To be fortunate enough to survive that, and then to later be recognized as the champion, that had to be as big a deal as anything. Email articles to the editor: bobwhelan@, "If you ain't got the progression buddy, Saint Christopher ain't got the time. Youve accomplished a ton in your career, from wrestling to lifting to even dabbling in bodybuilding. ! then I'll do an endurance set for pump, as I previously mentioned. Thats when I did my 565-pound bench press. Though he believed it literally at the time, Sammartino would experience riches first-hand as the longest-reigning WWE Champion and the most beloved competitor in the . Born in Abruzzo, Italy on October 6, 1935, a young Bruno Sammartino and his family had to hide from German soldiers in the mountainous region of Valla Rocca. From Episode 147 of Jim Cornette's Drive ThruArtwork by Travis Heckel!Send in your question for the Drive-Thru to: CornyDriveThru@gmail.com Follow Jim and Br. Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino [1] (October 6, 1935 - April 18, 2018) was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). During his childhood in the small Italian mountain town of Pizzoferrato in the Abruzzi region of Italy, Bruno Sammartino heard stories about how the streets in the United States were paved with gold. A: Not at all. Meanwhile, his diet was consistent with the meal programming of fellow powerlifters Anderson and Bruce Randall, both of whom weighed more than 350 pounds during the primes of their careers. His chest, shoulder and arm muscles bulge under his workout clothes, a sweat suit with "Built in Bloomfield" printed . Actually Bulldog Brower slammed Haystacks as well. Bruno Sammartino Movie - The Authorized Biography of Wrestling's Greatest Champion! Next is the floor press. Shop the movie and fan merch. He took up power lifting and Olympic lifts as his workouts to build himself up. Although naturally big and strong, hed be surpassed by the next generation of steroid-enhanced superstars, losing his WWE title for good to Superstar Billy Graham and then temporarily losing his place in WWE history as a Hulk Hogan-led wave of bodybuilder bodies deluged the industry in the1980s. Earth, receive an honored guest: Legendary WWE champion and phenomenally strong man Bruno Sammartino has been laid to reset. I do between four and five miles. . Back . HE LEFT US LAST WEEK. At 77, he's still going strong. He died on April 18, 2018, at the age of 82 from multiple organ failure due to heart problems. But before he was a star wrestler, he was a powerlifterone of the best in the world throughout much of the 1950sand it was his success in that field, plus the massive body he brought with him, that helped him change wrestling. I was fortunate enough to have trained with one of the worlds strongest men.Bruno Sammartino. THE UNLIFTABLE INCH DUMBBELL - BY A.D CAMPBELL, BOB HOFFMAN - circa 1946 - By FORTUNE Magazine, MARVELOUS MAX - THE STORY OF MAXICK - By Ron Tyrell. I really enjoyed weight training and soon started entering Olympic lifting and power lifting contests. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Sammartino's death was due to multiple organ failures which stemmed from heart issues. Sammartino, upset that his short, stocky and decidedly non-bodybuilder-looking son hadnt received a push in the WWE during these changing times and himself largely finished as a main-event performer after finishing red-hot feuds with traitorous trainee Zbyszko and top heel Roddy Piper, soon found himself on the outside looking. Articles about nutrition are not especially wanted and will most likely be rejected. Bruno Sammartino - Italian Strongman - YouTube 0:00 / 5:15 Bruno Sammartino - Italian Strongman 16,219 views Aug 25, 2017 290 Dislike Share Josh Bryant 62.4K subscribers Get Jailhouse Strong:. Isometric Handclasp (Forwards & Rear Flexion) x 2:00 min.5. Upright Row 3 x 67. TRAINING WITH A LEGEND Bruno Sammartino, Posted on NaturalStrength.com on November 29, 1999. . Required fields are marked *. Stuffing himself with as much pasta and homemade Italian bread as his mom could cook, Sammartino quickly bulked up and narrowly missed making the 1956 US Olympic weightlifting team. I've given up squats since I began to wrestle with regularity, for I found squats to be the worst exercise for wrestling. He believed in many sets of the basic exercises are shown in the photos. Follow these fit women we're crushing on for inspiration, workout ideas, and motivation. . Sammartinos training, which could be observed at various YMCAs and other community centers throughout Pittsburgh when the future champion wasnt making the rounds as an apprentice carpenter, consisted of performing the three principal powerlifts (squat, deadlift and bench press); the