Tommy Suggs

[stef]

Sup talks about weightlifting, Hoffman, York Barbell, Strength & Health and lots of the characters lifting "back in the day".

Tommy Suggs (http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/video/sss_sug1/)

[xzcion]

I believe this is the article (http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/the_tragic_death_of_the_military_press) mentioned in part 4.

The tragic history of the military press in olympic and world championship competition 1928-1972.

By, John Fair

[ZEvenEsh]

Awesome, I can listen to this stuff all day, back when strength and muscle meant something and Coaches took serious lifters under their wing and there was no animosity.

I have people coming to my gym with arrogance saying they know what crossfit and gym jones is, or, i don't wanna train with high school athletes.

Pisses me off because they come not to learn, they come to talk of the bull shit they do, when in reality, my high school athletes would kill these guys.

Coach Hoffman, Bill March - look at these guys, they lifted and walked the talk.

They got rid of the talkers and arrogant people, and I plan to continue to do the same :)

This is awesome Rip, I think this is my Fav video series thus far :)

Thank YOU, Brother.

--Z--

[Baker]

excellent stuff, it was good to hear from one of the legends of york. i really appreciate this interview.

[Platus]

The tragic history of the military press in olympic and world championship competition 1928-1972.

By, John Fair

Thanks for the link. I was not previously familiar with this journal - I'll have to see if one of the college libraries around here carries it.

[Hawkpeter]

This is a real treat, and much appreciated.

In the future, as it builds, this series will be an excellent archive of historical information about the origins and history of strength training, strength sports and strength in sports.

I'm sure I speak for many when I say that there is a lot of interest on lifters who had their lifting primes in the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's.

We often forget that a lot of the questions of improved training efficiency, what works and what doesn't, are questions that have already been considered, explored and advanced apon.

I feel like that this is one more piece in the push back against a lack of emphasis in strength in modern exercise.

[Rorschach]

Interesting interview, many thanks for putting it up.

How old is Tommy Suggs, out of interest? If my mental arithmetic is right, he's looking pretty damn good for his age. Maybe we can get Cosmo to do an article on weight-training as the new youth serum. ;)

[Gary Gibson]

You're doing the lord's work.

[MAD9692]

Well fucking done Rip. This was the best one yet.

[JLascek]

http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH2001/JSH2803/JSH2803d.pdf

I believe this is the article mentioned in part 4.

The tragic history of the military press in olympic and world championship competition 1928-1972.

By, John Fair

I've read that, it is very interesting. The pressing poundages were very impressive at the time, but it isn't the same movement we are familiar with today (the one from SS). If you get a chance to read that article, you'll see every little wily trick that was used to give the lifter an advantage.

[steven-miller]

Very interesting interview. I am really looking forward to another one with Tommy Suggs sometime in the future.

Thank you very much for this material Mr. Rippetoe!

[George Noble]

This was a vastly better interview than Shane Hamman. I don't know whether it's because Tommy is just more talkative than Shane or because you responded to the criticism that you talked too much in the last one. Either way this was really good.

[El Viejo]

You've out done yourself with this one, Ripp. Absolutely fascinating interview.

[Mark Rippetoe]

This was a vastly better interview than Shane Hamman. I don't know whether it's because Tommy is just more talkative than Shane or because you responded to the criticism that you talked too much in the last one.

It was both. Tommy will not shut up, and I learned so much about interviewing from the insightful comments on this board.

[El Viejo]

Ripp,

When you said that U.S. Olympic lifters don't train the deadlift my jaw hit the floor. That seems so counter intuitive that it's hard to believe. What explanation do U.S. Olympic coaches give for our pathetic performance for the past 30 years or so? Aren't they capable of looking at the historic record and investigating how lifters in the 50's and 60's (when we were winning or at least placing in the top 5) trained? How can they continue to use training methods that give such poor results? Someone once say that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Are our coaches nuts or just too arrogant to admit that their training methods need to change?

[George Noble]

It was both. Tommy will not shut up, and I learned so much about interviewing from the insightful comments on this board.
You know, you should really be paying us for all the information we impart to you.

But it's OK :)

[Ryan Long]

Awesome interview! Can't wait to see who else you interview. It's one thing to read about the history of weightlifting in the US, its another to feel like you're experiencing it as Tommy tells his stories. I'd love to hear more from him.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Supe will be glad to talk more. We may schedule a follow-up with him later. As for the explanation given for why the OTC program doesn't use the deadlift, it is because the resident coaches they hire don't use them. The analysis seems to be that deadlifts are slow, so deadlifts will carryover to a slow clean. Thus forgetting that deadlifts are slow because they are limit pulls and that lighter weights CAN be pulled faster if the lifter is strong enough to do so, and that he gets that way from getting stronger by pulling heavy. By the way, Kyle Pierce in Shreveport does not believe this, and you may note that Kendrick Farris is his lifter.

[MAKtheKnife]

Well fucking done Rip. This was the best one yet.

+1


This was a vastly better interview than Shane Hamman. I don't know whether it's because Tommy is just more talkative than Shane or because you responded to the criticism that you talked too much in the last one. Either way this was really good.

+1


Rip, thank you very much for this. Fantastic job! Keep up the great work and don't let all the old knowledge disappear.

You should make these interviews (and this one in particular) available on DVD for $5 or $10 a pop. I'd buy this one without a second thought.

[Rorschach]

You should make these interviews (and this one in particular) available on DVD for $5 or $10 a pop. I'd buy this one without a second thought.

Or they'd make a nice addition to the training DVD.

[Robert Callahan]

How old is Tommy Suggs, out of interest? If my mental arithmetic is right, he's looking pretty damn good for his age.

I was wondering this also.

[A J]

great stuff, can't thank you enough for this one.

[Mark Rippetoe]

How old is Tommy Suggs, out of interest? If my mental arithmetic is right, he's looking pretty damn good for his age.

He is 72. Still squatting ~300.

[TomV]

He is 72. Still squatting ~300.

I passed a comment the other day (much to my girlfriends disgust) that I'm probably going to be the type of grandfather that will always be a little unimpressed by his grandkids until they squat more than him.

This would be much harder work if your grandad was Tommy Suggs :P.