Getbig Bodybuilding, Figure and Fitness Forums
Getbig Bodybuilding Boards => History - Stories - and Memories => Topic started by: pac-man on May 16, 2009, 07:36:34 AM
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Is was wondering if anyone on here had used Rheo Blair's protein supplement back in the day? From what I read it seems to have a reputation of being pretty inovative for the industry at the time.
Also were there any supplements worth taking back in the 60s or 70s? Just curious how supplements were percieved back then.
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Pac,
I wasn’t around for it, but I’ve conversed with several people, including JPM, and have done some reading on my own.
Here’s some of what I know, and bear in mind, I’m going from memory here.
Rheo Blair, like Vince Gironda, was ahead of his time.
I believe his real name was Irvin Johnson – not sure why he changed it. He was born in 1921 and became a nutritionist some time in the 1940’s. Blair was also heavily involved in bodybuilding nutrition, which was quite unusual, as bb was a rather obscure activity in those days.
Sometimes called “The Original Dr. Adkins,” Blair was the first authority on the matter to advocate a high fat/low carb diet – even for his bodybuilders.
He produced a line of supplements, the most popular of which was his protein mix.
The powder consisted of a blend of egg and milk proteins. Blair recommended mixing it with heavy whipping cream or half & half. The addition of the cream supposedly created an amino acid profile and fat:protein ratio that closely resembled human breast milk, which Blair believed was a superior growth formula.
The powder was on the pricey side, but people who used it SWORE by its effectiveness.
Blair also made some kind of amino tablets or capsules, of which guys took PLENTY. Dessicated liver tablets were quite popular back then, and I believe Rheo also had his guys taking those as well.
Part of the effectiveness – I believe – of Blair’s instruction was nutrition timing, and literally being in a constant anabolic state. Between the shakes, meals, and pills, he had those guys consuming “something” throughout the day. The tablets made it easy to keep aminos in the blood without the need of eating a solid meal every hour.
If interested, many guys today who add protein powder to whole milk or cream report better gains. Beef liver tablets are, well, beef liver. You know the importance of red meat in building muscle, and liver tabs are still popular with many trainers today.
Amino acids? Look at Milos’ pre, intra, and post workout drinks – lots of aminos in those.
Blair was onto a lot of things that didn’t become popular for another 50 years, and you can see their presence today.
Definitely worth reading and learning more on your own.
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FYI:
If you’re really interested in the whole “Mother’s Milk” concept, you ought to investigate to find the amino & fat composition of actual breast milk. Find as much specific info as you can, and then compare it to other brands, particularly Muscle Milk’s formula, as they like to tout their protein as being closest to boob juice.
Then report your findings to your good buddy Monty so he doesn't have to do the research.
:)
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Good info, thanks Montage. Ya from what I've read some guys were downing literally one hundread aminos per day.
It seems they had some great supplements but Weider had a better ability to market his own supplements through his magazine, endorsements and so on.
Oh and I believe he changed his name for marketing purposes.
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FYI:
If you’re really interested in the whole “Mother’s Milk” concept, you ought to investigate to find the amino & fat composition of actual breast milk. Find as much specific info as you can, and then compare it to other brands, particularly Muscle Milk’s formula, as they like to tout their protein as being closest to boob juice.
Then report your findings to your good buddy Monty so he doesn't have to do the research.
:)
I have actually read up on the protein. Many of todays' protein Muscle Milk, Syntha 6, ect..have formula's that are comparible to Blair's protein. Slower digesting proteins such as casein are similar.
I run a small sports nutrition store. I see how things are marketed today and was curious on how things were done 30 or 40 years ago.
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I've believed since the 70s that Gironda and that crowd were way ahead of their time. That includes training, nutrition and everything else within the BB spectrum. Gironda, Blair, Scott and others. Even by today's standards there's not a whole lot they didn't cover IMO.
They were using Blair's supplements, desicated liver pills, amino acids, etc. plus top notch training.
Ron Kosloff maintains all the info from this era, and can be contacted. Nice guy to.
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I've believed since the 70s that Gironda and that crowd were way ahead of their time. That includes training, nutrition and everything else within the BB spectrum. Gironda, Blair, Scott and others. Even by today's standards there's not a whole lot they didn't cover IMO.
They were using Blair's supplements, desicated liver pills, amino acids, etc. plus top notch training.
Ron Kosloff maintains all the info from this era, and can be contacted. Nice guy to.
Thanks for the tip pumpster. I did google Ron Kosloff and read some of his writings on Vince Gironda. It absolutely seems like Gironda was ahead of his time in his training and nutrition.
Not to get to far off topic about Blair’s protein but I couldn’t help but comment on some of the things I read on Gironda. What got me is that he seems to have died a broke man, and not accepted by much of the bodybuilding community at the time according to Kosloff. Today he is thought of as “ahead of his time”.
I can’t help but think it was partly his own fault though. By most accounts he had a “my way or the highway” attitude. You would read about how he would kick people out of his gym for doing crunches, and he was very much against squats and bench presses. Whether he was correct or not, you are not going to win a lot of people over nor can you teach them if you are that abrasive.
I guess we can say that Weider was able to market his products, supplements, culture, ect through his magazine as where Gironda did not have a media outlet of his own. Either way if you do not have an interest in dealing with people that might object to something you say or not take your word as law than you’ll never reach the amount of people that Gironda might have had the potential to reach.
It sounds like he was his own man, had his own ways, and was not going to listen too much else. That is now part of his legend and mystique. I just wonder what might have been if he had gone about his teachings in a different manner.
Interesting time it was. Wonder what Gironda would think if he were to walk into a mainstream gym filled with soccer moms and spinning classes in the year 2009.
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The thing is, in most businesses from BB to computers to anything else, there are the innovators/creators and the businessmen. They're usually quite different animals and don't have the same priorities.
Creative types tend to be more emotional/tempormental, so Gironda was far from alone; you'll see it in any industry. And part of their greatness is often a desire for creating the best with no compromise, whereas the business types will take existing types and have no hesitation with altering it in the name of profits.
As far as his perceived difficult persona, i don't think the guys who actually trained in his gym or benefitted from his advice had any problem with Vince. Guys with high standards who create new things like the preacher bench that's everywhere now don't appreciate mass-marketing, which they consider compromise and dilution of their ideas.
I don't think i'd have minded being around the guy, as the bottom line for him was a no-BS zone and results. For example i like what he said to put Schwarzenegger in his place when Schwarzenegger first arrived in Los Angles and was sent by Weider to Vince's Gym.
As far as what he'd think of today's gyms, he lived well in to the 1990s. His gym as well as many other independents suffered with the rise of large corporate gyms, plus apparently the health of his son had an effect on his desire to continue on.
It seems sad that he died with nothing but on the other hand he obviously didn't care about money-he must have been one of the very first personal trainers in the country, having started training actors and others interested in getting in shape in the late 1940s!! Thus i think it's clear he could've cashed in and benefitted in ways Weider did, if he'd cared about it.
Some of Vince's links are here, along with some for Arthur Jones. Those two guys have to have been the two biggest influences in BB history! Apparently at some point they met in person-that must've been quite the interesting conversation!
http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=112943.0
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Is was wondering if anyone on here had used Rheo Blair's protein supplement back in the day? From what I read it seems to have a reputation of being pretty inovative for the industry at the time.
