Off the beach and into the dungeon. warning actual history

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Muscle Beach Gym
The Dungeon, 1963


I have collected over the years an impressive file of tough workouts to review. You see, in 40 years I've rarely missed one, and not one was easy. Training all out with meticulous form and mild sound effects always defined my style.

My most vivid tough workouts are set against the backdrop of the Muscle Beach Gym in the early '60s. This famous, beloved relic once located on the unspoiled shores of Santa Monica was relocated by the encouragement of the city council to the underground basement of a collapsing retirement hotel four blocks inland.

A very long, steep and unsure staircase took me to a cavernous hole in the ground with crumbling plaster walls and a ceiling that bulged and leaked diluted beer from the old-timer's tavern above. Puddles of the stuff added charm to the dim atmosphere, where three strategically placed 40-watt light bulbs gave art deco shadows to the rusting barbells, dumbbells and splintery handcrafted 2x4 benches and sagging milk crates.

You have no idea how proud I am to have this theater and the real life plays that unfolded day after day as part of my experience. It's pure gold.

The magic didn't come from the pharmacist; it came from the soul, the era, the history in the making, the presence of uncompromised originality yet to be imitated.

Those years I got to the gym between 5:30 and 6:00am while the city slept, curiously content in getting a head start. By the time I left, perhaps 3 or 4 other creatures would descend the lonely steps and reluctantly take up arms. I like the company I keep when I'm alone, I like the sounds of silence; I like the uncluttered space. With a crowd of one there's no one to complain or groan, no self-consciousness, no dividing of attention, no one to impress.

My workouts today bear a striking resemblance to that hardcore iron locomotion of years ago. Achievement and age instruct me to limit my workouts to five per week instead of six. Three days on, one off; two days on, one off is quite satisfying. Hammered joints and insertions convincingly suggest I use lighter weights and discard a pocketful of somehow replaceable exercises. I'm doin' fine.

It was in the Dungeon in '63, '64, '65 & '66 that tough workouts took place. What kept me going without missing a beat is another story. There was no glory except a rumor of respect and reputation amongst the underground bodybuilders and weight lifters. People in the real world sincerely frowned at us; a musclehead, misfit, a bewildered loser who's harming himself and isn't doing us any good either.

Man, has that concept taken a spin.

My toughest workouts took place in the middle of those formidable years way back when. I had training partners from time to time, and one in particular, Dick Sweet, pushed me, encouraged and goaded me to those otherwise unapproached limits.

There existed on the far end of the caving rack a set of 150lb dumbbells, awesome in length with pipe handles and suicide welds on the ends. These unwieldy contraptions could be further enlarged by strapping five-pound plates on either end with strips of inner tube. You got it -- giant rubber bands. Getting them together took two guys, some muscle and engineering. Getting them overhead took temporary insanity. We won't talk about the 60-degree incline bench of wood and ten-penny nails wedged against the wall. Never did get a good look at it in the dark.

On the third rep of the third set, the rubber band snapped and slapped me in the face. Some guy standing in the shadows snickered. Shortly thereafter a 5-pounder bounced off my forehead; I saw it coming. This made me serious. I had two sets to go and no more rubber bands. A short length of rope got me through the last two sets.

Did I tell you I was supersetting? Workouts without supersets were not workouts at all. I was doing bent-over lateral raises with 60s. The welds this time were on the inside of the dumbbells, and cracked, not dangerous but sloppy. Every third or fourth rep the web of my left hand between the thumb and the index finger got pinched in the crack. This, too, made me serious. Good thing there's not much nerve ending and the blood flow was light or I'd have never finished my workout.

All I had left was upright rows with that rusty, comfortably bent bar over by the beer puddle, and side-arm laterals with the 50s. The 50s were tight and balanced like trophies, the best in the house.

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ARNOLD ARRIVES AT VINCE’S GYM
When we think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, imagery such as The Terminator, The Governator, champion and legendary bodybuilder and winner of 7 Mr. Olympia’s comes to mind. When we imagen Arnold training for those Olympia’s, imagery of Gold’s Gym and footage of the film Pumping Iron runs in our minds, his grueling workouts, posing out with Franco and Lou for the title, and Joe Weider handing him the title. Although bodybuilding mogul Joe Wieder brought Arnold to the sunny shores of California, it was the legendary Vince Gironda that helped mold the young Austrian's physique.That’s right! Vince Gironda, the iron guru was the first trainer of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and not even Arnold would escape Vince’s infamous attitude.



Entering the North Hollywood gym on the advice of Joe Wieder, the six-foot Austrian Oak, soon to be bodybuilding’s greatest athlete of all time introduced himself to Vince Gironda. As John Balik who witnessed the event recalls, Arnold walked into the gym, weighing approximately 255 pounds and stated in his heavy Austrian accent.

"I am Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr Universe".

Vince removed his cigar out of his mouth and replied "You just look like a fat f*ck to me"!

In that one moment, Arnold’s lesson at Vince’s gym had begun. Vince had cut Arnold’s monster complex and made him understand that size was not all. As John recalls «from that moment on, Arnold’s body would never be that smooth again».  Vince’s brutal physique assessment helped Arnold clarify his vision of how to obtain a champion physique, and it forever changed the way he would prepare for competition. Instead of feeling disheartened, insulted, or threatened, Arnold extended his hand to Vince, and he would continue to train at Vince’s Gym under the tutelage of Vince Gironda for the next few months.



THE LESSONS BEGIN
Two weeks later, after losing the IFBB 1968 Mr. Universe to Frank Zane, Arnold realized Vince was right. Arnold soon got to work at Vince’s Gym, and Vince led Arnold to change a few things with his training, and in particular, with these weakpoints. Vince introduced Arnold to the preacher curl on the preacher bench for biceps. Vince also tweaked Arnold’s leg and shoulder routine to include a variety of side raises and hack squats and other leg movements.

Dick Tyler recalls Vince Gironda’s training strategy for improving Arnold’s physique in a rare article. Arnold had just arrived in America and had no place to stay, so he stayed with Don Peters who lived close to Vince’s Gym.

Time rushed by and before we knew it, it was time to meet Don Peters at his home. Don had been kind enough to offer his fabulous house to Arnold for a few days until he could find an apartment.This house is the one with the fantastic home gym, swimming pool, professional pool table, color TV, palm trees, and genuine California sunshine.



After a few days in this perfect place, Arnold moved into an apartment that happens to be a block or so away from Vince’s Gym, so you can guess where he’s training now. Every morning at Vince’s and every evening at Don Peters, this massive Austrian Oak bombs his muscles.

I recently asked Vince how Arnold was doing and I thought he was going to mount a bandstand to tell me.

“He’s a vast untapped reservoir of unused tissue.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“For one thing he’s never used a preacher bench before; he’s never trained his legs or shoulders correctly and only recently has he started working his waist hard and started taking supplements of any kind. The other day I put him on a new deltoid exercise and you could see the insertion in the humorous literally burst out of the skin while he was doing it, only to disappear when the pump was gone.”

Now Vince looked at me seriously. “Dick, I guarantee in six months he’ll put two inches on his arms and three inches on his shoulders. That’s six months from now.”

“But how will he cram on all that size?”

Vince walked away with a knowing smile. Don’t worry though, I’ll find out and let you in on any secrets. The Austrian Oak is in town and you’ll get all the information from Vince’s Italian Riviera.

 





ARNOLD ON VINCE GIRONDA
Arnold further elaborates on his experiences with Vince Gironda.

 When I first moved to California in 1968, I sometimes trained at Vince’s Gym in Studio City, owned by Vince Gironda.Vince was a bodybuilding pioneer with many radical theories about bodybuilding training, and he was always experimenting.

For example, he’d complete 30 sets of an exercise and, the next day, he’d know which part of a particular muscle had been doing the work by how sore it was. This would let him gauge how effective or ineffective an exercise was. For instance, if you did 30 sets of barbell curls and the next day your delts hurt more than your biceps, it would be clear that the delts had done an undue amount of the work. Therefore, you might want to perform an isolation exercise such as preacher curls instead, to take the delts out of play. Vince’s philosophy and the previous example underscore that not everything works for everybody, and that bodybuilding is an individual journey for each of us.



CUTTING UP ON VINCE DIETS
Vince’s influence had Arnold training aggressively for hours daily, and he was now performing 2-3 split workouts per day as opposed to lengthy workouts. Arnold would train in the morning at Vince’s and later in the day at Don Peter’s private home gym. Arnold had met Peters when he came to the west coast to train at Vince Gironda’s gym. Besides learning from the Gironda crew, he also improved his diet by incorporating Rheo Blairs supplements and used Vince’s Diets to attain better definition for competition, and it paid off.

I cut down and cut down and cut down; I chiseled and polished, rendering that animal mass I’d brought from Europe down to the work of art I wanted. I had jewel-like abdominals for the first time; it was the first time I knew there was such a thing as a low-carbohydrate diet. I’d never heard of special diets in Germany. There you ate and worked and grew.

 With the advice, he had obtained from Vince Gironda and the crew at Vince’s gym, he had trimmed off roughly 20 pounds of fat giving his physique a more defined and hard look. Arnold captured the 1969 IFBB Mr universe and decided to enter the 1969, Mr. Olympia. Although he lost to Sergio Oliva that year, Vince had laid the foundation necessary to capture the 7 Mr. Olympias that awaited Arnold.

ARNOLD’S TRANSITION TO GOLD’S GYM
Eventually, it is said that a combination of factors led to Arnold leaving Vince’s Gym and making the transition to Gold’s Gym. Firstly, according to Boyer Coe, Arnold didn’t get along with Vince. Secondly, Arnold enjoyed the sunny California atmosphere and enjoyed the hardcore bodybuilding scene emerging at Gold’s Gym….but that is another story.

 

[Humble Narcissist]

I love some of Vince's workout routines and diets.

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tness VIP
Bill Barad Bodybuilder
Last Updated on Sat, 13 Jul 2019 | Muscle Pumping
Physique Zero



In answer to your recent letter, I'm not at all adverse to being quoted, so long as I'm not quoted out of context. However, I would much prefer that this letter not be cut or condensed in any way, reprinted in its entirety.

First, I'd like to make my position clear, concerning the anabolic hormones or 'tissue drugs', as you call them. I'm neither-for-or against their use, as far as the general public is concerned. Each individual is a complex combination of innumerable factors, both physical and psychological, and certainly no one can say truthfully that anything is good for EVERYONE. These hormones are contraindicated in certain diseased conditions of the prostate and liver. However, under normal condition, I feel that they are very useful and beneficial for the average bodybuilder when used with discretion.

Most of the arguments I've heard against the use of these substances have revolved about the theme that it isn't natural to take hormones or drugs. I would answer by simply stating that neither is it natural to drink milk, eat bread or cooked food of any kind, use salt, imbibe wheat germ oil, take vitamin, mineral or concentrated protein supplements in any form. It's even unnatural to bathe daily as we do, and exercising with weights on a regular or a strenuous basis is not natural. Yet, who condemns these practices because they are unnatural? I'd hate to be forced to live in a strictly natural manner. I would then necessarily be uncivilized and, I am convinced, quite unhealthy.

