Customer Reviews

Powerlifting Basics, Texas-Style: The Adventures of Lope Delk

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I think the Kelso book (Powerlifting Basics, Texas Style) is one of the BEST primers for beginning lifters.

Kelso is able to do several things with that book that have eluded so many others:

1. It is focussed on developing a combination of real strength, size, power, and ability.

2. It stays on path with the common lifts that most folks know and can do, and doesn't go inot the weird and esoteric lifts that are only a distraction to the new and intermiediate lifter (rock lifting, one arm anvil presses, etc.)

3. He does address power rack work in as good a fashion as Brooks Kubik in "Dinosaur Training".

4. He offers lots of routines, but also "teaches" how to design programs and routines for various purposes.

5. He keeps a positive tone that supports the beginning and intermediate lifter, without going into the esoterica of how to train to bench 700 lb., etc.

6. He set the entire book in Texas, God's country and the home of High School powerlifting.

As well, Steve Holman, editor of Ironman magazine, reviewed it in the '97 January issue. He said (and I agree)...

"Since I come from Texas and was a fanatical participant in the Texas powerlifting scene at one point in my life, I devoured Paul Kelso's Powerlifting Basics, Texas-Style in record time. Although I never met any of the characters in his book-at least I don't think I did-there were plenty of folks in my neck of the woods who resembled many of Kelso's colorful acquaintances.

Lope Delk is one of his central characters, a know-it-all good ol' boy in his mid-40s who learns a lot of lifting and life lessons along the way, despite his hard-headedness. For instance, Kelso teaches him the bench shrug, a shoulder-girdle strengthener that builds bench press power. It develops the shoulder roll used by most great benchers, although many don't know they do it.

While the majority of Kelso's book is devoted to training anecdotes and routines, he peppers the pages with real-people views of bodybuilding and powerlifting. For instance, the lady librarian at the university where he worked considered IRONMAN "an anti-intellectual expression of narcissistic testosterone poisoning." Say what? Considering his description of the snooty librarian, we'll consider that a compliment.

This book is full of entertaining scenarios that will have serious lifters going from rolling on the floor with laughter to lapping up loads of solid training advice and programs. It's not just powerlifting though. Kelso leaves no iron stone unturned. He talks about breathing squats, basic bodybuilding, high-intensity training and even supplements: "Back in the '50s we all loaded up on raw milk and peanut butter and soy-based protein powder. We got bigger and stronger. Got gas too."

I'll leave you with one example that's indicative of Kelso's writing style and humor. He said he received a letter from a boy in Calcutta, India, who couldn't gain weight. The boy explained that the people in his village relied on the fish they caught for food. They didn't eat the fish, but traded it for "muhi," a poi-like carbohydrate paste that made up almost their entire diet. Here's Kelso's answer, and the results:

"I suggested he save back and eat a fish a day and explained about protein needs. He tried it awhile and was beefing up until his father caught him and beat him. I wrote a letter to his dad and included a picture of Steve Reeves in some kind of Sinbad outfit and told him that all the sons of the village could look like Steve if they ate a fish a day.

"Pretty soon the entire village was into it and getting healthier. Then I got a letter from a U.S. government agency telling me that I had created an international incident by interfering in the internal affairs of a foreign nation, and my scheme was playing havoc with the local economy and disrupting traditional values. My bodybuilding fisherman explained that the village headman was bought off by the muhi dealers. After a couple of food riots, the young man and his dad proceeded to become what passes for wealthy in the village by bootlegging fish. Shows you what kind of clout I have."

You can only imagine what the Stretch Mark Machine chapter is about. Paul Kelso has created a true iron classic, and you'll enjoy it and benefit from it-even if you've never been to Texas.

Pros: Great powerlifting and bodybuilding info, routines and tales interwoven with colorful, hilarious narration.

Cons: You may chuck everything, move to Seldom Seen, Texas, and start chewing Red Man tobacco when you lift."