strict shoulder press; and Olympic weight lifts such as the snatch and clean and jerk. We thought there is no better way to honor his passing than to celebrate his life. Due to this he was bullied in school which drove him to weightlifting to build his body up. Here is a chart of his comparative measurements. He also found that drinking milk made him sluggish in the ring. During the 1960s, his suggested training was as follows: But before he was a star wrestler, he was a powerlifter one of the best in the world throughout much of the 1950s and it was his success in that . I followed the power routine I just outlined, with the exception of squats, and Karl kept right with me all the way. An avid lifter throughout his career, Bruno would workout every morning. so in the Snatch I would be called for pressing the weight out all the time, and in the Jerk I had to do a sort of push jerk to get the weight to a point where my elbows could hold it. I would work out in the morning because I wanted to be very rested up for the wrestling matches at night. During his pro-wrestling heyday, Bruno Sammartino sold out Madison Square Garden 188 times, was named the world's strongest man and held the WWE Championship Belt for 2,803 consecutive days . But Im proud to say, too, that I was pretty good lifter on my own. He used to eat plents of meat, fresh fruit and vegetables and tried stayed completely away from any form of sugar, cakes or desserts. pressing was my best lift. Q: That's quite a routine, Bruno. Bruno emphasized the importance of SMALL increases in weight. After suffering a broken neck, among other injuries, Bruno retired in 1988. Starch, too, was out as much as possible. WWF House Show - House Show @ Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. In spite of his irregular hours he tried to get all the sleep he can. Bench 3 x 64. Next is incline laterals, another 5 sets of 5, with 125-pound dumbbells. (See exercise photos above). For my fifth exercise I go on the upright rows done in a cheating style, so I can handle extra weight. Later, he would workout regularly with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbo, and Dave Draper. Jan Dellinger (worked with John Grimek) made a short review. While the Living Legend Bruno Sammartino of Pittsburgh, PA., used many training methods, this is from his training course sold in the back of magazines and comic books in the 1960s. Curiously, he was edged out by the legendary Paul Anderson, who outweighed Sammartino by some 70 pounds. He owned the title two years and gave it up when he became World Champ in 1963, defeated Buddy Bodgers. Sammartino is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. You should write for Natural Strength! This was a course for beginners, so Bruno kept the volume pretty low. I use weights that are comfortable for me. Sammartino was the longest reigning champion of the World Wide Wrestling Federation, holding the title from 1963 to 1971, and again from 1973 to 1977. . Start with 100 reps of Hindu squats and 100 reps of Hindu pushups. Bench 3 x 6 4. In olympic lifting his best lifts were 365lb/165kg press, 275lb/124kg snatch and 380lb/172kg clean and jerk. Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). But the war erupted, and it was not until 1949 that the Sammartinos were all reunited and in their adopted land. Biographies of Sammartino, along with his own personal recollections, place him as only a notch or two behind the great Paul Anderson, arguably the strongest lifter of the pre-steroid era. I do 10 sets of 10 reps with 135 to 175 pounds. Brunos personal habits were moderate and he kept a good body builders diet. That is, I wrestle regularly and I train regularly as I can, and I feel the energy and effort expended on each doesn't affect the other. His story resonates with many of us who dealt with or deal with being skinny, thin or out of shape and have to deal with being bullied. I came down with rheumatic fever and I wasnt expected to live. Then, do 2 sets of 15 reps for behind the neck pull ups, before finishing with calf and neck isometrics. You finish with sit ups. He's a great inspiration and really deserves credit for his power and zest. It took weeks before the big Italian boy's cuts healed. Here's a man who was 6 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 392 on the scales, yet is as quick and agile as any man. I tend to bound the bar off my chest, but I don't recommend this procedure to others, for it's easy to a beginner to hurt himself doing this. Answer: Far from it! Exit thoughts of the prize ring! With nearly 300 reviews and 82% 5 stars checkout Jailhouse Strong HERE. While performing in a strong man show, he was spotted by a pro wrestling recruiter and Sammartino made