Saturday, January 14, 2012

tempo tactics

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Only the Strong Shall Survive: Tempo Tactics

By: Bill Starr
Strong Shall Survive: Tempo Tactics


I enjoy it when Uncle Buddy visits. He brings me gifts, buys meals at nice restaurants and is fun to be around, but I confess that I much prefer short visits to longer ones. Uncle Buddy has too much energy for my torpid personality. After two days of trying to keep up with him, I'm flat worn out. He gets up early and stays up late, only needing a few hours' rest. I, on the other hand, require lots of sleep, so by day three of his most recent visit I was groggy, wishing that his lady friend would get here and he'd leave me in peace.

tarps make the man by bill starr

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tarps Make The Man

by Bill Starr
tarps make the man by bill starr


Strong tarps can help prevent injury. Here's how to build them.

It was a holiday weekend and all the commercial gyms were closed, but the shed at Sam Fielder's dairy farm on the Johns Hopkins campus was open as usual. Walking in, I was surprised to find Jack and Allen working out. I gave them a friendly nod (that was my first mistake) and started my regular Friday program (my second mistake). "Say, caoch," Jack said, coming over to me, "could we ask you a couple training questions?" I sighed. "Fire away." That was my third mistake. What was coming my way wasn't a couple of random shots but a fusillade, a broadside.

tailoring your program by Bill Starr

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Tailoring Your Program

by Bill Starr
tailoring your program by Bill Starr


Tommy Suggs and I have known each other since we were collegiate lifters in Texas. When he brought me to the York Barbell Company in 1965 to be his assistant editor at Strength & Health magazine, we started training together. It didn’t take Tommy long to figure out that I was an overachiever in the gym. He quickly determined that he didn’t need to do as much work as I did in order to be successful. He made it a rule to do half of what I did.

strengthening the ankles by bill starr

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Strengthening the Ankles

by Bill Starr
strengthening the ankles by bill starr


I’ve observed over the years that most people, athletes and non-athletes alike, take their ankles for granted – that is, until they injure one. Then they fully comprehend just how vital ankles are to their well-being. Simple everyday tasks such as walking and climbing stairs suddenly become very difficult, and participating in any type of physical activity is out of the question.

starr fullproof dumbell

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Fool-Proof Dumbbell Training

By: Bill Starr
starr fullproof dumbell


Bodybuilders always include plenty of dumbbell exercises in their routines, but quite a few strength athletes avoid them completely. If they use them at all, they relegate the dumbbells to auxiliary exercises and use light weights. I'm a big fan of dumbbells, both light and heavy. They're most useful to all serious strength athletes, as well as those who only train for general fitness, and they're invaluable for rehab. What's more, for people who train alone, they're extremely beneficial, since you don't need a spotter.

stabalizing the shoulder girdle

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Stabilizing The Shoulder Girdle

by Bill Starr
Stabilizing The Shoulder Girdle


One of the basic keys to continually gaining strength is to avoid injuries. Nothing, and I mean nothing, deters progress like a severe injury. Smaller problems can also be quite irritating, but in most cases you can work around them successfully until they’re healed. Most people, when they embark on a strength-training routine, worry about hurting their backs. In truth, however, the most frequently injured area is the shoulder girdle. Injuries occur in that area primarily for two reasons: 1) People overtrain it, and 2) they use faulty form on shoulder girdle exercises.

squat variation by bill starr

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Squat Variation

by Bill Starr
squat variation by bill starr


Most lifters want to make continuous progress and move their top-end numbers up on a regular basis. Change is an excellent method of achieving these goals. Changing a routine, even slightly, can instill enthusiasm for your workouts, and anything that helps you look forward to your next session in the weight room is a positive thing.