Also were there any supplements worth taking back in the 60s or 70s? Just curious how supplements were percieved back then.
it was fabulous tasting
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Rheo H Blairs Original Protein:
INGREDIENTS: Calcium and Sodium Caseinate (milk protein) low-heat nonfat dry milk, lactalbumin, dried whole eggs, iron phosphate, natural vanilla flavor
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING
Serving Size
28.35 grams (1/4 cup)
Percentage of U.S. RDAllowance
Calories
102
Protein
17.5 grams
Protein
40%
Fat
0.6
Calcium
30% (300 mg)
Cholesterol
15 mg
Riboflavin ( B2) 12%
Carbohydrate
7 g
Iron
15%
Blairs Protein is formulated for nutritional superiority with only the highest grade of nutrients. It is processed through an exclusive low temperature process that does not denature the amino acids.
Therefore insuring both maximum biological availability and unexcelled solubility. This superb blend with its excellent amino acid balance offers unexcelled solubility and taste. This product is excellent for repair and rebuilding of bodily tissue while helping to maintain high levels of stamina, vitality and efficiency. Blairs Protein contains the IGF1 and IGF2 (insulin growth factors) that produce increases in strength, energy levels and size. The results may vary from individual to individual. This special patented process is expensive but the result is what Blairs Protein has been about for over 40 years.
Vitamins, minerals/amino acids derived from milk and egg ingredients.
Sugar content derived naturally from milk.
Contains no added sugars, preservatives, artificial flavors or ingredients.
"Quality is the only true bargain"
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Rheo H Blairs Protein Recipes:
Blair's Creamy Delicious
1 cup cream (8 ounces)
1 cup lowfat milk
4 tablespoons Blair's Protein Powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs (drop in boiling water 30 seconds)
Blair's Light Creamy
1 cup half and half (8 ounces)
1 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons Blair's Powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Blair's Yogurt Delight
1/4 cup Blair's Protein Powder
3 ounces half and half
1 cup plain yogurt
12 ounces of 2% milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Blair's California Coconut Delight
1/3 cup Blair's Protein Powder
4 ounces of light cream (not heavy)
12 ounces of 2% lowfat milk
2 tablespoons coconut extract
1 egg boiled for 30 seconds
You can freeze these recipes in an ice cream freezer or divide into individual portions in cups and place in the freezer. Before eating thaw the ice cream slightly. You can also use different extracts like almond, black walnut and others. You can also try using fruit like strawberries, peaches, pineapple. For juices you may add some carrot juice.
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good stuff ! there've been a couple guys purchase the formula and resell it over the years, but i dont think anyone is doing it now. Nothing special about the protein, theres better out there now, but for the day, it was head and shoulders above.
Heres Ron Kozloffs site. Hes oldschool and was buds with Vince back in the 70s.
http://www.nspresearchnutrition.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
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Prior to Blair’s formula, pretty much all that was out there in the way of powders was a soy mix that Weider sold.
I suppose that compared to soy anything would’ve been an improvement.
I think just as important as the powder’s ingredients was how Blair & Vince instructed their guys to take it.
Vince had his trainers mixing the powder with raw eggs and heavy cream – kind of hard NOT to grow on that combo.
Timing was also important.
The powder was just a part of a much larger formula.
Nonetheless, it was an important part that deserves mentioning and study to understand the effectiveness of the overall nutrition plan those guys followed with great success.
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good stuff ! there've been a couple guys purchase the formula and resell it over the years, but i dont think anyone is doing it now. Nothing special about the protein, theres better out there now, but for the day, it was head and shoulders above.
Heres Ron Kozloffs site. Hes oldschool and was buds with Vince back in the 70s.
http://www.nspresearchnutrition.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
Ya I do wonder if it could be marketed in a way where it would have an impact but I do agree there are many similar/better formulas on the market these days.
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Cool stories, keep them coming.
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Wow this is a cool board. It took forever to get a getbig account.
I remember reading about blairs protein shakes and Gironda's stuff in some old musclemag issues.
Thanks for posting the info guys. interesting stuff
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Wow this is a cool board. It took forever to get a getbig account.
I remember reading about blairs protein shakes and Gironda's stuff in some old musclemag issues.
Thanks for posting the info guys. interesting stuff
Welcome.
When you have some time (& if you haven't already), check out this thread - you'll probably like it:
http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=158432.0 (http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=158432.0)
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Welcome.
When you have some time (& if you haven't already), check out this thread - you'll probably like it:
http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=158432.0 (http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=158432.0)
Thanks bro
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I've always wondered how things might be different had bodybuilding been market differently.
Ya know just being more upfront about the whole steroid thing instead of acting as if it didnt exist. Being more realistic about how the average guy reading a magazine was going to relate to the routines by pros on juice. Marketing supplements in a way that would appeal to all people rather than just make crazy claims and promises to naive teens. Maybe roids could have been part of the game but put some kind of "limit" on things so it didn't get out of control.
Things may have turned out better...only speculation though.
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nice thread i remember the iron man mag ads back in the mid to late 60's featuring larry scott and don howorth. i think if you called up you could sometimes get don and he would take your order and give advices.
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in a fairly recent mmi profile it was reported that irving johnson aka rheo h blair had mr america jim park on over 2000 protein pills a day, that's what jim said in the interview shortly before he died.
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You guys are bringing back some pretty old memories.
I first heard about Blair's protein from Larry Scott in the early 60's and went looking for the product someplace in mid-Los Angeles.
This ocured in the early 60's (yea! I'm ancient) while I was stationed at Camp Pendleton and I do recall driving through a very wooded area of LA with some sort of lake or pond in the background and found his very small shop off the side of the road. I recall it looked somewhat like an old two car garage and I think the product cost about $12. And I think it was milk adn egg.
Bodybuilding was relatively small back them but Blair's protein took off like a bullet.
There was also one other reputable Protein company on Santa Monica Blvd right by the 405 freeway. Any of you guys recall that product?
And one other popular product was the all-liver, powdered product in the one pound can. As soon as that can was opened the entire room would smell like a thousand pair of 8 month old sweaty socks.
Hoffman and Weider sold some shit but it wasn't too popular if I remember correctly. Actually I think that Weider was selling watered-down Geritol.
And ... the first protein product that came on the market (as far as I can recall) was a roll of wafers that tasted like hay and was produced and marketed by Gypsy Boots.
Now I gotta go back and read the rest of this topic.
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And one other popular product was the all-liver, powdered product in the one pound can. As soon as that can was opened the entire room would smell like a thousand pair of 8 month old sweaty socks.
That couldn’t have tasted at all good, but I can easily believe in its effectiveness.
I occasionally chew my liver tabs to aid & speed digestion/absorption - one of those old-school tips from back in the day.
Cooked liver is one of the grossest things I’ve ever eaten, and the tablets are no better. :-X
However, I have made noticeable gains on them.
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hoffman's stuff was pretty gross, i heard the protein from the sea was beyond awful in taste and smell. i used to take the tablets when i was a kid gross pasty tasting stuff. but what i actually liked was the peanut butter protein bars just the right combo of peanut butter sawdust and dirt. it is said that hoffman himself used to stir the batter for these concoctions himself shirtless and with a oar some i imagine a good deal of bob's sweat in each batch he assisted on.
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Ya these are some cool stories. Sounds like Blairs protein was top secret stuff given that it wasn't the easiest thing to find. Either that or he didn't have the ability (or didn't want to) get it on more retail shelves. Kind of a disgusting story on how Hoffman produced his bars though...
The first supplement I ever used was Weiders Dynamic Muscle Builder in highschool in the early 90s. I remember that being pretty nasty too at least compared to todays Muscle Milk and Syntha 6.
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I suspect that if he’d thought it would benefit him financially (and, had he the ability), Blair would have had a wider distribution.
