Alexander Zass - Samson's system and methods. Explanations and instructions (Advertising brochure)

Static gymnastics and isometric exercises are terms that are rapidly gaining popularity in sports circles every year. However, not many people know about the real benefits of such training, which is why people are wary of them. Due to the lack of a theoretical basis, athletes refuse isometric exercises and give preference to classical training. Alexander Zass, a Russian-Polish strongman athlete and circus performer, made a huge contribution to the development of the isometric gymnastics methodology. He was the first to illustrate that tendon strength, not muscle size, is the determining factor in lifting weights. This was in the middle of the last century. Today, elements of isometric gymnastics are found only in yoga and Pilates. From this article you will learn what the Zass method of isometric exercises is based on and get acquainted with the main ones.

Historical reference

In different sources you can find different information about the ancient origins of statistical training. Some authors claim that they appeared in India, others in Ancient China, others in medieval Europe, and so on. It is impossible to understand where the truth is, because individual elements of isometric training were used along with dynamic exercises thousands of years ago. Therefore, discussions about the origin of static gymnastics are doomed to failure, as well as discussions about the origin of a bow or sword.

The only thing that is known for certain is that isometric gymnastics as an integral set of exercises appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century thanks to the work of Alexander Ivanovich Zass, a Russian strongman of Polish origin, who doubted the advisability of increasing muscle volume without thoroughly training the tendons. The fact that Zass has been recognized more than once as the strongest man in the world confirms the objectivity of this judgment.

Strength records

1. Alexander Zass
2. Bruce Lee
3. Milo
4. Albion athletes
5. Russian bogatyrs
6. How the steel rose
7. Unbeatable records
8. Exotic feminization
9. Pyramid of Dikul
10. Krasnoyarsk Hercules
11. Masutasu Oyama

Alexander Zass (Iron Samson)

This happened in 1938 in the English city of Sheffield. In front of the crowd, a truck loaded with coal ran over a man sprawled on the cobblestone street. People screamed in horror. But the next second there was a cry of delight: “Glory to the Russian Samson!” . And the man to whom the storm of jubilation was felt, stood up from under the wheels as if nothing had happened, bowed to the audience with a smile. Alexander Zass , who performed under the pseudonym Samson , has not left the circus posters of many countries . His repertoire of power routines was amazing:

• he carried a horse or a piano around the arena with a pianist and dancer located on the lid;
• caught with his hands a 9-kilogram cannonball flying out of a circus cannon from an eight-meter distance;
• he tore a metal beam with assistants sitting at its ends from the floor and held it in his teeth;
• having threaded the shin of one leg into the loop of a rope fixed under the dome, he held a platform with a piano and a pianist in his teeth;
• lying with his bare back on a board studded with nails, he held a stone weighing 500 kilograms on his chest, which was hit by those from the public with sledgehammers;
• in the famous attraction “Projectile Man” he caught with his hands an assistant flying out of a circus cannon and describing a 12-meter trajectory above the arena;
• he broke the links of chains with his fingers;
• He hammered nails into 3-inch boards with his unprotected palm, and then pulled them out, grasping the head with his index finger.

Alexander Zass's performances were triumphant. This is explained not only by the original athletic numbers, most of which could not be repeated by any athlete, but also by the fact that he was not like many strongmen of that time, who had massive figures and great weight. His height is 167.5 cm , weight is 80 kg , chest circumference is 119 centimeters , biceps are 41 centimeters each . He liked to say that big biceps are not always an indicator of strength. Just like a big belly does not mean good digestion . The main thing is willpower , strong tendons and the ability to control your muscles . Very often Samson had to answer the question of how he achieved such power. He replied that this was the result of purposeful work, enormous tension of all spiritual and physical forces. If you trace the entire life path of Alexander Zass , you can see that it consisted of constant training and a strict regime. In one photograph, where Samson is captured sitting at a table near a samovar, there is his note: “5 minutes of rest,” but he was then 74 years old, and he continued to work, although not in the strength genre, but as a trainer, but often included in their performances are power tricks. So, at the age of seventy, he carried two lions around the arena on a special yoke! Of course, Alexander Zass had enormous natural strength, which is what distinguished his ancestors in general. Once in his native Saransk he visited the circus with his father. The boy especially liked the mighty strongman who broke chains and bent horseshoes. At the end of his performance, the artist, as was customary at that time, addressed the audience, inviting them to repeat his tricks. Alas, no one was able to bend a horseshoe or lift a ball barbell with a thick bar off the ground. And suddenly Alexander’s , Ivan Petrovich Zass , rose from his seat and entered the arena. Alexander knew that his father was very strong. Sometimes he demonstrated his strength to the guests. And so the strong man handed the horseshoe to his father. To the surprise of the public, the horseshoe in the hands of Zass Sr. began to unbend. Then Ivan Petrovich tore the huge barbell off the platform and, straightening his torso, raised it above his knees. The audience applauded like crazy. The circus strongman was embarrassed. He called the uniformist over to him. He ran backstage and brought a silver ruble. The artist raised his hand with a ruble and said: “But this is for your feat and for a drink!” The father took the ruble, then rummaged in his pocket, pulled out a three-ruble ruble, and handed it to the athlete along with the ruble, saying: “I don’t drink! But take it, but drink only tea!” Since then, his son lived only in the circus. In the backyard of the house, with the help of adults, I installed two horizontal bars, hung trapeze bars, got hold of household weights, made a primitive barbell, and began to train with incredible persistence. I tried to repeat what I saw. Having mastered the “sun” (large rotation) on the horizontal bar, he began to fly from one bar to another, doing backflips not only on the floor, but also on a horse. I did one-arm pull-ups several times. But all these activities were unsystematic. He convinced his father to order books on physical development from Moscow. And soon a book by the then famous athlete Evgeniy Sandov, “Strength and How to Become Strong,” arrived. The author talked about his athletic career, about victories over famous athletes, and even about fighting a huge lion, which before the fight was given a muzzle and special huge mittens on its paws. Sandow several times , but he threw him off each time. Then came eighteen exercises with dumbbells, that is, what was especially necessary for Alexander . And he began to study according to the Sandov system - his idol. But he soon realized that exercises with dumbbells alone could not develop the strength that a professional strongman needs. He turns for help to the famous athletes Pyotr Krylov and Dmitriev-Morro, who did not ignore the young man’s request, and soon Zass received methodological recommendations from these athletes. Krylov recommended exercises with weights, and Dmitriev - with a barbell. He squeezed two-pound weights simultaneously and alternately (“mill”), pressed them upside down, and juggled. With the barbell I performed mainly bench presses, clean and jerks, and overhead presses. With his own weight of 66 kg, young Zass twisted (press with torso deviation) with his right hand 80 kg. But most of all he was attracted by the power tricks that he saw in the circus. And he visited the circus constantly. His sports props began to be replenished with horseshoes, chains, metal rods, and nails. And then he realized that repeated attempts to perform a trick - breaking a chain or bending a thick metal rod - bring tangible results in the development of physical strength. In essence, these were the now widely known isometric exercises. Thus, purely empirically (based on experience), Alexander Zass came to the conclusion that athletic strength can be developed by combining dynamic exercises with isometric ones in training. He later published his isometric system, and the pamphlet created a sensation. Once in the circus, Zass at one time worked as an assistant to the legendary trainer Anatoly Durov, then as an athlete Mikhail Kuchkin, and he often told his assistant: “Someday, Sasha, you will become a famous strongman, I have never seen anyone who was so strong , like you, having such a small height and weight.” In general, Zass worked in the circus for about sixty years and almost forty of them with athletic acts.

