Pat Casey

[Olde Tyme Muscle]

[BB]

I wonder if Casey ever got pinned -

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[IroNat]

Looks like a Russian bar and plates in the Casey pic above.

[Mr Anabolic]

That pic was taken at Stern's gym San Diego.  I used to train there.

[The Scott]

That pic was taken at Stern's gym San Diego.  I used to train there.

Great photographs of champions on those walls.  Do you remember the caricatures of gym members along the top of the wall toward the rear of the gym?  Or the squat bar that was permanently curved by the heavy weights?  Leo was great.  He introduced my older brother to Frank Zane at a local contest  as Zane was my brother's inspiration.

[fredrollon]

Looks like a Russian bar and plates in the Casey pic above.

So that's what those chrome plated weights were called?

[wes]

Rosst Beef Prick with yet another gimmick.

[BB]

So that's what those chrome plated weights were called?

Yeah, those heavily chromed or polished steel sets came from Russia and Poland in the 60's and 70's. Among collectors most just call them "Russian weightlifting sets". The Leo Stern set was bought from a lifter turned business man named Chester Teegarden, who was a big California dealer in them. Stern wanted something nice for when Casey lifted, gave expositions, and held contests. 

They were really expensive, I forget the price, but I seem to remember they were in the $500 range back then for a regular sized set.

[Olde Tyme Muscle]

[Mr Anabolic]

Great photographs of champions on those walls.  Do you remember the caricatures of gym members along the top of the wall toward the rear of the gym?  Or the squat bar that was permanently curved by the heavy weights?  Leo was great.  He introduced my older brother to Frank Zane at a local contest  as Zane was my brother's inspiration.

Oh yeah!  There was a pic of Arnold training there in 1973 under that same skylight.  Leo died in 2009.  Sadly, all those unique/funny drawings were taken down for PC reasons.  One of the drawings showed this guy Jack Bostic squatting heavy and falling through the floor into the Chinese laundry downstairs... they were looking at him falling through the floor in the pic saying "Ahh so".  After the Chinese laundry owner bought the entire building in 2007, that drawing was the first to go.   The owner (Shannon Brown) of Stern's now pays rent to those Chinese.  I cannot believe it's still opened.  The parking around there now is horrendous.  North Park used to be a shithole when I was there, now it's all built up.

[Mr Anabolic]

That pics was also taken in Stern's.  I used those same dumbbells and benches.

[The Scott]

Oh yeah!  There was a pic of Arnold training there in 1973 under that same skylight.  Leo died in 2009.  Sadly, all those unique/funny drawings were taken down for PC reasons.  One of the drawings showed this guy Jack Bostic squatting heavy and falling through the floor into the Chinese laundry downstairs... they were looking at him falling through the floor in the pic saying "Ahh so".  After the Chinese laundry owner bought the entire building in 2007, that drawing was the first to go.   The owner (Shannon Brown) of Stern's now pays rent to those Chinese.  I cannot believe it's still opened.  The parking around there now is horrendous.  North Park used to be a shithole when I was there, now it's all built up.

They're really trying to improve places like North Park and El Cajon...Modeling them after La Mesa if you will.

Shannon Brown's brother Al was a pretty big dude and had arms that reminded us of Robby Robinson.  Used to see him at Fitness & Muscle (?) in the Clairmont area of San Diego  in the mid 80s.  Leo was good to my family.  I was sad to see his youngest son, Willie, die of AIDS and the other boy I think OD'd on heroin. 

Leo used to kid me about my squatting and falling through the floor, now I know why.  Those were great times. My oldest and youngest brothers trained there sometimes with me as did one of my cousins.

My oldest brother keeps promising me the next time I visit him in Oregon we'll head to a restaurant that Bill Pearl frequents to see about talking with him over breakfast.  Thanks for those memories!

[IroNat]

So that's what those chrome plated weights were called?

Russian bars had the ribbed sleeves.

Awesome.

[Mr Anabolic]

They're really trying to improve places like North Park and El Cajon...Modeling them after La Mesa if you will.

Shannon Brown's brother Al was a pretty big dude and had arms that reminded us of Robby Robinson.  Used to see him at Fitness & Muscle (?) in the Clairmont area of San Diego  in the mid 80s.  Leo was good to my family.  I was sad to see his youngest son, Willie, die of AIDS and the other boy I think OD'd on heroin. 

