Muscle Beach History - by Stuntmovie

[stuntmovie]

Thanks again, Joe!

[musclecenter]

[funk51]

JOE,  Why don't you place a link to your fine website here. I think some GetBiggers would be interested.

For you younger GetBiggers who have not been involved within the olden days of bodybuilding, here's a photo of the main contenders (the usual suspects) who were the real pioneers in the game.

There are many others but this is a decent shot of the main contenders who got competitive bodybuilding on its feet.

DOn't name each of them just yet, but let know if you can ID each and everyone of them. Let's see how many GetBiggers know anything about BB history.

I'd like to do a short post on each of them from their beginning to the present when I get the time, but Joe may already have done this.

l to r bert goodrich, clancy ross, jack delinger, steve reeves? can't see face that good, alan stephen.

[Mr. MB]

Double breasted suits in that pic really send me back.

Zuvers was in a different league. Big men and big weight. Never saw the place. I was a linear 6' ecto and knew my limits. Only one year '85-'86 with the urging of gym mates did I go for it. I took a potpourri of AAS and climbed under the squat rack. I got my normal competition weight from 202 up to 235. My normal squats were 225 X 10. 315 X 6. That year I got up to 405 X 10 and wore a rubber waist wrap, HD belt and wrapped my knees tight. My incline bench was 315 X 3 and I dipped 150 added X 10. Chins were done with a 45 hanging. A lot for this skinny ass. I won a big show and took 2nd in some other shows on the east coast. It took a year to recover. Never did that again.

[stuntmovie]

MUSCLECENTER, Thanks for posting the Arnold/Venice video. I have not had a chance to  watch it yet but will do so ASAP.

My connection with the Venice Beach area goes back to 1957 or there-abouts ... so I hope to offer some appropriate comments after I get a chance to watch it thoroughly.

Thanks again, MC!

[stuntmovie]

MB, Thanks! Another interesting post .... this time about Powerlifting.

When I started to lift heavy things it was called the Odd LIFTS and some of the more serious odd-lifters would wrap any part of the body in an effort to increase there efforts by one pound here and one pound there ... and it sounds like  you did likewise .... but with a bit of diffenence.

When you were lifting heavy things, you called it Powerlifting. And by your time,such lifting of heaving things was governed by a set of rules.

But in the Odd Lift days there were no rules except for the one rule that there would be no rules.

So back then what we would call "cheating" today ... was non-existent.

You could wrap yourself like a mummy and that would be perfectly OK .....  and even encouraged.

I've never seen this but I've been told by one of the world's best Odd Lifters of that time that a few very serious odd lifters would  bind tennis balls to the backside of their knees and then put on a pair of very tight Levis and then stiff-leg up to and under a very heavy barbell and set a new squat record in the process.

Sounds insane to me but more than one friends claims it to be truthful.

I've been involved in and with a good number of powerlifing 'events' and gotta admit that the best of the best of the world's best powerlifters are a bit on the insane side of the grocery store when it comes to setting new world records.

But once off that platform .... most of them ..... but not all ....  come back to reality.

MB... Did you subscribe to or were you ever mentioned in Mike Lambert's POWERLIFTING USA?

[stuntmovie]

FUNK, Good try.

[stuntmovie]

Back to the Muscle Beach era .....

Reeves and Pedersen the year Pedersen lost to Reeves..... Good call!

[funk51]

ever encounter norman marks i think he owned a gym in chinatown.??

[stuntmovie]

FUNK, Norman Marks had a gym in Oakland,California which was managed by his two daughters after he passed away in 2006.

The daughters managed to keep it open for two years after Norm passed away but recently closed it down after roughly 56 years in the 'physical culture' business.

Strange to say but I don't recall ever meeting him but we did have mutual friends.

[jpm101]

Floyd Page is to the right of Reeves, in the picture. Been told he was a natural when it came to BB'ing genetics. Tended to drink,chain smoker and kept very late hours. Died in his 30's, I believe. Pedersen (spelled right?) lost by a point or so against Reeves. That picture doesn't do him any justice at all. Was successful in wrestling (the make believe kind)

Any stories about Muscle House By the Sea....heard that place had quite a history back in the day. As was Mae West's apartment (Rossmore, near Melrose, in Hollywood) when a few BB'ers were invited to "come up and see me some time".