In 1914, world war broke out. Alexander Zass was drafted into the 180th Vindavsky Cavalry Regiment. One day an incident occurred that amazed even those who were well aware of Alexander’s . One day he was returning from another reconnaissance mission, and suddenly, already close to the Russian positions, they noticed him and opened fire. The bullet shot through the horse's leg. The Austrian soldiers, seeing that the horse and rider had fallen, did not pursue the cavalryman and turned back. Zass , making sure that the danger had passed, did not want to leave the wounded horse. There was still half a kilometer left to his regiment, but this did not bother him. Having shouldered the horse, Zass brought it to his camp. Time will pass, he will remember this episode and will include carrying a horse on his shoulders in his repertoire. In one of the battles, Zass was seriously wounded by shrapnel in both legs. He was captured, and the Austrian surgeon began amputation. But Zass begged not to do this. He believed in his powerful body and the therapeutic gymnastics that he developed for himself. And he recovered! Soon he, along with other prisoners, was sent to heavy road work. He made several unsuccessful escapes, after which he was severely punished. The third escape was remarkable. Having escaped from the camp, Alexander found himself in the city of Kaposvár in southern Hungary, where the Schmidt Circus, known throughout Europe, was on tour. Presenting himself before the owner of the circus, Zass openly told him about his misfortune, as well as about his work in Russian circuses. Immediately the director suggested that he break the chain and bend a thick metal rod. Of course, hungry and tired, Zass was not in good athletic shape, but through an effort of will he coped with the task. He was taken to the circus, and soon the news of the amazing athlete spread throughout the city. But one day the military commandant came to his performance. He became interested in why such a strong young athlete was not serving in the Austrian army. That same evening it turned out that Samson was a Russian prisoner of war. He was taken to the basement of the fortress, into a damp, dark room. But his strength and will were not broken. He made a new escape by breaking the chain connecting the handcuffs and breaking down the bars. Now he gets to Budapest, where he gets a job as a loader at the port, and then at the circus arena. The wrestler, world champion Chaya Janos , whom Alexander met back in Russia, helped him. Zass with sympathy . He took him to the village to his relatives, where Alexander’s gradually recovered. He then competed for three years in a wrestling troupe led by Chai Janos , alternating mat wrestling with athletic performances.

One day, Janos introduced the Russian strongman to the famous Italian impresario Signor Pasolini Zass's athletic capabilities . The Italian offered to conclude a contract. Zass's European tour begins , his fame grows. Finally, he comes to England, where his performances generally aroused fantastic interest. Famous athletes such as Edward Aston, Thomas Inch, Pullum began to try their hand at repeating Zass' , but not a single attempt was successful. Mr Pullum, director of the famous Camberwell Weightlifting Club and editor-in-chief of the sports magazine Health and Strength, wrote of him: “A man has arrived straight into the heart of England, capable of performing feats that common sense refuses to believe. If he had been a huge fellow, his performances might have been perceived as believable. But pay attention at least to the chest excursion (the difference between inhalation and exhalation) of this short man. It is equal to 23 centimeters, which says a lot to specialists. Therefore, I say that he not only has unprecedented physical strength, not only a magnificent artist, but also a man who uses his mind as well as his muscles.” And here is what the poster of the famous Alhambra hall, where Alexander Zass : “In Manchester, during construction work, Samson, suspended with one leg from a crane, lifted a metal beam from the ground with his teeth, and was carried to the top of the building by a crane, in while the crowd stood below with their mouths open. If the Russian had opened his mouth, the crowd would never have been able to tell what they saw.” Posters and newspapers did not lag behind. Daily Telegraph: “ Mr Samson is certainly the strongest man on earth. You can believe this when you see how easily he ties iron rods into knots.”

Manchester Guardian: "According to the advertisements, he is the strongest man on Earth, and after we have seen him for ourselves ... this statement can be considered irrefutable."

Health and Strength Magazine: “In Samson we have a strongman whose achievements are completely open to scrutiny. Truly, his muscles are made of steel."

At the end of his life, Alexander Zass invented a hand dynamometer, designed and manufactured a circus cannon for the “Projectile Man” attraction . Samson died in 1962. He was buried near London, in the small town of Hockley.

Bruce Lee

In addition to the fact that he fought well, he pinned the US 110kg champion Van Williams . The result of such targeted training was the forearms. Powerful, amazing strength. They felt as hard as a baseball bat. Van Williams spoke . One day Bruce offered to fight him. I sat down at the table with the idea of ​​playing along with him as a friend. I was 112 kg then. How could I compete with Bruce seriously! However, it turned out that I did not have enough strength to overcome the resistance of his hand! Moreover, I could not move his hand even a millimeter. In a conversation with Herb Jackson, Lee jokingly said that he could become the World Arm Wrestling Champion. about Bruce Lee , but with a weight of 65 kg, he picked up 2 dumbbells of 37 kg each and held them on outstretched arms for 20 seconds.

