameter Dumbbell Bar for one hane deadlifts in the slop but I doubt you could find a trash can with a large enough inside diame to accommodate it. So, what is the real reason for training in mud? Just this: your skin will absorb alm anything it comes in contact with through the pores if it's small enough. There are ml microbes, minerals, and other little goodies in a thimbleful of dirt than there are people on t planet. Without minerals you cannot build muscular tissue. Obviously with a surplus minerals getting into the bloodstream your progress should be accelerated. A word of cautil

12

DON'T get your mud from any place sprayed with poisonous chemicals or a hog wallow. Use

your head. You probably think I'm insane after reading this. Eating through your skin! Indeed! If so, I've got some pretty well-educated company. I got this information from a reprint of an article by Ivan T. Sanderson, first published in The American Druggist (January 1950). You can read the article in its entirety by picking up a copy of the Health Finder by J. I. Rodale and turning to page 730. One thing Sanderson does mention I think is worth repeating. Some mud works wonders and other mud does nothing. Maybe you need a soil sample kit to take along on mud procurements? Here are a couple of other little items you might experiment on. Bud Counts used to soak his arms in hot water after a workout. He sported a set of 19 inch arms at average height back in 1950. In an old Iron Man Magazine, (1968 October/November, Volume 28, Number I), Anthony Ditillo rubbed Ben-Gay on his calves for quicker growth. Olive oil, ranked 44 on the electronic food scale (the next highest food ranks about 27), I believe should also be experimented with. The first routine would be on the "step-ladder" system which I mention in the chapter on the bench press. One-handed deadlift with a thick-handled bar, 10 sets, 5 "up" and 5 "down." Be careful not to overtax your grip at first. As weak as the average man's grip is yeu're liable to tear something loose. Be patient. If you can't get at least 3 reps with a weight you don't have any business lifting it. By the third rep your hand will "give way" and the weight will fall harmlessly (we hope) to the floor. There won't be any significant strain on the tendons. Relax for several minutes. Light breathing squat, one set, 20 reps. Primarily to aid the circulation and metabolism of food. Relax for several minutes. Try to stay warm at all times. Wear a sweatsuit. Practically all muscles are pulled "cold." Clean and Press 2 x 10 with the same thick handled barbell. Curl 2 x 10 also with the same thick handled barbell. Dumbbell laterals 2 x 10. You 11 find this last one necessary as the one-handed deadlifts and clean and press will so affect the trapezius muscle that you will wind up looking like a pin head atop a bull neck with the shoulders of an Alley Oop (nonexistent). Again, everything but the one handed deadlifts should be left at the same weight until it begins to feel "light" for both sets of 10 (or one set of 20 in the case of the squat). Another method is to simply do a couple of fast "warm-up" exercises such as the squat and clean and press to keep the rest of the body "toned up" and then just go at it "hammer and tongs" with the hand and forearm. Make a chart for yourself of some of the exercises in the "illustrations and stunts" sections and go at it. Don't worry about over-working the forearms; long before your "air" gives out or you start working on nerves, your hands will be totally unable to hold onto anything heavier than a 5 pound plate. A third method that I think merits consideration is one that was quite popular with readers of Iron Man Magazine a quarter century ago. I have never tried it myself but it does seem to make a lot of sense. Unfortunately, like everything else that actually works, it gets periodically discarded for the more popular "puff adder" methods and only occasionally surfaces and is taken advantage of. I'm referring to the "rest pause" system as outlined way back in 1950 in Iron Man Magazine, (1950 May/June, Volume 10, Number 3). The fellow who wrote the account I read 13

was named George Irving Nathanson of New York City. Here are some of the lifts he claimed (substantiated by witnesses) and the age and body weight in which he performed them. Age 14 Body weight 140 lifted 300 pounds to shoulders Age 16 Body weight 160 push pressed 300 pounds Age 18 Body weight 175 push pressed 300 pounds for 8 reps 20 consecutive squats with 415 pounds His body weight eventually went to 210 at a height of 5' 9". Here's what he did: Incidentally, he claims that this system is for advanced men ONLY and beginnen should leave it strictly alone. Work out ONLY 3 times in 2 weeks. Follow by one week layoff. Repeat the sequence. Do one exercise only. Single reps. About 50 to 100 reps. Then get 18 hours sleep thaI night and 12 to 13 the next two days. One minute rest between reps (or sets). Nathan claimed he went up ten pounds a workout on his military press using this system (until he hit c "sticking point") and I see no reason why this same system couldn't be adapted to the one­ hand deadlift. The only negative aspect he mentions is that very little actual body weighl increase or measurement increase takes place.

