Your information has been successfully processed! Karl and I trained together over that time, and I did my best bench press ever, 565 pounds. Thus his workouts were restricted to two or three days a week. at a height of 6, 1 and a body weight of about 280 pounds. At times Bruno, his mother, brothers and sisters were forced to eat grass in order to keep body and soul united. Copyright 2023 JW Media, LLC, parent company of Muscle & Fitness. He held the World Championship title for eight years. 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. By early 1957 he weighed 285lb. 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 . 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. Articles about nutrition are not especially wanted and will most likely be rejected. I had hip replacement, and the doctors tell me I can walk as fast as I want, but Im not allowed to run. Jeff King: An update on a Bodybuilding Legend, Consent Management Platform by Real Cookie Banner. Q: How did you get started in weight training? Case in point: During one workout, after reaching our maximum weights, Sammartino put 350 pounds on the bar to see how many bench press reps we could do, his chief protege Larry Zbyszko writes in his own autobiography. Before Hulk Hogan could be the face of the company during its national expansion, before Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock could lead The Attitude Era, and before John Cena or Roman Reigns were even born, Sammartino was a two-time WWE Champion who had cumulatively held the strap for over 11 years (as a fun fact, Cena was born . NaturalStrength.com is an online think-tank, dedicated to truthful drug-free strength training information, (weight training, weightlifting, olympic lifting, powerlifting, strongman (competitive), bodybuilding, physical culture & iron game). I feel you have to set up a routine that suits you personally and what you want from your weight training, not follow every new exercise or routine that comes out. I do 6 sets of 6-7 reps with 205 pounds. Fantastic story. Bruno was known for some unorthodox methods. You can see by Bruno's thick bone structure that he was a man built for some serious horsepower but don't forget that he still had to work for his strength. Bruno Sammartino held the WWE Title for 2,803 consecutive days The Italian hero's unfathomable 2,803 days as WWE Champion began on May 17, 1963, when he dethroned "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers in an unheard-of 48 seconds. 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. 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. On Tuesday and Thursday, you do bodyweight work. Then he got a break and wrestled for the Canadian Heavyweight Championship, which he won. 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. Inside of this gym, Bruno would place a bar upon his shoulders and load it with as many plates as possible. Sammartino, a product of Pittsburghs Schenley High School, was bench pressing more than 500 pounds and deadlifting 700-plus during the early- to mid-1950s, when the number of humans capable of doing so could be counted on your fingers and the oral steroid Dianabol had yet to truly disrupt the powerlifting and weightlifting scenes by sending world records into the stratosphere. I do freehand squats now to warm up before my matches, and find them to be perfect. If you disable cookies, this site will not work properly. Your email address will not be published. . Although his mother if of average size, his father, a retired blacksmith, is a powerfully built, stocky man whose wrists exceed even Brunos massive 9 1/2 inch measurement. Then I come home I have a well-equipped gym downstairs and I do about 800 leg raises and leg crunches for stomach work, and then I stretch a little bit. Please consult your physician before beginning any exercise or nutrition program. 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. Sign up below to receive our newest workout routines, recipes, news stories, and offers from our partners. To his fans, he is an icon. You'll note that I said "was" in my routine. 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. 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. I think the endurance work, the high reps with heavy weight, helps me more than anything else with the wrestling. Click here if you wish to opt out and view the full site. Over time, the small increases in weight would add up to BIG GAINS! 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. Start with 100 reps of Hindu squats and 100 reps of Hindu pushups. what do you do for a routine now? In spite of his irregular hours he tried to get all the sleep he can. Sammartino, an Italian immigrant who ruled the WWE throughout the 1960s and 1970s, died Wednesday at the age of 82. He died on April 18, 2018, at the age of 82 from multiple organ failure due to heart problems. Hindu Squats 2 x 1004. He will be missed." 