Fred “Dr.

Squat” Hatfield’s
Heavy Iron Seminar

By: Dennis B. Weis “The Yukon Hercules”

Distributed by: www.dennisbweis.com

© Dennis B. Weis
Let me ask you a question. How would you like to boost your strength and power
through the roof and gain some slabs of rock hard muscle in the process? Of course
you do, and “Dr. S quat” Hatfield is going to show you how.

Just who is Fred “Dr. S quat” Hatfield? To begin with, he is the co-Founder and
President of ISS A (International S ports S ciences Association), a broad-based
company which have been offering Fitness Certifications since 1988. Fred is a
former Editor and feature writer for Muscle & Fitness magazine. Also to his credit,
he has written over 60 books in the areas of bodybuilding, fitness, nutrition, and
powerlifting, as well as over hundreds of innumerable research reports and articles
which have been published in academic journals and trade magazines.

Now, here is where it gets really interesting (especially to the hard-core

power/bodybuilder). The perpetually popular “Dr. S quat” has broken more than 30
world powerlifting records within four different weight classes. His most memorable
one was on November 23, 1987 where he squatted official 1014-lbs., at a bodyweight
of 245-pounds, and at the age of 45 years old.

Dr. S quat is recognized by his peers as one of the most knowledgeable men in the
sport of powerlifting today. When he speaks power/bodybuilders stop to listen.

Now get prepared to climb into the mind of one of powerlifting’s best, and begin to
absorb a higher knowledge of powerlifting strategies, than you have ever
experienced before. There will be no-second-hand interpretation where certain
“intangibles” are lost. The following seminar is the exact insights and expressions
from Fred “Dr. S quat” Hatfield, a man who is deeply embedded in the ‘trenches’ of
powerlifting warfare.

The HEAVY IRON Seminar

“Where people of strength gather, their conversations always turn to discussing the
best training methods, the best methods that give them their greatest return in
muscle development, power and strength.”

“There is a new breed of strongman emerging today, those who have learned the
secret of improved training by applying science. The great strongmen of the past
trained hard, ever-so-hard. They distinguished themselves by their superhuman
efforts. They set themselves far above their peers.”

“The strongmen of today train hard also. But the best, the ones who make it train
smart and the inevitable consequence will be that the records of the great strongmen
of yesterday will be shattered!!!”

“Before you can understand how to gain great strength and power, you must
understand what the sport of powerlifting is all about. S trength is not enough, after

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all our sport is not called strength lifting. It is called powerlifting. And, if is well
named, for it is power that enables truly heavy iron to be moved not more strength.”

“Power is the ability to call as many of your muscle cells as possible into action at
once. It is a single explosive effort which fires those muscle cells and keeps them
firing throughout the entire lift. It is fast, quick explosive strength which lasts as
long as you need it. The more muscle cells you can fire at once, the more weight you
can lift. The most explosive force you can use, the more you can overcome the forces
of inertia.”

“You must train for this power both physically and mentally. You must train right,
for the ability to reach deep within yourself to move the big weights. You cannot do
it any other way. I am not going to teach you how to train wrong, I am going to
teach you how to train smart.”

“There is much to learn whether you are a powerlifter, shot putter, football player
or any athlete in any sport known to man. You will become more capable of training
smart. Now, let’s learn the secrets to making gains beyond those you have ever
experienced.”

“The system you will use is the FIVE TEN FIVE method. Like any modern
training program, you will train according to a cycle is 16 weeks long and consists of
the following 5 stages.”

Stage No. 1 – Foundation

2 – S trength
3 – C.A.T.
4 – Power
5 – Plyometrics

“This cycle will take you from the beginning of your training all the way up to a
final peaking, either for a powerlifting contest or a whole competition season if you
are involved in seasonal power sports. You will use TEN Movements (or exercises).
These exercises will be the basic ones you will use to build muscle. You will be
working with a barbell and dumbbells.”

“And while you are working through the (5 stages) of your training cycle, you will
use FIVE STEPPING STONES, mental techniques and nutritional secrets to
give you the extra edge. With the Five Stepping Stones, you create the
weapons you need mentally and physically to win.”

