Results matching “Bird”

The chance discovery of an anvil today (together with a coil of rope and a few hefty logs - perfect) reminded me of an image I came across a while ago - of the great English strongman, George F. Jowett.

George Fiursdale (sometimes Finsdale) Jowett was born in Bradford, Yorkshire on Dec 23, 1891. As a child he was taken by his uncle to see the great Eugen Sandow; an event which cemented his interest in physical culture. In 1910 he emigrated to Canada and quickly became known as a weightlifting pioneer there, forming the American Continental Weight Lifters' Association. By the 1920s he was considered by many to be the Father of American Bodybuilding.

Jowett was known not only for total body strength (he had a fascination with lifting heavy, odd-shaped objects including anvils, ploughs and barrels), but also for his incredible grip power. Later in his career he was known as the 'Young Hackenschmidt' as he worked his way up to World Wrist Wrestling Champion.

He went on to write many books and magazines (some of which are listed below), including many published by his own firm, The Jowett Institute of Physical Culture. Jowett passed away in 1969, aged 78.

Books by George F. Jowett
The World's Weight Lifting Rules and Records (1925)
The Key to Might and Muscle (1926)
The Jowett Institute Course (1927) - a 12 lesson mail-order physical culture course
The Strongest Man that Ever Lived (1927)
Man Power: Making Yourself Superfit (1928)
Strong Man Stunts Made Easy! (1930)
Molding a Mighty Grip (1930)
Molding a Mighty Arm (1930)
Molding a Mighty Back (1931)
Molding a Mighty Chest (1938)
Molding Mighty Legs (1938)
Progressive Barbell Training (1938)
The Atlas of Anatomy (1938)
The Science of Exercise Specialization (1938)
Health and Development of the Abdomen (1938)
Advanced Barbell Training (1938)

In addition to these books he wrote numerous articles for magazines, and mail-order courses.

Sources
The Original Dinosaur, George Finsdale Jowett - by Lee Morrison

Biography of George F. Jowett - by Kathleen Lawry (Jowett's Great Great Niece)

Image from ClassicBodybuilders.com

Christian Thibaudeu laments the serious attention paid to shoulder development by bodybuilders in previous decades, and resurrects several great exercises - including a superb creation from the legendary Vince Gironda - that are well worth considering. If you identify with the description of Larry Scott as being 'shaped like a traffic cone', read on.

If the article starts you thinking about Ring Training and performing an Iron Cross, Coach Sommer wrote an excellent article last year on The Iron Cross for Bodybuilders - Simulated Gymnastics Training with Weights.

When it comes to looking after your shoulder health, you could do a lot worse than read Eric Cressey's Shoulder Savers article series (part I, part II) on T-Nation. Definitely a keeper.

If the stone lifting article piqued your interest in Rick Walker, here's a recent interview on Dave DePew's site. He's an interesting guy.

For a bit more on his superb grip strength, check out this video of Rick closing the MMG [.wmv, 2.5mb]. That's no mean feat.

University of Nebraska's Bryce Teager discusses the addition of deceleration training to your routines. From the article :

I don’t know how many of you would get into a Ferrari and gun it into heavy traffic if you knew your brakes didn’t work. So why would you perform a dynamic effort squat, make a fast 90-degree cut on the field, or throw a fast ball on the diamond if you knew your deceleration abilities weren’t quite up to par?

Eight times Mr Olympia Ronnie Coleman is heading for Sydney, just a few weeks after this year's Olympia show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Never having seen him in person, I'm curious to check out first hand the results of a regimen of bodybuilding, powerlifting and strongman training.

With regards to his strongman training, various bodybuilding forums have been discussing Ronnie's recent foray into the world of Atlas Stone lifting. Irrespective of your opionion of the big man, anything that encourages people to follow Strongman events a little more closely is surely a good thing. Oh, and if you're tempted to try a bit of stone lifting yourself, make sure you start by reading Rick Walker's great article How to lift a heavy stone [.pdf, 1.8mb].

