Saturday, January 14, 2012

the press part 2 by bill starr

The Press, Part Two

by Bill Starr
the press part 2 by bill starr


In my last article, I listed many reasons why I believe all strength athletes should include the military, or overhead, press in their routines. I presented some basic instruction on performing the lift and also pointed out that even though the military press is easy to learn, the form becomes more complicated once the weights get heavy. Few have any difficulty pressing light and moderate poundages, but it’s an entirely different story when a max double or single is being attempted. At that point the technique must be perfect. the smallest form flaw will result in failure – not just sometimes but always.

the press part 1 by bill starr

The Press, Part One

by Bill Starr
the press part 1 by bill starr


Last February (2006) Dave Draper’s wife, Laree, contacted me regarding an online forum about my book The Strongest Shall Survive. She asked if I’d respond to questions posted by members of the forum. Since I’ve never been one to pass up free publicity, I readily agreed. See here - http://www.davedraper.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/7317

tempo tactics

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

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

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

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.