“Whether you are starting out or beginning your cycle after a competition or layoff,
you must return to basics! This is the only way a beginner can hope to become great,
to withstand the heavy stress of maximum effort under heavy iron.”

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“You must build a solid foundation. Would you try to jack a car u p in the sand?
Would you try to shoot cannon out of a canoe? You must have a base. You must be
strong through your entire body, or you will not last through a maximum peaking
cycle without injury.”

“S tage one is a period where you concentrate on weaknesses. Is your technique poor
because of a weak back? Do you have nagging injuries because of poor flexibility?
Do you have a poor bench press because of weak shoulders? This is the stage (one)
where you should eliminate your weaknesses. Don’t think about trying to lift the
most weight, only think about using the proper technique.”

“You are not only building the muscles, you are training your muscle memory to do
things correctly. From the beginning, monitor yourself to see that you are using
correct technique. Go to a lighter weight if necessary. Good (exercise) form provides
better overload for maximum strength development.”

“Equalize opposing muscle groups. When you do a bench press for example, you
must also do an exercise such as the bent back barbell rows. If you work your
quads, you must also work the hamstrings, and you must S -T-R-E-T-C-H to keep
yourself flexible. Don’t neglect this because lack of flexibility will create an opening
for injury and poor form under the heavy iron.”

Stage
One
Super-Set System

Total Body Workout

3 Non-Consecutive Days per Week
Do 4 S ets/8 Reps per Exercise
Do Each S uper-Set Nonstop
(With two minutes rest between each super-set)
Pick A Weight You Can Do Eight Times But Not Nine.

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 FOUNDATION WORKOUT
Weeks 1 to 4
Superset Exercises Major Muscles
Invol ved Sequence

Superset #1 1. Bench Press Pectorals 121212

2. Bent Over Barbell Row Rhomboids

Superset #2 3. Crunches Abdominals 343434

4. Back Extension/Hyper Erectors

Superset #3 5. Partial Dumbbell Presses Deltoids 565656

6. Lat Pulldowns Latissimus

Superset #4 7. Side Bends Left (1 DB only) Right Obliques 787878

8. Side Bends Right Left Obliques

Superset #5 9. Tricep Extensions Triceps 910910910

10. Bicep Curls Biceps

Superset #6 11. Leg Extensions Quadriceps 111211121112

12. Leg Curls Hamstrings

Method: Perform each superset for the required repetitions per set in a non-stop
fashion. Between each superset, take a brief rest, just enough to allow the heart rate
to fall back to a manageable level (approximately 100-120 beats per minute). Then,
go on to the next superset, etcetera.

“From the very beginning of your FIVE TEN FIVE program, you must keep a
training diary. Write down the exercises, poundages, degree of difficulty you feel
within each set and how long it takes you to complete the workout from warm-u p to
cool down.”

“During the Foundation workouts (stage one), remember to have fun playing in
sports like racquetball and basketball. Agility and coordination are essential to peak
performance and sports can give you these qualities.”

Stage
Two
Strength

“You’ve finished up the four week Foundation Workouts and your body is now
ready for some major stress. You will now begin to increase your absolute strength
levels. This is the stage where the ‘old timers’ ended their training. Today, we know

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how to go light years beyond. Your stages of training from here will overlap and
only you know your body well enough to decide the speed at which to phase in the
next stage.” Now we go to the:

TEN MOVEMENTS
Powerlifts
1. Barbell Back Squat
2. Supine Bench Press
3. Deadlift, Semi-Stiff Leg
Assistance Exercises
4. Lat Pulldowns
5. Barbell Bent Over Rows
6. One Dumbbell Side Bends
7. Partial Dumbbell Press Overhead
8. Dumbbell Front Raises
9. Triceps Pushdowns
10. Crunches

“The ten movements are similar to several of those used in the S tage One/S uper-Set
S ystem. But, now you will begin to build upon the foundation achieved in Stage One,
concentrating on building strength in each of the movements. As the weights get
heavier, you must begin doing specific movements on different days of the week.
Here are some effective permutations of these common exercises.”