There are stories that he once visited a “fortune teller” who advised him to take on a name consisting of letters that had a strong astrological association with money.
Hard to believe that a man of science would buy into that, but…
Assuming the story is true, many folks claim that as the reason Irv Johnson changed his name.
I doubt that Blair wanted his product to remain a secret - in fact, I believe quite the opposite.
Blair wanted to make money - the goal of any business.
You didn’t find many “supplements” on general retail store shelves at that time because not only was bodybuilding a miniscule, niche market, but there weren’t many supplements being produced.
Even that first soy powder that the Weider machine produced was sold - I believe - primarily through his magazines.
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By the way, Stuntmovie, pretty good stories you have on the Las Vegas thread. I know its about five years old at this point but it was cool reading through them. I lived in Vegas from 2000-2008 and worked on the strip for much of that time. I'm sure it was a very different place now compared to the stories you were telling.
You would always hear people that have lived there for years talk about how much the place had changed over the years. Always interesting to hear cool stories like that and how this industry/subculture has so many ties into Vegas!
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I suspect that if he’d thought it would benefit him financially (and, had he the ability), Blair would have had a wider distribution.
There are stories that he once visited a “fortune teller” who advised him to take on a name consisting of letters that had a strong astrological association with money.
Hard to believe that a man of science would buy into that, but…
Assuming the story is true, many folks claim that as the reason Irv Johnson changed his name.
I doubt that Blair wanted his product to remain a secret - in fact, I believe quite the opposite.
Blair wanted to make money - the goal of any business.
You didn’t find many “supplements” on general retail store shelves at that time because not only was bodybuilding a miniscule, niche market, but there weren’t many supplements being produced.
Even that first soy powder that the Weider machine produced was sold - I believe - primarily through his magazines.
Yes I read the same story about the forutne teller. Was it true? We can only speculate but its part of his legend now I guess.
And ya your probably right about the retail maket being much smaller back then. You probably couldn't buy this stuff at Walmart and Sams club the way you can today.
Was Weider stuff even available at your local GNC or health food store back then? Anyone using this supplements way back in the day...where did you get your supplements from?
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Isn't this the same protein powder that Larry Scott supposedly spent 20 years trying to replicate?
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Isn't this the same protein powder that Larry Scott supposedly spent 20 years trying to replicate?
larry along with don howorth used to appear in blair's ads.
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Somebody on here claimed to have tried Scott’s protein powder years ago and said it tasted great, but was loaded with sugar.
Blair’s original formula contained only naturally occurring milk sugars.
I respect Larry’s accomplishments, but that does not indicate anything about his “accuracy” in advertising.
His Hyper-Growth formula does not reference Blair or Gironda, but it does contain the following claim:
These Peptides Are A Thousand Times
More Powerful Than Steroids.
Can you believe it?... It takes just a trace of these things to give the same punch as steroids!
I know, but before you jump all over this…
It’s really not much more ridiculous a claim than a lot of other companies use - unless their creatine truly is 1,916,248.02% better than monohydrate.
:-\
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Somebody on here claimed to have tried Scott’s protein powder years ago and said it tasted great, but was loaded with sugar.
Blair’s original formula contained only naturally occurring milk sugars.
I respect Larry’s accomplishments, but that does not indicate anything about his “accuracy” in advertising.
His Hyper-Growth formula does not reference Blair or Gironda, but it does contain the following claim:
I know, but before you jump all over this…
It’s really not much more ridiculous a claim than a lot of other companies use - unless their creatine truly is 1,916,248.02% better than monohydrate.
:-\
I just dug up one of my old magazines from 15 years ago, with Scott's ads, chronicling his LOOONG search for this secret formula. Ah, the good old days. ;D
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Yeah, the old Bio-Phase ads...
Which protein was that that he claimed to be the Blair repro?
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Yeah, the old Bio-Phase ads...
Which protein was that that he claimed to be the Blair repro?
I believe it was called "Hyper Growth Factor" or "Hyper Growth Formula".
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I've believed since the 70s that Gironda and that crowd were way ahead of their time. That includes training, nutrition and everything else within the BB spectrum. Gironda, Blair, Scott and others. Even by today's standards there's not a whole lot they didn't cover IMO.
They were using Blair's supplements, desicated liver pills, amino acids, etc. plus top notch training.
Ron Kosloff maintains all the info from this era, and can be contacted. Nice guy to.
Bump for good info. Gironda's info is becoming more popular as people get tired of the drugged out freaks. Moderate weights, frequent training, up the fat and cut the carbs year round. I wish I'd learned this stuff years ago.
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I can tell some pretty good stories about bodybuilding and old time Las Vegas but I have been 'warned off' on more than a couple of occasions about telling too damn much about them good old days.
One of you guys asked about supplements back then and I can tell you as much as I can remember and maybe some of you other old timers can fill in the blanks.
In the 50's and 60's you could find an occasional health food store in the major cities which sold wheat germ oil, yogurt, cod liver oil and similar sit like that, but I don't recall any protein products until Gypsie Boots offered 'protein wafers' that were somewhat similar to the way Lifesavers are packaged.
Weider offered a liquid wt gaining product that tasted like a weak Geritol product ahd Hoffman eventually offer powered protein in a round cardboard container.
Then came beef liver protein that tasted like shit and that was followed by Rheo H.Blair and his milk and egg protein that Scott swore by back them
And then there was Mus-L-On up in Northern California and the beginnings of a whole new line of work out equipment which today we take for granted.
And from that point on this game grew into a major industry which I can only discuss after I prove to certain individuals that I am dead.
But the inside shit is what makes it interesting.
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Gironda was a radical thinker in more ways than one and he hated bullshit.
Most of the serious bodybuilders listened to him and took his advice but only a relative few followed his leg training workouts.
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Stunt:
You always have the best & most insightful stories.
Blair & Gironda are both gone, and Ron Kosloff seems like a nice enough guy…
Spill the beans, man! (lol)
I still sometimes wonder if the effectiveness of Blair’s mix was that you mixed it with raw eggs & cream.
It seems to me that those ingredients alone would make one grow, and Vince even claimed in one of his MuscleMag articles that the powder was primarily for taste.
Scott claims he grew like a weed once he started adding cream to the shakes, but I don’t know if that means he first tried Blair’s product without it for comparison.
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in a fairly recent mmi profile it was reported that irving johnson aka rheo h blair had mr america jim park on over 2000 protein pills a day, that's what jim said in the interview shortly before he died... of kidney failure?
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=280916.0;attach=355850;image)
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I can tell some pretty good stories about bodybuilding and old time Las Vegas but I have been 'warned off' on more than a couple of occasions about telling too damn much about them good old days.
One of you guys asked about supplements back then and I can tell you as much as I can remember and maybe some of you other old timers can fill in the blanks.
In the 50's and 60's you could find an occasional health food store in the major cities which sold wheat germ oil, yogurt, cod liver oil and similar sit like that, but I don't recall any protein products until Gypsie Boots offered 'protein wafers' that were somewhat similar to the way Lifesavers are packaged.
Weider offered a liquid wt gaining product that tasted like a weak Geritol product ahd Hoffman eventually offer powered protein in a round cardboard container.
Then came beef liver protein that tasted like shit and that was followed by Rheo H.Blair and his milk and egg protein that Scott swore by back them
And then there was Mus-L-On up in Northern California and the beginnings of a whole new line of work out equipment which today we take for granted.
And from that point on this game grew into a major industry which I can only discuss after I prove to certain individuals that I am dead.
But the inside shit is what makes it interesting.
Good stuff but I’m with Montage…spill the beans bro.
