A Tribute to Maurice Robert Ainsworth
By Peter Yates
Introduction
Maurice Ainsworth with wife Christine and weightlifter Dave Parker. Photograph courtesy of the author.
In my last article on martial arts I made reference to my teachers. Without their guidance and generosity in sharing their knowledge and experience I would have been unable to progress very far. It is every teacher's wish that a student will one day surpass him/herself in skill and understanding. In this regard I have let my teachers down; but, in my defense, to come close to matching their levels of achievement would be no easy feat.
I would first like to write about my first and most beloved teacher whose guidance influenced every aspect of my life. It would take a book to do his life justice, so I have chosen a few interesting events from his life and documented some of the ways in which he influenced my life.
My Mentor, My Friend
Maurice Robert Ainsworth was born in December of 1927 in the north-of-England industrial town of Darwen, Lancashire - a place populated by tough and hardy people. Much of the local economy had been generated by the cotton and textile industries, but during the late twenties they were in decline with the country in depression and many unemployed. Growing up in these times was far from easy, and for many a meal was a piece of bread spread with beef dripping (fat). To make matters worse, Maurice was a skinny kid with a bad stammer. This of course opened him up to ridicule and bullying, not only from other kids but from school teachers too. Maurice told me a story of one teacher who would have him stand up and order him to recite poetry. Of course he was unable to get a word out clearly. For this he was punished with a caning.
Maurice soon learned that to survive you have to fight back, and one particular incident was a turning point in his life. Maurice had a piece of bread which was taken from him by an older and bigger boy. He had a choice - go hungry or fight for the bread. Enraged he chose to fight. Much to his surprise, as well as his antagonists, he did not come off the worst for wear. Unfortunately, the bread was destroyed in the struggle. However, he learned when necessary he could stand up for himself.
Maurice and Peter Yates in backyard. Photograph courtesy of the author.
As Maurice grew older he developed, like so many boys and young men, the desire to be big and strong. In Darwen and surrounding districts there have always been tough men, boxers, street fighters and strongmen, the most famous of the latter being the great weightlifter, hand balancer and strong man Bill Hunt. So there was plenty of inspiration.
In order to fulfill his quest to become big and strong Maurice started, like many others, by lifting rocks of various sizes in an abandoned stone quarry. He was accompanied by a boy who would become a lifelong friend, Chris Howson. Chris never grew past five feet tall, yet he became extremely well developed and strong.
Leaving school at age fourteen Maurice took a series of jobs in the building trade. Digging ditches with a pick and shovel, carrying bricks and pushing heavy wheel barrows helped him in filling out his young physique. He also took up boxing around this time and I believe was able to get a hold of a Charles Atlas course to add to his quest for muscles and might.
At eighteen he reported for national service and he was sent for basic training. In a new environment, and among people who did not know him, his stammer once again made him the butt of jibes and ridicule. He told me he probably had a fight every day for the first two weeks in camp. After that he was left alone.
On leaving the army, Maurice and Chris Howson decided to start a weightlifting club together. This was around 1949-1950. American bodybuilders of that era, such as John Grimek, Clancy Ross, Marvin Eder and Steve Reeves provided inspiration, as did a young and mighty lad from England named Reg Park.
The Darwen Karate Club, circa early 1970s. Maurice is in the middle row at the far right. Top row at the far left are Wright Shaw and Jimmy Dearden; they took over the running of the club after Maurice retired from teaching. Photograph courtesy of the author.
Their weightlifting club was started in the cellar of a coffee bar, and the scrap metal yard provided steel bars and iron wheels as makeshift barbells. Soon the club attracted more members, including Maurice's younger brother Jack. As the club membership grew, more equipment was made, and donations from fellow lifters also helped expand the facility. Eventually, Maurice and Chris had to move their club to bigger premises to meet space demands.