Heard Peanut West garage was a well known power training place. Lot of very strongmen trained there. Different groups of odd lifts back then. Usually 3 to 5 lifts in a odd lift contest, which may include the BB curl and upright row.

Confession Time:  Getting a lot of this stuff from one of my uncles and his old time lifting buds. Maybe they came across Stunt, don't know. Some many people, in and out,of  the the beach scene back then. I'll send them GB pages/pictures and see if any jar their memory's.

[stuntmovie]

JPM, Yes, I did run into Bill 'Peanuts' West a number of times but never did get to know him well.

Back then he and George Frenn (spelling?) and a good number of other heavy-lifting lifters trained in his garage-gym, but I was never there and have completely forgotten where it was located.

Both Bill and George were present at about every lifting event I ever attended in them thar early days.

I kind of recall that one of the magazines did an article on Peanuts and his gym, and I also kind of recall that he did enter a bodybuilding contest a few years before he passed away ... but all that stuff is kind of hazy in my memory banks.

Muscle House By the Sea was a few years before my time in So Cal, so I am only aware of minor details  which I think I posted here a few years ago.

I think that JOE may be more helpful on that subject ..... and I do intend to contact my good friend GENE MOZEE (Google GENE MOZEE)  who was very active in the lifing world back then and is a walking historian who somehow manages to keep track of the usual suspects of that time period.

All this 'stuff' was very minor back then and very few individuals were involved  with anything to do with lifting heavy things or building muscle  on skinny frames.

In many cases it was impossible not to know most of the individuals who called themselves Powerlifters, Olympic Lifters, or Bodybuilders simply due tot he fact that there were so few of them.

So it's definitely possible that I either met or knew or heard of one or more of your family members if they showed up more than once or twice.

All this 'stuff' was totally different way back then.

And only a very few participated.

[stuntmovie]

JPM, I do  hope you contact your uncles and jar their memories a bit and post those memories here so that we can all enjoy them.

MB, You memtioned those suits in the group photo above. One big thing to notice  are the 'shoulder pads' that were built into them thar suits.

Everyone had suits with shoulder pads.

And I got no idea why! So I gotta do some fashion-ware research.

This from the one indiviidual who has worn Levis and Tshirts  and USMC jungle boots all the days of his life except for dress up days in the Corps.

But even then you never had to tie a tie if you had a snap on kind which I sort of recall was against the rules and regulations and the UCMJ.

UCMJ .... Look that one up. I just about had it memorized once ... Not each word but the crux of its entirety.

But it never mentioned a snap on tie.

[funk51]

JPM, Yes, I did run into Bill 'Peanuts' West a number of times but never did get to know him well.

Back then he and George Frenn (spelling?) and a good number of other heavy-lifting lifters trained in his garage-gym, but I was never there and have completely forgotten where it was located.

Both Bill and George were present at about every lifting event I ever attended in them thar early days.

I kind of recall that one of the magazines did an article on Peanuts and his gym, and I also kind of recall that he did enter a bodybuilding contest a few years before he passed away ... but all that stuff is kind of hazy in my memory banks.

Muscle House By the Sea was a few years before my time in So Cal, so I am only aware of minor details  which I think I posted here a few years ago.

I think that JOE may be more helpful on that subject ..... and I do intend to contact my good friend GENE MOZEE (Google GENE MOZEE)  who was very active in the lifing world back then and is a walking historian who somehow manages to keep track of the usual suspects of that time period.

All this 'stuff' was very minor back then and very few individuals were involved  with anything to do with lifting heavy things or building muscle  on skinny frames.

In many cases it was impossible not to know most of the individuals who called themselves Powerlifters, Olympic Lifters, or Bodybuilders simply due tot he fact that there were so few of them.

So it's definitely possible that I either met or knew or heard of one or more of your family members if they showed up more than once or twice.

All this 'stuff' was totally different way back then.

And only a very few participated.

mozee pic for ref.