Bravo, Paul Kelso! Kelso, Lope Delk, and the Preacher are the characters in this book. They go through various adventures, dispensing powrlifting advice on the way. An excellent book for the basics of powerlifting, and damned entertaining in the way it is done.
I know you have to wait a couple of weeks for this to ship, but it is definitely worth the wait. Powerlifting and literature aren't two things you normally associate, but Kelso is a born storyteller, and this book is actually entertaining separate from whether you are interested in powrlifting or not.
Excellent!

An extremely practical and pragmatic approach to lifting in general. The style of writing is very easy and enjoyable to read. You find yourself learning the basics without even realising. Very enjoyable for all lifters from beginner through to advanced.

This is a very different approach compared to what I'm used to in books on this subject. However, it is interesting. He does give some useful principles of training along with the stories. I particularly liked Kelso's Laws and how he conveys the idea that less can actually mean more. I wouldn't call this a be all end all book on strength training, but I don't think such a thing has ever been published. It is an entertaining read and it provides good training advice.

Kelso takes a story about a weightlifter in a simple Texas town and turns it into a motivational journey that will have you rushing to your next workout. Kelso's writing is easy to follow and packs a strong message about dedication and hard work to achieve results with the iron. A great read and a great addition to any sports book collection.

Hopefully, Kelso's wisdom won't sail over the reader's head like a frisbie. This is a short, and very funny read, strongly imbued with East Texas culture. Through stories (partly truth and partly fiction) of his days as a teacher, with a powerlifting club (the Wampus Cats), Kelso imparts some fundamental and sound truths about lifting weights. He offers different routines that would benefit most lifters depending on their varying goals. Although he doesn't get much into the technique of the exercises (this isn't a book for rank beginners), most of the routines are fairly simple--which is part of their value (assuming you want to get strong, that is). All laughing aside, Kelso obviously knows a few things about weightlifting. Along the way, he skewers a lot of goofy ideas--most deriving from the bodybuilding world. All in all, a very enjoyable book.

A gem of a book. It's an informative, entertaining story that backs up the basic premise of strength training. Lift HEAVY, rest, and do unto others. Very simple review, but it's a very simple book: in a GREAT way!!

One of my all time favorite books on weightlifting, and without question, the most entertaining. If you think of this book as a philosophy and older-brother type advice book, you will get a lot out of it. It is NOT a how to book. Don't buy it thinking it will tell you how to perform lifts. Get another book, DVD or have somebody teach you. But, if you are a beginner, it will probably save you a lot of time, energy and money searching for effective routines and sound advice. If you're intermediate, there is a ton to learn from this book. If you're advanced, you can still learn, and have a jolly time laughing while you recognize all the charecters in the book (and likely, yourself). As someone who grew up in the age of "what do you bench?" being the only measure of a man's strength, I once was one of the "3/4 of all ironheads who spend 3/4's of their time on the bench". The book in a nutshell: Why do you want to train? Train for that purpose using simple effective excercises in reasonably set up routines. Enjoy the ride, reach your max potential, and don't get caught up in how it compares to others potential. I wish I had known about this book when I started lifting at 18. If I had purchased this, instead of that Men's Workout, who knows what I could have done! It's a classic.

Mr. Kelso's book amuses as it educates, and the characters, loosely based on real persons--of the Texan persuasion--are entertaining.Also, the training routines contained within the story have practical value, particularly for those new to weight training. Had such advice been available in the mid 1960s--when I started-- I'd have saved valuable time and effort, and avoided unnecessary injury. Read this book if you want to laugh as you learn.

This book is a great read no matter what stage of your powerlifting or weightlifting career your in. Its anecdotal approach to assesing common situations that any gym rat comes accross are not only informative but will put a smile on your face. Alot of good information can be pulled from this book and applied not only to your gym routines but to your everyday life encounters. I strongly reccomend giving this one a chance.....I bet you will read it twice!!