Milo

The famous Hellenic athlete Milo from the city of Croton lived in the 6th century BC. He was unbeatable in strength training and wrestling for twenty years, winning the overall winner's crown at the Olympic Games six times. He developed phenomenal strength, which became proverbial, almost according to modern principles of training: duration, continuity, gradual increase in load. Milo first lifted the bull on his shoulders when he was a calf, and subsequently carried him around the stadium arena every day. As the bull grew, so did Milo's strength . The end of the attraction is for the needs of the ancient public. Having lowered the bull to the ground, the athlete killed him with a punch between the eyes. Milo stood on a disk greased with lard or oil, and none of the spectators could push him off this slippery pedestal. A stone weighing 136 kilograms was thrown six meters. He put six people in a chariot, lifted it on his head and carried it around the arena. But he saved the most amazing of his tricks for last. Milo squeezed a ripe pomegranate in his palm and invited those who wanted to take it out. No one succeeded. The athlete unclenched his hand - the pomegranate was completely intact and not even dented: to such an extent, by tensing the muscles of his fingers, he was able to simultaneously relax the muscles of his palm. During the war between his native Croton and the city of Sybaris, Milo was elected commander. Like Hercules, the famous hero, dressed in a lion's skin, fought with a huge club in his hands, replacing an entire squad. The death of the strongman was tragic. Having gone into the forest to get firewood for his old mother, he hammered wedges into the crack of a thick trunk and tried to tear it in two with his hands. But the released wedges fell to the ground, and the tree pinched the fingers. Milo did not take into account that with age, even champions lose strength. He was unable to free his hands and found himself chained to the trunk. Helpless, hungry and exhausted, the famous athlete was torn to pieces by wild animals. Milo of Croton died , to whom a marble monument was erected and whose name was included six times in the lists of winners of ancient Olympia. Milon of Croton wrote the scientific treatise “Physics” and became famous as a singer - throughout his life he confirmed the ideal of harmony of body and soul. This ideal was put forward by Pythagoras, known to us from school, an Olympic champion and an excellent fist fighter. The father of medicine, the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, had phenomenal physical strength and stood out among the Hellenic wrestlers and horsemen. The winners of the highest awards for sporting valor were the famous philosophers Plato and Socrates, and the tragic poets Sophocles and Euripides. Many of the most prominent philosophers and poets, statesmen and generals of Ancient Greece (remember, for example, Pindar and Alcinades) were outstanding athletes and winners of Olympic competitions. The combination of greatness of strength and nobility of spirit was demonstrated by the ancient Greek hero Polydamus of Thessaly. He was relaxing with friends in a cave when the earthquake began. Polydamus supported the vault until his companions left the cave, but he himself was covered with stones. It is known about this athlete that he killed a lion with his bare hands, which in ancient times was considered something of a standard for the title of master of sports.

Albion athletes

Cornish farmer Payne had a son, Anthony . Already as a child, he was distinguished by his extraordinary strength: he could put one of his peers on each arm and run up a steep hill with them. Being a huntsman, he went to hurry the servant, who was supposed to bring firewood on a donkey. He shouldered the donkey, the firewood, and the servant - and brought it all home. As you remember, a test of strength in ancient times was an exercise with a lion, and in the Middle Ages it was replaced with a harmless donkey. What degradation! Strength was not the privilege of only tall people. Owen Farrell, 113 centimeters tall , toured Ireland . He danced with two adults under his arm. And he walked freely, carrying four people. Thomas Topham , born in London in 1710, enjoyed great fame His tricks were amazing. On May 20, 1731 (this number shocked the audience so much that even the exact date of its performance was preserved) at a performance in Derby Topham lifted three barrels of water with a total weight of 863 kilograms on a belt thrown over his shoulders and neck.

Russian bogatyrs

The strength of heroes in Rus' is traditionally combined with selfless courage. During the battle in 1240, when our army under the command of Alexander Nevsky victoriously repelled the Swedes, the Novgorod warriors showed courage and extraordinary strength. Gavrilo Oleksich , Sbyslav Yakunovich and Yakov Polovchanin , who went down in history, especially distinguished themselves . Working magnificently with battle axes and swords, they crashed into the thick of the enemies and paved the way for the entire army. Interest in people of outstanding stature and heroic strength was persistent. Peter I issued personalized decrees, according to which heroes were wanted throughout Rus'. This is understandable - courageous people who reliably held weapons in powerful hands were always needed by the Fatherland. Orlovsky , a man of enormous stature and phenomenal strength, lived in St. Petersburg He could juggle a two-handed sword while holding it with three fingers. Having gone to someone's home and not finding the owner, Orlovsky would leave a poker tied in a knot as a sign of his visit. This is what they wrote about the captain of the frigate “Raphael” Vasily Lukin , who died in the Battle of Athos during the war between Russia and Turkey: “His strength was amazing, but it was difficult to force Lukin to use it - only in a cheerful hour among friends. He easily broke horseshoes, could hold pound cannonballs in his outstretched hands for half an hour, press a nail into a ship wall with one finger; could fold a massive silver plate into a pipe so that it was impossible to determine what it was originally. Once, defending his sailors from drunken, riotous English sailors, Lukin killed a dozen brawlers on the spot, and the rest shamefully retreated from the scene of the massacre.” In the second half of the 19th century, wrestling of a purely forceful nature gained popularity. Poddubny , Zaikin , Shemyakin , Gakkenshmidt , Kashcheev had gigantic strength . Everyone knew the leading athletes, young and old. The pages of magazines were full of photographs of strongmen, their portraits were exhibited in store windows, and products were advertised with their names. In those years, there was still no orderly assessment of strength, and athletes came up with various feats such as bending a poker, lifting stones, and horses. They tore chains in front of the audience, tore apart a folded deck of cards with their fingers, weaved patterns from nails...