Strength Stunts for the Hands How to Train for Them Lifting Weights With the Fingers This one is ridiculously easy to train for and is probably one of the most impressive Louis Cyr is reputed to have lifted 500 pounds with his pinky and Rolandow 650 pounds witl what I believe to have been his middle finger. A 50¢ key ring with a leather strap can be used for openers as you attach the weights to it. ALWAYS start off way below your limit. Don't tak( a chance on pulling a tendon loose. When you can do two sets of ten with each finger EASIL) increase the weight 11/4 or 2 V2 pounds. It's best to do this one seated and lift the weights aboUi 6 to 8 inches off the floor. Standing will tire you much quicker: and this isn't an exercise fo] the feet. See illustration on page 19.

Lifting Thick-Handled Dumbbells

Years ago the circus strongmen carted around hundred-pound dumbbells with thid handles and one of their favorite stunts was to put a hundred-dollar bill under a thick handled weight: if you could lift the dumbbell with one hand and remove the bill withou tearing it, the money was yours. Thomas Inch had a few dumbbells with 21/4 inch thic1 handles weighing anywhere from 80 to 172 pounds apiece. It's quite a stunt to lift sud weights but it's easier to train for than you'd think. Simply use a barbell or dumbbell with a ~ inch diameter handle and much less weight. Using handles larger than 3 inches in diameter, I believe you would run into the law 0 diminishing returns unless you've got the hands of a gorilla. Frankly, I don't think ANYONI should train with ordinary thin-handled dumbbells because of all the additional benefit: obtained from using thick-handled ones.

Wrist Curls A word of caution here. The hands and forearms should slope downwards along the leg and NEVER "go for broke" on this exercise. If you can't do 15 GOOD reps with the weight 14

don't increase it. A wrist in this position is easy to sprain. See illustration on page 19.

Lifting Machines Back in 1879 William Blaikie published a book entitled How to Get Strong and Stay So. One of the things he thought was so terrible and unaesthetic was a device common in the gyms of that time called a "lifting machine." What was so awful about it? It seems the average trainee who used it for six months or longer developed the ability to lift over 1,000 pounds on it and developed the inner forearm to such huge proportions that it looked grotesque. Also, the machine had a tendency to compress the discs of the spine. I'd be willing to bet that if our modern deadlifters worked up to 1,000 pounds on this thing and then started shortening the chain while at the same time doing one-handed deadlifts with a thick bar we'd see some real progress in the deadlift. See illustration on page 19.

Bending and Breaking Nails Keep the palms up (toward your face) next to your chest and press inwards. Then flip the nail over and squeeze the hands like a "giant crusher" exercise appliance. The way you train for this one is by simply using a couple of lengths of steel pipe to fit over the nail and work your way inwards until you don't need the pipe anymore. See illustration on page 18.

Pinch-Gripping Thick Plates This is too obvious to be explained. Unless, of course, you can arrange to put a magnet underneath it for your opponent like some of the old-timers did.

Grip Tug-Or-War This is a real mind-blower and crowd pleaser. Practically all the old-time strongmen included it in their acts. What it looks like is that your one hand is stronger than half a dozen or more men. It is an example of how strong the finger tendons can become. Sid Harmer, an English strongman, once gave a little "tug" on the handles to move his act back onto the stage and one unfortunate fellow had taken hold of a doorway in the eaves to "cheat" and improve his leverage a bit. When Harmer "tugged", this fellow's shoulder was torn loose. You need two triangular shaped pieces of metal and some rope for the stunt. I wouldn't attempt it until you can lift 200 pounds or so with each finger (for reps) and deadlift 100 pounds with a 3 inch diameter handle 4 or 5 times. See illustration on page 18.

