Olympic Weightlifting Champion, Dead at 92 The great Norbert “Norb” Schemansky, of Dearborn, Michigan, has passed on to join other Olympic Weightlifting legends such as, Tommy Kono. He passed away, quietly, September 8th 2016, while being cared for by hospice. Nicknamed, “Mr. Weightlifting”, or “The Professor”, during his career, “Ski” was the FIRST Olympic weightlifter to win FOUR medals. Schemansky was a member of the world famous York Barbell Club, during its heyday, when nearly every member of the team took home a an Olympic medal, at one time or another. As a heavyweight, in his first Olympic Games, he won a silver, in the 1948 Summer Olympic Games, in London, a gold medal, in the 1952 Summer Olympic Games, in Helsinki, and a bronze, in the 1960 Summer Olympic Games, in Rome, and, again, in 1964, in Tokyo. Schemansky was also a […]

The Old Bull vs the Young Bull Some would like to equate intelligence with wisdom based on experience. Theres an age old story that demonstrates the difference and the value of experience. The story goes something like this… High on top of a mountain there stood an old bull and a young bull. Both of them were leering at the young heifers down in the valley quite a distance away. The young bull was snorting, huffing and puffing, pacing back and forth, etc. Finally, after a while, the young bull said… “Say, why don’t we run down this mountain and have our way with one of them?” The old bull pondered for a moment, smiled, leaned over, and calmly said… “Why don’t we walk down the mountain and have our way with all of them!” The moral of this story, if there is […]

Is Your Training Getting Boring? I get emails, letters and phone calls about training problems all the time. One of the biggest complaints is that of boredom. Trainees say it gets to the point where they dread going into their gym. …and we all know what that means, Missed workouts! How can we correct the problem? Change things around! Take a long hard look at your training quarters. Seriously, consider what can be done to make it more inviting. Gotta flat bench? Turn it around 180 degrees. Those barbell plates are probably black in color, right? Paint them! Paint them blue! Paint them green! Paint them yellow! For the price of a can of spray paint, you’d be surprised at what a different color will do! Is your gym cluttered? Clean it up! Start putting your barbell plates back where they belong. Each time you […]

Beginners: What Do I Really Need to Get Started? Most things in life have a beginning and an end. Some of us have a tough time getting started and when we really are enjoying ourselves, we dread the thought of it ending. Even the best laid plans some how get set aside in favor of things that somehow seem more important at the moment. With regard to your training, the most important thing is ambition. The second most important thing is called time management. Setting aside a few hours a week doesn’t sound like such a big deal until you are some how forced to do it. I suggest one hour every other day, three days per week. With the ambition and the time, now comes the third thing, something called a plan. Select a training routine that focuses on all the basic compound movements. […]

What is the Best Training Routine? I have been asked this question thousands of times over the years. It is, in fact, the single most popular question. Everyone wants the best method of training, not just a good method. Fact is, “What is the best training routine?” is an incomplete question. It doesn’t address the most important details. What details? Simple, here, for example: Best training routine for whom? Best training routine with what goals in mind? Improve in sports? Lose body fat? Gain muscular size? Build strength? Increase endurance? Best training routine at what age? Sixteen, forty, sixty years of age? Best training routine for a beginner? Best training routine for an advanced trainee? Best training routine with what type of equipment? Adjustable plate loading barbells? Dumbbells? Kettlebells? Machines? Cables? How about bodyweight? So, you can see where we’re heading. The “one size […]

Is Training an Art or a Science? Here’s another age old question that gets tossed around endlessly with no conclusive proof on either side of the table. All I can do is tell you this from my point of view. I think it is and should be… Both! Should you have a different take on this subject, then I would like to hear it. To start, it would seem to me that a science, any science, would simply mean, “the study of”. In higher learning, especially at the collegiate level, the intellectual community likes to add “ology” on the end of the subject matter that they wish to study. I’m sure you have heard of a number of subjects with names like biology, zoology, bacteriology, gigantology, hematology, etc., etc. And in each and every case, the students in these classes will gather information and […]