How the steel rose

It was difficult to say who was stronger until an objective opportunity for an answer appeared - the barbell. A standard projectile, lifted according to strictly defined rules. And here the heroes of our Motherland proved that they are fully worthy of their mighty ancestors: domestic weightlifters are, without a doubt, the strongest in the world. The largest number of records in weightlifting was set by the Soviet athlete Vasily Alekseev - 80 world records. He was the first to lift 600 kilograms in triathlon. Olympic champion Yuri Vlasov set 28 world records . Other Russian heroes performed in the international arena to match them - A. Voronin , N. Kolesnikov , Yu. Vardanyan , D. Riegert , L. Zhabotinsky , Yu. Zaitsev and many others. So we can rightfully say: our athletes today are the strongest people on the planet.

Unsurpassed records

As the crowd watched, a truck loaded with coal ran over a man sprawled on the cobblestones. This trick was demonstrated by Alexander Zass (Samson) . With his own weight of no more than 80 kg, he carried a horse weighing up to 400 kg on his shoulders. He lifted an iron beam with his teeth, at the ends of which two assistants sat, the total weight was 265 kg. For fun, he could lift a taxi and drive it like a wheelbarrow, break horseshoes and break chains. He lifted 20 people on the platform. Grigory Kashcheev walked around the circus arena, shouldering 12 two-pound weights (384 kg), and once lifted a forty-pound (640 kg) beam. Pyotr Krylov , the King of Kettlebells, pressed 114.6 kg with his left hand and bent rails on his shoulders. He set several world records in weightlifting: bench press on a wrestling bridge - 134 kg, bench press with a two-pound weight with his left hand - 86 times, spread his straight arms to the sides, holding a weight weighing 41 kg in each. Yakub Chekhovskaya demonstrated a sensational strength trick in 1913 - he carried six soldiers of the Guards regiment (at least 400 kg) around the arena at arm's length, for which he was awarded an honorary gold belt. This record number has not yet been repeated by any athlete in the world. World champion in French wrestling Nikolai Vakhturov threw a two-pound weight over a railway carriage, and world champion in wrestling Ivan Zaikin lifted a 40-bucket barrel of water onto his back and carried it around the arena. Athlete Hermann Gerner , holding 50 kg in each hand, ran 100 meters in 18.4 seconds. Athlete Ludwig Chaplinsky , as a joke, jumped over the dining table (80 cm high and wide) with a ram in his hands, and athlete Pyotr Yankovsky, as a bet, squeezed three-pound weights into his palm while sitting on the floor. Georg Hackenschmidt lifted an iron core weighing over 585 kg twice in a row, lifting it from the platform by 10 centimeters. The greatest weight ever lifted by a person is 2844 kilograms. He was held on the shoulders of American weightlifter Paul Anderson . The great Leonardo da Vinci , of course, is familiar to each of us. But few people know that, possessing enormous strength, he swung with one hand such church bells that only four people could swing at the same time.

Exotic feminization

Lidiya Rybakova (her weight is 68 kg) lifted a barbell weighing 900 kg from the ground. At the age of 33, on March 4, 1990, she started off and dragged a LAZ bus with 48 passengers in the cabin with a total weight of 10 tons 850 kilograms along the asphalt.

In December 1991, 20-year-old Svetlana Gavrilina Before her record, Svetlana studied... ballet for seven years. Her height is 164 cm, weight is 56 kilograms. Now she confidently lifts 500 kg on her belt, as well as a bar attached to her belt, on which 7 adult men are sitting. On April 15, 1895, American Josephine Blatt (1869-1923) held a load of 1,616 kilograms slung over her shoulders. This women's weight lifting record has not been broken to this day.

Pyramid of Dikul

Valentin Ivanovich Dikul (born in 1947) is an outstanding athlete of our time. He performed two unique strength acts in the circus arena: holding a metal “pyramid” weighing a ton on his body, and holding a Volga car on his back (the load was 1570 kilograms). The uniqueness of these numbers is also in the fact that the athlete performed them after a serious spinal injury - he could not move for almost seven years and, with the help of exercise equipment of his own design, managed to restore his previous form. Now V.I. Dikul heads the Center for Rehabilitation of Patients with Spinal Injury and Consequences of Cerebral Palsy.

Krasnoyarsk Hercules

Klementy Bul was born in 1888 in Achinsk;
Soon the family moved to Krasnoyarsk. In 1911, for the first time he had the opportunity to participate in an international classical wrestling tournament held in St. Petersburg. The tournament brought together the best European wrestlers: the great Grigory Kashcheev, the Dutchman Van Riel, the Volga hero Nikolai Vakhturov. The high-profile titles did not bother the Siberian; in 16 fights he emerged victorious and won the title of champion. Buhl has established himself as an unsurpassed master of wrestling techniques. Being a heavyweight, he acted with extraordinary ease; his style was even compared to acrobatics. Boul met with the best carpet masters of that time - Poddubny , Shemyakin , Zaikin , Lurikh . In the final of the match, which took place in the arena of the Kursk circus in October 1928, he fought with Ivan Poddubny himself. Within an hour, Buhl was able to withstand the six-time world champion and won a well-deserved victory. Subsequently, Klementy Bul did not know defeat in the championships in classical wrestling, and in the mid-30s he switched to coaching. In the Dynamo society, he trained dozens of first-class wrestlers, including European champion Konstantin Koberidze .

Klementy Iosifovich Bul died in 1953, at the age of 66.

Masutasu Oyama

This man, 1000 photos, trained 12 hours a day, lived in the mountains for 3 years, fought 270 fights without a single defeat, a fight with him rarely lasted more than three rounds (it’s good that they fought with gloves), and usually lasted no more than 10 seconds . In live combat, he killed a person with one blow; if the person blocked, the limb would break. Demonstrating the capabilities of a person, Oyama fearlessly went into battle with a bull and cut off the horns of the enraged animal with a blow of his hand. He took part in fights with the strongest wrestlers and boxers of that time, and always emerged victorious. For his incredible strength and talent, admiring Americans dubbed Oyama “the hand of God.” Then they looked at him as a miracle, something supernatural. It took years for the secret of the great master to be revealed to all of us - any person who practices Kyokushin karate . All you need is desire and perseverance in achieving your goal. During his life, he killed 52 bulls, 3 of them died on the first blow.