When you say the inside shit is what makes it interesting…ill use that to segway into this point:
It’s been a year and a half since I started this thread. One of my earlier posts I mentioned that I ran/owned a sports nutrition store. I have since closed it earlier in the year due to poor sales. It was one year and done for me.
I took away a few things from the experience regarding the industry. I had previous experience working for some bigger retail chains in vitamins, sports nutrition, ect before I decided to go off on my own. When you work for the bigger corporate places you get “shielded” from a lot of “stuff”…you just don’t see the behind the scenes stuff that goes on.
Gotta be honest, a lot of the stuff I learned about people and some of the inner workings, turned me off to a degree and I’m not sure I’d do another round in this business even though I really do have a passion for it.
Example: I guess I was naïve to it at first but I really came to a conclusion that there are a lot of people I simply don’t want to be associated with in this biz. When you think about it, it’s a bit shocking how many people have done jail/prison time that are in this business. Companies that have the balls to flat out put illegal drugs in products with no listing on the labels (obviously) or warning. The flat out ridiculous ads that some companies use as a marketing strategy…when people outside the business see an add with a guy obviously on steroids promoting a product that says will make 6000% stronger…they simply don’t take your business seriously…you get thrown in the same category as a 2am infomercial. To see the feds raiding bodybuilding.com for prohormones...ehhh def mad me question whether this is all worth it.
That being said, I also met a lot of really cool people…good people that you do want to be associated with. People that share a common passion. Plus we have better looking/fitter girls than you see in many industries or professions…lol. I guess the good and the bad comes in any business/industry and my experience lead me to learn a lot and I know I’ll always have an interest even if it’s not what I “do for a living”.
So ya StuntMovie…do tell!!!
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FYI:
If you’re really interested in the whole “Mother’s Milk” concept, you ought to investigate to find the amino & fat composition of actual breast milk. Find as much specific info as you can, and then compare it to other brands, particularly Muscle Milk’s formula, as they like to tout their protein as being closest to boob juice.
Then report your findings to your good buddy Monty so he doesn't have to do the research.
:)
I like to add a half cup of cream to a bottle of Muscle Milk. Tastes great, and will stick with you for hours.
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Pac-Man, I really enjoyed reading your latest post dated Oct 12 about the supplement industry and the good and the bad folks you met within it.
In fact it was an experience somewhat like deja-vous (spelling?) while reading it.
While I was going through high school I met two brothers whose father forced them to drink ox-blood frequently .... or so the entire student body believed.
These brothers were big and mean and great athletes but kept to themselves and were respected by all.
And I wanted to be just like them.
But I didn't want to drink ox-blood!
So one day I passed a small aand strange looking store in downtown San Francisco and looked through the window and saw strange looking stuff that I had never seen in a grocery store and built up enough nerve to go inside and ask the person behind the counter, "What can I buy in here that will make me big and stronger?"
And this old geezer got off his rocker and took me to the refrigerator and handed me a glass jar of something called "Yogurt" and on our way back to the cash register he also placed a dark brown bottle of something called "wheat germ oil" in my empty hand.
And I gave him a five dollar bill and he gave me change and said, "When you're done with that, come back for more and you'll get bigger and stronger in no time at all!"
So for the next year or so I was a regular customer, always searching the shelves for something new to make me bigger and stronger, but only leaving that little store with my monthly supply of unflavored yogurt and my brown bottle of wheat germ oil,
And back then that was the only stuff on what is now called the Health Food Store shelves that coild make you bigger and stronger without mentioning it even once on the label.
In fact there was not one product in that store that displayed the word 'Muscle" or made any mention of strength increases.
The snake oil salesmen had been run out of town many years earlier and apparently .... no one wanted them to return. (But .... how soon we forget!)
That little health food store was mainly interested in selling cures for diarreha and constipation, flat feet, migrane headaches, and Pepto Bismo -like stuff for hangovers and upset stomachs.
And as dumb as it may seem, that was the beginning of health food stores west of the Mississippi.
And if you wanted ox-blood you'd have to look elsewhere.
Things were so much different then.
A gym was something that had basketballs in it.
And any gym with weights inside had a pile of untouched plates and bars in the far-off, unlit corner.
But there were a few eccentrics who enjoyed the company of other men in an attempt to determine who was stronger, and even greater eccentrics who wanted to prove that they were bigger.
Sothe local Y was full of eccentrics each night after working hours putting plates on bars and waiting patiently for the guys who got there earlier to get off that damn robbily bench so that they could do their four sets and get home for dinner to brag about how big and strong they were getting.
And over a short period of time .... an industry was created. And a very few eccentrics saw an opportunity and took advantage.
Ed Yarick opened a small gym in Oakland, and Jack Lalanne opened a small gym on the 5th floor of a very ancient high rise office building on the then less desirable end of Downtown's Market Street, while Walt Baptiste openeda Yoga studio with weights in the corner on Van Ness Avenue.
And a couple of brothers on the east coast were getting magaziines started while competing against a guy named Dan Louri and a strong guy who lifted heavy barbells in a town called York by the name of Bob Hoffman.
And I sort of forget how and when they fit into this picture but Perry and Mable Raider were also pioneers in the big-guy, strong-guy editorial business with a little but impressive magazine called "IronMan".
So now things start taking shape and a new and unrecognized industry is developing and the magazines start selling ad space.
But they soon realize that diarreah and constipation remedies have little interest in there ad offerings, so they start 'inventing' stuff to advertise in the hope ehat it will generate enough income to keep the presses rolling.
And one day one of those editorial type guys notices a full page ad in his favorite comic book in which a skinny kid gets sand kicked in his face while the big guy walks away with his girlfriend .... and an immediate "Trainer of Champions" idea is born which causes a great amount of jealousy and animosity within this new publishing industry and among the real living experts within the "Get big, Get strong" world which the vast majority of the world's population knows nothing about.
And the snake oil guys return in droves. But not all snake oils are bad!
More to follow if there is any interest
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Pac-Man, I really enjoyed reading your latest post dated Oct 12 about the supplement industry and the good and the bad folks you met within it.
In fact it was an experience somewhat like deja-vous (spelling?) while reading it.
While I was going through high school I met two brothers whose father forced them to drink ox-blood frequently .... or so the entire student body believed.
These brothers were big and mean and great athletes but kept to themselves and were respected by all.
And I wanted to be just like them.
But I didn't want to drink ox-blood!
So one day I passed a small aand strange looking store in downtown San Francisco and looked through the window and saw strange looking stuff that I had never seen in a grocery store and built up enough nerve to go inside and ask the person behind the counter, "What can I buy in here that will make me big and stronger?"
And this old geezer got off his rocker and took me to the refrigerator and handed me a glass jar of something called "Yogurt" and on our way back to the cash register he also placed a dark brown bottle of something called "wheat germ oil" in my empty hand.
And I gave him a five dollar bill and he gave me change and said, "When you're done with that, come back for more and you'll get bigger and stronger in no time at all!"
So for the next year or so I was a regular customer, always searching the shelves for something new to make me bigger and stronger, but only leaving that little store with my monthly supply of unflavored yogurt and my brown bottle of wheat germ oil,
And back then that was the only stuff on what is now called the Health Food Store shelves that coild make you bigger and stronger without mentioning it even once on the label.
In fact there was not one product in that store that displayed the word 'Muscle" or made any mention of strength increases.
The snake oil salesmen had been run out of town many years earlier and apparently .... no one wanted them to return. (But .... how soon we forget!)
That little health food store was mainly interested in selling cures for diarreha and constipation, flat feet, migrane headaches, and Pepto Bismo -like stuff for hangovers and upset stomachs.