Another argument is that great 'authorities' Hoffman and Weider are against using them. This I can answer simply by pointing out that hormones cannot be sold legally by these self-styled authorities. Since no profit is in it for them, as there is in the products they peddle, it isn't difficult to see why they're against them. After all, if bodybuilders turned to effective hormones, how would the health food boys stay in business?

There have been some adverse reactions due to misuse of these substances, to be sure. However, these reactions have been extremely rare and almost always associated with over dosage in individuals who were being treated medically for various conditions of poor health affecting the metabolism of these hormones. Besides, all known side effects of these substances are completely reversible upon reduction or withdrawal of dosage. There are far more people whose health was damaged by milk, eggs, wheat, vitamin supplements, etc. In fact, there is hardly a food or drink which hasn't been harmful to someone.

Would anyone condemn the use of insulin, because it's unnatural? Or thyroid extract or cortisone and its derivatives? If individuals must use these substances, nothing can convince them not to take their daily dose, because it's unnatural or because a few persons may have had an adverse reaction from taking too much. They know that their daily doses are all that stand between themselves and death.

My experience with anabolic hormones has been very fruitful. I've been using them for almost ten years now and I can honestly say they have benefited me greatly. I will soon be 46 (1966) and I find my physical development and total vitality to be on a higher plane with much less effort than it was, ten years ago. I firmly believe that aging is chemical and that some day, via hormone therapy, we'll be able to extend the prime of life far beyond what it is today. Meanwhile, I'll not be twiddling my thumbs waiting^ I'll take advantage of every trick at my disposal, natural or unnatural, to extend my prime as long as I can; for I've found the anabolic hormones do much more than merely enhance muscular size - they have a toning effect on practically all my bodily functions.

To explain how these hormones accomplished their actions, would take volumes to delve into the many faceted and intricate workings involved and then it would only be theory. The only thing you can say as certain is that they work and, in some cases, are life saving.

I could tell you more about the history of anabolic hormones - how they are derived, etc. - but it would make too long a letter. I would, however, like to bring one more item to your attention. I know of three Mr. Americas and at least one Mr. Florida, also several movie stars who rose to glory when taking these hormones. In fact, one of the greatest and best known of all bodybuilders became Mr. America in the 1940's, after taking testosterone - the parent hormone from which the more recent anabolic hormones have been derived. He later became Mr. Universe and even today, twenty years later, he is still considered by many, to be the greatest of them all. In closing, I look forward to seeing this letter presented to your readers. - Bill Barad

Donne Hales Responds

Donne at his store, Hales Health Foods, in Miami, Florida in 1966
Donne at his store, Hales Health Foods, in Miami, Florida in 1966
Bill Barad is the only man I know who used tissue drugs successfully, for so long. His case is encouraging but certainly not conclusive evidence. Favorable results such as weight gain, size, more energy, power, increase of hardness in muscles have been reported. Others have had reactions such as a bleeding from nose and rectum, chest pains, loss of sexual drive, nausea, upset liver, appearance of puffiness. It is obvious that much is to be learned and results vary due to body chemistry or other factors.

The building up phase of metabolism is anabolism, thus giving its name to this type of drug. A hormone, of course, is an "exciter" in the system; it takes only an infinitesimal bit to vastly effect body chemistry, as they are so powerful. Here is one theory of how the anabolic hormones work - the cell's membrane acts like a sieve, permitting some elements to enter the cell, rapidly, others slowly and some, not at all. A molecule of growth hormone may drape itself over the membrane, thus changing the nature of the "sieve". Maybe it lets more amino's enter, giving the enzymes more to work with and forming more protein, which accelerates the cell growth and multiplication. If this action takes place in the body's billions of cells, rapid growth will result. Common sense should indicate that changing normal metabolism as they do, tissue drugs MUST be considered dangerous. Read this, from THE BODY, by Nourse, "...hormonal activity must remain in delicate balance - like salt in a stew - or the entire body will be thrown out of kilter." Does this make you think?

Anabolic hormones are used following surgery or a long illness, with people who do not metabolize properly; they were intended for therapeutic use and nothing else! Their labels specifically warm that lengthy use is not recommended and advise supervision by a doctor while taking them. Does that sound as if they are NOT dangerous? Don't kid yourself that they are like penicillin, insulin or other drugs that have known side effects. Those medicines are used in cases of desperation, with the patient willing to risk the bad effects. This is not so with a tissue drug - if you're using one, it's due to vanity. If you ask me, that's a foolish reason for taking serious risks!

It is unfortunate that there isn't yet definite evidence of serious harm from these hormone drugs. Side effects from chemicals don't usually show up until years later and if the product isn't widely used, reports are slower. Sulfonamides were lauded as a safe, wonder drug in 1957; in 1964, it was proven they caused severe blood disease or ulcerations. A flu vaccine popular for ten years was pinned down in 1965 as causing tumors. Because you don't drop dead when it is taken, doesn't mean a chemical is safe!

Another mistake is to assume that these anabolic hormones must be safe, or they could not be sold. The Food & Drug Administration is notoriously lax in protecting the public from the powerful drug monopolies. That office has continually passed drugs as safe that were later proved dangerous; just as often, they have failed to act against products known to be harmful, allowing them to remain on drug shelves, with a change in the label. In recent years, they have passed chloromycetin, orabilex, parnate, enovid and others; all have caused drastic results - even death, in some cases. Physicians can not be relied upon for protection, even if sincere. The AMA says that 90% of the drugs known to a doctor when he begins practice, will have replaced during his career. They also add that less than 20% of the new ones will have received adequate testing! Drug companies are tremendous businesses; I do not find it strange to think they might place profits ahead of public welfare! No, the best protection is still common sense.

Modern society is ruled by a slap-happy way of thinking - it blissfully accepts poison sprays, chemicals in food and yes, hormone drugs, without question. They smugly quote "After all, we're healthier than ever". And I say, the Hell we are! Juggling statistics makes it appear we live longer, but we can not ignore the alarming increase in all degenerative diseases, like cancer. In my mind, this brings us back to tissue drugs. In A MATTER OF LIFE & DEATH by Bailey, this appears, "...all cancers share a basic similarity: uncontrolled, spreading growth". If you recall the way in which the anabolic hormones probably react on metabolism, does that sound comforting? And then this, "the law says that cells should grow, but only enough to benefit the whole organisms". Some will accuse me of using "scare tactics". I am, and with good reason - if you're toying with the tissue drugs, you SHOULD be scared!

Most men who use anabolic hormones do so in ignorance; they believe they must use then to get a top physique and they do not have any idea of their evil potential. Some of the greatest physiques in history were developed BEFORE the hormone crazy, including the immortal John C. Grimek. Today, we still have stars who have never touched them.

Although tissue drugs do seem to stimulate growth, they do not always produce desired results. Immediate ill effects often appear and, in the light of scanty knowledge about hormonal effect on bodily processes, there is a definite risk of possible later side effects. In the face of all this, if being big is your only objective in life, if it is more important to you than possible danger to your health, I have no further arguments to offer. After all, it IS your life. - Donne Hale

A Dennis B. Weis Capsule Comment
I was in 100% agreement with Donne's response to Bill Barad and on a personal note I would say that, unless you are a pituitary dwarf or 99 years old and weight 60 pounds, you shouldn't ever risk the use of anabolic steroids (or thyroid drugs for that matter).

Closing Comments
This program-neither the diet nor the workouts are NOT recommended for beginners or for bodybuilders age 40 and beyond as it might cause side effects (and blowback) of Central nervous system shock, Adrenalin gland exhaustion, Rapid testosterone and growth hormone depletion or high levels of the catabolic hormone "Cortisol". Remember that recovery must always precede muscle growth!

There is no easy way, no shortcuts in bodybuilding. Learn to workout hard, eat well, get enough sleep, don't consume alcoholic beverages or smoke. Pay your dues.

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bill barad

[funk51]

I love some of Vince's workout routines and diets.

               

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Book Review: Vince’s Secret Locker – A must read for all
By Kevin Grech -August 17, 2018254

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Book Review: Vince’s Secret Locker – A must read for all.

If you have been following the sport of bodybuilding as I have… or you are as old or older than me, you surely have come across the name Vince Gironda.

Vince was a bodybuilder, professional trainer and a gym owner in the 1950’s up to the 1990’s.

Many people think it was in the modern era that movie and sport stars looked for personal trainers, but Vince was the man to talk to back then. He would prepare actors and stuntmen for their film roles with a no bullshit manner.

Vince wrote hundreds of articles about diet and bodybuilding technique and one would think these were all lost.

Thankfully author/publisher Karl Coyne managed to gather all of Vince’s work and put them together in a series of books called Vince’s Secret Locker.

When reading the book (Enhanced Edition Vol 1), you will notice the respect everybody had for this man and how he would not tolerate anything other than concentration and good quality training at his gym. If it was anything different, you would get kicked out… regardless how famous his clients were.

The illustrations and rare photos in the book are fantastic as they are displayed in high quality print.


 


Vince did not just snap his fingers and open a gym. You will find out how he started and how he became a household name at the time. It’s all there!!

The best part about this book is Vince’s articles. Karl must have spent countless hours, days and months gathering all this wealth of information.

When you start to read the training and diet articles by Vince, you will notice how far ahead of his time he was.

Vince’s articles are published in the order they were released in various magazines at the time.

The articles are simple to read and you do not need to be a scientist to understand his diet plans and workout routines as in the modern era.

It is nice to see his diet plans stating steak and eggs… when was the last time you heard something so basic?

Vince makes you realize that if you go back to the basics, you can build a fantastic physique and in fact nothing has really changed in the past 60 years when it comes to training and diet.

If you want to lose weight, reading through Vince’s articles, you will find the easiest explanation to help you with this, it is all there!!

If you love the sport of bodybuilding, or just want to learn the real basics of diet and training… this is the perfect book to add to your collection.

Log on to www.vincessecretlocker.c om to take advantage of the discounts being offered.

Order your copy now. Click HERE

Vince’s Secret Locker Vol 1

Vince’s Secret Locker Vol 2

Vince’s Secret Locker Vol 1 Enhanced Edition Mystical Cover

Vince’s Secret Locker Vol 1 Enhanced Edition Artistic Cover




 

[funk51]

Joe Gold's Gym & The Dungeon
Joe Gold and Dave Draper at World Gym Venice, 1992.
Standing on the balcony of Joe's bold and handsome gym in Venice, the pride of bodybuilding swells up inside you. It was at the grand opening of his World Gym, Venice in March of 1987 when I realized the vastness of bodybuilding and that I was a part of its history.

(Click on photos to view enlargements.)
Bodybuilding pioneer Joe Gold at World Gym Venice, California.