In 1957 in Mexico, at the age of 34, he was on the verge of death when a bull gored Oyama . Oyama managed to knock down the bull and cut off its horn. He was bedridden for 6 months recovering from a usually fatal wound. The Humane Society of Japan protested Oyama's fighting with animals after Oyama announced his intention to fight with a tiger and a bear, although the bulls killed by Oyama were intended for slaughter. Here is a list of exercises that Oyama performed every day:

During a period of short but fruitful asceticism in the mountains, Oyama lived according to a strictly developed regime, which often appears in biographies of the master and serves as an edification to frivolous students:

• 4 o'clock in the morning - rise. Meditation with closed eyes - 10 min. Running in the mountains - 2 hours.
• 7 am - cooking.
• 8 a.m. - meal, combining breakfast and lunch.
• 9 a.m. – start of training. Perform a set of five exercises ten times:
  1. lift a sixty-kilogram barbell 20 times;

  do push-ups on your fingers 20 times;

• do 20 handstand push-ups;
• do pull-ups on the bar 20 times;
• deliver 20 punches from the right and left to the makiwara.

After completing each complex, do breathing exercises and immediately begin the next complex. After completing this complex ten times, rest for up to 11 hours.

• 11 a.m. - performing kata.
• 2 pm weight lifting. Lift a sixty-kilogram barbell 20 times, then gradually increase the load.
• Do 1000 push-ups: 200 times on two fingers, 200 times on four fingers, 400 times on five fingers. Before each complex, take a short break. Sometimes, for variety, do 1000 push-ups with fists, with a break after 500.

In addition to this eloquent document, we note that many kempo devotees and enthusiasts adhered to such a daily routine not for a year or two, but for twenty, thirty years or their entire lives.

In 1952, Oyama went on tour across the United States, where he created a sensation and completely dismayed the public by demonstrating superhuman performances. In fact, how should American spectators react when a visiting master pounded huge cobblestones like porcelain, tore off the necks of beer bottles without the bottles falling off, beat himself on the knuckles with a hammer, punched thick boards with his hands and feet, (about 30 cm) tiles laid in fifteen to twenty layers and three or four bricks lying on top of each other? Oyama traveled throughout the United States for a year, demonstrating his karate skills live and on national television. For his students, Oyama developed a whole cascade of breathtaking tricks that embody the highest achievements of karate on a physical level:

• punching a sheet of thin rice paper suspended on two threads with blows of the fist and fingers;
• splitting a board (or brick) suspended on a rope with blows of the fist, elbow, edge of the palm, edge of the foot and forefoot from a standing position on the ground or while jumping;
• splitting several inch boards in the hands of two assistants with all possible blows of the hands and feet, including jumping at a height of about two meters;
• splitting a one-inch board floating in a barrel of water;
• splitting up to twenty layers of tiles with hands, feet and head;
• splitting three bricks laid on top of each other with a “hand-sword” or “iron hammer” blow;
• splitting with a sword-hand blow three ice slabs, each three inches thick, stacked one above the other at intervals;
• breaking through an ice block with your hand and head;
• splitting massive cobblestones with the base of the edge of the palm;
• cutting off the neck of a standing bottle;
• penetration with a “hand-spear” blow into a tightly tied bundle of bamboo rods;
• piercing a suspended cow carcass with a hand-spear blow.

"Iron Samson"

Alexander Zass was born in 1888 in the city of Vilna. He lived for most of his early years in Russia, and in 1924 he moved to Britain. Zass's performances in the circus arena made people jump out of their seats enthusiastically. Alexander Ivanovich lifted a 225-kilogram beam with his teeth, caught 90-kilogram cannonballs, carried horses on his shoulders, did a back somersault with weights in his hands, did 200 push-ups in 4 minutes, and finally broke steel chains with his fingers. Thanks to these and other achievements, the athlete was nicknamed “Iron Samson.”

During the First World War, Alexander was captured three times by Austrian troops and escaped from custody each time. For one of his escapes, Zass had to tear out the steel bars of his prison cell from the concrete walls. After the third escape, Alexander left Austria and went to England, where he remained to live until the end of his days.

The most surprising thing is the fact that Alexander had a rather modest physique for a strongman athlete. With a height of 1.65 m, he weighed no more than 80 kg. Since the public loves to look at large muscles, Alexander had to specifically work on increasing the volume of his arms. At the same time, the athlete emphasized that strong arms are more important to him than big biceps.

Thanks to its amazing power, “Great Samson” quickly gained worldwide popularity. Even in the USA, athletes appeared who tried to adopt the training methods of Alexander Zass. The artist himself always said that he did not have a natural predisposition to strength sports, and all his results are the fruit of muscle control, strong tendons and no less strong willpower. Today we will get acquainted with the exercises of Alexander Zass and the principles of his training.

Zass tendon exercises

They consist of two training sessions, developed on the basis of personal knowledge and practical experience of the master. It must be remembered that these exercises create the basis for the successful development of all physical abilities of the body and are dominant in the athlete’s system.

Basic rules for performing tendon exercises

• A positive attitude is required. All exercises are performed with pleasure, readiness for stress and concentration of the whole body.
• The whole body is subject to training. The main goal will be to create a force wave in the body, not lifting weights or breaking a chain.
• Calm, even breathing when tension increases.
• Smooth entry and exit from gain, without jerks or sudden movements.
• Full training no more than twice a week and no longer than an hour in duration. Gains for 5 repetitions would be correctly distributed as follows: 1. - 75%, 2. - 90%, 3. - 95%, 4. - 90%, 5. - 75%.
• The interval between exercises is 30-60 seconds.
• To maintain tone, select 5-8 exercises and do them daily, performing 1 - 3 efforts, with tension distribution: 60% - 90% - 75% for each exercise.
• Maintaining gradualism and consistency.
• Mandatory regularity of classes.
• Paying attention to your well-being.

