Having just moved home, and unpacking all my many educational books, and weight training diaries and filing them on the new bookshelf, I came across notes I have taken over my years of training in Broken Hill.
Of late with all the confusion and upheaval of moving to a new home 400 kilometers from my home of some 51 years, I have not had the inclination to write for Natural Strength. Reading these diaries and some of the books has inspired me once again to write, as writing is a passion of mine.
From Brad Steiner
Since man became aware of the fact that he had a body, he has been interested in cultivating it, developing it, and training it, so that it would better serve his needs and further his capacity to enjoy his existence.
End of written words by Brad.
I intend in my writings to look at the means to weight training success which have helped me, based upon well over 56 years of study, involvement and enjoyment of weight training, participation in sports such as Australian Rules Football and physical training by myself. Which would enable every natural weight training devotee to reap greater rewards from the hours he or she spends working out. I enjoy offering what help I can to others who choose to train with weights. It is important when one starts out to get help and instruction, from people who have earned their dues and have been natural throughout their training life.
Just recently my 14-year-old grandson asked me to train him in weight training, with the goal of acquiring strength and conditioning for Australian Rules Football. He had 12 months training under his father, my son, whom I trained for many years. I said to my grandson without bragging, you are fortunate to have a coach such as me training you, as I at your age had to ask others and read, I had no coach, oh yes, I did it was me.
When I started at 16 years of age most were against weight training, with derogative comments such as “it will make you muscle bound.” It will slow. you down,” also my mother would say you will strain or injure your heart. All the above comments were and are wrong. Since age 16 I have always studied, always trained, and always attempted to expand my knowledge. From 1979 till 2000 I trained many people in my back yard gym where I also trained. I taught them the correct form, focus and always the basics, usually 2 sets and twice to three times a week. I always taught there is more to lifting weights, one needs adequate rest and sleep and the correct diet. If you eat like a bird, you will look like a bird.
It took me many years to get strong and reach my peak in size and strength. When I was at my peak after many years of discipline at a body weight of 187 pounds I was able to squat to parallel 300 pounds x 15 reps, Trap Bar Deadlift 352 pounds x 15, Dip with 95 pounds hanging from my waist for 6 reps, Bench press 252 pounds x 6, Chin with 52 pounds hanging off my waist for 6 reps. Overhead Press 122 pounds x 6 and barbell curl 120 pounds for 6 reps. As you can see starting at 16 and reaching these goals took many years of dedicated and disciplined training and using all the means discussed in my writings. Even at nearly 72 years young, finding the time to expand my knowledge, strengthen my body and improve my health are still my three major life goals.
There are many sides to weight training, there are those who work out to improve their performance at sports, as I did in Australian Rules Football. There are those who seek ultimate power in Olympic and Power lifting. Also there are those who are overweight or underweight and wish to normalize their bodies. Weight training is also used in the rehabilitation field for strengthening injured muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
At one particular stage it was noticed that American Football players who were rehabilitating from leg injuries were far better off to train in high rep squats than to run and run .The running it was found wore down the ligaments and tendons, whereas the high rep squats gorged huge amount of blood into to the legs, healing and strengthening the muscles , tendons and ligaments, and also providing cardiorespiratory improvement and benefits. Your success and making your body as good as possible are within your reach and yours to attain providing you follow the Means to Success as follows.
NUMBER 1 THE TIME ELEMENT.
I love this saying and have it on my wall in my office it reads.
NO MATTER WHETHER OR NOT YOU WORK TOWARDS YOUR GOAL, THE TIME WILL PASS.
ULTIMATELY THE TIME REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS WILL ARRIVE
BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE KEPT WORKING TOWARDS THAT SUCCESS WILL YOU BE IN A POSITION TO RECEIVE IT.
There are 168 hours in a week, 56 of those hours you sleep, 40 hours you work sometimes more, leaves 72 hours of play and family time. Surely you can devote 3 hours a week to training. Plan to train no longer than an hour at your weight workouts, sometimes a good workout can be had in 30 to 45 minutes. This is providing you are training and not wasting time on mundane activities when you are supposed to be training. Therefore two days a week of an hour at a time weight training, equals two hours.
Twice a week for 30 minutes a time exercising your heart and lungs. Total time 3 hours maybe sometimes four hours. Still leaves 68 hours a week or nearly 10 hours a day over a 7-day week. Use those hours wisely, make the time to train, read and expand your knowledge, strengthen your body, and improve your health, mental and spiritual. Plan your training days and times, tell your wife, or loved one when you are training, you do not want to be disturbed, that is your time.
Get yourself a notebook, no telephone, just a notebook with your workout for the day written down. Once planned just do it no excuses, make every rep, and set count, use concentration and full intensity for that period of training time. Your training needs to be continual and persistent, the man or woman who trains this way does not need a lot of training time, just needs to keep doing it repeatedly. One can imagine how we would look after 12 months of consistent training twice a week for an hour at a time, covering the full body. That is 104 workouts, if you subtracted 4 weeks for layoffs and illness that is still 96 workouts. If you want success dedicate the time and the consistency.