I remember when Joe broke ground for his very first gym, Venice California, 1964. He built the entire building and filled it with the finest equipment - all engineered by him and setting the standard of excellence for equipment manufacturers today. I was his first "professional" member, and it was then I began to wean myself from the old Muscle Beach Gym - The Dungeon as it was affectionately called. I stepped from the Dungeon's splintery milk crate and 2x4 benches to the powerful steel rigs built by Joe. It was there that my training took another turn toward the Mr. America title.

Dave Draper, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mike Katz, and Frank Zane.

This is Joe Gold's gym when the Golden Years were at their peak. Frank Zane looks on as Mike Katz, Arnold and I train for the shows in 1970. Artie Zeller took the picture and Franco Columbu was somewhere off camera rooting us on. The excitement, enthusiasm and energy in the old gym was intense. The combination of forces coupled with purpose and focus resulted in success.

That year Mike won the Mr. America title, Arnold won the Olympia in Ohio, Frank took the Universe in London and I won the Mr. World in New York.

Dave Draper, Joe Gold, Zabo Kozewski, Eddie Giuliani and Lou Ferrigno.

For me, one of the hallmarks of our sport has always been the comraderie. In today's world, I notice the friendships of the gym far outdistancing the acquaintances of the neighborhood and the workplace.

For more than twenty years I trained next to the same people in Venice. Even though bodybuilding is a solitary sport, these guys are always by my side, as I'm by theirs, sharing an uncommon denominator in our struggle with the Iron.

***

So where did we come from? Once upon a time there was a big hole in the ground on top of which sat a five story hotel, 50 tired years old housing grumpy pensioners and a smelly tavern with warped floors. All of this existed just two blocks from the grand palisades of Santa Monica and her majestic blue Pacific.

The hole, or "Dungeon" as it was affectionately called by its then-all male attendees, was the beach-removed site of the Muscle Beach Gym. Two long, steep staircases penetrated the eternal dimness of the gym, illumination coming from 3 strategically located 60 watt bulbs. Too much light and you might see where you were and leave - in a hurry. The concrete floor was cracked and bulging, the walls crumbling and the ceiling 12 feet overhead was sagging, especially where the ground floor bar leaked beerlike brownish ooze. An ankle deep puddle formed near the squat rack each winter and nobody used the shower or toilet except in emergencies. I hated emergencies!

Milk crates, old 2X4's and splintered plywood nailed together by nearsighted musclebound carpenters made up most of the benches and racks. Pulleys and twisted cable from a nearby Venice boatyard, a dozen Olympic bars, bent and rusty, tons of plates scattered throughout the 2500 square foot floor, dumbbells up to 160's that rattled at broken welds added final touches to complete unquestionably the greatest gym in the world.

Here bodybuilding began, embryonic. The original, not the imitation. Here exercises were invented, equipment improvised, muscle shape and size imagined and built, and an authentic atmosphere existed like a primal ooze. You were awash in basics and honesty. I loved it then, the memory more now.

[IroNat]

Barad's mention of that particular Mr. America taking testosterone could be none other than Steve Reeves.

How old was Bill Barad when he died?

[funk51]

Upside Down Bodybuilding Darden 2015
Last Updated on Sun, 28 Jul 2019 | Muscle Pumping
Physique Zero

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THE IN FOOD SUPPLEMENTS

Visit: www.rheoblair.com.

Richards Vitamin/Mineral Regime

He also took in plenty of vitamins and minerals in supplement form throughout each day. This strengthened his body from the inside, feeding it the necessary minerals, nutrients, energy and bodybuilding materials it needed.

Richard took B Complex (3 times per day), 45 mgs. of Thiamine (Vitamin B1), 50,000 I.U. Vitamin A, 4,000-6,000 mgs. Vitamin C & Biolflavonoids, 800-1,000 I.U. Vitamin E, and 5 tablespoons of wheat germ oil.

The Transformation!

By following the 3 x 3 x 3 Exercise System and stepped up daily calorie consumption, as outlined, Richard increased his bodyweight from 200 pounds to 225 pounds. This was a gain of 25 Pounds of in 21 Days.

To my mind this mega-gain factor was startling but more than that it was not accomplished at the expense of an unattractive physique. I had the opportunity to see Richard only a week or so after his transformation and in my minds eye he displayed decent muscular contours, pleasing lines and a symmetrical shape.

At a height of 6'2" Richard had some impressive body part measurements to go along with his muscle weight gain. His upper arms measured 18.5 inches, forearms (gooseneck) 15.5 inches, chest 51.5 inches, waist 34 inches, thighs 28.5 inches and calves 17.5 inches (calves were a lagging muscle group for Richard).

Richard told me that his primary goal was to one day weigh in at a rock hard, 255 pounds. To achieve this he said that he would have to get his bodyweight up to 300 pounds and then train and diet back down slowly to his goal of 255 pounds.

Richard cautioned that such increases should never be determined solely by what the scale revealed but rather how much muscular bulk the skeletal structure can additionally hold without losing any great degree of pleasing lines that give it shape.

He went on to say that gains such as 25 Pounds in 21 Days, should never acquired through inactivity and a voracious appetite. This kind of weight gain is useless and represents "dead weight" around the body. Plus it gives the appearance of a very awkward physique with an accompanying decrease in physical ability and efficiency of the individual.

Richard's physique as near as I could tell personified an unusual combination of added muscular bulk coupled with an increase in strength and power. As the years past I lost track of Richard so I never did find out if he achieved his primary goal.

The Pros and Cons of Muscular Bulk Routines
Muscular bulk routines such as 25 Pounds in 21 Days and many others have advantages and disadvantages and Richard discussed these me in explicit detail.

Advantages:

For the novice or beginner bodybuilder, especially, properly applied muscular bulk routines can be of great value; Such a program assists in reorganizing the efficiency of the metabolism so future gains come more readily; a heavy muscular bulk routine of training for the total body (as opposed to just training the upper body or lower body exclusively), combined with a very heavy but balanced diet and a great deal of rest and sleep increases the gain theory factor in a shorter period of time than certain other methods of training and eating. All in all the novice or beginner bodybuilder experiences a new self-confidence, and of course body part measurements, body weight, energy and maximum single effort lifts always go up during a muscular bulk phase.

For the intermediate and advanced bodybuilder the advantages are somewhat different. For these individuals muscular bulk routines are excellent for promoting better muscle structural integrity that had been previously unresponsive or neglected; pushing past a sticking point; putting on a few inches of muscle for an occasion of importance, be it a bodybuilding contest or even a high school class reunion. Another advantage of a muscular bulk routine is that it can be used to go up 10 to say 50 pounds, to see how you appear at a higher body weight; to see if your height and bone structure will accommodate such muscular increases.

The advantages of muscular bulk routines are obvious but there are a few disadvantages that sometimes attach themselves.

Disadvantages:

First and foremost by embarking on a natural retro-mass routine your grocery bill can't help but increase monetarily as opposed to what you were paying previously for the food items of your regular diet. A part of the success of a muscular bulk program is the principle of progressive eating wherein there is a very high calorie intake, fairly high intake of liquids, and a high intake of protein foods.

A classic example is a bodybuilder named Bruce Randall, who back in the 50's bulked up to a bodyweight of over 400 pounds (this was definitely on the other side huge back then) in an effort to break some of the strength records of the now, late, Paul Anderson. The following is a great evidence based before and after photo(s) of Bruce Randall...

Bruce Randall Bodybuilder
Bruce followed such extreme dietary measures as eating 7 pounds of meat and drinking 8 to 10 quarts of milk a day (between meals). At times his milk consumption reached 19 quarts a day! He would eat four meals a day which was unusual back then, but not by the standards of pro bodybuilders of the 21st century.

The amount of food he consumed per meal was what was mind boggling. For example, breakfast consisted of 2 quarts of milk, 1 % loaves of bread and 28 fried eggs. This was during a time when his bodyweight was around 340 pounds. Bruce's progressive eating scheme was a short term issue of just 21 days but in fact carried on for nearly 31 months.

His grocery bill when computed was $80-$100 per week, remember this was back in the 50"s. Fortunately for him this massive eating regime began while he was serving in the Marine Corps, so most of the food was free.

Later on during an 8 month time frame (when he was back into the civilian sector) he trained and dieted down to 187 pounds and won a Mr. Universe title. It would have been interesting to make a comparison of his computed grocery bill while in the military and that of when he was a civilian and dieting down in bodyweight. With the exception of Bruce Randall's case, an increase in your grocery bill, while unavoidable is not a long term issue.

A second disadvantage with an accelerated muscular bulk routine is that of stretch marks and Richard found about this problem the hard way during his gain of 25 Pounds in 21 Days.

Because he bulked up so quickly the skin around his anterior deltoids, upper pectorals, inner thighs and even gluteus maximus, were stretched beyond the limits of its normal elasticity.

As a result he developed silvery scars called stretch marks. Though he used a seemingly flawless "technique-emphasis" of a full stretch and contraction on each and every rep of a set for a particular exercise, he said that if he had it to do over again he would have avoided going to a full extension (as mentioned previously the Lat pull-downs was one exercise he didn't do to full extension) on any joint in any exercise. He felt hypothetically that this caution and common sense approach might have helped him to avoid the stretch marks.

Summed up the advantages of an accelerated muscular bulk routine seemed to outweigh the disadvantages, at least that's the way Richard perceived it.

Skepticism
Reflecting back to 1966, I was only 20 years old and very impressionable and a bit naive so I have to look deep within and ask myself if I really believed that Richard Simons actually gained 25 Pounds in 21 Day and with only "9" muscle-pumping workouts. Personally, I believe he did and I'll tell you why shortly.

I realize that some of you reading this report may be somewhat skeptical and take issue with regard to the 3 x 3 x 3 Exercise System of bodybuilding he used and The Transformation!, or physical metamorphosis resulting from it. I would be amiss if I didn't briefly comment on each of these two issues.

Evolutionary High-Volume Training Was in Vogue

I realize that many HIT (high intensity training) and HEAVY DUTY (www.mikementzer.com) advocates (who believe that one of the keys to any weight training is intensity within a set rather than the quantity of sets performed) will literally freak when looking at the training approach he took on for it appears that in addition to the adrenaline fueled intensity he put into each exercise he also placed a lot of emphasis on the quantity (volume) of sets (up to 18 per exercise) he used to achieve his goals.

It should be noted that Evolutionary high-volume training programs were in vogue back in the 1960's, as evidenced by the Japanese Counter-Split Body Blast System outlined at the beginning of this e-report and of course there was the PHA (Peripheral Heart Action) system that the 1966 AAU Mr. America, Robert Steven Gajda and others such as Frank Zane and Sergio Oliva and others were following at the time.

It wasn't uncommon to see Bob Gajda, for example, performing two hundred plus sets and beyond in just one workout. By comparison the total number of sets Richard on the other hand was averaging only 56 sets per workout which would seem to be a modified high-volume training style when compared to the PHA system. The bottom line was, high-volume training, however you define it, seemed to be productive for the contest entering and winning bodybuilders of that era.

