All I know is that long before steroids Mantle had arms that looked like they were made of steel cable.
“All I know is that long before steroids Mantle had arms that looked like they were made of steel cable.”
It seems to me that muscles forged from real, back-breaking work, are often suprisingly strong for their size. I knew an iron worker that was about 5’7” with a slight frame, but he was strong as an ox. I think steroids and body-building might build muscle, but they don’t necessary build strength with the same effectiveness as real work.
I have vague memories of Mickey Mantle and Willy Mays. My dad was a huge baseball fan and he was smart enough to make me watch when I was just a little kid. By that time it was obvious Mantle was a special player.
RIP Okie. Hit a dinger up there in Heaven for us mere mortals.
Full Disclosure: Frank Robinson once hit a ball completely out of the old (pre-Camden Yards) Memorial Stadium in Baltimore; and once against the Brewers Eddie Murray hit a late-inning grand slam in Milwaukee that hit the upper deck and looked like it was still rising when it hit the bleachers...
Cheers!
A kinesiology expert once told me that one way (maybe he said the best way) to increase muscle strength is to completely fatigue the muscles when exercising. If you lift weights, the last rep of each set should feel like you’re exhausted, and can’t do even one more rep.
I read that when Mickey Mantle worked in a quarry, one of his jobs was to break rocks with a sledge hammer. Mantle said he and one other guy worked together, and took turns swinging hammers. One of them would swing until he was exhausted, then the other guy took over while the first guy rested.
Mickey developed his natural abilities without a fitness advisor, fancy gym equipment, or performance-enhancing drugs.