Maurice from the start believed that it was not enough to look strong; he stressed that you had to also be strong. He emulated the training of Grimek, Reeves and, most of all, Reg Park. His favorite routine was the 5x5 system popularized by Park. This proved to be by far the most productive training for Maurice, and he often taught this system to get others (including myself) on the right path. The 5x5 system is, of course, a method for building serious strength and muscle that has stood the test of time. The version Maurice mainly taught was:
- Full squat 5x5
- Bench Press 5x5
- Bent over row 5x5
- Military press 5x5
- Dead lift 5x5
- Barbell curl 5x5
To this basic routine extra work for the abdominals and the neck would be done. Of course, this was not the only routine Maurice used or taught others, but one that he would come back to frequently.
Even when he used top weights, Maurice would move through his workouts quite quickly with little rest between sets and exercises. To determine the weight to be used for the 5X5 system, Maurice advocated taking a weight that would allow an exercise to be performed for seven repetitions. This would be the starting weight. Of course, the first and second sets would be relatively easy, and they would serve as a warm up. The third set would typically prove to be more challenging, and students often found it difficult to complete five repetitions on the final two sets. The same weight would be used on each exercise until all five sets could be completed for five repetitions. Then, an increase of five or ten pounds, depending upon the exercise, would be indicated and a new cycle started.
Maurice with an early group of students, circa mid 1960s. He is the man in the center with a beard. Sons Shaun and Tony are are kneeling at bottom row left. Photograph courtesy of the author.
However the 5X5 was not a beginner's routine, according to Maurice. In my case, he advised that I do only bodyweight exercises for the first few months. This approach prepared my body for handling weights safely and productively. Maurice reasoned that it is much easier to focus on what your body needs to be doing if you do not also have to be focusing on balancing a weight. This way it is easier to forge the mind-body link. When a certain amount of strength and coordination has been developed, barbells and dumbbells can be employed to good effect.
Under Maurice's guidance, the first weight-training routine would consist of 10 to 12 exercises, one set of each for 8-12 repetitions. When the upper number of repetitions was reached, the weight used would be increased. Over a period of a few months, the number of sets would be increased to two per exercise, and then three. Training would be done on three non-consecutive days. This method of progressive training has stood the test of time, and it is as result producing now as it was then. After a certain period the 5X5 system would be implemented.
Although I have trained in a number of ways over the years, variations of the above have been a mainstay of my program, and they have been the most productive for me and for others I have trained.
As the accompanying photos show Maurice built quite a fine, well-proportioned physique with good definition. I once remarked to him that I wanted definition like his, and he remarked back that I should concentrate on building some muscle first. That stung but, of course, he was right. The remarkable thing is that he built his physique while working all day as a roofer, and this job entailed carrying heavy loads of tile or slate up and down a ladder for hours on end. Photographs do not do him justice — up close he looked like chiseled granite.
In the late 1950's Maurice decided to immigrate to Australia, hoping to find a better life for his wife and two young sons. This would provide his first encounter with East Asian fighting arts. This is the story he related to me several times over the years. I never got tired of hearing it.
Maurice at a moment just prior to demolishing a stack of roofing tiles. Photograph courtesy of the author.
On arrival in Australia, immigrants would be housed in a resettlement camp until they got on their feet and could get a home of their own. It was common to congregate in one of the local pubs on a Sunday afternoon to socialize.
For the most part, immigrants were welcomed by the locals (who, of course, were children or grandchildren of immigrants themselves). However, as is often the case, there was some resentment from a small but disruptive element.
On one particular Sunday afternoon, while having a quiet beer with friends, Maurice observed a group of five locals picking on one of the residents of the camp. Due to his past experience, Maurice had a distinct lack of regard for any type of bully. And, when it became clear that the lone man was in for a beating, my mentor decided it was time to intervene. However, before he could even rise out of his seat, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Although seemingly gentle with little pressure, it prevented Maurice from getting to his feet. The next few moments were almost a blur. The unknown man who had gently restrained Maurice let go and moved quickly towards the group of thugs. The thugs then turned to attack the unknown man as he came closer to them, but, in a flash, they ended up, one by one, into a heap on the floor.
