Subj: The Workout Routine of Jack Delinger, a.k.a The ‘Blond Hercules’
Jack Delinger was an old-school bodybuilder and strong man. He was born shortly after the First World War on June 22nd, 1926, and grew up in Oakland, California.
Jack began weightlifting when he was 16 years old as a way to improve his gymnastics performance. He wanted to be a powerful athlete since he was a boy. He was a gifted and dedicated gymnast, which contributed to his impressive upper body development.
Jack joined Ed Yarick’s gym not long after he began lifting. Ed was a massive guy, standing 6’3″ tall and weighing 230 pounds of rock-hard muscle and holds a place in bodybuilding history.
Jack know he was in excellent hands with Ed and trained at the gym every chance he got. As a result, he was able to lay solid foundations for his upcoming bodybuilding career.
As time went on he moved into the bodybuilding realm like his idols John Grimek and Steve Reeves. At 23 years old he won the Mr. America contest and was up on stage with Steve Reeves, Clarence Ross and John Grimek.
Delinger went on to become Mr. Universe. Very strong trained like a savage. He was built like a brick shithouse. Lifted hard and lifted heavy.
Jack’s physique improved as his bodybuilding expertise increased. He simply trained harder than anyone else and was quite gifted physically.
Jack Delinger is a testament to how much muscle you can build naturally if you’ve got the right stuff.
Jack Delinger’s Workout Routine
Jack trained 3 days per week. Each workout was full body using compound lifts. He occasionally used isolation exercises but opted for compound barbell exercises because they offer more bang for the buck.
“It is useless for you to perform exercises which affect only local muscle groups. Increases in body weight come from overall increases. Obviously, you stand to gain more weight if every muscle group in the body is worked than if you exercise, say, only your back or arms.” – Jack Delinger
Delinger was known for his balanced physique. He made it a point to train all muscle groups evenly. Focusing on his weak points with relentless heavy work. He was a top-heavy gymnast until focusing on bringing up his legs to match his upper body. Which he was able to accomplish after a year or so of incredible effort.
‘Muscular Bulk’ Workout
Here we have a prime example of classic heavy barbell training.
- Bench Press: 3 Sets, 9-15 Reps
- Barbell Cheat Curls: 3 Sets, 9-15 Reps
- Bent Over Rows: 3 Sets, 9-15 Reps
- Squats: 3 Sets, 9-15 Reps
- Upright Rows: 3 Sets, 9-12 Reps
High reps = more size.
“There’s one other factor to take into consideration that some may disagree with. Contrary to popular opinion that low reps build bulk, it is my personal experience that a system of working up to 15 repetitions is best for bulk building.” – Jack Delinger
Whatever allows you to LOCK IN to your muscle while training. And If you train with INTENSITY. You will grow.
How to Make Progress with Jack Delinger’s Workout.
For each exercise, pick a weight you can barely do 9 reps with. Perform the 3 set workouts until you can do all 3 sets with that weight. Once you can do 3 sets or 15, increase the weight and work back up to 15 reps for 3 sets.
That’s all there is to it. Push yourself and try to add weight week over week.
Jack Delinger Diet
Eat BIG to get BIG
“Perhaps the best thing a bodybuilder can do if he wants to gain bulk is to see that his meals are big and hearty,” – Jackie D.
Jack had the advantage of cleaner food back in the day. now we have processed slop. You have to look a little harder to find the good stuff.
The diet is nothing fancy. Straight forward good clean plain wholesome foods:
- Meat
- Starches
- An abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables
- Homemade weight-gainer drinks or protein shakes
The take away here is don’t overcomplicate your diet. Yes, the options you have to eat are limitless. Just focus on the basic foods. The philosophy is the same as the exercise selection. The basics work! Simple training and meal done well – that’s the secret.
Anyone Can Gain Weight and Strength
“Modern weight training has made it possible for anyone from 16 to 60 to gain weight. So long as a man enjoys good general health, no matter what his age or physical type, his body must and will respond.” – Jack Delinger
How to Improve Your Weaknesses
Jack Delinger had a strong start to his bodybuilding career. After his first big win, Jack was motivated to continue to improve his body. He starting getting attention after taking the crown in the Mr. Northern California contest. He set his sights on bigger titles. He made up his mind to win the big shows and knew he had work to do.
Jack spent the off season focusing on his flaws. The development of his legs was his greatest difficulty. Steve Reeves was taken aback by Jack’s massive arms and chest when he first met him. He did see, though, that Jack’s legs were missing behind him.
“If I had his upper body and my legs, or if he had my lower body with his incredible upper body, then we would both be well built,” Steve remarked when he first met Jack.
Chicken legs were not a problem of Jack’s for long. Jack was able to bring his legs on par with the rest of his body in short order. He eventually became world renowned for his massive ‘wheels’ that looked like he roundhouse kick a gorilla and kill it with a single blow.
New Challenges
By 1949, Jack was in top shape – he did not have a single flaw.
He was ready to return to the bodybuilding scene with a massive upper body, legs, and calves to match. Jack competed in his second bodybuilding competition in 1949.
It was the renowned AAU Mr. America competition, which attracted some of the best bodybuilders in the world at the time. To everyone’s surprise, Jack won the event for the second time, sealing his position in bodybuilding history.
He was rubbing shoulders with the greatest stars in bodybuilding at the age of 23. Steve Reeves, John Grimek, and Clarence Ross are among the cast members. He was on top of his game and showed no signs of slowing down.
Jack kept training like a savage and improving his physique. He was proud of his progress but never complacent.
He went on to win the title of NABBA Pro Mr. Universe in 1956. Bill Pearl, the famous contestant, congratulated Jack on his win.
With this achievement, Jack cemented his reputation as one of the greatest bodybuilders of his time. He was at the height of his abilities at the age of 30. There were no indications that he could be stopped.
After a while he decided to hang up his posing trunks. He proved to himself that he was a champion and decided to move on with his life. After that Jack decided to live a quiet life outside of the public eye with his wife and son. He continuing to train behind closed doors but never competed again. Although his legacy lives on to this day.
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