First set of exercises

Second set of exercises

1. We bend and raise our arms with the chain in front of our chest. elbows at shoulder level. Stretch to the sides.
2. Bent arms behind head. We stretch the chain by changing the grip width.
3. Two chains with loops at both ends. By changing the length of the chains, we pull them straight up to the shoulders, at the level of the head and above it, alternately.
4. We pass the foot of the right foot into the lower loop, and hold the upper loop in our hand. Pull the chain by straightening your arm upward. We perform the exercise alternately and simultaneously.
5. We wrap the chain around the chest while inhaling and secure it. We try to inhale more, expanding the chest.
6. Legs wider than shoulders. Loop on the right foot, bent left arm at waist level, pull the chain. Repeat for the right hand.
7. We attach the chain to the wall at waist level, pull it with our hands, trying to pull it out of the fastening.
8. We attach one end of the chain to the floor, and on the other we attach a handle at knee level. pull, trying to tear the chain out of the fastening. Can be repeated at different grip levels.

Advantages

The Zass isometric exercise system has many advantages:

1. The lesson lasts only 15 minutes.
2. There is no need for special equipment or premises.
3. Zass isometric exercises can increase tendon strength, which is the key to true human strength.
4. For certain types of activities, you can choose the most suitable exercises.
5. Anyone can practice this method: both a person recovering from an injury and a professional athlete preparing for a competition.
6. For any part of the body there are separate exercises by Zass (“Iron Samson”).
7. The body's energy is spent only on tension in the joints, without being wasted on movements that cause muscle fatigue.
8. Increased flexibility.
9. Low probability of injury.

Zass and the horse

On August 1, 1914, Alexander was drafted into the army. After being sent to the front, Zass never returned to Russia, but in the arena he was always announced as a Russian artist. During the First World War, he served in the 180th Windavian Regiment, which was famous for the fact that its soldiers were engaged in reconnaissance in dangerous areas of the Austrian front. It was no coincidence that Zass volunteered to serve in the cavalry - the artist did not want to fight in the trenches and wait for rare meetings with the enemy. At this time, Alexander became famous for carrying his horse from the battlefield. Since childhood, Zass has been distinguished by his affection for animals. When his horse, named Baby, was wounded by the Austrians, the strongman could not leave him. He waited until darkness fell and carried his fighting friend to the camp on his shoulders.

Alexander repeats the incident at the front and carries the horse on himself. (pinterest.ru)

The artist's career and military service could have ended in the first year of the war. During the fighting, a landmine exploded near Zass, after which he was captured. Having been wounded in the legs by shrapnel, Alexander could have remained disabled, since in case of serious damage to the limbs they were most often amputated

However, Austrian doctors paid special attention to the Russian athlete and saved him. When Alexander began to recover, he was faced with a new goal - to escape from captivity. Only on the third attempt did the artist manage to escape to freedom and find refuge in the Schmidt Circus in the city of Kaposvár

Soon Zass was discovered and sent to the fortress, where he was supposed to remain until the end of the war. Another imprisonment could completely crush Alexander’s morale, since he would have to remain in solitary confinement for an indefinite period of time. Later in his memoirs, Zass wrote that in prison he continued training and looked for ways to escape. Moreover, Alexander began to form his own training methodology, which he later described in the book “The Amazing Samson. Told by himself." His method of developing strength was based on isometric exercises, which Zass could perform even within the walls of the fortress. He studied hard in prison because he believed that “being depressed is the worst thing in the world.” Some time later, Alexander made his fourth escape. This time, having freed himself, he went to Budapest and got a job in the circus of his old friend Chai Janos. Zass began to prepare for one of the most dangerous stunts - the “man-projectile”. For this issue, it was necessary to design a special cannon that could fire cannonballs weighing 90 kilograms. The artist had to stand on the opposite side of the arena and catch it with his hands. Alexander decided to complicate the task and replace the core with an assistant.

Number "Projectile Man". (fizrazvitie.ru)

Application area

Zass isometric exercises are recommended in the following cases:

1. The athlete has an initial level of training. In static conditions, it is impossible to obtain a load that the body cannot withstand. Accordingly, when performing the exercises of Zass (“Iron Samson”), a person does not expose his tendons to danger.
2. In normal training, the athlete has reached a dead end. For many, one day a dead point occurs when, with the same efforts, no development occurs. The philosophy of isometric exercises will allow you to look at training in a new way and quickly get out of a dead end.
3. When you need to increase your strength. In this case, the static load should alternate with dynamic.

Rules for performing exercises

Despite the apparent simplicity of the technique, it will take some time to learn how to perform tendon exercises correctly. At first it is not easy, but over time the exercises become easier. If done incorrectly, the risk of injury increases and problems with blood pressure cannot be avoided.

Find out who Katya Usmanova is and what is the secret of her nutrition and training.

But by following certain rules, mastering the technique will be easier and faster:

Learn to feel your body, since the object for training is not a specific muscle group, but the whole body. If the wave of force does not fully activate you, the connections between tendons, muscles and bones will not be strengthened. Before starting your workout, do a good warm-up to “warm up” your muscles. This will reduce the risk of injury. Always begin your approach on an inhalation. Watch your breathing. It should be smooth and calm. Don’t concentrate on aspirations and experiences

It is better to focus on self-improvement. Start classes with zero load, gradually increasing it during the training process. Make sure that your body position during gymnastics is as natural as possible. For example, if a joint “twists” during a set or pain occurs in the muscles, this means that an error was made in the execution technique

You cannot expect to gain strength and muscles only by applying the Zass effect. They can and should be combined with other strength training to get a ripped body. Take breaks between exercises. In moments of rest, your entire body relaxes, and in particular your tendons and muscles. In this case, the intervals between classes are chosen independently. The tonic activity of the tendons is monitored weekly. You can check this indicator using a chain that is pulled for 9 seconds. In this case, the arms are spread to the sides, and the chain is placed at waist level. After this, the chain is lowered and the hands are relaxed. And the hands tend to raise in the direction where the pressure was directed. The stronger the return movements, the stronger the tone.

Concept

Many, due to the stereotype “big muscles equal strength,” cannot understand the meaning and benefits of Alexander Zass’s system of exercises. To achieve success in this endeavor, you need to understand that it is the strength of the tendons that is the determining factor in the strength capabilities of an athlete. Alexander Zass argued that large muscles without strong tendons are just an illusion of strength.