There were many reasons why Richard succeeded with the high-volume training approach. There are 7 that immediately come to mind:

1 - He was an ultimate Iron Lord in his early 20's who had an over abundance of natural growth hormone pouring over the pours of his awakened and alert muscle fibers.

2 - He had the Mind Power Doctrine of an Iron Warrior (read Bonus No. 1 at the conclusion of this e-report), which was an ABSOLUTE BELIEF IN THE EFFECTIVENESS AND THE END RESULT OF THE PROCESS HE WAS USING. Richard said that it is was his mind that provided the impetus to succeed with the challenging 3 x 3 x 3 Exercise System with the end result being a mega-gain of 25 Pounds in 21 Days.

3 - Richard said that from his previous training experiences he knew what the greatest number of sets per exercise he could do and still recover from overnight.

Ralph Kroger Bodybuilder
I couldn't help but notice that there were also far fewer movements per body part in Richard's workouts than in most training programs. I discovered that Richard did this intentionally because from his experience and insights in the iron game, he realized that in almost every instance, bodybuilders even those in advanced stages, tend to perform too many movements per body part and thus actually over train causing a slowdown in muscle gains.

So the logic to his high-volume training approach was to overload specific muscle groups on particular days (Monday-Wednesday-Friday) and have adequate intervals of rest provided for on the remaining four days of the week.

He felt that if he trained anymore often than 3 days a week he would become over-trained (as he did when using the Japanese Counter-Split Body Blast System) He felt that this strategic training approach (please remember the training concepts espoused within this e-report was what was generally accepted in the 1960's) allowed for the twofold recovery of the muscles and central nervous system.

4 - Rest & Relaxation were of vital importance. He would get at least eight to nine hours of sleep a night and three hours of total relaxation throughout each day, which he felt was the equivalent to a night's sleep.

5 - Adequate nutritional support (i.e. Mega-Calorie or Ultra Mass Diet).

6 - During the 21 days he avoided working at a normal job.

7- He abstained from alcohol and cigarettes because he felt that they rob the body of valuable energy and deplete important nutrients. They also suppress the appetite and disrupt the metabolic rate.

Defending The Transformation!

The skeptic might say that a gain of 25 Pounds in 21 Days is a case of "Sounds Too Good to Be True."

However I might point out that as far back as the 1930s, there were bodybuilders making mega-gains of 25-30 pounds in a month or less, the two most famous names being Joseph Curtis Hise and Buck Reed.

Enter into the 1950s and one had to marvel at ability of the late "Monarch of Musceldom" John C. Grimek, at a height of 5' 8", could vary his weight 30 pounds or so in a couple of weeks, either up or down and at one time went up to 240 pounds.

Mega Weight Bodybuilder
Richard Simons was not the sole boss of mega-gain theory in the 1960s. Other bodybuilders such as AAU Mr. America competitor Ralph Kroger stated on numerous occasions that he could make gains of 30-40 pounds in a month if need be. Another person that comes to mind during this era was a bodybuilder named Vern Bickel, who gained 15 pounds in 17 days.

Fast forward to the 1970's there are a couple of references pertaining to the mega-gain theory that I want to make mention of.

Probable the most famous and well documented (actual research papers) mega-gain physique transformation (off all time) was...

The Colorado Experiment in 1972-73 showcasing the 1971 AAU Mr. America, Casey Viator (www.caseyviator.com). Casey gained more than 60 Pounds (of muscular mass) in 28 Days and with only "12" (high-intensity) workouts, each of which were less than 30 minutes. Check out the rather dramatic before and after photo's of Casey on the following page.

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Barad's mention of that particular Mr. America taking testosterone could be none other than Steve Reeves.

How old was Bill Barad when he died?

Bill Barad

1944

Junior Mr America - AAU, 3rd

Magazines

1944 August       Strength and Health
1949 August   Vol 8, Num 3   Muscle Power
1950 February   Vol 12, Num 5   Your Physique

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BRUCE RANDALL AND THE MOST AMAZING TRANSFORMATION IN BODYBUILDING
med_1186689264-bruce_randall

Although bodybuilding is known for having its fair share of impressive transformations, there is perhaps no weight loss tale as impressive as that of Bruce Randall. In 1955 Randall was a 400lbs. athlete interested in nothing but lifting heavier weights. Three years later, he was not only competing in, but winning, bodybuilding shows at a weight of 212 lbs!

Randall’s weight loss was enough to make the Biggest Loser seem like an exercise in sane weight loss. So who was Bruce Randall? How did he get so heavy and how did he become Mr. Universe in 1959?


Who was Bruce Randall?

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Well up until the age of 20, Randall was someone who had never made his way into a gym. In fact, it was only was Bruce was a few months shy of his 21st birthday that he began earnestly lifting weights. This was in 1953. Bear in mind that within six years Randall was one of the biggest names in bodybuilding. It’s fair to say that he took to the hobby quite well!

Having recently progressed to adulthood Bruce joined the Marines at this time, where his interest in weightlifting quickly increased. The regimental nature of Marine life meant that Randall was able to schedule workouts quite easily. Coupled with this, as a budding soldier, all of his meals were generously provided by Uncle Sam. It was a recipe for success. Under the tutelage of Chief Petty Officer Walter Metzler, Randall set his eyes on becoming a member of the base’s football team. Lighter in weight than his fellow athletes, he set a goal weight of 225lbs. A bulk of 22lbs. would suffice.

As Randall later recounted, he easily achieved his target owing to the marine canteen.

IN ORDER TO INCREASE MY FOOD INTAKE, EACH TIME I SAT DOWN TO A MEAL I WOULD TAKE AN EXTRA CHOP, GLASS OF MILK, LOAF OF BREAD ETC. BEFORE LEAVING THE TABLE. BY DOING THIS AT EVERY MEAL, (AND I MADE IT A POINT NEVER TO MISS A MEAL), MY STOMACH SEEMED TO STRETCH IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE THE INCREASE IN FOOD. ALSO MY DIGESTION, ASSIMILATION AND OTHER BODY FUNCTIONS STEPPED UP TO TAKE CARE OF THE INCREASE.

The result?

Within six weeks Randall had reached his goal weight. Having achieved this weight so quickly and with the encouragement of Metzler, Randall decided to see just how heavy he could become. His dream of playing football was replaced with dreams of lifting heavier and heavier weights.

How did he become so heavy?

bruce_randall02

Aside from the mass of calories Randall ingested on a daily basis, there is something quite remarkable about his bulking routine. Whereas contemporaries, such as Peary Rader, were adamant that aggressive bulking routines should be complimented with workout programmes comprised of the compound lifts, Randall initially devoted all his attention to his arms.

That’s right. For the opening months of his bulking routine, Randall trained nothing but arms. Eventually Randall shifted his training preference to something like this:

Dumbbell Bench Press – 3 x 5-8, 120 lbs.
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press – 3 x 5-8, 130 lbs.
Incline Barbell Press – 3 x 5-8, 250 lbs.
Good Mornings – 3 x 3-5, 295 lbs.
Based on how he felt on particular days, Randall added or substituted exercises. Similarly he rested as long as he felt was necessary in between sets. His focus turned from his biceps to the rest of his body, Randall continued his Herculean eating habits, much to the dismay of the Marine chefs.

I USED TO ASTOUND THE COOKS AND MEN WHEN I SAT DOWN TO EAT. BREAKFASTS CONSISTING OF TWO QUARTS OF MILK, A LOAF AND A HALF OF BREAD AND 28 FRIED EGGS WERE NOT UNCOMMON. I ATE FOUR MEALS A DAY AND NEVER ATE BETWEEN MEALS UNLESS IT WAS MILK. I USUALLY ATE BREAKFAST AT 6:30, LUNCH AT 11:30, SUPPER AT 4:30 AND A MEAL AT 9:30 JUST BEFORE BED.

MILK WAS TAKEN IN GREAT QUANTITIES WITH AN AVERAGE OF 8 TO 10 QUARTS PER DAY. AN AVERAGE OF 12 TO 18 EGGS PER DAY ALSO COMPRISED MY DIET. I ONCE DRANK 19 QUARTS OF MILK IN ONE DAY IN ADDITION TO REGULAR MEALS, AND ONCE HAD 171 EGGS AT BREAKFAST DURING THE COURSE OF A WEEK. THE BOYS USED TO KEEP SCORE!

To put this into perspective, Randy Roach calculated that if accurate, Randall’s meals constituted about 15,000 calories per day. When Randall was discharged from the Marines in 1954, he weighed 342 lbs. A weight gain of 139 lbs. in just 14 months. Perhaps the most successful bulk in the sport!

Back in civilian life, Randall’s eating habits continued and then some. Within months he closing in on 400lbs. His extra weight served him well in the gym and by the end of 1954, Randall boasted the following lifts:

375lbs. Bench Press
680lbs. Squat
770lbs Deadlift
This being of total of 1,795 lbs. in the main compound lifts. Strong by anyone’s standards!

A turning point came in August of 1955 when Randall weighed in at 401lbs. According to Bruce, he decided to “look at life from the other side of the weight picture” by dramatically reducing his bodysize. His path to the Mr. Universe had begun.

How did Randall become Mr. Universe?

bruce cut

When Bruce first told his friends that he intended to lose weight, the general reaction was that of disbelief. After all, Randall had spent years eating everything in sight in his quest to become stronger. To expect someone to do change their habits so drastically was inconceivable for many.

Randall was methodical in his approach. Indeed he later explained his thought process on the whole ordeal

TAKE A SCULPTOR ABOUT TO CREATE A STATUE. HE TAKES A BIG, UNGAINLY PIECE OF ROCK AND WITH HIS HAMMER AND CHISEL HE CHIPS AWAY AT THE ROCK UNTIL HE CREATES THE DESIRED EFFECT. WELL, I WAS THAT BIG UNGAINLY HULK OF ROCK AND DUMBBELLS AND BARBELLS WERE MY HAMMER AND CHISEL. I ALSO HAD SOMETHING ON MY SIDE THAT THE SCULPTOR DOES NOT HAVE, DIET.

In contrast to his previous eating habits, Randall adopted a minimal eating pattern, eventually settling into the following diet:

Breakfast

2 soft boiled eggs
Plain pint of skim milk
Glass of orange juice
Apple
Lunch

Salad, dates & nuts
Dinner

Round Steak
Two vegetables
Quart skim milk with additional powdered milk
Gelatine
Coffee (Occasionally)
Similarly Randall changed his training style. Whereas previously he utilised low reps (3-5), the leaner Randall now used 12 – 15 reps alongside sets ranging from 6 – 20 per body part.

Outside of the gym Randall took up running and also reportedly did thousands of sit-ups in his free time, which he felt slimmed his waist.

By March 1956, Randall weighed 183lbs.

In just 32 weeks, he had dropped 218lbs. To put that into perspective, The Biggest Loser, America’s guilty pleasure, once saw a contestant lost 264lbs. over several months!