And as dumb as it may seem, that was the beginning of health food stores west of the Mississippi.
And if you wanted ox-blood you'd have to look elsewhere.
Things were so much different then.
A gym was something that had basketballs in it.
And any gym with weights inside had a pile of untouched plates and bars in the far-off, unlit corner.
But there were a few eccentrics who enjoyed the company of other men in an attempt to determine who was stronger, and even greater eccentrics who wanted to prove that they were bigger.
Sothe local Y was full of eccentrics each night after working hours putting plates on bars and waiting patiently for the guys who got there earlier to get off that damn robbily bench so that they could do their four sets and get home for dinner to brag about how big and strong they were getting.
And over a short period of time .... an industry was created. And a very few eccentrics saw an opportunity and took advantage.
Ed Yarick opened a small gym in Oakland, and Jack Lalanne opened a small gym on the 5th floor of a very ancient high rise office building on the then less desirable end of Downtown's Market Street, while Walt Baptiste openeda Yoga studio with weights in the corner on Van Ness Avenue.
And a couple of brothers on the east coast were getting magaziines started while competing against a guy named Dan Louri and a strong guy who lifted heavy barbells in a town called York by the name of Bob Hoffman.
And I sort of forget how and when they fit into this picture but Perry and Mable Raider were also pioneers in the big-guy, strong-guy editorial business with a little but impressive magazine called "IronMan".
So now things start taking shape and a new and unrecognized industry is developing and the magazines start selling ad space.
But they soon realize that diarreah and constipation remedies have little interest in there ad offerings, so they start 'inventing' stuff to advertise in the hope ehat it will generate enough income to keep the presses rolling.
And one day one of those editorial type guys notices a full page ad in his favorite comic book in which a skinny kid gets sand kicked in his face while the big guy walks away with his girlfriend .... and an immediate "Trainer of Champions" idea is born which causes a great amount of jealousy and animosity within this new publishing industry and among the real living experts within the "Get big, Get strong" world which the vast majority of the world's population knows nothing about.
And the snake oil guys return in droves. But not all snake oils are bad!
More to follow if there is any interest
^^ Good stuff.
And yes, when you have time, please share more!
I'm sure that pac-man (and others) will share my sentiments.
Thanks!
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I like to add a half cup of cream to a bottle of Muscle Milk. Tastes great, and will stick with you for hours.
It'll stick to your carotids for longer than that!
:D
LOL!!!
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OK, thanks, Montague! I'll do my best to recall this stuff, but you gotta realize that I simply write what I consider 'history' from my point of view and the way I personally witnessed it.
So there may be other witnesses out there who saw this history differently and it would be interesting to here it from their point of view. I'm always open to objections and corrections.
OK, so now we got magazines and the start of an industry that would possibly be interested in placing ads within those magazines, but the owners of those magazines did not want to run advertisements that were in competition with their very own products.
And no matter how respectable a couple of these 'muscle' magazines were, all of them were always located on the very top shelf of the smuttiest magazine stores in town.
As I mentioned earlier ... the world was a different place back then and anything that showed too much 'skin' was considered 'smut. And magazines with photos of semi 'naked' muscle guys were among the 'smuttiest'.
And this 'smutti-est-ness' continued on through the years until Hefner published Playboy and changed a bit of 'smutty history'.
But back east in the New York area, 'men's smuttiness' magazine photos were taking the form of fine art photography.
But none the less those magazines were still somewhat hidden on the top racks of magazine stands up and down Broadway.
But even hidden in such a way. bodybuilders were getting exposure and publicity, but not the kind of publicity you'd take home to mother.
But competition within the 'Big guy, Strong guy" publishing business forced an in-house cleaning operation .... and these magazines over time became somewhat more respectable.
But not respectable enough for everyone. And even today that appears to be the norm.
So now we have three big guy publishers who despise each other. There was Joe and his brother and Bob and Dan. And each of them felt that he was more important than the others.
And they'd start and encourage rumors about what bad guys the others were.
One well traveled RUMOR was that one of the magazines had to use a different printing company with every monthly issue for its failure to pay the previous printing company and eventually had to leave the state because there were no more printing companies to refuse to pay.
to be continued
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OK, thanks, Montague! I'll do my best to recall this stuff, but you gotta realize that I simply write what I consider 'history' from my point of view and the way I personally witnessed it.
So there may be other witnesses out there who saw this history differently and it would be interesting to here it from their point of view. I'm always open to objections and corrections.
OK, so now we got magazines and the start of an industry that would possibly be interested in placing ads within those magazines, but the owners of those magazines did not want to run advertisements that were in competition with their very own products.
And no matter how respectable a couple of these 'muscle' magazines were, all of them were always located on the very top shelf of the smuttiest magazine stores in town.
As I mentioned earlier ... the world was a different place back then and anything that showed too much 'skin' was considered 'smut. And magazines with photos of semi 'naked' muscle guys were among the 'smuttiest'.
And this 'smutti-est-ness' continued on through the years until Hefner published Playboy and changed a bit of 'smutty history'.
But back east in the New York area, 'men's smuttiness' magazine photos were taking the form of fine art photography.
But none the less those magazines were still somewhat hidden on the top racks of magazine stands up and down Broadway.
But even hidden in such a way. bodybuilders were getting exposure and publicity, but not the kind of publicity you'd take home to mother.
But competition within the 'Big guy, Strong guy" publishing business forced an in-house cleaning operation .... and these magazines over time became somewhat more respectable.
But not respectable enough for everyone. And even today that appears to be the norm.
So now we have three big guy publishers who despise each other. There was Joe and his brother and Bob and Dan. And each of them felt that he was more important than the others.
And they'd start and encourage rumors about what bad guys the others were.
One well traveled RUMOR was that one of the magazines had to use a different printing company with every monthly issue for its failure to pay the previous printing company and eventually had to leave the state because there were no more printing companies to refuse to pay.
to be continued
great stuff stuntmovie , i guess the history section isn't dead. keep it coming. i think you are right on in your views and perceptions of the time. in a similar vein i myself almost bought a gym in the late 70's but was put off when believe it or not the realtor actually told me a good portion of the money generated by the gym was through the sale of steroids, the realtor actually said that. i changed my mind when hearing this.
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Thanks, Funk. I'll have more to say re your comments later, but right now I gotta thank ya if you're the GetBigger who posted all those bodybuilding photos of years gone by. I took a fast look at those 15 pages to see who I knew or met personally and who was still among the living and had a quick kick in the stomach when I read that a few had reached the happy hunting ground.
I have a bad habit of remembering people as they used to be ln their prime and usually put my foot in my mouth by saying something like' 'What happend to you!?" after a 20 - 30 absence/regathering!
But the one guy who actually looks younger after a span of many years is Tony Pierson. He actually looks like he grew 20 years younger.
OK, back to the history lesson.
The big thing I want to stress in this post is that "Things were so much different back in the 40's and the 50's" and somr Getbiggers who seem to present themselves as experts stand here in the present age and mis-analyze the 'actions' of those involved in this thing called bodybuilding so many, many years ago.
It seems that these young, so called "experts" are trying to analyze an earth molecule while standing on the moon.
The following will be difficult to explain because most of you all lack the daily experiences we lived with back then .... "Back then" when the world and all its occupants were completely and totally different.
And don't worry because this will be completely body building related. I just gotta set the stage a bit.
10 min break
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Just got orders to head on downtown, so i'll do my best to continue this upon my return. Next post will most likely be a recap and what type of guys were bodybuilding back then and why they really didn't look too good except for guys like Reeves and a few others who had genetics.
