The Bodybuilding Corner
This month's special instructor - Harold Poole "Mr. Universe Winner"
Mr. Universe Magazine - April/May, 1964
We know of no better example of what weight training can do in terms of body development and outstanding athletic performance than Harold Poole "All American Athlete" and world's most magnificently built human being.
Suppose you had an athlete at your school who could put the shot over 50 feet . . . Great, you'd say! But suppose that this same athlete could also run the 220 and 440 in meet-winning times? Wonderful! And suppose further that the same athlete was state wrestling champ two years in a row. And suppose even further than that the same athlete was in the starting backfield of your football team three years in a row and was offered a professional contract! Tremendous!
This super-star is not Superman, but 6-foot tall, 210 pound Harold Poole. It is no coincidence that this same Poole is the world's leading muscleman, holder of the IFBB 1963 Mr. Universe crown, proclaiming him the best bodybuilder in the world.
Intelligent and articulate, Poole give complete credit to weight training for success in his many athletic endeavors. "I started training at 13," says Poole, "and have been at it ever since. Without the power and stamina derived from my bodybuilding, I never would have done well in wrestling, football or track and field."
During the course of our interview, we asked Harold Poole the important questions which are reproduced here. He impressed us with his sincerity and enthusiasm. There are no "secret training routines", no "crackpot diets", no "hiding of truths" here . . . Harold follows a solid weight training regimen and eats a healthful diet and gets plenty of proper rest.
Q: Do you think all athletes should train with weights?
Harold Poole: Definitely! From my own experiences in weight training and from many others I would say that the more strength and stamina one builds through weights, the better he will be on the field.
Q: Do you think weights make you "muscle-bound", less coordinated?
HP: Exactly the opposite. I find that the stronger you are, the more control you have over your muscular reactions, and thus the more coordination you have.
Q: What is the best diet to follow?
HP: One of common sense. Milk, meat, fresh vegetables and fruits are staple items on my dining table. I might add that I thoroughly enjoy eating these foods and feel better for doing so, therefore I have no problem of going overboard for pastries and starchy foods.
Q: What would be a good sample routine?
HP: Train three times a week, every other day. Select one or two good exercises for each bodypart, then do them in logical sequence. That is, start with the largest muscles, the legs . . . then go to the back, the chest, and so on. Three to five sets of eight repetitions should be good.
Q: What is your favorite exercise?
HP: Squats. As I said, the legs are the largest muscle of the body, and therefore deserve the most attention. Not only do Squats build tremendous power in the legs, the breathing involved increases your lung power and stamina. Also, being the first exercise in my routine, it triggers my other bodyparts, and I can go into these exercises breathing fully and rarin' to go.
Q: What are some of your strength records?
HP: Squat, 550 pounds; Standing Press, 300 pounds; Bench Press, 380 pounds.
Q: What do you think of food supplements?
HP: I wholeheartedly recommend them. In addition to the diet described above, I use protein, wheat germ oil and brewer's yeast. I think supplements are needed because they give you an extra boost, and are more efficient than gorging yourself on foods to get the necessary nutrients.
Q: What sport are you concentrating on now that you are out of school?
HP: Bodybuilding, I have always been at a loss to understand why some people belittle weight training, either in conjunction with sports training or as a separate sport. Perhaps it is because it takes years of hard, really hard work to become tops in this field. My fondest wish is to see weights accepted by all coaches everywhere as an integral part of all sports training. Not only will weights make an athlete stronger, better equipped to become a champion, but it makes him healthier and better protected from injury, along with preparing him mentally for the coach's instructions and counsel.
Q: What do you mean "better prepared mentally"?
HP: As I said before, weight training is long, hard work. To pursue a program of this nature over the months and years takes much self-discipline and study. If a person has the mental equipment to pursue such a program, then he will follow his sport and his coach with the same dedication.
Q: What are your future plans?
HP: Now that I have won the Mr. Universe title, I intend to spend the immediate future publicizing weight training as much as possible . . . I want to give to the sport what is has given to men in whatever measure I can.
Q: Any final comments?
HP: I just want to thank you for allowing me to say these few words on behalf of weight training.