Bruce actually competed in the 1956 Mr. America event where he placed 13th. Prior to the competition he had increased his weight up to 219 lbs., showing what remarkable control he had over his weight.

1957 would see Randal place 6th in the same competition weighing 195 lbs. His off season weight now hovered between 230lbs and 240lbs, a far cry from his 400lbs. days. In 1959, Randall came in at 231 lbs. at the NABBA Mr. Universe contest where he won the event, truly completing his remarkable weightloss journey.

When asked what lessons he had learnt from his dietary experimentations, Randall stated just two things:

ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE AND THE LORD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES

Top level bodybuilding has yet to encounter another weightloss journey comparable to that of Bruce Randall.

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Marvin Eder - Quintessential Old School Weightlifting
DECEMBER 29, 2018•   RAW WITH MARTY GALLAGHER & RESISTANCE TRAINING TAGS: WEIGHTLIFTING & MARVIN EDER
BY: Marty Gallagher
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Quintessential Old School Weightlifting - Marvin Eder: Hardcore strength athlete Marvin Eder is shown handing 425 lbs. for eight paused reps in the barbell bench press; this in 1955 while weighing 205 lbs.. Even more amazing was the fact that two men had to hand him the 425-pound barbell. The flimsy weight bench he is benching on has no uprights.

Marvin Eder was a volume trainer famous for all-afternoon long sessions where he would handle world-record level poundage in one lift after another. The generalized weightlifting template of the time was the train the entire body three times a week.

He would begin an exercise and perform a few warm-up sets. He might then perform eight sets of 8-10 reps using a static poundage in squat, bench press, overhead press, deadlift, row, clean, curl, or dips.

Marvin Eder was (unbeknownst to him) a prototypical powerlifter; Eder engaged in long, frequent weightlifting sessions using bar-bending poundage handling heavy free weights for low to moderate reps. He was limited to primal exercises because basically all he had was barbells and dumbbells.

Marvin’s drug-free pre-steroid strength feats remain world level to this day. He turned his disadvantages, a lack of strength equipment and a lack of choices, to his advantage. As it turns out, doing fewer things better is the optimal way in which to build muscle and strength. Marvin’s era was so primitive that the lat-pulldown/tricep pushdown machine was being hailed as a breakthrough device. The incline bench press had yet to be invented.

We ‘moderns’ are afflicted with the curse of too many choices. Marvin Eder had a small menu of exercises to pick from and by training the lifts three times a week using multiple top sets, he got lots of practice. He ate voraciously, favoring whole milk and protein foods.

Eder was the greatest overhead presser in the world: he exceeded the world record in the overhead barbell press by 15-pounds when he pushed a jaw-dropping 345 in the clean and overhead press. His clean limited his press. Weighing 190 he could press 360 when taking the barbell out of the squat racks, avoiding the clean.

Natural Bodybuilder Marvin Eder Natural Bodybuilder Marvin Eder
 

He was the first man under 200 pounds bodyweight to bench press 500 lbs.. Marvin Eder used a collar-to-collar bench grip that was all pec. His ultra-wide grip technique built pectoral muscles that were four inches thick when flexed. He coupled his pec power with some of the strongest triceps of all time. His dipping power was extraordinary: he could strap on an additional 200 pounds and blast out eight 10-rep sets. He once did a single rep in the dip with two men hanging from his feet for a combined weight of 434-pounds.

He could curl a pair of 100-pound dumbbells for 8 reps and then, without setting them down, blast out ten reps in the overhead press. Marvin Eder had a world class physique and was lean, athletic and functional. Marvin and his contemporaries developed a system for building muscle power and size that serves as the foundation for our modern strength systems.

Marvin was not alone…he had predecessors like Grimek, Stanko and Stanszcyk. Marvin’s inheritors were men like Hugh Cassidy and Larry Pacifico, men that used the Eder template, retaining his intensity while moderating Marvin’s volume, reducing session frequency from thrice to twice. His lesson for ‘moderns?’ Reemphasize core barbell and dumbbell exercises: do fewer things better.

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Steve Reeves Wins the 1950 Mr. Universe with Only 4 Weeks of Training
Updated: May 17, 2019

     Steve Reeves has always been a legendary figure in the world of bodybuilding. What he accomplished naturally will never be repeated. The stories of his life are so incredible it can be difficult to distinguish myth from fact. Perhaps the greatest legend associated with Reeves are the events that surrounded his training for the 1950 NABBA Mr. Universe contest where he defeated Reg Park and brought the original bronze Sandow from the 1901 Great Competition home to America. With so many stories surrounding these events they must be investigated thoroughly.


     Who can be trusted when it comes to Reeves’ training for this event? Reeves drove from California to York, Pennsylvania to train for the contest at the York Barbell Company. John Grimek was an employee of York Barbell and witnessed Reeves’ workouts firsthand. Grimek wrote a famous article titled, “How Steve Reeves Trained”, that was printed in the November 1964 issue of Muscular Development. Grimek’s words can be trusted over other articles and interviews as this article was only written 14 years after the events took place. Grimek was known for having an incredible memory of which prolific iron game writer, Terry Todd, described as, “remarkable for faces and names”, “prodigious”, and “elephant-like.”  If Todd trusted Grimek’s memory we can also.


     According to Grimek, Reeves arrived at York on Memorial Day, Tuesday, May 30th (until it was made an official holiday in 1971, Memorial Day was always on May 30th). He states that the next day, Wednesday, May 31st they arrived at the gym a little before noon and got their first workout in. Reeves was adamant about getting three full-body workouts in a week and would typically get a workout in every 60 hours. According to Chris LeClaire’s superb biography on Reeves, Worlds to Conquer, Reeves flew to London on June 22nd. The NABBA Mr. Universe reception and dinner was held on June 23rd and the contest was on June 24th so his workout schedule would have looked something like this:


 

     Based on this calendar it appears Reeves got in around 10 full-body workouts if he stuck to his typical workout protocol. Reeves mentions in Dynamic Muscle Building that while in London before the contest he only performed lighter exercises with cables to give him more definition. It is truly phenomenal that Reeves could go from an extended layoff of not working out to Mr. Universe winner so quickly. The last time Reeves had seriously trained for a bodybuilding contest was in March 1949 before the Mr. USA contest. This was about 15 months before the NABBA Mr. Universe.


     Now that we have a good idea of how long Reeves trained before the contest, we can dive into the next legend associated with this event, how much weight he gained during this training. This is harder to quantify since Grimek only commented on Reeves’ change in physical appearance during the training but did not comment on his weight. Sources are tougher to come by as Reeves makes no mention of the weight he gained in Building the Classic Physique: The Natural Way or in his interviews with Chris LeClaire for Worlds to Conquer. In unspecified interviews contained in Dynamic Muscle Building, Reeves claims to have gained 17 pounds of muscle during his training and in another interview in the book claims he started at a weight of 198 pounds and the day of the contest weighed 217 pounds for a 19-pound gain. The interviews are not sourced so we cannot be sure when these statements were made. In a 1981 interview with WABBA contest promoter Tony DeFrancisco, Reeves states that his weight went from 190 pounds to 225 during his training at York for a 35-pound gain.   


     According to Reeves’ official entry form for the 1950 NABBA Mr. Universe contest he weighed 214 pounds although we cannot be sure when that measurement was taken. We can be highly skeptical of the DeFrancisco interview as Reeves was never known to be much heavier than 215 pounds as he considered that his top form measurement. Reeves was known to keep in contest shape year-round and did not believe in bulking up and slimming down for contests as is commonly done today. The Dynamic Muscle Building interviews are more believable as they credit Reeves with a weight gain between 17-19 pounds. If done starting at 198 pounds this would have put him in the 215-217 range which is much closer to what his entry form lists.


     Another legend associated with Reeves’ training for the Mr. Universe contest is that he contracted pneumonia during his time at York, PA and trained through it for the contest. In Building the Classic Physique: The Natural Way, Reeves states that he, “caught pneumonia halfway through my training. That temporarily weakened and demoralized me somewhat – but surprisingly, it also served to increase my muscular definition!”  Chris LeClaire, through his interviews with Reeves states, “What others in the gym didn’t know was that two weeks after he arrived in York, Reeves had contracted the flu.”


    The only one who could be completely trusted on this issue is Grimek and he makes no mention of Reeves contracting any sort of illness during his stay in York. For this reason, we can eliminate pneumonia as it is doubtful Reeves could have hidden something like that from Grimek. The flu does not seem like something Reeves could have trained through successfully either. Grimek significantly added to Reeves’ legend with his article, so if Reeves would have contracted something that would have substantially affected his ability to train Grimek certainly would have let the readers know how incredible a feat that was. For this reason, we can conclude that no significant illness occurred.


     Based on articles, interviews, and our knowledge of Steve Reeves, a few legends surrounding his training for the 1950 NABBA Mr. Universe contest can be distinguished as closer to fact than myth. Reeves training probably consisted of around 10 full-body workouts from May 31st until he left for London on June 22nd, the weight he gained during this training was probably in the 17-19-pound range, and his training was not affected by serious illness.

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the york 45 degree bench custom built for steve.

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Karl Norberg: The 82 year old Superman!
Weightlifters and Strength Athletes in the United States and throughout the world have heard of Karl's tremendous feats of strength and he is popularly known as "The Strongest Man in the World for his Age." His most notable feat of strength, a 460lb benchpress at age 73, was witnessed by Ed Lolax (who was and still is Karl's workout partner).

At the age of 82, Karl is still going strong. The members of the Sports Palace Gym celebrated his 82nd birthday and he bench pressed 315lb. The birthday party and strength exhibition was held at the Sports Palace Gym and was shown on channel 5 television in San Francisco and throughout Northern California. The Sports Director for Channel 5, Wayne Walker ( a former linebacker and All-Pro Football Player with the Detroit Lions) commented that he had once tried to bench press 300lb and that it almost drove him through the floor. He further commented that Karl should be in the Guinness Book of World Records because he had never heard of anyone 82 years of age doing what Karl can do.

Karl Norberg was born into a very large family of 14 children on January 5, 1893. Out of necessity to help support the large family of 8 boys and 6 girls, he went to work in a sawmill at age 12. He worked a full day which was (in those days) from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Later on he went to work on the railroads and in the logging camps and saw mills in Sweden.

During World War 1 he served in the Swedish Army. After the service he was back working on the railroads and in the woods until "hard times" brought him to the United States in 1932. Here he was lucky enough to get a job as a longshoreman and an Alaskan Fisherman. Karl was known around the San Francisco waterfront as "The Big Swede" and his remarkable strength is still a legend there. Karl is very proud of the fact that he never missed a day of work due to illness in the 26 years he worked as a longshoreman. He worked there from 1932 (he became u United States citizen in 1937) to 1958 when he retired at age 65. During the yeas he worked there he did not have much time to train with the weights but he did his own version of weightlifting and practicing feats of strength. One of the most famous feats was holding 100lb sacks of flour in each hand overhead and then lowering them out to the sides in a crucifix position.