ShotKettlebell Put.

The technique for this is almost identical to standard shotput technique (a good synopsis is here). The only differences are the kettlebell's handle, and its flat base.

Variations

There isn't much you can do to alter this one apart from changing the weight of the bell itself. Start with a lighter one (no more than about 8kg); which should fit neatly in the palm of your hand.

This exercise can also be done (using a slightly different technique) with dumbbells - once again, keep them fairly light.

Looking for a fun way to do a little shoulder work, tear up the lawn and confuse your dogs? Look no further than the kettlebell put.

Kettlebell put

The technique for this is almost identical to standard shotput technique (a good synopsis is here). The only differences are the kettlebell's handle, and its flat base.

Variations

There isn't much you can do to alter this one apart from changing the weight of the bell itself. Start with a lighter one (no more than about 8kg); which should fit neatly in the palm of your hand.

This exercise can also be done (using a slightly different technique) with dumbbells - once again, keep them fairly light.

Things to consider

Obviously this is one for outdoors, but remember that the bell will keep tumbling after it hits the ground; so be prepared for some odd-shaped indentations in the lawn. If you're near a beach, I suspect sand is the ideal surface for this.

Ignoring the claims of infomercials everywhere, core work involves more than a daily set of sit-ups on a fitness ball. In the first of two-part article Core Statics [.pdf, 961kb], the Diesel Crew's Smitty discusses the training of various core musculature for sports; pointing out that much of the existing core exercises overlook the idea of the 'Z' component - the loading of a movement across distance.

From the article:

“Power is generated from the ground up, from the core out and from the hands in.” Segmental, (progressive) stabilization of the TA, RA, (internal/external) obliques, erectors and spine with each step. I want to force you to generate stabilization! The kind of stabilization that will have aliens popping out of your chest. This could be done with a supplemental series of exercises I call – Core Statics.

This afternoon I came across this amongst a pile of near-vintage gym gear: an ab wheel. Unlike a lot of fitness equipment for the abs, this one has survived - because it's simple and it works. In fact it's so simple that any sort of rotating bar and a round plate can be used.

Although Ross Enamait makes them look easy (he does a few on the Low Tech, High Effect video [.wmv, 5.1mb] amongst others), the standing version is incredibly hard. In fact, starting with the kneeling version was more than enough to feel it working.

1. Grab an ab wheel, or a barbell with 10kg(25lb) plates on, or a couple of adjustable dumbbells with the 10/25 plates.
2. Begin in a kneeling position, with straight arms holding the handles/bar on the ground in front of you.
3. Slowly roll it forward until your torso is as close to parallel with the floor as possible.
4. Initiating the movement with your hips (and keeping arms straight throughout), use your abs to bend back to the starting point. Bring the wheel/bell as close to your feet as possible, and keep your hips high.

Variations
Beginning from a standing start will obviously make the exercise a lot more difficult than the kneeling version. To adjust the intensity between these two stages, try using various inclines (a piece of wood and a staircase are your friends here); and on different surfaces (carpet vs concrete for example).

To make the entire movement more difficult, use only one arm; or attach a light band to make it that much more interesting.

Other considerations
This exercise places quite a lot of stress on the lower back and shoulders (if arms are near horizontal at end of movement). These certainly aren't reasons to avoid it, simply points to be aware of.

Leith Darkin (the author of last month's superb article on grip training) discusses training to increase your punching power. Here he takes a brief look at the ideas behind the Stretch Shortening Cycle (SSC) and how various plyometric exercises are of great benefit; in addition to the basic biomechanical principles that assist in punching.

The two articles stated as pre-requisites for this one are The Stretch Shortening Cycle in throwing and striking sports and What do all Martial Arts have in common. Also well worth reading.

If you're not familiar with the boxing punch types mentioned in the above articles, there's a brief rundown (with videos) at Saddoboxing.com.