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). You finish with sit ups. Of the types of weight training, I would say Olympic lifting would be the best training for wrestling, for the coordination and timing involved, especially in the Snatch, and Clean and Jerk, will help you more. No, Im 77, and my weight is not 275 anymore. But Im proud to say, too, that I was pretty good lifter on my own. Heck, I didnt know that there were different wrestling groups all around the country. During his childhood in a small Italian mountain town, Bruno Sammartino heard stories about how the streets in the United States were paved with gold. 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. In response, Sammartino decided to develop his body through wrestling and weightlifting. His own survival points to the fact that young Sammartino inherited a marvelous constitution. First in that routine is bench presses. tell us about this amazing oldster. Do You Really Need a Greens Powder in Your Life? Brunos personal habits were moderate and he kept a good body builders diet. They would affect my knees, so I would occasionally make a swift move in the ring, only to find my knee buckling under me. Watch the Trailer. Im 215 now, maybe 220 with my clothes on. Nothing really heavy anymore, because, #1, Im old; #2, Im not as heavy as I was; and #3, I dont want to put too much stress on the joints at this stage of my life. His weight training had only been for short bursts with the weights, and he had neither endurance nor the quick coordination and balance for wrestling. Q: Tell us how you developed your training routines. "Bruno Sammartino proved that hard work can overcome even the most difficult of circumstances. Bruno Sammartinos Workout Part 1 9,363 views May 2, 2018 182 Dislike Share FUCKTHESYSTEM70 15.8K subscribers Download it 5.6K views 4 years ago THE HANNIBAL TV 39K views 5 years ago WWE 379K. Sammartino is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. My mother, a first-generation Southwestern Pennsylvanian, recalls fondly how Sammartino reminded her of her swarthy Slovak grandfather. Ever since he was a little kid, he's been really good at exercising. Back . . While bonafide superstars like Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers are fondly remembered, their contemporaries have somewhat fallen to the wayside in the history books. He used to work genererally a six-day week on construction projects. After World War II, the Sammartinos moved to Pittsburgh. Hindu Pushups 2 x 1003. His wrist went from 6 1/2 inches just a shade under 10 inches. Bruno Sammartino was an Italian-born American Professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation(WWWF). Some of the records he has setted are as followed: He had 133 consecutive sell outs in Madison Square Garden. In 2013, Bruno Sammartino was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his old lifting partner, Arnold Schwarzenegger. 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. Sammartino underwent heart surgery in 2011. A: Not at all. I usually do 10 sets, working up in 2-rep jumps to my maximum. Because I had reached the top, and I felt like I could provide my family with a better living than I had growing up. 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. Like many of you, on Wednesday April 18, 2018, we learned about the death of the living legend, Bruno Sammartino. 2. 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. I would eat an early dinner no later than 3:00 so that it would be fully digested by the time I went in the ring. A: True. We did the pyramid system. Jan Dellinger (worked with John Grimek) made a short review. TRAINING WITH A LEGEND Bruno Sammartino, Posted on NaturalStrength.com on November 29, 1999. Upright Row 3 x 67. 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. 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 1960's. He had a gym in Wexford, Pennsylvania, just down the road from where I grew up. Actually Bulldog Brower slammed Haystacks as well. So I power walk. Training under these conditions is erratic, so I keep a routine of three basic exercises -- Bench Press, Curls, and Standing Laterals. Then, do 2 sets of 15 reps for behind the neck pull ups, before finishing with calf and neck isometrics. It took weeks before the big Italian boy's cuts healed. 18.06.1987. I came down with rheumatic fever and I wasnt expected to live. 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. Bruno started with his 330.when he reached 20 repetitions all the members came over to watch this strongman do his thing. In all we would do ten sets. It was such a thrill, and you could feel the power this coal mining man hadthats the power I saw in Bruno, too. Your email address will not be published. One day we had a contest for most repetitions between the two of us. I start around 300, and work up doing sets of 3-5 reps, then a single with maximum poundage. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Old-School Ass Kicker Bruno Sammartino Extended Interview, Healthy (and Tasty) Tips for Your Super Bowl Party, 4 Proteins You Should be Eating, But Probably Arent. Multiple organ failure due to heart problems the age of 82 Sammartino was inducted into the Hall! A single with maximum poundage your Life moderate and he kept a good body builders diet 2018, we about... Lifting partner, Arnold Schwarzenegger up to BIG GAINS recalls fondly how Sammartino her... 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