[Mr. MB]

Stunt…I never did get into powerlifting other than heavy (for me) squats, deadlifts and incline bench getting my weight up to 235 for the Muscle Beach show. Pic. Me by the flag…a la Jusup Wilkosz. Some interesting facts. The man in the bottom left of news paper article had a large audience that showed up from Golds up the street. He was Sergio's WO partner and had flown out to L.A. to pick up an easy title with a good ring to it. Oooops. The tall dude in the middle was an Oakland Raider just retired. A year later he was found shot to death in the front seat of his Rolls vert in his driveway. Over one miilion dollars of Bolderone was found in his garage. Tom Gaertner, who later that year beat me out for Mr. California is in the middle of the judges. He won the heavies that year in the NPC Masters. I later out placed him at the AAU Mr. USA. The little fellow with white hair was the inventor of the TEMs muscle contraction machine. Vince Gironda was a judge this day, pic not shown. I would have loved him in this pic.

Where the frik has time gone?

[stuntmovie]

MB. Thanks once more for the above. You were definitely a part of bodybuilding history.

The younger GetBiggers who may be reading this old time stuff are possibly lost a bit when you name certain individuals such as WILKOSZ and the others you mentioned above.

So I think it may be somewhat appropriate to post a bit of info about the individuals yu mentioned who were also a part of  this 'physical culture history'.

So to start off here is some info on WILKOSZ which I found on the Wikipedia site (a lot of it I never knew before). ANd I'll see if I can do the same for the others you have mentioned unless you want to take that on yourself.

Thanks again, MB.....

Jusup Wilkosz is a German bodybuilder (born 1948). He competed in weightlifting before turning to bodybuilding. In the mid-1970s, Wilkosz trained with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

During his career, he also met Tom Platz, Franco Columbu, Chris Dickerson and many other famous athletes. Several injuries forced him to end his career before reaching its potential peak. In 1994 Jusup Wilkosz intended to prepare for the Mr. Olympia Masters, but was stopped by injuries again.

In spring 2007 a semi-fictional novel about Wilkosz's life was published in Germany. Its title is "Was bleibt. Die Reise des Jusup W." (engl.: What remains. The Journey of Jusup W.) and leads the reader back to the 70s and 80s, a time that is often considered the golden age of bodybuilding. The reader looks through the eyes of legendary Jusup Wilkosz, whose life is characterized by great success in overcoming enormous obstacles. This perspective offers also deep insights in the world of bodybuilding and a closer look at Arnold Schwarzenegger, who used to train with Mr. Wilkosz during his competitive career.

[njflex]

MB. Thanks once more for the above. You were definitely a part of bodybuilding history.

The younger GetBiggers who may be reading this old time stuff are possibly lost a bit when you name certain individuals such as WILKOSZ and the others you mentioned above.

So I think it may be somewhat appropriate to post a bit of info about the individuals yu mentioned who were also a part of  this 'physical culture history'.

So to start off here is some info on WILKOSZ which I found on the Wikipedia site (a lot of it I never knew before). ANd I'll see if I can do the same for the others you have mentioned unless you want to take that on yourself.

Thanks again, MB.....

Jusup Wilkosz is a German bodybuilder (born 1948). He competed in weightlifting before turning to bodybuilding. In the mid-1970s, Wilkosz trained with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

During his career, he also met Tom Platz, Franco Columbu, Chris Dickerson and many other famous athletes. Several injuries forced him to end his career before reaching its potential peak. In 1994 Jusup Wilkosz intended to prepare for the Mr. Olympia Masters, but was stopped by injuries again.

In spring 2007 a semi-fictional novel about Wilkosz's life was published in Germany. Its title is "Was bleibt. Die Reise des Jusup W." (engl.: What remains. The Journey of Jusup W.) and leads the reader back to the 70s and 80s, a time that is often considered the golden age of bodybuilding. The reader looks through the eyes of legendary Jusup Wilkosz, whose life is characterized by great success in overcoming enormous obstacles. This perspective offers also deep insights in the world of bodybuilding and a closer look at Arnold Schwarzenegger, who used to train with Mr. Wilkosz during his competitive career.

