By BFS

Geoff Fleming is a former weightlifter and publisher of the classic weightlifting newsletter parody, The International Weightlifting Newsletter and Gazette. Fleming is allowing us to share with BFS readers some of his cartoons, such as this one describing the history of barbell bumper plates.

BFS is not a bodybuilding publication, but we feel it’s important to recognize the contributions of Robert Kennedy, a bodybuilding writer, editor, photographer and publisher who died on April 12, 2012, of complications from lung cancer. Kennedy was the author of 55 books and founded RKP/Robert Kennedy Publishing, which publishes popular newsstand fitness magazines. In 1974 Kennedy began publishing MuscleMag International, a men’s bodybuilding magazine, and followed it with several others, including Oxygen, a women’s fitness magazine. Both are still on the newsstand with major distribution.

Kennedy is known for introducing the technique of pre-exhaustion to the bodybuilding community in a 1968 article entitled “A New Technique for Shoulders.” With pre-exhaustion, a muscle is first fatigued by a single-joint exercise and then further exhausted by performing a multijoint exercise involving the same muscle group and additional muscle groups. Kennedy provided the example of performing lateral raises for the shoulders, followed by shoulder presses, which works additional muscle groups such as the triceps. Kennedy’s passion for his work was so deep that even into his 70s he continued to take a hands-on approach as an editor and kept regular hours at his office.

Speaking about his publications, Kennedy said, “Our mission is to inspire, entertain, engage and inform our readers, assisting them in becoming the best that they can be!” Robert Kennedy, we thank you for fulfilling your mission. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 BOOK REVIEW:

For young athletes, a general stretching program such as the BFS 1-2-3-4 Stretching Program is often enough to help athletes improve performance and stay injury free. When that’s not enough, it’s time to consult a book such as Kristian Berg’s Prescriptive Stretching (Human Kinetics, 2011). Featuring full-color illustrations and detailed instructions of 40 exercises, Prescriptive Stretching teaches you how to assess your pain and determine the best stretches to target the problem. Among the common ailments addressed are runner’s knee, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, back pain and neck stiffness.

A nationally ranked gymnast and multisport athlete in his youth, Berg is now an anatomy instructor and the owner of a clinic in Stockholm, Sweden. He is a popular speaker on stretching and athletic training, and has helped more than 30,000 clients achieve muscular balance to improve their overall health.

The Future of Sport:

On June 21 Canadian Posturologist and strength coach Paul Gagné visited Dr. Peter Gorman, President of Microgate US™, at the BFS Science Lab. The lab is located in Dr. Gorman’s facility in Mahopac, New York. During his visit Gagné himself went through a battery of tests to determine his symmetry and balance, and was shown specific ways to apply the numerous features of Optojump™ to assess the biomechanical efficiency of his athletes. Since his visit Gagné has been using the Optojump on many of his elite athletes; he will be sharing his findings in future issues of BFS magazine.

2012 Olympians During the London Olympics we saw many athletes who have appeared on the cover and in the pages of BFS magazine, including high jumper Amy Acuff (BFS Fall 1998), volleyball player Logan Tom (Summer 2002), swimmer Natalie Coughlin (Spring 2003), and sprinter Allyson Felix (Fall 2003). Appearing in BFS magazine will not guarantee you a shot at Olympic fame, but with the longevity of these four amazing athletes it obviously doesn’t hurt!

End of an Era: Powerlifting USA Magazine The May 2012 issue of Powerlifting USA magazine will be the last issue published. Produced by Mike Lambert for 35 years, PLUSA has provided powerlifters with news and features relating to all things powerlifting. A print magazine that eventually made it to the newsstand, PLUSA set the standard for other specialty sports magazines to follow.

Says Lambert, “I thank God for blessing me with the best job I could have ever had, and for so long. I thank my wife In Joo and my daughter Laura and my son Curtis, as well as my brother Pat, and my late parents Jean and Wes for their love and encouragement over a span of 5 decades. I thank Kelly Lambert (my amazing new daughter-in-law), Priscilla Ramirez, and Butterfli O’Shea for their recent contributions, which we completely could not have done without, as well as everyone else who ever contributed to and/or worked for the magazine.

I recognize and appreciate all the powerlifting organizations, all the advertisers, and…especially…all the powerlifters and fans who actually cracked open their wallets and paid money to read what we had to say in the magazine!” SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 Zac Zimmerer 2012 BFS High School Male Athlete of the Year Zac Zimmerer is our 2012 BFS High School Male Athlete of the Year. He has just graduated from Southeast High School in Yoder, Wyoming, where he exhibited solid leadership qualities and achieved success as a four-sport athlete in football, basketball, track and baseball.

He earned all-state honors in basketball and football, was the quarterback for the past two seasons and led his team to the state championship game in his senior year. He followed the BFS program from his sophomore year through his senior year and remained injury-free. During his free time he was involved in a local Christian youth group, “Teens of Christ.” Zimmerer is currently attending Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa, where he plays football and also plans to play baseball. His major is in strength and conditioning, and he plans to continue to graduate school to pursue a master’s in biomedical engineering.

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From BFS Magazine — September/October 2012. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).