Nautilus Training Principles: Bulletin No.
was instantly aware of the fact, far enough in advance of any action on the snake's part to avoid being bitten.
In a similar vein, but in the field of weight training, I have long been aware of certain things without clearly understanding "how" I was aware of them—I knew that most barbell exercises weren't quite "right" when I first started using barbells, but it took me over twenty years to explain these shortcomings even to my own satisfaction; and some of the things that were obvious to me as much as thirty years ago have become clear to me only during the last year or two.
It is my firmly-held personal opinion that most bodybuilders keep changing their training schedules primarily because of similar feelings of doubt—apparently they "sense that something is wrong" but can't quite put their finger on the problem; so they keep altering their schedules in an attempt to find exercises, or an order of exercises, that "feels right to them."
Eventually; I realized that most of these problems arise from the simple fact that the situation has been approached from the wrong direction—from a direction exactly opposite to that which is really required; many people—including myself—devoted years to attempts to accommodate the available tools. Rather than trying to devise exercises that were suitable for the muscles involved, practically all of the attention was devoted to attempts to "satisfy" a barbell.
Now—and make no slightest mistake about this point; a barbell is an extremely productive tool for the purpose of building strength and muscular size—a far more productive tool than even most bodybuilders realize. But its advantages must be clearly understood—and its shortcomings must be allowed for.
The barbell is almost literally "the perfect tool" for many purposes—but it is useless for some other purposes; some barbell exercises are extremely productive—some others are an outright waste of time and effort. Several dozen people have been after me for a period of at least two years in concentrated efforts to get me to design and build a Calf Machine—but I have simply refused to do so; because no such machine is required—a block of wood to stand on, a heavy dumbbell, and something to hold on to and you are in business, so why do you need a complicated calf machine that cannot do the job any better?
My only real concern is attempting to improve the production of results from weight training—and in that direction, if new tools are required, then I am prepared to design and build anything that may be an actual requirement, or even a tool that will merely improve the degree of possible results or make worthwhile contributions to better rates-of-progress; but I am not prepared to waste my time in efforts to design or build machines that are not required. At the moment, there is a pile of junked research machines stacked up behind my prototype shop that is literally s big as a house, but every single one of those machines was an effort in the direction of providing an actually-required tool; none of our machines duplicate—or even imitate—barbell exercises. Instead they provide exercise movements that are literally impossible with a barbell—they make it possible for you to actually do what you have been trying to do with a barbell.
But in many cases you actually can do what you are trying to do with a barbell—and in such cases, no other tool is required; and many other cases, you can come so close to doing what you are trying to do that no other tool is justified—in effect, any degree of improvement provided by an improved tool would not be justified on the grounds of expense (or other considerations).
For the average trainee, actually-proper use of a barbell is not complicated; in fact, if anything, it may actually be far too simple. In later chapters I will at least attempt explanations of the following and many