HIGH BAR BACK SQUATS

- Bar rests high on the traps

- Back out of the rack slowly
- Feet are less than shoulder-width apart
- Head is up and back is straight
- Inhale a deep breath of air and begin descending by bending at the hips and knees
- During the descent, the buttocks stay in line with the body, knees extend over the
insteps of the feet.
- When you reach the point where the top of the thighs are parallel to the floor,
forcefully push back to the erect position breathing out as you do so.
- Don’t allow the knees to drift towards each other.
- Don’t allow the back to bend forward or “cave in”.

THE FLAT BENCH PRESS

- Lay in a supine position on a flat exercise bench with your feet firmly on the floor
on each side of the bench
- Head, back and buttocks are in contact with the bench always
- Grasp the loaded bar with a wide enough handspacing where the forearms are
perpendicular to the floor in the low position

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- Take in a deep breath, unrack the bar (s potter assist) and position it directly over
the chest with the arms fully extended.
- Slowly lower the bar to the high point on the chest (about nipple level) by bending
the elbows and allowing then to descend outward where they are at a 90º angle to
the chest
- Don’t bounce the bar off the chest
- Forcefully push the bar back to the starting position while breathing out
- Always use an overhand grip and with the thumbs wrapped around under the bar.

DEADLIFT, SEMI-STIFF LEG

- S tand on a short wooden platform or on top of two 45-pound Olympic plates

- Bend down and grab the bar with a shoulder width mixed grip (one hand
pronated over the other supinated) hand spacing and arms extended
- Knees slightly bent, back as flat as possible and head up and looking straight
ahead.
- Take a deep breath and slowly using the muscles of your lower back and legs
begin pulling on the bar in an erect position.
- Don’t extend legs prematurely, legs should not be fully extended until back is in a
vertical position breathing out as you do so
- Lower bar to floor (for erectors) or lower just below knees (glutes/hams)
- Don’t jerk the bar off the floor, pull in one smooth motion

LAT PULLDOWNS

- Grasp the bar with an overhead (thumbless) grip at approximately 6” – 12” out
from shoulder width
- Position yourself in the seat so that the legs (top of thighs) are securely anchored
under the padded T-bar
- Allow the weight resistance to pull your arms and shoulders up till you feel a full
stretch in the lats.
- Exhale and begin pulling the bar towards your chin
- S queeze the shoulder blades together, inhale and allow the bar to return slowly to
the starting position
- Don’t swing or lean back to get the weight moving
- Don’t allow the bar to jerk at the top of the movement or upon completing the last
rep
- Try not to look up, keep head, neck, legs and feet as relaxed and motionless as
possible

BARBELL BENT OVER ROWS

- Take a wider than shoulder width overhead grip on the barbell

- Bend knees slightly, arch back slightly and pull shoulders back
- Lean upper torso forward approximately 45º from vertical

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- With the arms extended fully, begin pulling the bar up to the upper abdominal
region with the elbows moving toward the hips
- When the bar touches the abdominals, squeeze and contract the shoulder blades
together while pushing the chest towards the floor
- Slowly lower the bar back to the starting position

ONE DUMBBELL SIDE BEND

- S tanding upright, hold a dumbbell in your right hand at your side

- Place the left hand behind your head (bicep next to ear)
- Simply bend directly sideways toward the side holding the dumbbell, return to
starting position and repeat
- After completing all the reps for one side switch the dumbbell to the other hand
- Keep the back straight and the head up and don’t lean forward

PARTIAL DUMBBELL PRESS OVERHEAD

- Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with the palms of the hands
facing each other
- Lock the legs and hips solidly
- Take a deep breath and press the right arms straight up over your right shoulder,
rotating the hand so that the palm is facing forward.
- Press the dumbbell only to the top of your head and remember the dumbbell in
the LEFT-hand will remain at the left shoulder
- As you begin lowering the RIGHT-hand dumbbell, begin to press the LEFT-hand
dumbbell straight up over your left shoulder
- Don’t jerk or throw the weight up
- Remember, don’t lockout the arm overhead

