Back in the Saddle: Marty Gallagher on Weightlifting and Powerlifting

This essay from Marty Gallagher is a study in opposites: a return to weightlifting after the runaway party years, shaped by the brutal powerlifting discipline of Hugh Cassidy and the rooted, flowing principles of Robert Smith’s internal martial arts. For athletes rebuilding strength, technique, and focus, the lesson still holds: serious progress starts with disciplined practice, sound strength training equipment, and a lifelong commitment to refining the basics.

Back in the Saddle

By 1977 I needed to leap off the runaway party train. After years of nonstop rabid overindulgence in every way every day, I got a real job and adopted a healthy(er) lifestyle. I started off with the big check squares: like no booze before noon and not passing out at night. I recommenced weight training, light, easy and unambitious. After six months of normalcy and sanity I began a very cool period in my life where I simultaneously mentored under two amazing men in two completely opposite physical art forms: powerlifting and the Chinese "internal" martial arts. One man was a national and world champion powerlifter, a true master of all things hard and yang; the other was America's leading expert on the internal martial arts, a true master of all things yin and soft.

Two Masters, Two Opposite Physical Arts

Two days a week, Sunday and Wednesday, I lifted in world champion Hugh "Huge" Cassidy's basement gym at his farmette in Bowie, Maryland. Twice a week, on Saturday and Thursday, I took Pa Kua, Hsing I and Tai Chi lessons from Robert Smith. In addition to being a world authority on the internal martial arts, he was a judo champion and the finest writer in the martial arts. Ironically and serendipitously, for me as a writer, Hugh Cassidy was considered the best writer in the lifting world. Only Bill Starr and John McCallum had writing chops that compared to Cassidy.

Squaring the Circle: Root, Sinking, and Squat Technique

Right from the start, I began "squaring the circle," searching for commonalities between these two extremes. What, if any, were the intersections in the diverse instruction? Both men talked endlessly about refining technique: they took technical subtlety to levels way past my level of comprehension. Each man talked about many of the same things using different phrases. Smith talked endlessly about the "core principles" of "root" and "sinking." This extreme emphasis on the relationship of the foot to the training surface tied right into Cassidy's squat technique.

Instead of root and sinking, Hugh talked of "pulling yourself downward in the bottommost position" as opposed to lowering, and pushing off the heels when eccentric became concentric at the squat turnaround. Hugh played with stance width and foot placement combinations in the squat and deadlift, much as the tai chi master would experiment when sinking into a posture. Both had similar thoughts on power: Smith knew true punching power originated in the legs; Hugh called "leg power" the "key" to human power.

For modern lifters building a serious squat, bench press and deadlift setup, the same basics still matter: a reliable Iron Cowboy powerlifting bar, quality weight plates, and the right free weights to load progressive resistance without overcomplicating the process.

Disadvantaged Training and Uncompromising Standards

They both agreed on a wide variety of things not to do. Both men believed in what I would call "disadvantaged" training, i.e., they sought ways in which to make the training more difficult, as opposed to the popular trend of diluting and making the training easier and thus, more palatable and ergo, more user friendly and sellable. Both men didn't give a good goddamn about sell-ability; they were uncompromising purists, Zen monks or Taoist priests.

Both Smith and Hugh had been serious and superior students. Now, decades later, they were the monks, the high priests. They knew the knowledge they possessed deserved preserving and sought worthies to pass along the legacy they were entrusted with. Both men continually stressed history and related a tradition. Each man beat me down, broke me down, then rebuilt my body and rewired my body and brain for optimal performance. Which is exactly what I wanted going in.

Hugh Cassidy's Basement Gym

Hugh's regimen was the most brutal training I have ever experienced. We gathered to lift at Hugh's place twice a week. I would travel around the beltway for 50 minutes and use the travel time to psyche up for the session. I would jump off at 450 and head outward until I crossed High Bridge. I took the unmarked road to the house in the woods.

At Hugh's place I trained with other national level powerlifters including Marshall Peck (525 raw bench, 750 squat, 220 bodyweight) and Joe Ferry (700 squat and deadlift, 195 pounds.) There were often other high level lifters dropping by and Hugh would watch and comment, both in real time and between sets. We followed his routine and learned his techniques. It took 2 to 2.5 hours to get through the twice-weekly iron slaughter-fest. Afterwards we were so exhausted it was hard walking up the basement stairs.

A modern basement gym, garage gym, school weight room, first responder fitness room or military training space built for heavy barbell work needs a surface that can tolerate repeated loading. Heavy sessions on rubber gym mats can help create a more practical training area for squats, deadlifts, bench press work and auxiliary exercises.

We would sit on our cars post-workout and drink half-gallons of whole milk, just to help us get it together for the ride home. I routinely had to grab my right wrist with my left hand to steady it enough to insert the key into the ignition. We were expected to eat copious calories to survive: we would gather to train with Hugh twice a week for twelve straight weeks leading up to a competition. Everyone that could hang got bigger and stronger — way bigger and way stronger. Hugh was absolutely riveting when he spoke of his philosophy of lifting and strength; his conclusions were counterintuitive and profound. He'd beat the dog crap out of us while talking to us like a muscled-up William F. Buckley.