At the time that Karl was doing this he was told by some of his friends that the world record for the crucifix lift was held by George Hackenschmidt with 90lb dumbbells in each hand.

Karl also used to playfully do presses for reps overhead with a 240 lb co worker. He also did a one arm deadlift with a piece of dock equipment that weighed 550lb. This piece of equipment had a handle on it and Karl was the only man around who could pick it up off the ground and complete a one arm deadlift.

Karl first ventured into a gym in 1940. The place was the San Francisco Cetral YMCA and during his first day there he walked over to a barbell loaded to 230lb., picked it up and military pressed it. He was 47 years old then and weighed 225lb., at a height of 5'10". He also loaded a bar up to 650lb., and deadlifted it but this was not enough exercise for him so he walked around the gym with the 650lb barbell. Obviously Karl has been gifted through heredity with great natural strength and he tells that his father was considered the strongest man around where he lived in Sweden.

The father got this title because he was the only man around who could pick up a full grown horse in the back lift.

Toward the end of 1940 the San Francisco Central YMCA had a famous visitor who was Mr. America and also the United States Weightlifting Champion. The visitor, John Grimek, was later to write that "Karl Norberg is the most naturally strongman I have ever met."

He came to this conclusion during a weightlifting exhibition he was giving while touring the United States.

When he was demonstrating the clean and press some of Karl's longshoreman friends were in the audience and they were yelling that they had someone who could press as much weight as he was doing and would he let the longshoreman come up onto the stage. Grimek agreed and the longshoremen encouraged Karl to go up onto the stage with Grimek.

Karl picked up the 240lb that was on the bar palms out and curled it up to his shoulders where he pressed it palms out (reverse grip press). Grimek did the lift the same way and they then proceeded to lift 250-260 and 270 in this manner. Karl stopped 270 to a thundering round of applause.

Grimek made this weight and then went on to make 280. When one considers that Karl had no practice or technical training with the weights and that he was one months away from his 48th birthday, it is no wonder that he would have to be considered the most naturally strong man in the world at that time.

For the next 17 years until Karl was 65, he had very little time to train with the weights. World War 2 and the years following kept him busy on the San Francisco waterfront. Then came the Korean War for several years which kept the longshoremen as busy as the World War 2 years where Karl said he sometimes worked triple eight hours shifts without a break. Karl had a small set of weights in his garage at home totaling about 200lb, but he said he didn't lift them very often since he was always so busy, Karl would work on an Alaskan Fishing boat "pulling heavy nets of salmon onto the boat."

KArl feels that the hard physical work he has done all of his life helped him to become the strongest man in the world for his age. This is no doubt true, and when one combines this with good heredity, the love for hard physical work, and performing feats of strength, it all adds up to Karl Norberg.

Some of the feats of strength performed while Karl was on the waterfront have already been mentioned. Walking up stairs on his hands was a frequent exercise along with hand-balancing on his hands and thumbs.

He did one arm push-ups and could hand-balance himself on one thumb which is quite remarkable for anyone, let alone a big man weighing close to 230lb.

After retirement Karl spent the next two years between age 65 and 67 working around his home and lifting weights that he kept in his basement. He had an accident while doing repair work on his home and this caused a very serious knee and back injury. Karl had one knee injured and operated on when he was younger and now this accident injured his other knee. His doctor told him that he should not lift any weights because it would bother his back and his knee.

However, the doctor apparently under-estimated his determination to do physical exercise and to try and make his back get better. Karl joined the San Francisco Central YMCA between 67 and 68 years of age and felt that between doing weightlifting exercises and taking steam baths he could be his own physical therapist for his back.

He was apparently right in this, because his back pains went away and he started lifting some very heavy weights. By 70 years of age he did a very easy bench press with 405lb ( he had been taking it easy between 68 and 70 to make sure his back did not flare up on him again). He was also written up in a weightlifting magazine by the late Ray Van Cleef at age 70 and was shown in the magazine holding out an 80lb dumbbell in each hand in the crucifix lift. Doing the crucifix lift with these 80lb dumbbells along with the 405lb benchpress made Karl a world famous strongman to the many people who hadn't heard of him.

Karl did this world famous 460lb benchpress at age 73 while weighing 260lb. He also did a straight up and down seated press with 330lb., a sitting on the floor press with 310lb and a sitting on the floor clean and press of ten reps wit 110lb. dumbbells.

To clean the 110lb dumbbells while sitting on the floor, is in itself a remarkable feat of strength, but then to press them in this position ten strict reps also takes herculean strength. Karl also took the Olympic lifting bar and did sets of 8 reps in the curl.

He sometimes would work up to doing a very strict curl with 205lb (all of these lifts were done at age 73 which should make them all "Age Group World Records").

On the day that Karl did the 460lb benchpress, Bill Stathes, one of America's best bodybuilder-weightlifters, commented that the press was quite easy for Karl.

A very unfortunate thing happened a few days later. Karl was working around the YMCA Gym in his capacity as an instructor and he was asked to help move a very heavy rack loaded with weights. The rack tipped over on Karl’s right side and since he had a lot of it, he tried to stop it. He pretty much did so with his great strength, but he injured his right arm and shoulder in the process. His right arm and shoulder have never been the same since that accident, but this has not stopped Karl from still maintaining his title as the worlds strongest man for his age. He kept getting treatments on his shoulder and kept plugging away with the weights even though he admitted at times to having quite a bit of pain in his right shoulder.

However, his love for exercising with the weights and his great determination have helped him to keep working out three times a week except for a period of time between 81 and 82 years of age when he had prostate surgery (major surgery).

Prior to this he had diabetes which he got under control right away and now takes only one pill a day for this. His doctor told him that he had never seen a senior citizen so fast from diabetes and major surgery.
 

karl norberg stretching
Karl three times a week workouts consist of 10 to 12 sets of bench presses; lockouts on the power rack; triceps pushdowns in front of chest on the lat pulldown machine; lat pull downs behind the neck; dumbbells curls; leg raises and stretching exercises. He is an early to bed, early to rise man.. He starts each day getting up in morning and doing his "string pulling."

The strands he pulls are two thick, rubber ones, and he can pull three at one time. However, he likes to do reps with the two strands by pulling them first behind the neck and then in front of his chest. At age 82 Karl's massively muscular chest is 55"; arms are 19"; forearms 17" and he has an enormous 9" wrist. This is at a bodyweight of 250lb. His diet has quite a bit of fish and cheese in it and he takes multiple vitamins daily.

Source:
Text by his close friend Ed Lolax. Ed is a former powerlift competitor and has won several powerlift meets in North California between 1965 and 1968.

 

[Hypertrophy]

Fascinating stuff- thanks for posting.

[Coach is Back!]

Muscle Beach Gym
The Dungeon, 1963


I have collected over the years an impressive file of tough workouts to review. You see, in 40 years I've rarely missed one, and not one was easy. Training all out with meticulous form and mild sound effects always defined my style.

My most vivid tough workouts are set against the backdrop of the Muscle Beach Gym in the early '60s. This famous, beloved relic once located on the unspoiled shores of Santa Monica was relocated by the encouragement of the city council to the underground basement of a collapsing retirement hotel four blocks inland.

A very long, steep and unsure staircase took me to a cavernous hole in the ground with crumbling plaster walls and a ceiling that bulged and leaked diluted beer from the old-timer's tavern above. Puddles of the stuff added charm to the dim atmosphere, where three strategically placed 40-watt light bulbs gave art deco shadows to the rusting barbells, dumbbells and splintery handcrafted 2x4 benches and sagging milk crates.

You have no idea how proud I am to have this theater and the real life plays that unfolded day after day as part of my experience. It's pure gold.

The magic didn't come from the pharmacist; it came from the soul, the era, the history in the making, the presence of uncompromised originality yet to be imitated.

Those years I got to the gym between 5:30 and 6:00am while the city slept, curiously content in getting a head start. By the time I left, perhaps 3 or 4 other creatures would descend the lonely steps and reluctantly take up arms. I like the company I keep when I'm alone, I like the sounds of silence; I like the uncluttered space. With a crowd of one there's no one to complain or groan, no self-consciousness, no dividing of attention, no one to impress.

My workouts today bear a striking resemblance to that hardcore iron locomotion of years ago. Achievement and age instruct me to limit my workouts to five per week instead of six. Three days on, one off; two days on, one off is quite satisfying. Hammered joints and insertions convincingly suggest I use lighter weights and discard a pocketful of somehow replaceable exercises. I'm doin' fine.

It was in the Dungeon in '63, '64, '65 & '66 that tough workouts took place. What kept me going without missing a beat is another story. There was no glory except a rumor of respect and reputation amongst the underground bodybuilders and weight lifters. People in the real world sincerely frowned at us; a musclehead, misfit, a bewildered loser who's harming himself and isn't doing us any good either.

Man, has that concept taken a spin.

My toughest workouts took place in the middle of those formidable years way back when. I had training partners from time to time, and one in particular, Dick Sweet, pushed me, encouraged and goaded me to those otherwise unapproached limits.

There existed on the far end of the caving rack a set of 150lb dumbbells, awesome in length with pipe handles and suicide welds on the ends. These unwieldy contraptions could be further enlarged by strapping five-pound plates on either end with strips of inner tube. You got it -- giant rubber bands. Getting them together took two guys, some muscle and engineering. Getting them overhead took temporary insanity. We won't talk about the 60-degree incline bench of wood and ten-penny nails wedged against the wall. Never did get a good look at it in the dark.

On the third rep of the third set, the rubber band snapped and slapped me in the face. Some guy standing in the shadows snickered. Shortly thereafter a 5-pounder bounced off my forehead; I saw it coming. This made me serious. I had two sets to go and no more rubber bands. A short length of rope got me through the last two sets.

Did I tell you I was supersetting? Workouts without supersets were not workouts at all. I was doing bent-over lateral raises with 60s. The welds this time were on the inside of the dumbbells, and cracked, not dangerous but sloppy. Every third or fourth rep the web of my left hand between the thumb and the index finger got pinched in the crack. This, too, made me serious. Good thing there's not much nerve ending and the blood flow was light or I'd have never finished my workout.

All I had left was upright rows with that rusty, comfortably bent bar over by the beer puddle, and side-arm laterals with the 50s. The 50s were tight and balanced like trophies, the best in the house.

Great great post 🙌🙌

[Vince B]

In October 1968 the summer was truly over in Vancouver, BC. I hung out at English Bay Beach and other beaches close by. Sunset where I got to know people and Second Beach for some gymnastic equipment. Anyone who has lived in Vancouver knows how long and dreary those winters are. Not cold but not warm, either. Just monotonous miserable weather most of the time. I had $200, a VW Beetle, a Shell Credit Card and a sleeping bag. I left my girlfriend Roz and headed for Los Angeles. I had been there the summer before and knew I had to try to live there. Plenty of things I liked that suited my nature. Warm days, lots of sunshine, nice beaches and Golds Gym.