ALTERNATE DUMBBELL FRONT RAISES

- S tanding erect, hold a dumbbell in each hand at your side with the palms of the
hands facing the body
- Lean sideways to the right approximately 30º and at the same time raise the
RIGHT-hand dumbbell at arm’s length in front of you to a point just in front of
the face
- Lower the RIGHT-hand dumbbell
- Lean sideways to the left 30º and raise the LEFT-hand dumbbell in the manner
described for the right hand
- Don’t do the Alternate dumbbell front raise from an erect position because it
forces the anterior deltoid to pull on an oblique angle to the path of the dumbbell
thus making the movement less efficient

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TRICEPS PUSHDOWNS

- Begin by placing your ribcage up and out, prominently forward near the cable &
bar attachment. This places the shoulders down and back.
- Take a thumbless (false) overhand grip on the bar approximately 8”-10”
- Position your upper arms & elbows tight against the sides of the upper torso
- Extend the lower arms (forearms) from a horizontal point to the floor, moving
them in a small arc to a near extended position
- Hold this position for a second and return to the start position
- Don’t ever allow the elbows to swing forward

CRUNCHES

- Assume a supine position on a firm surface and flex your hips so that your upper
thighs are at a 90º angle to your upper torso and your lower legs draped over the
top of a flat bench
- Cross your arms over your chest or place your hands behind your head, letting the
fingers rest slightly behind and below your ears
- Your head and eyes should be looking toward the ceiling at all times
- Try to keep your tongue positioned on the roof of your mouth while breathing
through the nose
- Lift your upper torso off the floor, rounding the shoulder forward, squeezing the
abs and flexing the spine in a semicircle towards the knees while exhaling air out
of your lungs
- Basically, think of the action as moving the ribcage towards the pelvis
- Execute a full range of exercise motion, but keep the small of the back on the floor
at all times
- Crunch or curl the torso up, don’t swing it up
- Hold a weight plate on your upper chest if this exercise is too easy.

“Now that we have taken care of the TEN MOVEMENTS , here is a brief overview
of what a typical peaking cycle will look like for the next twelve weeks.”

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“With regard to the assistance exercises (4 through 10), do them in the sequence
listed and up to approximately three weeks before the contest. The assistance may
or may not be directly related to the S quat, Bench press and Deadlift, but are
nonetheless essential.”

“About eight weeks out from the contest you will begin overlapping Stage Three.
Now, you should be getting into a frame of mind where POWER, not S trength is
paramount. This refocusing of your training energy calls for a highly specialized
training. I call it Compensatory Acceleration Training.”

Stage
Three
Compensatory Acceleration Training

“Now, hear me and hear me well. Compensatory Acceleration Training is your

single most important tool for becoming truly powerful. It is the only method of
training that can yield explosive power improvements and at the same time improve
your absolute strength levels to your current maximum potential.”

“This form of training can make a difference of up to 20% on each of the powerlifts
(1,2 and 3). At the bottom of the squat, your leverage is very poor because of the
angle of the hips, knees and ankles. As you come up out of the bottom position,
leverages begin to improve the closer you get to lockout.”

“In order to compensate for the improved leverages, you’ve got to apply
acceleration to the bar. This is truly the only way to get maximal overload through
the entire concentric range (positive phase) of the exercise movement. Otherwise,
overload is restricted to the bottom portion of the movement during the ascent out
of the squat pocket.”

“To put it another way, you must be faster and faster throughout the entire
concentric phase of the movement until just shy of lockout. You will be doing the
same exercises that you did in stage two, however, the only exercises you will use
C.A.T. on will be the S quat (1), Bench Press (2) and Deadlift (3). These are the
exercises which most resemble the actual lifting technique you will use in
competition.”

“During this period of your cycle, you will be making maximum strength gains, but
you must lower the reps on the compensatory acceleration movements. Weeks nine
through sixteen, where the reps go from six’s to three’s are appropriate for C.A.T.
Done any other way and you would suffer the effects of overtraining.
OVERTRAINING WILL DELAY continued progress in your cycle.

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 Stage
Four
Power

You’re through worrying about strength improvement. Now is the time to get
powerful. If you are training for a powerlifting competition, you are now going to
begin to introduce the actual competition style powerlifting techniques into your
training cycle (Weeks 13 through 16).”