Robert Smith and the Internal Martial Arts

Smith was a first-rate scholar that took pride in being a bruiser: Bob was a judo man and at age 16 had been an infantry rifleman in the Marine Corps in the Pacific during WWII. He became a CIA agent stationed in "Formosa" in the 60s. He was fluent in many languages and retired to Bethesda, Maryland, where he taught the Chinese internal martial arts to lucky locals. Like me. I would do tai chi every Saturday morning for an hour and again on Thursday we would meet: this time to drill the circular pa kua and explosive hsing I. We were expected to work on our own for an hour each day.

Smith would check out what we'd been working on; if he were satisfied, he'd show us something new. In addition to the 36-posture tai chi short form, we "walked the circle" for pa kua and he would introduce us to "palm changes" that were quite complex and intricate. The hsing I fists were linked and the power drive off the rear foot was when I finally grokked Smith's rooted concept.

The Lesson: Technique Never Ends

These men shaped me. Twice a week Hugh beat me down in his Vulcan forge basement gym; we reconfigured our bodies exemplifying Nietzsche's most famous axiom: "That which does not kill me makes me stronger" (and more muscular.) Smith showed us how to glide and flow, yet also stay rooted and centered. Eventually I developed an amalgamation of ideas that form the core of my teachings to this day. I have taken aspects of each man's approach looking to create the optimal hybrid. Both men taught me that honing technique was a lifetime battle that never ended. There is always room for technical improvement and therefore a pathway to progress always exists.

Cassidy Two-Day-a-Week Power Split

The Cassidy two-day-a-week power split was brutally simple. Squat, bench press, deadlift, then move into biceps exercises, triceps exercises and one auxiliary exercise. The refinement was not in the complexity of the template; it was in the execution, the poundage progression, the technical precision and the willingness to survive the work.

Saturday

• Squat: work up to a top set, then two more squat sets, lighter weight, higher reps
• Bench press: work up to a top set, then two more sets, lighter weight, higher reps
• Deadlift: work up to a top set, then two more sets, lighter weight, higher reps
• Biceps and triceps: three to five sets, super-setted
• Auxiliary exercise: one "wild card" exercise, 2-3 sets

Tuesday

Repeat the same workout; increase poundage or squeeze out more reps.

For commercial gyms, vertical market fitness rooms, home strength spaces, military training areas and first responder facilities adapting this style of powerlifting split today, the barbell basics come first. Facilities that want plate-loaded or machine-based assistance work can also pair the core lifts with equipment such as the Arsenal Reloaded Iso Flat Press, the Arsenal Reloaded Power Squat, and a dedicated biceps curl and triceps extension machine. Experienced lifters handling heavy attempts may also benefit from a dependable powerlifting belt once their technique and loading demand it.

Why This Weightlifting Story Still Matters

Gallagher's story is not just about returning to the gym. It is about how weightlifting, powerlifting, squats, bench press, deadlifts and disciplined technical practice can rebuild the body while reshaping the mind. The lesson for lifters is direct: the basics are never really basic when they are performed under the eye of a master, with intent, consistency and respect for the process.

FAQ

What is Marty Gallagher's "Back in the Saddle" about?

"Back in the Saddle" is Marty Gallagher's account of returning to weightlifting after years away from serious training and then studying powerlifting under Hugh Cassidy while learning Chinese internal martial arts from Robert Smith.

What was Hugh Cassidy's two-day-a-week power split?

The split centered on squats, bench press, deadlifts, biceps and triceps work, and one auxiliary exercise. The second weekly session repeated the same workout with the goal of adding poundage or squeezing out more reps.

How did internal martial arts connect to powerlifting technique?

Gallagher saw overlap between Robert Smith's concepts of root, sinking and power from the legs and Hugh Cassidy's emphasis on squat technique, heel drive, stance, foot placement and leg power.

What equipment supports this style of weightlifting and powerlifting?

A serious setup for this kind of training starts with a powerlifting bar, weight plates, a stable bench press station, room for squats and deadlifts, durable gym flooring, and practical accessories such as collars, straps or a belt when appropriate.

About the Author

As an athlete Marty Gallagher is a national and world champion in Olympic lifting and powerlifting. He was a world champion team coach in 1991 and coached Black's Gym to five national team titles. He's also coached some of the strongest men on the planet including Kirk Karwoski when he completed his world record 1,003 lb. squat. Today he teaches the US Secret Service and Tier 1 Spec Ops on how to maximize their strength in minimal time. As a writer since 1978 he’s written for Powerlifting USA, Milo, Flex Magazine, Muscle & Fitness, Prime Fitness, Washington Post, Dragon Door and now IRON COMPANY. He’s also the author of numerous books including Purposeful Primitive, Strong Medicine, Ed Coan’s book “Coan, The Man, the Myth, the Method" and numerous others. Read the Marty Gallagher biography here.