his wrestling debut on December 17, 1959 in Pittsburgh. If you're unsure of how to do this, click here for a quick guide. : Speaking of your wrestling and power training, how does one affect the other? His own survival points to the fact that young Sammartino inherited a marvelous constitution. I do 6 sets of 6-7 reps with 205 pounds. I barely survived. The story of Bruno Sammartino is the story of the American dream. As this stage of his career Bruno didnt bother with a rigid course schedule, preferring to vary his workout tu suit his mood and immediate goals. This version is a bench press done off boxes, while I'm lying on the floor. Even moreamazing than his rapid growth of muscularity was the growth of his bone structure. From episode 13 of 10 Bell Pod.We discuss some of Bruno's lifting stats and a sweet workout tip from Kevin Sullivan. Q: Could you explain more about your remark about Anderson? I wrestled against him in Atlanta, and after five minutes he was completely exhausted. The dirt bike pro recovered from a rare heart condition to get back on track. Bruno Sammartino was an Italian-born American Professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation(WWWF). Sit Ups x 3 sets. Bruno was known for some unorthodox methods. Heck, I didnt know that there were different wrestling groups all around the country. On the bodyweight work, you did whatever reps you could do at the beginning and gradually added reps, working up to 100 reps in Hindu squats and Hindu pushups, and 15 reps in pull-ups. Ever since he was a little kid, he's been really good at exercising. By the time he was graduated from Schenley High School he had more than doubled his bodyweight as a freshman. Bruno is credited with picking up an slamming 600lb Haystacks Calhoun when Strongman Paul Anderson tried and failed. We would try to get in benching three times per week. You did 3 sets of 6 repetitions on all of your exercises. I enjoyed training with them just because of the fact that they were the elite bodybuilders at the time. Then I just do some Curls and Laterals to keep my arms and shoulders in the pink. I tried and discarded exercises I feel wouldn't help me in my quest for power and size. The time and energy he devoted to his workouts didnt allow too much time for other activities, but the agile strongman practiced a great deal of wrestling while in high school and frequently worked out with the wrestling squad at the Univerity of Pittsburgh. While bonafide superstars like Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers are fondly remembered, their contemporaries have somewhat fallen to the wayside in the history books. by Joe Wuebben Born: October 6, 1935 Height: 5'10" Weight: 275 pounds (when he was a pro wrestler) Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA Editors note: Do you want to read more about Bruno or his role model John Grimek? But there were a lot of things. Sammartino continued in his physical culture training. . So yeah, I worked out very hard and heavy, but I always used to try and take a couple hours nap afterward just to recoup and rest up. Without these hidden heroes of wrestling, this sport would be vastly different today. As a matter of fact, later this month I'm going for a two month tour of Europe and Australia, including a visit to my old home in Italy, and a private audience with the Pope. Chin Up (Behind Neck) 2 x 152. The trainer came up with Partner Interval Training to make workouts a team effort. I went first.and only because he was there pushing me on I was able to get out 24 reps with the 220. The first exercise course involving a barbell I was exposed to was the Bruno Sammartino Bodybuilding Course, which was sold during the aforementioned period of time. Because when we hid in those mountains for 14 months from the Nazis, we nearly starved to death. Jan Dellinger:Speaking of low benches, and benchesmade out of wood, apparently in the early 1960s and prior, lifters thought both readily acceptable. At age 62, "Big Bill" shares his wisdom to dominate one of the ultimate strength marks. tell us about this amazing oldster. WWF House Show - House Show @ Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Bruno published a book about training and wrestling. The rags-to-riches story of Sammartino, a Pittsburgh legend and WWE icon who survived the Nazi invasion of his Italian hometown, resonated with the audience, Elliott Flacione, executive director. Who knows if Sammartino really was weak or sickly as a kid, since that could just be part of the myth, says Chow. Bruno's induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 brought Sammartino's sell-outs at the Garden to a staggering total of 188 times. . And so, while in uneasy retirement, Sammartino railed