“Drop the Olympic high bar squats and safety bar squats in favor of the power style
squat (where the bar is placed low on the traps and the feet at least shoulder width
apart or more). Drop the wide grip benches (where the elbows are at a 90º angle to
the torso) in favor of the more efficient contest technique. Drop S emi-S tiff Leg,
Deadlifts in favor of the conventional or sumo technique.”

“Doing the three powerlifts competition style will combine all the muscle groups
needed to move the most weight possible. Think about what you need in
competition. Stronger Quads? S trong Shoulders? S trong Trunk?”

“The TEN MOVEMENTS have given you a much greater level of absolutely
strength. Maintain that strength by continuing the ten movements. But, remember
that movements four through ten will be secondary to working on your competition
technique (#1, 2 and 3). Exercise movements four through ten should stop two or
three weeks prior to the contest date.”

Stage
Five
Explosiveness

“S oviet athletes are famous for their strength and power. Their Olympic weight
lifters and track and field athletes used to dominate international competitions.
Their secret is an important system of training that they developed to increase
explosive power.”

“It is only used for a brief period of six weeks in a peaking cycle. As I said earlier,
only you will know your body well enough to know where to overlap stages of
training. You will want to time this secret S oviet system to match the period when
you want to be at your maximum in every way.”

“Plyometrics, as the system is called, is a group of exercises consisting of leaping,

bounding and shock training. It is designed to cause rapid changes in how your
nervous system responds to stress. It allows you to make more muscle cells fire
instantaneously than you ever could before, And remember, the more muscle cells
you get going, the more explosive force you have.”

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“Begin Plyometric training six to eight weeks (9 through 16) before competition.
Perform them on the two Active Rest Days (Wednesday and Sunday).

Bounding
Long, High Consecutive Hops
3 Sets X 150 Feet

One Legged Hops

(Jump on each leg as though running)
3 Sets X 10 Jumps

Lateral (Side) Jumps

3 Sets X 10 Jumps
Zig Zag (Box) Jumps
3 Sets X 10 Jumps

Medicine Ball (Throws)

Receive and reply as FAS T and as
FORCEFULLY as possible
3 X 10

Depth (Altitude) Jump

S tand on a platform or box 30-40” high
Jump of and land and explode upward as quickly as possible
3X3

“S o far I’ve discussed the FIVE S TAGES OF PREPARATION, the TEN

MOVEMENTS and now for the final piece to make you complete.”

FIVE
STEPPING STONES

No. 1 Nutrition

“First, follow a nutritional program which is capable of sustaining maximum stress

on joints, muscles and connective tissue. This would include lean proteins, such as
organ meats, chicken, fish and fresh natural oils (not the hydrogenated ones that
become solid at room temperature). If they are solid now, they won’t melt inside
your body.”

“S tay away from sugars: honey, corn syrup and fructose are all sugars. Use your
training diary to record what you eat and how strong you feel the next day. You will
soon notice certain foods don’t work for your best energy and strength output. You
have to take notice of this because it is different for each individual.”

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“Ergogenic aids are state-of-the-art work enhances. Certain select amino acids help
increase muscle growth, energy and a number of biochemical functions. You use
weights as a catalyst to make muscles grow. You use nutrients like ergogenic aids to
make them grow efficient.”

No. 2 Recuperation

“Improving your power output takes a lot from your body, an awful lot. An d the
limitation has always been that your body can only take so much of that abusive
stress.”

“This is perhaps the most important stepping stone to greatness, teaching your body
to recuperate faster and avoiding overtraining. Overtraining is when you put your
body under more workout stress before it has recovered completely from the last or
previous workout.”

“I will now show you how to restore your body more quickly so you can train
harder and more often. Hydrotherapy, simple hot water, either in a hot tub or bath
can bring blood to the skin surface and help flush out lactic acid produced by
overworked muscles. Take a hot shower or a whirlpool for 6 minutes after you cool
down. Hot water will help your muscles rebuild faster after a hard workout.”

“Deep Tissue Massage, not a gentle rub but an almost painful cross fiber massage of
the muscles used in training, helps clear out lactic acid and other metabolic wastes.”

“Anything that increases blood flow, heat and pressure both do this, will bring more
oxygen to the muscle and help flush out toxins faster. If you have not recuperated
between workouts, if you are overtrained, you will lose muscle instead of building
it.”