Tearing a Telephone Directory in Hair Place a directory on the left thigh with the binding against the leg. Take a hard grip with the left hand, and with the right hand grip in the same manner, but keep the thumb flush with edges. This is done to keep the edges square and prevent them from "fanning." Keeping the left arm as straight as possible, push away from you as hard as you can, at the same time draw the right hand towards you. You might think that once you've started it's easy to finish. Not so. A little more strength is required to get across the second half. From the half-way position take a grip INSIDE the tear with each hand, and placing the directory against the chest, pull outwards. The easiest and probably most effective way to train for this is simply to practice on your daily newspaper increasing the sheets of paper daily. When you can make it through two of the Sunday editions of The New York Times you have arrived. 15

Tearing Decks of Playing Cards in Half, Quarters, Etc. I'd be an idiot to try to tell you how to do something I've never attempted myself. I Rader of Iron Man Magazine in years past has torn up to three decks of cards at a 1 something very few men in the world can duplicate, and he advises the use of well-worn c as new ones are as slick as glass. Harold Ansorge of Grand Rapids, Michigan used to be to tear a deck of playing cards with his thumb and index finger and, using the same two d tear off a corner or a round hole out of a deck of cards. He suggested the following exen for developing such power: 1) Practice deadlifting with the pinch grip (smooth plates onl: Index one-finger lifting, 3) Floor dips on thumb only, 4) One handed deadlifting, ar: Cleaning smooth plates with the pinch grip. Ansorge was able to lift 50 pound smooth p from the floor with his thumb and index finger before he got into the cards. You might want to check out Iron Man's Super Grip Machine Model Ml2. The ( ordered hasn't arrived yet so I can't say anything about it other than the fellow who inve it could tear three decks of cards in half at a time and deadlift 370 pounds with one haIl I have to presume he knew a little bit about grip development. If you find out something I don't know about grip development or things descI herein by all means let me know. Or if I have made a mistake let me know that too. One final note: if you're going to train for wrist wrestling may I suggest you ho Samson Cable Set to the wall to approximate the arm of your future opponents?

16

• Saddle

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Rack Pin Boles (Measurements)

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Front to Back of Rack

Rack Rebounders 17

Steel Pipe

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Start

Finish: Grip With One Hand, Push With the Other

Bending and Breaking Nails

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Let the Finger Tendons Do the Work

Grip Tug-Or-War 18

45°

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One-Handed Deadlift

Wrist Curls

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Finger Lifting 19

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Resources

Many of the following products mentioned in this pUblication are no longer available from Iron Man Magazine. To accommodate the reader, I have done a little research, and managed to locate sources for the same or very similar high quality products. When contacting the sources listed below, please mention this publication. Thank you!

Product

Current Source

1) Iron Man's Superman Grip Developers (Model M2)

Captains of Crush Grippers ™

(Functional Hand Strength)

2) Iron Man's Plate Grip Developer & Weight Holder (ModelM4)

Hub-Style Pinch Gripper

(IronMind® Enterprises Inc.)

3) Iron Man's Super Grip Machine (Model M12)

Grand Slam Grip Machine TM

(IronMind® Enterprises Inc.)

4) Iron Man's Magic Circle

Magic Circle ™

(IronMind® Enterprises Inc.)

5) Rack Rebounders

Rack Rebounders

Michael H. Brown

6) Samson 3 Inch Diameter Dumbbell Bar

Husky Handle ™ Dumbbell Bars

(IronMind® Enterprises Inc.)

7) Samson Cable Set

Samson Cable Set

(Michael H. Brown)

8) The Strength of Samson by Michael H. Brown

Bill Hinbern

9) You Can Bench Press 400 Pounds by Bill Anton

Bill Hinbern

Michael H. Brown Box 4884-H Springfield, MO 65808 www.michaelbrownsolutions.com

Bill Hinbern

32430 Cloverdale

Farmington, MI 48336-4008

www.superstrengthtraining.com

Functional Hand Strength Box 4429-H Ann Arbor, MI 48106 www.functionalhandstrength.com

IronMind Enterprises Inc.

Box 1228-H

Nevada City, CA 95959

www.ironmind.com

20