against steroid use and other workplace safety issues in Vince McMahon Jr.s federation, stating in one especially heated 1991 interview that the WWE was infested with drug abuse and running sham steroidtests. For many years Bruno trained at my gym in Manhattan while he was a professional wrestler. For added back and shoulder power, I next do high pulls. A: True. That is, he was all about power, not wrestling pedigree. Training under these conditions is erratic, so I keep a routine of three basic exercises -- Bench Press, Curls, and Standing Laterals. Skip to main content . ", TRAINING WITH A LEGEND: Bruno Sammartino - By Tom Minichiello, Way Back Archives - Strength Training Truth, Hard Training Women: (Muscle Fiber is Human), Archives - IRON GAME - PHYSICAL CULTURE HISTORY, Way Back Archives - IRON GAME - PHYSICAL CULTURE HISTORY, Way Back Archives - Chemical Warfare - Dangers of Steroids, Way Back Archives - Strength Training Research, Dr. Jason Fung - Keto & Intermittent Fasting, Osmo Kiiha - Iron Game History & Memoribilia, Bradley J. Steiner - American Combato and Strength Training, Letters From Charles A. Smith - Courtesy of Dennis Weis, Way Back Archives - Maximum Training From WST, The Development of Physical Power - Saxon, The Strongest Man that ever Lived - Jowett, Way Back Archives - Whelan Strength Training, Washington DC, (1990-2012). I use bench presses as the cornerstone of my training, doing 10-12 sets. Dubbed The Living Legend during his lifetime. Welcome to the TribLIVE.com California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) landing page. So two weeks out of the month Id be wrestling seven days a week, and the other two weeks Id do six nights a week. Sammartino defeated Buddy Rogers in just 48 seconds to become the second-ever WWE champion in front of nearly 20,000 fans on May 17, 1963, at the old Madison Square Garden. He came to United States of America in 1950. Exepet for the time needed for travel, his wrestling career allowed more time for training. In 1959 he set a record in the bench press with a lift of 565 lbs. In all we would do ten sets. There, he held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship(WWWF Heavyweight Championship during his second reign) for more than 11 years (4,040 days) across two reigns, the first of which is the longest single reign in the promotions history at 2,803 days. He held the World Championship title for eight years. For this reason many powerful men, such as Paul Anderson, are failures in the ring. Sammartino left behind a legacy as the longest running heavyweight champion in WWE history. by tfurman | Dec 15, 2011 | Blog | 0 comments. To his fans, he is an icon. Thus his workouts were restricted to two or three days a week. The next day, I work out with the weights. But Sammartino was also a liminal stage of champion, a squat beer barrel of a competitor straddling the line between carnival-strongman-cum-powerlifter and bodybuilder. Exit thoughts of the prize ring! At age 22, he turned to professional wrestling. The more he trained, the bigger he grew, and the bigger he got, the more his power increased. Q: Tell us about your training . After World War II, the Sammartinos moved to Pittsburgh. We did the pyramid system. One day we had a contest for most repetitions between the two of us. Inno Supps Complete Gut Health Stack: Doctor Approved 3-Step Process for UFC and Project Rock Team Up For BSR 3 Shoe Collaboration. I do freehand squats now to warm up before my matches, and find them to be perfect. He is as enthusiastic about power training as I am, and at one time several years ago I found myself in San Francisco for three months, wrestling only one or two nights a week. We did the pyramid system. If you are using Chrome and keep getting redirected to this page, then turn sync off. Since I first started my weight training in 1944 there was one movement that I love to do more than any other.the wide grip bench press. Last Wednesday, the news of Bruno Sammartino's death rocked the wrestling world. You see, I cannot lock my elbows . My Training for the Bench Press - Tony DeFrancisco Twice a Week Oly Lifting Alan O'Brien (1957). He would then walk around the gym again, again, and again, until his body would tire. Then he was on his way. Does modern bodybuilding make you sick? The only exercise I did with Bruno was the bench press, which was also his favorite movement. Curl 3 x 6 5. And Bulgarian powerlifter Miroslav Barnyashev, who wrestles as Rusev and whose vicious feud with Cena recalled the Ivan Koloff/Bruno Sammartino battles of yore and whose star has been rising again since the advent of his Rusev Day gimmick, is something of a dead ringer for Sammartino at 6-feet tall and 280 hirsutepounds. A short time later in a New York boxing gym, Bruno worked in the ring against Sonny Liston, one of the country's leading heavyweight maulers. He had some amateur wrestling training, and allegedly had a partial wrestling scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh on the table, but it was as a powerlifter that Sammartino truly excelled. Research Shows That Most Heart Disease Deaths Are Preventable By Changin Is Weight Loss With the New Injectable Meds Sustained? On Tuesday and Thursday, you do bodyweight work. He held the title until . All rights reserved. Was this in Tampa? I did 33 reps with 330 in the same workout as the 500 single . Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for WWE toy belt signed by 2013 HOF Bruno 'The living legend' Sammartino *PSA/DNA* at the best online prices at eBay! Again I use a cheating style, and really don't pull the weight that high, just up to waist level or a bit higher. at a height of 6, 1 and a body weight of about 280 pounds. Also, Bruno urged trainees to include some running or jogging perhaps a mile or two a couple of times a week. Answer: Far from it! Also, I would occasionally do cheat curls with 225. For many years Bruno trained at my gym in Manhattan while he was a professional wrestler. . He would work out with the University of Pittsburgh wrestling team, compete in bodybuilding shows, and, in 1959, he set a record with a 565 pound bench press. My mother, a first-generation Southwestern Pennsylvanian, recalls fondly how Sammartino reminded her of her swarthy Slovak grandfather. The late Ray Van Cleef witnessed it, by the way. When possible, these sessions in the gym lasted as long as five hours and it wanst a case where a good deal of the time was spent resting or batting the breeze with training mates. Love it. He would work out with the University of Pittsburgh wrestling team, compete in bodybuilding shows, and, in 1959, he set a record with a 565 pound bench press. . He was 82. My recent best was a single rep with 500 pounds, at Mid-City Health Club, where I always train when I'm in New York City. as I find this type of training helps my wrestling. No Bench, No Problem: Build Bigger Pecs with Little to No Equipment. But you put this body in the democratic space of the ring, where you play pretend for the promoter and audience, and anything can happenincluding a weightlifter becoming an unbeatable fan favorite. We would try to get in benching three times per week. Jeff King: An update on a Bodybuilding Legend, Consent Management Platform by Real Cookie Banner. Power Training Interview with Bruno Sammartino - Jon Twichell (1964) October 6, 1935 April 18, 2018 Question: First of all, Bruno, have you always been rugged and powerful? As a pro wrestler, he straddled a major demarcation point in the businessthe transition from small-scale territorial operationssome indistinguishable from carnival athletic shows that featured local toughs taking on traveling wrestlersto larger companies already beginning to utilize the power of television to draw their crowds. So while Sammartino may have indirectly paved the way for the bodybuilders who followed him into the business, he ended up standing well apart from thema sui generis figure whose brawny, but natural, build was the basis for all the muscle (real or otherwise) that followed. 11. This is the Bruno Sammartino few people see. My family, living in Italy during World War 2, suffered greatly. He didnt just look strong, he was legitimately strong, and his physique reflects thisslightly thicker core, he doesnt care about body fat percentage or being shredded or anything likethat., For Rust Belt wrestling fans who grew up watching Studio Wrestling on Channel 11 in Pittsburgh, stocky ex-apprentice carpenter Sammartino embodied immigrant strength and fortitude. On one occasion, a 51 year old Sammartino was taunted by a CFL football player. This jQuery slider was created with the free, Copyright 2017 TomFurman.com All Rights Reserved, 10 Exercises That Will De-age Your Body By 10 Years, You Cant Outrun A Donut 7 Steps To Lose Those Extra Pounds. You'll note that I said "was" in my routine. Due to the hardships he endured in Italy because of German occupation when he came to the USA he was very thin and spoke very little English. Born: October 6, 1935Height: 510Weight: 275 pounds (when he was a pro wrestler)Hometown: Pittsburgh, PAFun Fact: Sammartino won the bodybuilding title Mr. Allegheny in the late 1950s. . What were those workouts like?I loved working out with those guys because not only did they have great bodies, but they used fairly good weights too. 18.06.1987. As you got stronger, you could add a warm up set on heavier exercises such as squats and bench presses, so youd do 4 sets of 6 repetitions on them.