THICK MUSCLE...DAMN,NOT THE GREATEST  SHAPE LIKE SOME OF HIS PEER'S,BUT BIG SIZE..

[Mr. MB]

Tom Gaertner was a fixture along the Muscle Beach Venice strand. He hand made lifting belts and straps for the local gyms, Golds, World and Powerhouse. He also sold his own Ts and tanks. I believe he lived in the back of his shop. I lost personal contact with him and read of his death in a tiny article in a muscle mag. Early 90s. I've tried to run down both the X Raider and the guy with the TENs. Research shows he did not invent it like he claimed. You could not go to a BB show in L.A. without seeing him and his wife in the lobby pushing his TENs. The Raider dude, a least 6'5" had a wife of about 4'10". They would attend most of the shows in their white Rolls vert. If there was a lawn or parkway in front of the venue…thats where they parked the Rolls. It was never towed away. Can't find him or the article on his death for the life of me. Sergio's training partner has zero press on the web.

[Mr. MB]

and to have Vince Gironda judge your posing….this says it all…

[The Scott]

Best look I've seen.  Especially in a genuine natural.  This man was too good looking.

[funk51]

Best look I've seen.  Especially in a genuine natural.  This man was too good looking.

headshot

[stuntmovie]

SCOTT / FUNK, Thanks for posting those SR shots.

I had the opportunity to work with Steve a few years before he passed away and he looked about the same at that time.

Great genetics can be the only answer.

[The Scott]

SCOTT / FUNK, Thanks for posting those SR shots.

I had the opportunity to work with Steve a few years before he passed away and he looked about the same at that time.

Great genetics can be the only answer.

Reeves is the Poster Boy for what good genes are about.  From the 60s on, it was no longer about genes, but rather genies.  The kind that come in a bottle.

[stuntmovie]

Interesting statement, SCOTT, But ........

[stuntmovie]

.... the use of roids as we know it today ocurred garadually.

USE to ABUSE did not rapidly occur overnight.

If my memory banks are still functioning properly ... it was a gradual transition over a ten year period.

The guys in the 60's a took few pills each week or so, one of which was referred to as a "little football" and another simply called according to its color.  (NO pins, no needles!)

But over the years the use of roids grew in popularity because (contrary to the AMA's 'opinion')  .... they produced results.

But then some liver aches and pains developed which resulted in the injection method ..... which I'll estamate that only a relatively few contestants did back then.

By "contestants" I mean Olympic Lifters and Power Lifters as well as the bodybuilding contenders. I don't know when it became  a problem within other sports organizations.

And when good results are produced by a 'little bit", many are determined to ttake a lot .... which gradually turned to  what many in the know considered to be a problem of abuse.

But back then  there were very few individuals "in the know"!

Roids were legal back then and even the doctors were professionally unaware and would often ask the competitors what they used and what gains were noticeable.

A bit off the track here but during one discussion with a doctor who was himself an exceptional athlete and also interested in the physical effect of steroid use stated that, "Med School taught us how to treat illness, NOT prevent illness ....  nor enhance muscle growth!"

And it is my understanding that the AMA at that time claimed that the use of roids had absolutely no affect on muscle growth nor strength increase.

So I'll make a claim that would  most likely cause a lot of arguments by those who were not physically present back then and say that, "The use of roids did not become a matter of concern until around the befinning of the 70's."

And it only became a matter of concern among those competitive bodybuilders who realized that "Joe" was taking more than he was and would most likely win the trophy.

The general public wasn't concerned at all simply because they knew nothing about it.

But that all changed one day when an Annapolis student informed his dad (a US Congressman) that he didn't make the football team because  all the other guys were taking roids.

That's the day the shiit hit the fan! (Not to overlook the IOC concerns ... but that's another story!)

And eventually (but very gradually) it became a major topic within locker rooms, cocktail parties, and  on internet  boards such as GetBig and way too many others.

Could it be that a change is being attempted by the initiation of the Men's Physique Division and the elimination of Women's bodybuilding?

Give it five more years, and you'll probably 'see' the answer.