I personally believe Gadja turned the conditioning in another direction. Up till his appearence on the scene, it appeared to b e mainly a question of genetics among the best. More on this historical moment and personal observation to follow.
Hi, BOB ! Now here's the man who can argue or agree with or add to a lot of points I'll be discussing.
I hope you stay with us, Bob! I'd like to get you involved in a future discussion about today's NPC competitions to be called HISTORY REPEATS REPEATS ITSELF. I'LL SEND you a message first when I get some time. I HOPE YOU READ THIS AS I ADDED IT AFTER YOUR POST BELOW.
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I use to use the product.. Have also been to his office. I never heard about heavey cream = to mothers milk. I was told the fats were esental to complete the desacated podwer form. A more natural way to complete the effectivness of Blairs
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Bob, I thought I was also in his office back in the early 60'S BUT NOW I'm not positive it was his office - maybe his distriibution/sales center.
I recall it being in a central part of LA in a semi wooded area with a small lake in the back.
Does that make any sense to you? That's when Scott was training McArdle for the Cal but Corvello beat him for the title which was a major upset. Those were the Embassy Hotel Auditorium days of yore when you could have gotten yanked off the stage if you appeared in bad shape or get hit with a rotten tomato.
Those were rough but fun times in this crazy world ot bodybuilding.
What year did you enter the picture?
Head'n off.
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Next post will most likely be a recap and what type of guys were bodybuilding back then and why they really didn't look too good except for guys like Reeves and a few others who had genetics.
This part sounds like it will be quite interesting.
;)
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OK, Montegue.
If you read the above few 'sermons', you now know that something interesting is about to happen among those who lifted heavy things back in the 40's and the 50's.
And I haven't even started on the subject of Olympic and Odd lifters who played an important part in the birth of modern-day bodybuilding, but that would make this story a bit too complicated for a format such as this; so let it suffice to say that those guys also helped make it happen in some very adverse ways .......
So now we have three or more national magazines being published and each of them have little regard for one another. (See previous posts).
We also have Perry and Mabel Raider who publish a smaller format named "IronMan" . They are a nice elderly couple who never seem to argue with the others. They play well.
And we have various products that need advertisement space in weight related magazines to make us bigger, stronger, and live a lot longer.
Bodybuilding as an inherent 'unit' is slowly coming together.
All we need now are the bodies to grow the muscle and a place or places that offer the equipment to make it happen.
But back then those two 'commodities' were almost non-existent.
Let's consider the scarcity of the 'bodies' first.
Back in the early 50's you might find 5 or 6 guys in San Francisco who could justifiably refer to themselves as hard core bodybuilders.
And in Los Angeles, you might be able to double that figure.
Those individuals who frequented Muscle Beach and called themselves bodybuilders might be more accurately referred to as gymnasts and plain John Does who liked to stay in shape by performing handstands and other comparable circus acts.
Only a relative few would be called bodybuilders by most Getbiggers if we were able to time-travel back to Muscle Beach in the 50's and take look around.
Bodybuilders back then were a very rare breed of critters.
And it might be best to make an attempt to tell you who those bodybuilders were by telling you who they WERN'T.
Bodybuilders were not the Olympic lifters who lifted explosive weights in most YMCA's in most major US cities. They didn't like bodybuilders too much.
Nor were they the Odd Lifters (nowadays - Powerlifters) who wore tight Levis with tennis balls taped behind their knees to squat in access of their personal best. They didn't like bodybuilders too much either.
Bodybuilders back then were not young kids who were enrolled in school. They were not even college students. And they were not fathers with two or three kids working 40 hours a week to place food on the table.
They were not doctors, lawyers, or Indian chiefs.
All the above were respected occupations.
Bodybuilders were big guys who appeared half nude in magazines that were hidden on the top shelves of downtown bookstores.
Bodybuilders were guys who could not excel in sporting endeavors because they were too musclebound.
Bodybuilders were laughable.
And no respectable kid back then would ever be seen in public in his underware let alone a pair of skimpy posing shorts. And have his picture for the whole world to see!?
No way!
Therefore bodybuilders were immoral.
They were unfit for proper society.
But in actuality, very few people thought any of the above about bodybuilders because most people had no idea that bodybuilding even existed.
My very intelligent brother says, "It had not been invented yet!", so just about everyone knew nothing about it, but those who did know something, didn't like the something they knew for various and asundry stupid reasons.
And the same holds true today .... as evident on this GetBig board.
Some things never change!
It took a while but a few good men made major accomplishments and changed this somewhat universal public opinion ... but that comes later.
One noticeable thing about these old time bodybuilders ... the majority of them look damn bad when compared to today's amature contenders. And there's a major and valid reason for that!
And that reason is not roids or better training methods. It's far simpler.
I'll go into those details next.
OBJECTIONS and CORRECTIONS are appreciated
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Funk has been posting an interesting series of photos of past AAU Mr America winners and with very few exceptions those winners are definitely not too impressive to say the least.
And that series of winners appears to look somewhat more impressive once Bob Gadja of Chicago's Duncan YMCA hit the competitive stage.
Why is that?
Here's what I think .... and this is based on actual experience in a time that was so much different.
First of all you have to realize that there were hundreds of guys throughout the US who could stand beside the vast majority of those Mr America winners and blow them away. They lifted heavy stuff at home or bailed hay for their dad or other strainuous muscle building activities.
But many of those guys refused to enter because they had no idea what a bodybuilding contest was or they did know but had no desire to stand on a stage in front of a lot of people in a pair of shorts that were politely referred to as 'nut-huggers' which were considered to be substantially immodest back then.
Modesty was very important back then ..... but changes were on its way.
So the vast majority of contest winners back then were those who were "brave"
enough to show it all without hesitation.
These Mr AMERICA winners were definitely not representative of the best built guys in America, but they did break the mold of indecency.
Reeves was one of the best back then due to his looks and genetics and his self confidence on stage. Terpak had 'size' and strength.
But 'decency' was in control back then so bodybuilding magazines were never seen on kitchen tables.
Just about every 'kid' between the ages of 16 - 24 spent summers on a river resort town 72 miles north of the Golden Gate and a fair number of them could have stolen that title if it wasn't for those darn little trunks and their intrinsic moral code.
A moral code that was soon to see a drastic change for the Hippies were just around the corner!
And they didn't even lift weights! But they smoked a lot of dope and made nudity semi acceptable.
Moral codes change, but it takes a period of time and becomes un-noticeable.
Next up: Gyms!? What gyms?
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Wow!
I've been told by "ordinary" folks who were around during that time that weight lifting was a fairly obscure activity back in those days, and I'd always been under the impression that bodybuilding simply wasn't popular as well.
But, I had no idea it was actually considered so deviant by society.
It's interesting to read the specifics here, since so many outsiders merely cluster everything from Olympic lifting to bodybuilding into one general category like "weight training" or "exercise."
I now know there was a HUGE difference in public perception of each.
You've broken it down here beautifully.
I look forward to reading more!
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Thanks again, Montegue.
You sort of got the idea of what I'm trying to say but the word 'deviant' might be a bit too harsh and somewhat misleading.
I'd prefer to say that bodybuilding/bogybuilders were just not generally acceptable.
BUT ..... not acceptable on a very small scale due to the fact that bodybuilding and it's participants were relatively unknown among the general population.
And its difficult to dislike something if you don't know what that something is. But the majority of those who did know - frowned upon it.
But progress in a new direction has been frowned upon by the masses throughout history. Only the pioneers are brave enough make a change and most of them have no idea of the part they played.