Leo used to kid me about my squatting and falling through the floor, now I know why.  Those were great times. My oldest and youngest brothers trained there sometimes with me as did one of my cousins.

My oldest brother keeps promising me the next time I visit him in Oregon we'll head to a restaurant that Bill Pearl frequents to see about talking with him over breakfast.  Thanks for those memories!

Al Brown was a real hot-head and not the type of guy that should be on roids.  He has quite a rap sheet.  He was a leg breaker for a loan-shark for a while (so was Nasser).  Al had a serious accident working on the San Diego docks that almost crippled him.  I have no idea how's doing now, or if he's still alive.  When I was there, Shannon had a side business selling specific 'supplements'.  He's much more agreeable than his brother, but he also has had run-ins with the law.  He played for the Detroit Lions back in the day.

[oldgolds]

So that's what those chrome plated weights were called?

Golds gym San Diego had a Russian olympic set that was fantastic...It was so balanced and precise that is gave me 10-15 lbs  extra on my max bench and incline. Speaking of Leo Stern, I used to BS with him when I would see him walking his pitbull in Balboa park in the early 80's. He was gruff but nice.

[Vince B]

Pat Casey was the first guy to bench 600 pounds. Very impressive back then.

Leo was on the cover as a bodybuilder. As a gym owner he took lots of photos of the champs, including Bill Pearl.
You can see his gym had a curved floor to background so nice photos could be taken. Yes, right under a skylight.

[Vince B]

Leo Stern took most of the impressive photos of Bill Pearl. Here are two that amazed us back in the sixties. Taken in Leo's gym under the skylight.

[BB]

"Rekordnaia Stanga" - World Record Barbell -

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I was curious if I got the price right, and I was off a bit, they were $350 in the early 70's, so about $2200 in today's money. A York of similar poundage would've been in the low - mid $200's around the same time.

[IroNat]

Good stuff, Vince!

[oldgolds]

"Rekordnaia Stanga" - World Record Barbell -

.

I was curious if I got the price right, and I was off a bit, they were $350 in the early 70's, so about $2200 in today's money. A York of similar poundage would've been in the low - mid $200's around the same time.

And they were made of stainless steel..turned on a lathe.

[The Scott]

Al Brown was a real hot-head and not the type of guy that should be on roids.  He has quite a rap sheet.  He was a leg breaker for a loan-shark for a while (so was Nasser).  Al had a serious accident working on the San Diego docks that almost crippled him.  I have no idea how's doing now, or if he's still alive.  When I was there, Shannon had a side business selling specific 'supplements'.  He's much more agreeable than his brother, but he also has had run-ins with the law.  He played for the Detroit Lions back in the day.

Yeah, I had heard of Shannon's problems but not Al's.  Ty Youngs, another great physique champion from San Diego isn't doing well. I recently saw a friend and fellow lifter from back in the day and we spoke about the old times and when I asked about Ty, he said he wasn't doing well at all.  Ty was a framer and I'm guessing it's a case of it ain't the years, it's the mileage.   I knew Ty's younger brother Michael better than I did Ty. 

I hope to get up north to visit my brother and maybe get to speak with Pearl.  Thanks again for the memory ride! 

[Humble Narcissist]

Leo Stern took most of the impressive photos of Bill Pearl. Here are two that amazed us back in the sixties. Taken in Leo's gym under the skylight.

Bill Pearl had/has an enviable life.

[Deacon Jeschin]

That pic was taken at Stern's gym San Diego.  I used to train there.

Hoo Hoo Hoo.  Tell em Fred.

[oldgolds]

Pat Casey was the first guy to bench 600 pounds. Very impressive back then.

Leo was on the cover as a bodybuilder. As a gym owner he took lots of photos of the champs, including Bill Pearl.
You can see his gym had a curved floor to background so nice photos could be taken. Yes, right under a skylight.

Leo looked pretty damn good for a natty...That's probably as good as it gets for a drug free White guy. and Jewish no less.

[stuntmovie]

VINCE, Etal,  I was there the day that Pat got that 600 lb bench. It occurred in  relatively small room in what I recall was some sort of Police Academy or major police station.

That room as so small and so flat (no stage) that I was no further than 20 feet away.

And somewhere on this site many  years ago I mentioned that a lion roared.

The zoo was within a mile or two away ....  and Pat and everyone in attendance seemed to appreciate it.