“It may be a gradual thing where it takes time before you notice you are not making
gains. That is lost time from your training cycle(s), enough perhaps to keep you
from being a winner. Be constantly aware of the signs of overtraining. One sign is an
elevated pulse in the morning upon arising, three days in a row.”

“Keep a daily record of your pulse, but only after your first ten weeks of training. If
your pulse is elevated by more than four beats over normal, look for other signs of
overtraining. These include loss of appetite, problems in falling asleep or staying
asleep, fatigue and loss of desire to train.”

“If recuperation techniques of the above stepping stones don’t eliminate the
problem of overtraining, take a day off from training. If is better to lose one day of
training than a week off your cycle from overtraining.”

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 No. 3 Negatives

How do you handle negatives? Do you excuse a poor workout because of the poor
equipment or bad spotters, or lack of a coach? Why are you letting negatives serve
as excuses? You won’t have it perfect on competition day either. Look at it this way,
the absence of a coach won’t stop you. The lousy equipment won’t stop you.
Nothing, nothing is going to stop you. Use that determination to do a better
workout.”

No. 4 Visualization

“From the beginning of your cycle, you must use visualization. Do this for about 15
minutes every day. Do it before sleep when you are in your most receptive state. Go
over the lifts you worked on that particular day. Actually feel your muscles
responding to the thought process.”

“Visualize improvement in your technique. Visualize more weight on each lift. It’s
important to visualize the entire movement, to see it as a continuous motion, not as a
series of still photographs and not as only a part.”

“If you find that you have problems seeing the whole movement in its entirety, you
are probably weak in that part of the exercise, lacking in technique. Practice seeing
the lifts as a movie in your head.”

“Play it over and over until you can actually see the whole movement done right,
done successfully, as you want to do it. The MIND controls the body. It controls the
muscles and your glands. This simple technique, VIS UALIZATION, can actually
help you recuperate faster and help you restore your body in less time.”

No. 5 Monitor Details

“Constantly monitor yourself and your progress. Don’t trust entries in your training
log or diary to memory. Efficiency in your training diary will carry over to your
workouts. Beware of your readiness for competition.”

“For powerlifting, make sure your contest equipment and clothing are in order.
Make sure that your powerlifting federation membership is up to date and your
dues are paid and valid. S chedule travel so you have plenty of time to recover from
jet lag, to get used to the altitude change. A True Champion Is Always Prepared. A
True Champion Is Always Ready.”

______________

“And now, for competition or a workout, it’s time to lift HEAVY IRON. You’ve
been there before. To let your mind flow within itself, where trickles of primordial
instinct wells up to become torrents of unleashed fury. Go to the other place where

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there is NO PAIN, NO NEGATIVE INFLUENC ES , NO FEAR. A state of mind
where only POS ITIVE FORC ES dwell. THE IRON IS LIFTED!!!”

“The sport of powerlifting is the greatest sport in the world. People find themselves
caring for things in their lives that have the capability of inflicting great pain.
Powerlifting can do that. It’s a sport where danger is ever present. The pain to your
body is only fleeting. It’s not real pain. Real pain comes from FAILURE, FAILURE
TO ACHIEVE, FAILURE TO REALIZE YOUR POTENTIAL.”

“Yet, by definition, sports such as powerlifting can only have one winner. Most of us
lose more than we win. The cost of trying is often pain, but the rewards of trying are
greater by far.”

“You will know the true value of powerlifting when people stop and stare. You, my
friends, are some of the strongest of the strong. You are revered above all men.
People have always admired great strength. Throughout history, it has been that
way and it still is and it always will.”

For more information about Fred “Dr. S quat” Hatfield, or the ISS A, click on these
respective websites: www.drsquat.com
www.issa.com

Dennis B. Weis is a Ketchikan, Alaska based power-bodybuilder. He is the co-

author of 3 critically acclaimed books; Mass! Raw Muscle and Anabolic M uscle M ass
(visit: www.amazon.com to read about it).
He is also a frequent hard-hitting uncompromising freelance consultant to many
of the mainstream bodybuilding magazines published worldwide.

Contact Information: E-mail: yukonherc@kpunet.net

Website: www.dennisbweis.com

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