The concept of the methodology is based on the following principles:

1. Tendons are needed to attach muscles to bones. They also cause muscles to move when stretched or contracted.
2. Muscle growth is associated with the formation of new muscle tissue, rather than the compaction of existing muscle tissue.
3. To use the full mass of muscles, it is necessary to build up tendons.
4. Muscles grow when the body recovers after a grueling activity, and tendons grow due to static load.
5. Muscles are many times weaker than tendons, so they get tired faster.
6. Tendons grow more slowly than muscles.
7. Dynamic (isotonic) training always consists of several approaches, with a certain number of repetitions. This load is enough to stress the muscles, but it is not enough for the tendons.
8. In order for tendons to grow, continuous tension is necessary, which the muscles cannot bear.

Training principles of Alexander Zass

Having a short height (167 cm) and low body weight (about 75 kg), Alexander Zass surpassed in his physical capabilities more muscular strongmen weighing over 100 kg.

Often the spectators at the circus did not believe in the reality of what was happening.

One of his most famous acts is walking around the circus arena with a horse on his back.

For reference: the average weight of a horse is 400-500 kg!

In narrow circles of strength training specialists, Alexander Zass was known for his original point of view on the development of strength. It was radically different from what was generally accepted at that time.

Some experts believe that it was thanks to Zass that static (isometric) strength exercises gained worldwide recognition.

Alexander Zass believed that human strength does not lie in large muscle volumes, but in the strength of tendons.

The entire training process for developing strength was designed to promote the development, first of all, of tendon strength.

I would like to immediately note that all experts draw information about Alexander Zass’s training methods from his autobiographical book “Alexander Zass. Biography, system and methods”, which was published in 1925.

The book is almost 100 years old. And some training principles are already outdated. But most of the methodology has not lost its relevance today.

Basic training principles of the Alexander Zass method:

1. The importance of tendon strength in muscle contraction
2. Increased tendon strength occurs through isometric (static) exercises
3. Tendon growth occurs an order of magnitude slower than muscle tissue growth
4. For tendons to grow, continuous training tension is necessary. An order of magnitude higher than the muscles can withstand.

A number of its principles now seem quite controversial.

We are simply talking about the methodology, from which you can highlight only individual points for yourself.

Bodybuilder Mistake

The problem with many bodybuilders is that they have a lot of muscle tissue, but not enough strength in the tendons. Thus, the strength potential of the muscles is not fully used. Bodybuilding enthusiasts focus on working the muscles in isolation, so tendon strengthening is simply ignored in their training. However, bodybuilding means “building the body”, not building strength. But for weightlifters, isometrics really wouldn’t hurt.

How to do the exercises correctly

There is a small number of rules, following which you can achieve maximum efficiency from your training and minimize all the risks associated with them, for example, injuries.

• In most cases, the duration of one approach is 6-12 seconds.
• The break between trips should be from 30 seconds to a minute.
• The full training cycle is about 20 minutes.
• You should strain your muscles to the maximum (not for beginners), but smoothly and gradually, and not abruptly.
• For the best results, it would be a good idea to combine isometrics with dynamic exercises.
• Be sure to do a light warm-up before your workout.

Second extreme

To counter the misconception that bulky muscles guarantee strength, there is another: “Isometrics are all you need to develop strength.” Of course, Zass isometric exercises alone cannot provide significant strength gains. Don't forget about the muscles that help move objects; bones that can support significant weight and pressure; the cardiovascular system, which supplies muscle tissue with oxygen; and finally, about the mind, which allows you to cope with all this without causing harm to your health.

According to the creator of isometric exercises, Alexander Zass, work on developing strength should have the following structure:

1. Strength of will.
2. Ability to control muscles.
3. Tendon strength.
4. Correct breathing.

When preparing any athlete, special attention should be paid to strength training, and true strength, as we have already figured out, does not exist without the strength of the tendons.

Set of exercises

Let's get to the fun part - a review of Alexander Zass's basic exercises. “Iron Samson” used only one object in his training - a strong chain. In principle, the chain can be replaced by any long object that is so strong that it is objectively impossible to break it. A durable leather belt can be an excellent replacement for a chain. It is important that the grip is comfortable, otherwise the attention will be focused not on the work of the tendons, but on the fatigue of the palms.

There are a lot of exercises with a belt in Alexander Zass’s system. We will look at the main ones:

1. The chain is taken so that your hands are shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Raising your hands to chest level, you need to try to break it by spreading your arms.
2. The task is the same, only now you need to stretch your arms above your head.
3. The chain, taken in hand, is moved behind the head to the level of the back of the head. You need to try to break it, only now by straightening your arms.
4. Having stretched the chain behind your back, you need to rest it on your back and try to break it by moving your arms slightly bent forward. The movement must be carried out using the force of the deltas and triceps.
5. This exercise is not like the previous ones. Its essence is that the chain needs to be wrapped around the chest as you exhale and break as you inhale, using the force of the pectoral and back muscles. This technique was one of the signature tricks of Alexander Zass.
6. The chain is again taken with both hands, only now one of them, in a straight position, looks down, and the other, in a bent position, looks up.
7. With your feet shoulder-width apart and holding the ends of the chain with your hands, you need to step on it. While stretching the projectile, you need to try to break it. The movement should be directed upwards, then to the sides. The work involves mainly trapezoids.
8. Taking the position of lying on your bent arms, you need to stretch the chain behind your neck, securing its ends to your palms. You must try to do push-ups from this position.
9. In a standing position, with your knees slightly bent and one of them moving forward, you need to stretch the chain across your thigh and try to break it by moving your arms downwards.
10. For this exercise you will need two chains with loops at the ends. In a standing position, you need to attach the ends of the projectiles to your feet, and take the other ends in your hands. The back should be straight. By moving your arms up, using the strength of your shoulders, you need to try to break the chain.
11. The starting position is the same as in the previous exercise, only now you need to bend your elbows, holding them in front of you. Thus, the biceps are involved in the load. The exercise can be performed for both hands at the same time, or for each separately.

From a theoretical point of view, Zass’s set of exercises is nothing complicated. Understanding the principle of muscle function, you can independently create a training plan using one simple chain. “Iron Samson,” of course, was not limited to static gymnastics. His training also included classic strength and dynamic exercises. And Zass tried to develop his body comprehensively.