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Just a small injection of things I have heard old BB'ing vet's speak off. Not trying to infringe on the excellent posts of StuntMovie.
Back in the old days BB'ing shows were held after the Olympic lifting events. Usually winding up late at night. Just something to throw in as a novelty or side show. With a best arm, leg, chest, back, etc judging included.
The old Mr America (and other more major contest) require each contestant to preform some form of Olympic lift(s). I believe it was athletic performance, body development (some contest judged each BB'er in normal outdoor sun light, direct indoor light and also under the posing lights..which really could make a world of difference in the final results) and character. Character required a personal interview and how you would speak and handle your self. Was said that is why the great Harold Poole never won the Mr A title. He had a speech problem back than. The Mr A was very much like the Miss A, but with muscle.
Only my view but I don't think it was being "Brave" to jump on stage, but more ego driven. The "look at me" thing, which may or may not be a positive motivation. Some call it flair or style. But without these types I doubt that BB'ing would be what it is today.
PL'ing evolved from BB'ing. The odd lifts included. Odd lifts contest could pretty much included about any lifting combo. From curls. lateral raises, upright rowing, DB pressing/cleans, etc. But the squat, bench and DL most always seem to to the core lifts in most Odd Lift contest back than. Hence the slow birth of modern PL'ing.
BB'ing is a sub culture, and will always remain so. And now BB'ing may be on a death watch because of the drug use. Including meth/speed/dust/crank/smack etc. And the wholesale sex trade that goes on within it. Not to mention the bogus supplement rip off's that account of millions of dollar in sales each year.
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JPM, interesting comments. Thanks!
Let me expound on some of what you had to say.
AAU Bodybuilding and Olympic Lifting: You are definitely correct about BB'ing shows that were held after the Olympic lifting events.
But your statement that the bodybuilding winded up late at night is NOT correct. You would be more precise if you said that the bodybuilding portion ended as the sun came up.
I, myself, recall more than one major BB contest that was held in conjunction with a major lifting event in which Mr Hoffman was present and the bodybuilders did not have stage access until the lifting trophies were awarded.
By the time the BB event started everyone had gone home so only die-hard fans and immediate family members remained.
This modus operandi was just one of the reasons bodybuilding eventually became completely disassociated with the AAU.
I was a voting member of that meeting when the NPC was initiated.
Mr. America Athletic Performance: I attended a number of Mr America events but I don't recall an athletic performance requirement, but I do recall an interview requirement.
In regards to your statement ..... "I don't think it was being "Brave" to jump on stage, but more ego driven". ..... I have to completely agree. I hereby retract "brave" which I used for the lack of a more accurate description of what I thought was occuring. I gtotally agree with you anbd I think that most of those Mr America awards way back then should have been "Best Big Ego" awards rather than "Best Built Man in America".
Thanks for the help on that one.
Odd and Powerlifting: I go back a good long while with a lot of world class lifters ,, Bill 'Peanuts' West, George Frenn, Larry Pacifico, Gus Rethwisch, Mike Lambert (Powerlifting USA), etc., etc., but apparently not far back enough to have ever seen an organized Odd Lift event.
But I have seen a good number of odd guys lifting oddly and have participated in a few "Watch me! Can you do this?! lifting attempts when guys like Johnny Falcon would sit up nights trying to think of some new strength test in an effort to impress the following day's gym rats and determine who could do it best.
I always thought that Powerlifting was just the new name for Odd Lifting which also consited of the bench press, squat, and deadlift.
Have I been wrong all these years?
Regarding ... "BB on Death Row!": I can't agree entirely but I have a strong suspicion that
something is underway and won't be fully disclosed until next year. I have no idea what that may be .... just a hunch that something is underway.
Thanks again, JPM
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GYM!!! WHAT GYM!!!
There were no gyms back then that came anywhere near resembling the gyms we're familiar with today.
Various YMCA's had various types of gym equipment which always consisted of medicine balls, bowling pins (I never did figure those out), vibrating belts, and long walls of wooden bars that were specifically intended for something no one knew anything about.
Plus 10x10 or 20x20 canvas mats stuffed with cotton wads making them four to five inches thick in various locations which were used to sit on between exhaustive sets orfextensive flappings of the jawbone.
And needless to say there were always bars and plates that had to be found and screwed together to meet your lifting capability. No continuous rack of barbells in 10 pound increments back then. You'd have to look for an empty, unused bar and then look for the plates and build your own with the screwdriver that was always missing.
Olympic sets???! What the hell were Olympic sets!!?
A few hard core guys got tired of this daily hunt, search, and build routine and decided to open their own lifting establishments.
Ed Yarick opened his small gym in Oakland .... and a kid named Steve eventually made it famous all over the Bay Area.
And an eccentric sort of young guy by the name of Lalanne open a 'gym' on the fifth floor of a very old high rise office complex on San Francisco's Market Street.
And a Yoga instructor whose name was Walt Baptiste and his beautiful wife opened a studio on Van Ness Avenue just a few miles from Jack's place.
The ball was rolling in Northern California and it refused to stop because roughly 400 miles down the coast there were also YMCA's and guys whose first names were Joe and Vince and Leo who had gym building plans of their own.
Now serious lifters would have a set of options and numerous offers that they could not refuse. The gym business was going to be big in Hollywood and its surrounding areas.
Continued later ...
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Stuntmovie:
More interesting stuff. Kind of interesting to learn the roots of lifting, including BB'ing, from you.
Just to let you know where I'm coming from: I was born in 1972 and came to the mainland when I was ten. My two uncles worked on the Paramount lot (near Van Ness & Melrose) for awhile and hung around the original Muscle Beach in the 50's & 60's. And if memory (and spelling) serves me right ,also trained a bit at Goodrich (Hollywood Blvd), Macey( Sunset Blvd), Connors (little Santa Monica Blvd) among some others. Even at the downtown LA YMCA, when Franklin Jones (BB'er or Lifter) was arrested. Seemed like people hopped from gym to gym back than. Through them, and some of their friends, I use to hear endless stories about the good old days.
Another friend of the uncles had a stack of old Iron Man magazines he let me borrow for a while. Iron Man also put out a lifting news letter . Some priceless information in both the mag & news letter. Wish I had them all now. Worth their weight in gold. Anyway, the Odd lift contest were listed and recorded. Not all had the same lifts. Some may have had curls, DB presses, upright rows, etc. Another might have Hack squats, lateral raises, DB cleasl & presses, etc. But the core movements were the squat or DL and bench. They called Hack squats reversed DL's at times.
I do remember reading that the old Mr A (probably 40's or 50's) had. (don't know how old you are, but probably before your time) a lifting requirement. Not only did you have to look strong but be strong.
The uncles, both in their 70's , are still around. One lives above The Whiskey, up the hill. The other , down the block behind the Bodhi Tree on Melrose. Both snagged rich wife's. Another benefit of Lifting for some guy's.
Keep up the excellent post, always interesting.
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Was there such a thing as the BEST GYM back then?
The answer to that is, "Yea!". But by today's standards each of them was very small and laxked 'amenities' such as shower stalls and drinking fountains. Some were less than 1,000 square feet where you could walk in the front door, take a few steps, and be out the back-door.
Joe Gold was a welder, so he made all his own heavy and solid equipment out in back. Most of the other gyms provided 'wobbily' benches and other half-assed gear that is mostly non-existent today ... except for the suprising return of Kettle-drums and seemingly worthless equipment that vibrated fat, muscle, and bones.
So looking back, I'd have to give Joe Gold that Best Old Time Gym award even though you could almost spit from corner to corner. His equipment far excelled the others. Joe's heavy duty squat rack was the first I'd ever seen and sure beat the hell out of squatting between two upright 'broom handle polls with little cradles at the top'!