I had a US Social Security Number and intended on finding a job and staying in California. I had had enough of Vancouver which though beautiful didn't excite me like LA did. After driving 1400 miles south in less than 2 days I ended up at
Santa Monica Beach. This was the world famous Muscle Beach and where else would an aspiring bodybuilder go? I recognised several guys from the muscle mags so it was easy to talk to some of them. I talked to George Sheffield. I asked him where he trained and he said, The Dungeon. He confessed he wouldn't train at Golds because black guys used that place! That shocked me a bit because I seldom saw any racial prejudice in Canada. I tried to find out a bit about how come Santa Monica Council booted the bodybuilding equipment from the beach. In Vancouver a wrestler named Fred Baron used to boast about contributing to that closure. I think some questionable activities involving young girls and muscle heads is what did it. In the forties and fifties there used to be a huge physical culture presence on this beach. Many people would come to see performances and the body builders. Guys like Steve Reeves and George Eifferman made this place famous.

I found a place to get something to eat then headed over to the Dungeon for a workout. There wasn't anyone running the joint so there I was in a place I had read about in the magazines. That evening George Frenn and Peanuts West were lifting heavy weights in a corner of the gym. I met big Steve Merjanian and we talked a bit. He was a real character and we all knew about some of his adventures from the magazines. One story told of how a couple of guys laughed at him when they drove past him on the freeway. They shouted out "fatso" or some insult like that. Well, Steve fumed inside and followed their car to a shopping centre. He parked near them and got out and walked over to their car. The guys must have shit themselves because although he was smooth he was a huge figure of a man. Powerful is a word that describes him. Well, Steve reached over and broke their steering wheel off and handed it to them! He told them to be careful who they insulted again. I think Earle Leiderman told the story much more eloquently than I did. Ah, the good old days.

In Vancouver I found out I was quite good at pinch gripping. We had a contest or two and I usually won them. We would find a thick solid steel barbell plate and put a short bar through the middle. It was easy to add plates on each side
until a winner emerged. I used to be able to hold myself up off the ground under floor joists in a basement gym at Don Aplin's house in Kamloops. That was when I weighed about 150 pounds. Anyway, in the Dungeon there was this big, thick block of wood perhaps 4 inches thick. It was a hard wood and had rounded edges. I had no trouble pinch gripping it and challenged Steve to duplicate that feat. He didn't have huge hands for such a big man so failed getting that hunk of wood off the floor. I challenged George and Peanuts to lift the block but they gave me a dirty look. I told them what was the point of lifting huge poundages in the deadlift and squat if you can't pinch grip a block of wood. Steve was a bit wounded by his failed attempts. He tried more than once which amused me. I knew from being around weights for 10 years that anyone seldom succeeds on a second attempt. What did Steve do? He picked up an empty Olympic bar that weighed 45 pounds and muscled it out in front of him parallel to the floor. While in that position he rotated the bar from horizontal to vertical and back to parallel. He gave me the bar and said, "Here, kid, try this." I declined and quipped that it was one all!

That was my only visit to that hole in the ground. I had seen photos of Joe Golds Gym and that is where I headed the next day. I will relate more if anyone is interested.

[funk51]

ROY HILLIGENN.....1951 MR. AMERICA
Roy Hilligenn's life was a story of determination, achievement, and tragedy. He was born in California in 1922, but spent his youth in South Africa.
Hilligenn was four years old when his father, a police sargeant, died of cancer. This left his mother the task of raising five children.
Sent to an orphanage from age six to 15, Roy frequently ran away and often scrounged for food in garbage cans. At age 16, he spent two years at a trade school to become a certified electrician.
A proverbial "97-pound weakling," Hilligen began weight training at age 18.  During one of his electrical jobs, he fell from a four-story building, sustaining broken ribs, wrists, fingers, plus severe internal injuries. Two years of convelescence, and then working out with a set of home-made weights, his body weight climbed to 101 pounds in the first year, and to 150 pounds the second.
Three years following his serious injuries, Roy won a novice weightlifting meet in the 148-pound class. In 1943 combining basic weightlifting and bodybuilding exercises, he became the first South African to clean-and-jerk double his bodyweight. He captured the Mr. South Africa crown in 1943, 1944, and 1946. 
Immigrating to the United States, Hilligenn placed third at the 1949 AAU Mr. California contest and won  the Mr. Northern California and Mr. Pacific Coast events while training at Ed Yarick's Gym in Oakland. In 1950, he placed third at the Mr. America, behind John Farbotnik, and Melvin Wells. That year, in the 198-pound class, he captured the Pacific Coast Weightlifting Championships.
In 1951, weightlifting three days a week and bodybuilding on the opposite days, Roy won the 1951 AAU Mr. America crown, weighing 176 pounds. He equalled the world record with a 375-pound clean-and-jerk, and it was reported at a heavier bodyweight, he clean-and-jerked 405 pounds.
Hilligenn credited a large part of his strength and vitality to diet. He stated, "Being a vegetarian most of my life is the secret to my youthful countenance, longevity and perfect health. I believe fruit is the body's cleanser, vegetables are body healers, and meat is the body's premature aging agent."
In 1952, the York Barbell Company sponsored the dual IWF Mr. World and World's Most Muscular Man contests. Jim Park, 1952 AAU Mr. America winner, outscored Hilligenn by a half point for the over-all title, while Hilligenn won the World's Most Muscular Man award.
Roy Hilligenn died in 2008, at age 85, from a brain blood clot caused from falling. He went into a coma and did not wake up.

[funk51]

I just defended my dissertation, and I am still a little mentally frazzled. This also means that my analytical reading is cranked up to eleven as I am constantly rethinking the questions posed by my committee. Since my dissertation is about the history of muscular Christianity in 20th-century America, I felt John Fair’s Mr. America: The Tragic History of a Bodybuilding Icon would be a great way to refocus my mind as I start turning my dissertation into a book. Realistically, it turned me into every academic author’s worst nightmare: the combative, cocky, critical newly minted Ph.D. I avoided the cheapest of all book review tricks by ranting about how he didn’t talk about my research, but just barely. The one thing I couldn’t avoid was the anger I felt at myself for not reading Fair’s book before I submitted my dissertation.

Fair is no newcomer to bodybuilding either professionally or personally. This project is certainly a continuation of his 1999 book Muscletown USA that charted the history of York Barbell and its founder Bob Hoffman. Personally, he could not be closer to his subject matter. He has competed as a bodybuilder; judged weightlifting and bodybuilding competitions, including the 1973 Mr. America competition; and served on the AAU national weightlifting committee. This close proximity to his subject and sources appears throughout the text, and serves as both the greatest strength and weakness of the book.

Mr. America tackles the difficult task of covering the history of American masculinity over the course of the entire 20th-century. Trust me, I understand the struggle. The tricky thing about a subject of this scope is how to narrow it down to a manageable project. Fair limits his study by focusing exclusively on the Mr. America competition. But like any good historian, the story begins well before the first official naming of America’s ideal man. In fact, he starts at the very beginning with the Greek ideal of masculinity Arete, and traces holistic conception of physical, mental, and spiritual excellence from about 700 BCE to late-19th-century America. This concept serves both as the structure of the book as a Greek tragedy, and his definition of the ideal American man.

From this groundwork, Fair begins charting the early days of the Mr. America competitions. Before the naming of the first Mr. America in 1939, he traces the earliest roots of efforts to find the ideal American man to Bernard McFadden and Eugen Sandow’s creation of the magazine Physical Culture and their 1903 competition to find “The Most Perfectly Developed Man.” McFadden had the winners of the competition pose in loincloths, feathers, and furs for the magazine. This tactic put McFadden in the crosshairs of Anthony Comstock. Physical Culture’s offices were raided in 1905, and he was give a 2-year prison sentence and $2,000 dollar fine. While his jail time was pardoned, he paid the fine. The competition then shifted to a photographic competition with applicants mailing in pictures. Fair contends that “Mcfadden’s aim was to modernize and improve upon the Greeks,” but the reception of a photograph of a scantily clad ten-year-old female muddles the line between pornography and physical culture (p. 27). As the photographic competitions grew in popularity, McFadden hosted a live event in Madison Square Garden in 1921. Charles Atlas won the event and cemented, in Fair’s mind, the proper conception of Mr. America as striving for the Greek ideal. This was challenged with the formalization of weightlifting as an Olympic sport in the interwar years. A new emphasis on practical strength for sport replaced muscles for muscular bodies sake. Unfortunately for the reader, Fair dedicates little analysis to why American men would prize practical strength during the 1920s and 1930s.

The second phase of the Mr. America competition came during World War II to 1970. Fair deems this “The Golden Age” where the “the all-important culture component – a legacy from the Greeks – that had permeated bodybuilding over previous decades and would prove vital to Mr. America’ ongoing existence” (p. 68). Within the first six years of the completion, the battle over the proper definition of the ideal American man became a hotly contested debate. For Fair’s narrative, he sets up two camps. The good guys in this battle royal are those in favor of the Greek ideal, Bob Hoffman and the AAU. The villains are those in favor of big muscle and big money, Ben and Joe Weider. In the 1950s, the issues of racial integration, anabolic steroids, and professionalization began to challenge the Greek ideal. These disputes came to a head in the 1962 Mr. America competition when the winner, Joe Abbenda, controversially beat an African American, Harold Poole, by two points. On top of the apparent racism, Abbenda was probably the first Mr. America to artificially bloat his muscles with steroids. Finally, the Weider brothers continued their push for the Mr. America competition to be a moneymaking show modeled after Miss America. For Fair, the Golden Age of Mr. America ended in 1970. This year Chris Dickerson won the AAU title as a gay black man.

The “Decline and Fall” of both Mr. America and the Greek ideal is the final phase of Fair’s book, and it began with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Despite the worldwide fitness and self-help craze, Arnold’s extreme musculature, brash personality, and seven Mr. Olympia titles marked the beginning of the end for the idealized balance of body, mind, and spirit as qualifications of Mr. America. A second sign of decline came in the character of Ken Sprague. According to Fair, Sprague’s ties to the homosexual pornography industry and creating Gold’s Gym pushed Mr. America away from its original aims. The final nail in Mr. America’s coffin, Fair maintains, was the Weider brothers’ “enthusiasm for hegemony and profit, [that] allowed bodybuilding to become more a spectacle than a sport, and despite all their efforts to make things appear otherwise, it was a pervasion of the Greek ideal” (p. 306). The AAU abandoned the Mr. America competition in 1999.

One of the greatest strengths of Mr. America is its ability to map the shifting definitions of gender and masculinity over the course of the 20th-century. Fair is at his best in his gendered analysis when he compares the cultural dynamics of the Miss America competitions to those of Mr. America. The best example of this is when Fair discusses how Miss America became a beacon of white, middle-class respectability in the 1950s. But at other times, Fair employs Miss America to defend the stance of Mr. America. This appears in the discussion of the racial segregation of both events. While Mr. America allowed African American contestant in 1960, Miss America lagged behind. Fair notes how Morris Anderson, an African America businessman from Philadelphia, created Miss Black America in 1968 to challenge the color line in Miss America competitions. Fair declares, “That no Mr. Black America emerged may be attributed to the multiplicity of bodybuilding organizations in which black men had already made significant inroads” (p. 189). By comparing Mr. and Miss America, Fair does a great job of analyzing the symbiotic relationship between cultural constructions of masculinity and femininity.

