. In olympic lifting his best lifts were 365lb/165kg press, 275lb/124kg snatch and 380lb/172kg clean and jerk. Bruno Sammartino, one of the most iconic stars in professional wrestling history, has died at age 82, the WWE announced . . When Sammartino returned to the WWE fold in 2013 in order to be inducted into the Hall of Fame by steroid-era poster boy Arnold Schwarzenegger, he did it more for personal satisfaction than the measly $5,000 payday. Third in my training routine is incline dumbbell presses. . 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. Next is the floor press. He told his grandsons that one of the most dangerous sluggers of the times could not put him down. Required fields are marked *. 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). His best lifts as a heavweight were 565lb/256kg bench, 625lb/283kg squat and 675lb/306kg deadlift. I followed the power routine I just outlined, with the exception of squats, and Karl kept right with me all the way. 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:. You did 3 sets of 6 repetitions on all of your exercises. He writes about the extreme sides of fitness, the weirder sides of MMA and pro wrestling, and the unorthodox lifestyles of professional athletes. For example, on bench press, I dont go higher than maybe 215 for reps. For shoulder work I do 35-pound dumbbells for side laterals. He held the title until . Exit thoughts of the prize ring! Press Behind Neck 3 x 66. Actually Bulldog Brower slammed Haystacks as well. Starch, too, was out as much as possible. Isometric Calf Hold x 2:00 min. 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. HE LEFT US LAST WEEK. Back . Seventh on my list was squats. Before I turned pro as a wrestler I competed in both Olympic lifting and powerlifting. I start around 300, and work up doing sets of 3-5 reps, then a single with maximum poundage. You made progress by gradually adding weight to the bar. 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. Sammartinos physique, then, was the most critical component of his performance, a body that told a story even more impressive than the moves and holds he deployed. Welcome to the TribLIVE.com California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) landing page. Isometric Handclasp (Forwards & Rear Flexion) x 2:00 min.5. I would wrestle six nights a week, and there were times when I would wrestle every other Sunday at the Maple Leaf Garden in Toronto. His chest, shoulder and arm muscles bulge under his workout clothes, a sweat suit with "Built in Bloomfield" printed . 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. Click here if you wish to opt out and view the full site. Because of the limited motion I handle more weight, usually about 550, for 5-7 sets of 3 reps. NaturalStrength.Com has maintained a reputation as one of the most well informed, truthful and introspective sites on the 'net since 1999. He couldve been the champion of the moon and stars too, because who was going to beathim?. Bruno is credited with picking up an slamming 600lb Haystacks Calhoun when Strongman Paul Anderson tried and failed. Sit Ups x 3 sets. The story of Bruno Sammartino is the story of the American dream. My mother, a first-generation Southwestern Pennsylvanian, recalls fondly how Sammartino reminded her of her swarthy Slovak grandfather. 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. 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. But whats interesting to me is that because he arrives later to the U.S., in the 1950s, bodybuilding, weightlifting and powerlifting were already being separated, and Sammartino clearly went down the weightlifting and powerlifting route. 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. He took up power lifting and Olympic lifts as his workouts to build himself up. To that end, before Sammartino, most of the top champions (Lou Thesz, Danny Hodge and Pat OConnor) had to have legitimate competitive wrestling chops to defend their belts. Well, bench pressing and squatting, of course, are exercises that bodybuilders and everybody does, so I was pretty good at those. Your information has been successfully processed! Without these hidden heroes of wrestling, this sport would be vastly different today. Larry Zbyszko on Training with Bruno Sammartino"WWE Hall of Famer," final AWA World Champion and former WCW Wrestler & commentator "The Living Legend" Larry . Squat 3 x 6 2. 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. And then after I did a few touch-and-go reps, he did twenty-four and he was two decades older thanme.. Q: Could you explain more about your remark about Anderson? Inno Supps Complete Gut Health Stack: Doctor Approved 3-Step Process for UFC and Project Rock Team Up For BSR 3 Shoe Collaboration. In private conversation, a well-established member of the Greek community in Pittsburgh told us that he trained alongside Bruno in a basement gym. My grandpa could put me on a shovel when I was in elementary school and lift me right off the ground with one arm, the only arm he had. A: Well, mostly from reading the various muscle magazines on the market. My family, living in Italy during World War 2, suffered greatly. Shortly before the outbreak of World War Two his father came to America, planning to find employment and then send for his ample family. For many years Bruno trained at my gym in Manhattan while he was a professional wrestler. He held the record for 21 straight sell-outs in Australia and the largest crowd in Japan 190,000 peope setted the all time record of 125.000 in India- He was the only pro wrestler to sell out the Bull Fight Arenia in Caracas, Venezuela. I use weights that are comfortable for me. Love it. NaturalStrength.com is an online think-tank, (combining the best of the old with the best of the new), dedicated to truthful drug-free strength training information. Then he was on his way. My family, living in Italy during World War 2, suffered greatly. Copyright 1999-2023 NaturalStrength.com | All Rights Reserved. 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. 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 . John Grimek witnessed Mr. Summartino benchpressing: When it comes to bench pressing, Ive never seen anyone handle heavy poundages the way that Sammartino does. Power training will give you basic strength, which is a prerequisite for wrestling, but the two are not really related. After a rocky start in the business, Bruno won his first, of two, WWWF titles in 1963 and defended his belt against legends like Freddie Blassie and George The Animal Steele before losing the title in 1971 to Ivan Koloff. I would work out in the morning because I wanted to be very rested up for the wrestling matches at night. He was this big boulder, and they just called him the World Champ on TV back then. As far as the Olympic lifts are concerned, his best performance has been, as one might expect, in the two hands press. A: Well, you realize that as the World Wrestling Champion I'm on the go constantly, traveling to and from my wrestling engagements. Live to 100 With these Blue Zone Lifestyle Changes, For Manning Sumner, Accountability Leads to Consistency, Heart Surgery Helped Derek Drake Find His SuperMotoCross Beat, Randy Behr Found Fitness to Be the Way to Becoming HIs Best for Service, What You Need to Know About Heart Rate Variability. Big Bruno Sammartino, the amicable Pittsburgh giant, was born in Italy. 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. He walked a great deal, which he believed improved his endurance. . Curiously, he was edged out by the legendary Paul Anderson, who outweighed Sammartino by some 70 pounds. Sammartino, an Italian immigrant who ruled the WWE throughout the 1960s and 1970s, died Wednesday at the age of 82. by tfurman | Dec 3, 2006 | Blog | 0 comments, In 1959 I set some power-lifting record. Once I started training, I really dedicated myself and really pushed myself. Editors note: Do you want to read more about Bruno or his role model John Grimek? The next day, I work out with the weights. (See exercise photos above). . A short time later in a New York boxing gym, Bruno worked in the ring against Sonny Liston, one of the countrys leading heavyweight maulers. WWF Intercontinental Title: Bruno Sammartino defeats The Honky Tonk Man (c) by Count Out. Sammartino eventually caught. . It took weeks before the big Italian boys cuts healed. I was 16 at the time. tell us about this amazing oldster. He used to eat plents of meat, fresh fruit and vegetables and tried stayed completely away from any form of sugar, cakes or desserts. First in that routine is bench presses. Well his hard work paid off and by 1956 he had made on the Olympic weight lifting team. So I was very pleased to work out there because I think I lifted as good and better than most. Q: Tell us about your training . 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. From the first days of his weight-training experience Bruno Summartinos goal was to develop superabundant strength and power. A: I think 74-year old Karl is a truly amazing physical specimen. . 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