Maurice, who had witnessed many fights, had never seen anything like this before. His words to the unknown gentleman who had performed this seemingly miraculous act were, “I don't know what you just did, but I want to learn it.”
Over a drink, Maurice learned that the “unknown” man was a karate master from Okinawa who was also a resident in the camp. He agreed to teach Maurice his art.
As Maurice was in perfect health and physical condition, he was able to quickly adapt to the physically demanding karate training he was put through. With expert guidance and natural ability, he soon learned the essential basics of the system. And, within a year working under the man who had single-handedly taken down the group of thugs, a training group had been formed with Maurice assisting the sensei in teaching.
Just out of the army, Maurice poses with best friend Chris Howson and his dog, Rex. Photograph courtesy of the author.
In time Maurice's wife became homesick, and she missed her family and friends. As such, the Ainsworth family decided to return to England. As the building trade was flourishing in England at the time, there Maurice soon found work as a roofer. And, many who worked along with Maurice got their start in physical training from this man at this time.
Eager to continue his study of karate, Maurice looked around for suitable teachers upon his return to England. At this time, such teachers were few and far between and mostly located in the larger cities, such as Liverpool, Manchester and London. The teachers Maurice found locally did not live up to his expectations, so he decided to teach the methods of karate that he was familiar with. He soon had a good group of students, including some of the weightlifters he trained, and this group formed the nucleus of what became known as the Darwen Karate Club.
In addition to teaching, Maurice aimed to advance his own skills in the martial arts. Since he was unable to find an instructor more highly skilled than himself in his own locale, he would, as often as it was possible, travel to other towns to study with more accomplished practitioners of the martial arts. Some of those early masters were Suzuki, Takamasawa and Shimitsu, who were practitioners of Wado Ryu Karate. And, through his engagements, Maurice was able to arrange for the sensei to visit Darwen at various times and provide weekend seminars for his students.
Interestingly, at this stage Maurice had no official grade. The reason for this was that traditionally in China and in Okinawa there were no belt rankings. You were either a beginner, senior student, assistant instructor, or master. Only when you had grasped one step would you then be taught the next and so on.
When karate was officially accepted as a Japanese martial art, pressure was applied to adopt the same belt-ranking system as Judo, Kendo and other Japanese arts. Even so, some of the Okinawan sensei continued the old practice for some time before giving in.
Maurice stressed that if you train for strength and health, your physique will take care of itself. This approach certainly worked for him. Photo taken at Darwen Moor - Lancashire, England, circa 1950's. Courtesy of the author.
Eventually, Maurice was awarded a first-degree black belt. He told me that he was pleased with the way he had earned it, because at that time the emphasis was on sparring and he had to fight many opponents from clubs all over England. He did not engage in competition-style sparring either, but rather rough and ready-knock-down free sparring. Maurice witnessed many broken noses, jaws and even a leg during the proceedings.
Not long after he was awarded with a first-degree black belt, Maurice gradually cut ties with all organizations of martial arts he was affiliated with. He felt that these organizations were operating disproportionately for financial gain. Maurice also wanted to analyze, edit, and refine what he had learned and determine what techniques and methods were most effective. He had a good understanding of the principles that enabled techniques to be effective in combat and self-defense, and emphasized these principles in his teaching, to both his students of martial arts and to those whom he taught strength training.
Maurice believed he should never stop learning. And, if he came across a martial artist from whom he felt he could learn, he did so. He also could quickly evaluate if a person had “the goods” or not.
When I was studying under him, Maurice would take me to other clubs to watch a class, and then he would have me evaluate what I had seen. He would also have me determine if what I had been taught would be effective or not. These valuable lessons enabled me to determine who would be worth studying with on my subsequent world travels.
With each passing year, Maurice continued to develop and refine his system. Once upon returning to Darwen after a five-year absence, I found that he had further eliminated that which he had found to be less than maximally effective. Instead of learning hundreds of moves and techniques, he had found a way to capture the essential principles in just a few chosen drills. And, even though I had encountered many masters of martial arts during my time away, I could still see Maurice was ahead of the pack. This was the height of the Bruce Lee and Kung Fu craze, and clubs were opening up right, left and center, most of them quite dubious.