Isometric exercises

Before you start performing a set of exercises for tendons, pay attention to several important rules, neglect of which will significantly reduce the effect of the exercises:

• When starting any exercise, first inhale;
• increase the applied force gradually until it reaches the possible maximum - sudden physical exertion in this case threatens injury;
• do three repetitions of each exercise, allocating 6-12 seconds per repetition (the time depends on the experience of the trainee);
• Rest between repetitions for about one minute;
• The entire workout should last approximately 20 minutes.

Alexander Zass recommended strengthening tendons and developing physical strength using the following exercises:

• take the chain in your hands, hold it near your chest and stretch it, trying with all your might to break it;
• do the same, only behind your head;
• perform the same actions with your arms raised up;
• move your hands back, pull the chain in different directions, trying to break it;
• inhale and wrap the belt around your torso at chest level, exhaling, try to break the belt;
• one hand is down, the other is bent, hold the belt with both hands and try to break it;
• put the belt on the floor, stand on it with your feet, placing them shoulder-width apart, and, making stretching movements with your feet, try to break it;
• perform push-ups, with the belt stretched across your neck and its ends under your palms;
• do a half squat and stretch the belt, placing it on your thigh;
• For this exercise you will need two belts, on which you need to make loops and secure them to your feet, with your feet standing shoulder-width apart. Pull the ends of the straps upward as hard as you can;
• fasten the belt to one foot using a loop, pull the other end up, trying to bend your arm at the elbow.

Training rules

At first glance, the Zass exercise system seems simple, but in order for it to bring real benefits, you will have to work hard.

When training in this program, you should adhere to the following rules:

1. The object of work is the whole body, not individual muscles. You need to learn to feel it.
2. You should always start the exercise while inhaling.
3. The power wave should be flexible, with a smooth natural entry. You need to try to get all aspirations and stress out of your head. There is no point in focusing on breaking the chain. You need to focus on improving your body. If you do everything correctly, then one day the chain will break.
4. You need to breathe measuredly and calmly. If breathing becomes more frequent and deeper, then the heart begins to fuss. In this case, the wave of force breaks, and the exercise loses its meaning.
5. If the wave of force does not activate the entire body, then the connection between muscles, tendons and bones will not be strengthened.
6. Before training, you should always warm up and stretch your muscles using both static and dynamic stretching. In this case, you will be able to avoid injuries to muscles and joints.
7. At the beginning of the exercise, you need to apply zero force to the apparatus, gradually increasing it.
8. There is no need to rush; maximum effort should be achieved naturally. To begin with, it will be enough to do approaches of 5 seconds. As the body gets used to such loads, the time should be increased.
9. Throughout the entire training process, it is worth literally learning to feel the flow of energy and strength in your body. This is the only way to gain true control over your muscles.
10. From the first workout, you should try to perform the exercises correctly. The fact is that getting rid of bad habits in static training is much more difficult than in dynamic training.
11. It is important to ensure that the body positions taken to perform certain exercises are as natural as possible. If the joint tries to “twist”, then the position is occupied incorrectly.
12. As you develop your abilities, you need to learn how to properly use muscle imbalances. The central nervous system must always select the right muscle.
13. If you experience pain in your muscles or joints while performing exercises, you should stop immediately and, after resting more than usual, try to repeat the movement, but with less pressure. If the pain does not go away, you need to refrain from training for several days. If the pain reappears even after a break, you should consult a doctor.
14. When starting training, you should prepare yourself mentally. When performing a particular movement, you need to imagine that it can be continuous. In the physical world, chains and walls are an obstacle, but in the mind they are no stronger than air. Professing a similar principle, in aikido, when delivering a blow, a person imagines that his hand is passing through the enemy. Thanks to this, the blow is many times stronger.
15. Muscles and tendons need to be given enough time to rest. There are no recommendations for the duration of the break - everything is individual.
16. Once a week you need to do a control workout to check the tonic activity of the tendons. To do this, you need to take the chain in your hands lowered to your belt and pull it to the sides for 8-9 seconds. After this, you should lower the projectile and relax. At the same time, your hands will strive to rise in the direction in which you applied pressure when stretching the chain. The stronger this process, the higher the tonic activity.

Sidersky tendon gymnastics. The first exercise of Tendon-Joint Gymnastics

Greetings to all readers. I decided to prepare a surprise for everyone and, on the eve of the release of the new course, post the first exercise from the tendon-joint gymnastics complex.

Tendon-articular gymnastics at the first stage gives two noticeable effects: improved blood supply to the joint capsule, which stimulates the production of intra-articular fluid and, accordingly, improves nutrition of the articular cartilage, and an analgesic effect.

The first exercise of the complex works the ankle joints and small joints of the foot.

Technique:

Starting position: sitting on the floor, legs bent at the knees.

As you exhale, pull the toe and toes of your right foot towards you and at the same time push the heel of your right foot away from you, slightly extending your leg at the knee. The further you move your heel forward, the more you pull your toes and foot toward you.

An indicator of the correctness of the exercise is the feeling of relatively strong tension in the ankle joint and slight tension in the knee joint. We do not fully extend the leg at the knee - this will lead to loss of tension.

As you inhale, relax completely and return your leg to its original position. Repeat six to eight times on each leg.

At the end of the exercise, stretch your legs and rest for a few minutes, simultaneously noticing the sensations in your ankle and knee joints. Most practitioners feel a powerful flow of heat to the ankle joints and small joints of the foot. In addition, a slight surge of heat is felt in the knee joints. In this case, the feeling of warmth penetrates deep inside the joints, in contrast to the sensations when using warming ointments, in which, as a rule, heat is felt only on the surface.

A surge of heat to the joint means that the blood vessels of the joint capsule have expanded and blood saturated with endorphins, nutrients and biologically active (including hormones) substances actively flows to the mucous membrane of the joint capsule, which produces intra-articular fluid - a natural lubricant for the joint. In this case, unlike ordinary physical activity, the articular surfaces are not directly overloaded and the process of cartilage destruction does not start. This is a distinctive feature of all tendon-joint gymnastics exercises.