Aside from the gender analysis, Mr. America provides deep-cuts analysis of this bodybuilding competition through the print culture surrounding the event. This book is as much a history of the publication of bodybuilding magazines like Strength and Health, Muscular Development, Iron Man, and Muscle Builder – to name only a few – as it is a history of the actual competitions. His archival research at the Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports is superb. He does an excellent job of analyzing how the creation of these different magazines marked notable shifts within the bodybuilding community, and how the debates they published about Mr. America shaped the cultural narrative surrounding the event. The downside of his laser focus on the magazines is it limits his ability to tie in larger cultural forces that may or may not have contributed to these same shifts. Fair passes on the opportunity to analyze why several of the earliest Mr. America’s anglicized their names from Steponaitis to Stephan, or how postwar consumption altered the ideal form of American manhood, or why men desired larger muscles in the 1970s and were evermore willing to achieve them despite the risk of taking steroids. Instead, Fair is more interested in noting how American culture fell out of step with the original Greek ideals of Mr. America and not the other way around.

In all, Fair’s Mr. America provides the rare insight into the world of bodybuilding that only an insider could offer. With his proximity, he successfully sketches the characters, conflicts, and champions that contributed to the rise and fall of Mr. America. Any scholar interested in in bodybuilding, masculinity, and print culture will find the book valuable. The greatest tragedy of the book is that he forces the formula of a Greek tragedy on his subject instead of using Mr. America as a barometer to measure the cultural changes in 20th-century America. Rather, he wants to show how Mr. America once “embodied the intrinsic ethos of a burgeoning America, but in the 1960s it took on much of the society’s rejection of traditional values. …its tragic history reflects the erosion of American idealism” (p. 369). Fair admits that he may have been better served by treating Mr. America as a Greek comedy. Considering that most scholars understand Greek comedy as a social satire rooted in conservative values that aim to restore a more traditional order, I agree.

Hunter M. Hampton has his Ph.D. in history from the University of Missouri. His research focuses on religion, sports, and masculinity. He is working on a manuscript on muscular Christianity and the making of 20th-century American Christian manhood. You can follow him on Twitter @hhampton44.

 

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[Virgil]

Great stuff, love the history of the hobby

[funk51]

In October 1968 the summer was truly over in Vancouver, BC. I hung out at English Bay Beach and other beaches close by. Sunset where I got to know people and Second Beach for some gymnastic equipment. Anyone who has lived in Vancouver knows how long and dreary those winters are. Not cold but not warm, either. Just monotonous miserable weather most of the time. I had $200, a VW Beetle, a Shell Credit Card and a sleeping bag. I left my girlfriend Roz and headed for Los Angeles. I had been there the summer before and knew I had to try to live there. Plenty of things I liked that suited my nature. Warm days, lots of sunshine, nice beaches and Golds Gym.

I had a US Social Security Number and intended on finding a job and staying in California. I had had enough of Vancouver which though beautiful didn't excite me like LA did. After driving 1400 miles south in less than 2 days I ended up at
Santa Monica Beach. This was the world famous Muscle Beach and where else would an aspiring bodybuilder go? I recognised several guys from the muscle mags so it was easy to talk to some of them. I talked to George Sheffield. I asked him where he trained and he said, The Dungeon. He confessed he wouldn't train at Golds because black guys used that place! That shocked me a bit because I seldom saw any racial prejudice in Canada. I tried to find out a bit about how come Santa Monica Council booted the bodybuilding equipment from the beach. In Vancouver a wrestler named Fred Baron used to boast about contributing to that closure. I think some questionable activities involving young girls and muscle heads is what did it. In the forties and fifties there used to be a huge physical culture presence on this beach. Many people would come to see performances and the body builders. Guys like Steve Reeves and George Eifferman made this place famous.

I found a place to get something to eat then headed over to the Dungeon for a workout. There wasn't anyone running the joint so there I was in a place I had read about in the magazines. That evening George Frenn and Peanuts West were lifting heavy weights in a corner of the gym. I met big Steve Merjanian and we talked a bit. He was a real character and we all knew about some of his adventures from the magazines. One story told of how a couple of guys laughed at him when they drove past him on the freeway. They shouted out "fatso" or some insult like that. Well, Steve fumed inside and followed their car to a shopping centre. He parked near them and got out and walked over to their car. The guys must have shit themselves because although he was smooth he was a huge figure of a man. Powerful is a word that describes him. Well, Steve reached over and broke their steering wheel off and handed it to them! He told them to be careful who they insulted again. I think Earle Leiderman told the story much more eloquently than I did. Ah, the good old days.

In Vancouver I found out I was quite good at pinch gripping. We had a contest or two and I usually won them. We would find a thick solid steel barbell plate and put a short bar through the middle. It was easy to add plates on each side
until a winner emerged. I used to be able to hold myself up off the ground under floor joists in a basement gym at Don Aplin's house in Kamloops. That was when I weighed about 150 pounds. Anyway, in the Dungeon there was this big, thick block of wood perhaps 4 inches thick. It was a hard wood and had rounded edges. I had no trouble pinch gripping it and challenged Steve to duplicate that feat. He didn't have huge hands for such a big man so failed getting that hunk of wood off the floor. I challenged George and Peanuts to lift the block but they gave me a dirty look. I told them what was the point of lifting huge poundages in the deadlift and squat if you can't pinch grip a block of wood. Steve was a bit wounded by his failed attempts. He tried more than once which amused me. I knew from being around weights for 10 years that anyone seldom succeeds on a second attempt. What did Steve do? He picked up an empty Olympic bar that weighed 45 pounds and muscled it out in front of him parallel to the floor. While in that position he rotated the bar from horizontal to vertical and back to parallel. He gave me the bar and said, "Here, kid, try this." I declined and quipped that it was one all!

That was my only visit to that hole in the ground. I had seen photos of Joe Golds Gym and that is where I headed the next day. I will relate more if anyone is interested.

                                     i heard that steering wheel story but it was supposed to be chuck ahrens not steve m who did the ripping and it was supposed to be the whole steering column. chuck was friends and training partners with ahrens.

[funk51]

EVOLUTION OF THE FITNESS INDUSTRY: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PUBLIC GYM
by ClubReady Fitness
  Feb 15, 2017 at 8:28 PM

The health club you are running today with rows of treadmills, weight machines, pumping music and cutting-edge programming has taken centuries to come into being.

While not a straight line, there is a long history of public gyms,going back thousands of years to the first gymnasiums of ancient Greece.

In the Beginning
Sure, running to catch your food –or avoid being it—was the way humans got and stayed in shape from the beginning of time. However, over time, people looked for ways to improve their health and performance in less life-threatening ways.

While today’s health clubs are full of yoga pants and technology, you were more apt to find naked men preparing for competition and battle in the early days of public gyms. Greece is the root of what we now know as the modern health club or gym.  The word 'gymnasium' originated from the Greek word “gymnos,” which translates to naked. Gyms at that time were usually a place for the education of young men (it will be a while until we get to women in the gym), which included physical education along with educational pursuits along with bathing. The ancient Greek's designed these public gymnasiums for athletes to train for open games such as the Olympics. Fitness and care of body was part of the overall philosophy of the ancient Greeks along with education. In fact, highlighting the public gym roots of Athens, were the Academy with Plato, and Aristotle's school the Lyceum.

The Dark Ages and Rebirth of Fitness
After the fall of the Greco-Roman Empires, gyms along with art and music disappeared as the appreciation and pursuit of a healthy and sculpted body was frowned upon. It was not until the early 1800s that gyms made a minor resurgence in Germany. Still, though, these were not gyms as we think of them today. However, by the middle of the 19th Century schools began to build gymnasiums to help bolster their burgeoning athletic programs, which rekindled the public’s fascination and appreciation of not only the health benefits of exercise but the aesthetics of looking more fit.


Early Commercial Gyms
The first commercial gym is typically credited to French gymnast and vaudeville-strongman, Hippolyte Triat. He opened his first club in Brussels and then added a second in Paris in the late 1840s. At the end of the 19th century, another gym was established by an entrepreneurial music hall strongman, Eugen Sandow. In 1901 Sandow staged the world’s first physique contest, and he later promoted the burgeoning fitness lifestyle by marketing various publications, equipment, and dietary products and by operating a chain of fitness centers throughout Great Britain. To this day, the prize presented at the Mr. Olympia contest is named for this health club and fitness pioneer.

Founded in 1844 in London England, The YMCA would eventually lead the way for fitness for many men. According to the YMCA website, The first buildings constructed with gymnasiums opened in 1869. In 1881, Boston YMCA staffer Robert J. Roberts coined the term “body building” and developed exercise classes, which are the forerunner of today’s health club model. YMCA came into existence. At the forefront of the health club model that would grow through the 20th Century.

In 1939, fitness legend Jack LaLanne opened what is believed to be the first U.S. health club in Oakland, Calif. At that time, doctors advised patients that there were dangers associated with lifting weights and rigorous exercise, LaLanne found success and designed and introduced many of the machines that are still mainstays on traditional gym floors such as first leg extension machines and pulley-cable based strength equipment. He even was an early proponent of women lifting weights, although very few took him up on it in the early days.   

Of course, today, women make up more than half of the gym-going population and some of that rise can be credited to the birth of health club chains in the 1960s and 1970s. Prior to the birth of the health club chain, fitness centers were primarily fringe dingy boxes with rusty iron and maybe a boxing ring where predominantly men lifted weights in pursuit of perfection or trained for sports—not much different than the motivation for the first gyms in ancient Greece.

While still fringe and a Mecca for early bodybuilders, the birth of Gold’s Gym in Venice, Calif. in 1965 signaled the beginning of the rise of a new big-box concept for health and fitness that could –and would be—recreated to open the doors to the masses.  Joe Gold followed his success with Gold’s gym by founding the World Gym chain in 1977.

Mainstream and the Women’s Movement
The adrenaline-and-big-hair-fueled 80s gave rise to an increasing number of gym chains including 24 Hour Fitness (1983) and LA Fitness (1984), as Jack LaLanne’s European Health Spas topped more than 200, before licensing them to Bally Company. Additionally, the success of Jane Fonda’s exercise video drove many legwarmer-clad women through the doors of these clubs to lift light weights and do aerobic dance classes.

Recent History
The mega-chains continue to this day, but as with many things, today’s consumers are looking for a more personal and intimate experience and throughout the 1990s and 2000s smaller mom-and-pop health clubs, personal training, and mind-body studios along with Cross-Fit and other specialty exercise facilities that cater to more of the personal touch.