Maurice training like a caveman in his early sixties back in his beloved quarry where it all started. Photograph courtesy of the author.
Due to a severe leg injury and a subsequent hip replacement in his late 50's, Maurice retired from teaching, but he continued to train alone. At the time of his retirement, he had some weights in his back yard, but he reverted to his days as a boy and hiked the moors to the old stone quarry where his quest for might and muscle had begun. The only difference was that the rocks he lifted were bigger and heavier, and the walls of the quarry were now filled with graffiti. On trips to England I would accompany him to his outdoor “gym,” and we had some first-class “dinosaur style” workouts there.
Maurice and I have kept close contact throughout the years with letters, phone calls and, of course, with visits to Darwen. He is always interested in what I have been doing, and he is a constant support. I owe him much. He taught me weight training, karate, roofing, and much, much more. Maurice also taught me how to embrace life, to never give up, and that falling down means you get to stand up again. He taught me the value of work and a job well done. He taught me respect for myself and for others. He taught me never to use my skills to show off but only to protect myself or others from harm. He taught me gratitude for a simple life. I could go on as there is so much more. Suffice to say, it has been my privilege to be his student and to be his friend, and I am thankful to still have him in my life.
Over the years, especially during the early formative ones, I heard him say things that stuck with me and helped shape my thinking about training and about life. A few examples are:
Maurice performing a set of curls with a heavy rock strapped to his cane "barbell". Photograph courtesy of the author.
Of course Maurice has influenced many other people throughout the course of his life. I was recently in contact with Luigi Staffa, a weightlifter, martial artist and wrestler who also came under Maurice's wing at a young age. Now living in Canada, he had this to say:
“Maurice is the man. He really deserves recognition for all that he has done. I spent a lot of my life with him learning weight training, martial arts and roofing from him, the latter which took me out of a dead-end factory job and gave me skills to support and sustain my family. I am proud to have been his friend.” Luigi Staffa, Canada 2011.
His son Tony had this to say:
“I remember when I was a kid and he [Maurice] took me out. We would always be visiting at some house or other to see if they needed anything. He always had time for the older generation.He would always train three times a week no matter how hard he had worked on the roofs. Because of his influence, I would try to do the same. I did not always manage it. I just did not have his stamina or enthusiasm. He always said, ‘Train for life. Age does not matter. If you stay strong you can fight most things.’
As a teacher he has always given one hundred percent and never for a profit. Many have benefitted from his teaching be it weights or karate.
He is quite stubborn, probably due to his rough upbringing - being poor, etc. So he never wavered from his path. He always hated bullies and was never afraid to put them down. He was a sickly kid with a stammer so it was a big impetus to get strong by lifting rocks in the local quarry with pal Chris Howson.
Dad always said, ‘Train forever, and age becomes nothing to fear.’ ” Tony Ainsworth.
Maurice, now in his 84th year, continues to live in Darwen, simply and quietly with his wonderful wife Christine.
Acknowledgements:
Special thanks to Kim Rosado for typing the article and to Jim Vitale and Mike Talish for assistance with the photographs.
About The Author
Peter Yates began his training at the age of ten lifting rocks and branches in the local countryside of Darwen, England. Joining the Darwen Weightlifting Club at age twelve, he came under the guidance of Maurice Ainsworth who taught him weight training and martial arts. He spent around fifteen years living in the Far East where he sought out masters of various martial disciplines and also learned acupuncture. He now lives on Long Island, N.Y. with his wife, MaDong, and his son, Robert. Peter runs an acupuncture clinic, trains in his garage gym, and he has a small group of dedicated martial arts students. In addition to Muscles of Iron, Yates is a contributing author to The Dinosaur Files. He has also written one book and several articles about Chinese medicine and martial arts.