And at approximately $24 a year (if I recall correctly) it was a great place to train and never crowded except on Saturday mornings when USC and UCLA football stars hogged the single squat rack,
Joe's equipment was so good that every once in a while someone would sneak in with a camers and take up-close photos while Joe was in the back welding his latest muscle enhancement creation.
So eventually similar looking Joe Gold creations appeared in other locations.
Size wise, I recall Vince's Gym on Venura up there by Studio City and the old Universal Studios being even smaller. And most definitely darker. Vince would get the Dark Gym of the year award most definitely. But he did have a shower stall that could accomodate smaller people. And a water fountain in a dark recess.
And Leo Stern's gym in San Diego was even less appealing. It was on the second floor of an old building on a main downtown street full of bars and inebriated sailors. Open a nondescript door, walk up a flight of wooden stairs and you'd find yourself in a weight strewed room full of weights and equipment. I kind of recall it as being dark and somewhat unorganized but it was where Bill Pearl preferred to train, so it must have had some value fof serious lifters of that time.
Up north in the San Francisco Bay Area there was Yarick's. Lalannes, and Walt Baptiste ,,,, none of which were worth bragging about.
But these were the pioneers of the eventual gym BOOM and they stepped in no one's foot-prints. They saw something coming, but no one saw how big that 'something' was gonna be!
Next up ,,, Gym Pioneers - 2nd string or 2nd generation!
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JPM. thanks again. I read your most recent post after submitting the one I drafted above,
A major problem of attempting to write some form of bodybuilding history is that many of the real pioneers are overlooked due to the fact that I never met them. Our life cycles have failed to coincide as one of my Poker shrink buds might so aptly state.
Om a few occasions I have spoken with the likes of Jeff Everson (I'm his only fan), Mike Lambert (Powerlifting USA), Pete Grymkowski, Mike Mentzer (while he was still with us), Bill Starr (Only the Strong Will Survive), and my super intelligent good friend who lived the life as a serious lifter until 'tommoow' - Steve Dussia, and Gene Mozee who has been actively involved since the says of Sandow (or damn close) and definitely Tommy Kono.
That joint authorship would most likely assure that pioneers such as those you have mentioned - and whom I have never had the pleasure to shake hands with - would not be overlooked.
Include in the above your uncles.
(BTW, I have met, worked with. or trained with a good number of those Mr America champs whose photos Funk has been posting under another topic, plus many of the guys he mentions in passing whose photos were not included. I plan to list everyone he has mentioned inaqn that great topic and mark those who I have met during my lifetime and under what occasion that occured qnde hopE to eventually post it on GetBif for anyone who may be interested.)
Speaking of your uncles .... Just a few years back I was visiting Muscle Beach (the original) and unexpectedly stepped into a reunion of the original Muscle Beach inhabitants.
Some were in their 80's and 90's, but the majority were in their 70's and most of them had scrapbooks full of Muscle Beach memories. (Such as Steve Reeves in full shirt shots on his very first-day visit.)
A couple of those old scrapbooks were so damn interesting that I considered running off with the best one from that old guy in the wheelchair, but my conscience took control and I departed empty handed.
And DAMN! That was probably the only day in my lifetime that I went down there without my camera!
Ask your uncles if they showed up on that occasion a few years back. When I left while they were all sitting around looking at pnotos and talking story while waiting for some professional camera crew to dociment the occasion.
Thanks again, JPM
PS I just might have met one or both of your uncles at one time or another.
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I remember back in 83' I did the American Cup Championships (armwrestling) at the Shrine Auditorium in LA. I remember when I arrived all the people that were there. I couldnt believe all these people were there for armwrestling. Well when I got inside the stage had these two curtains seperating the stage into 3 sections. I find out that there is armwrestling, powerlifting and a bodybuilding show all going on at the same time. It was really cool. It was very loud and I had no idea how all the other guys (powerlifters and bodybuilders) could hear anything. I know the bodybuilding had their finals that night I think. Ut it was really cool to have that place packed and everyone really enjoyed the arnwrestling. Met a guy there who ended up being one of my best friends. He was (and still is) the youngest person to ever compete in the WSM.
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Thanks, Keith! I recall reading about that event. I wonder if it ever continued after that first year? I'll call Gene and ask him about that one.
But , Keith, you're talking '83 while the rest of us are still in the early 50's and 60's with occasional leaps a few years forward.
Hell, you weren't even a twinkle in your dad's eye yet! (You might have to be Irish to understand that one though!)
But stick around cause when (and if) we reach the 80's I'll be asking ya to give me a kick to refresh my memory and probably tell ya stuff that you were involved with but have since forgotten.
Hints: The German's, Bill "Peanut's" West, Zuver's, the Smorgasboard that the bodybuilders ruined, humorous Pete episodes, serious Jeff E. stories, gym showers with the ladies, etc., etc., etc.
Your period within BB history is forthcoming. Stand by!
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Joe's equipment was so good that every once in a while someone would sneak in with a camers and take up-close photos while Joe was in the back welding his latest muscle enhancement creation.
That's crazy!
I suppose he never thought to get patents on any of those designs?
I don't know how lucrative Joe's gym business was in the early stages, but I'd imagine it was doing very well at the time he sold it.
I still laugh at the story of how he agreed not to open another "Gold's" after the sale, and in the same proverbial breath, opened "Worlds" down the road, to which all of the big attraction names flocked and joined.
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You ain't got that last post right, Montegue!
PATENTS: First of all I don't think many people understood the patent business back then, Especially gym owners of that time.
I don't think gym equipment patents came into vogue until Universal gear came on the scene. I could be wrong though.
And regarding the sale of Gold's Gym ..... I was in the LA area around that time and here's the story if I can recall it properly. Maybe another GetBigger can fill in the blanks or make corrections.
Ken Sprague was an X-rated movie star which was deeply frowned on back then, but he was one hell of a great guy and we talked often.
Somehow Ken bought Joe Gold's Gym and shortly after that Joe Gold planned to open another gym with the name of Gold's because that was his very own last name of course.
Apparently Joe did not realize that he had also transfered his last name to Sprague and I sort of recall the need to go to court to get it resolved.
At present I have no idea why Joe sold out to Ken but with a couple of phone calls I can get it from the horse's mouth and not from the other end.
Apparently Joe legally lost the use of his last name and eventually decided to call his new gym "World Gym" which was located just about a mile south of Ken's 3rd Street location in Santa Monica.
I don't recall how long Ken owned Gold's Gym nor the year he sold it but Pete Grymkowski and Ed Connors and two others joined forces and bought it from Ken who was in the process of moving with his wife up to Seattle or thereabouts. It is my understanding that Ken retained the rights to publish books and articles about the newly owned Gold's Gym.
I understand that this new partnership had a difficult beginning and relied on Gold's Gym T-shirt sales to keep the door open. And Keith is more familiar with the Guido Gold's Gym logo than I am.
But before leaving Ken Sprague up north, I should let you know that he promoted one of the finest bodybuilding events of all time. Unquestionably!!
It was the year that Dave Johns won the title and Mae West was escorted on stage by Bert Goodrich to make the presentation after politely asking that I step aside to that they could do their thing.
Mae was quite old and frail at that time and simply appeared to be a little old lady backstage wondering what in the hell she was doing there, but as soon as she cleared that curtain she was once again the Mae West that everyone loved (and wanter to go up and see some time.)
It was one hell of an amazing transformation!
Once Dave got his trophy, Mae and Bert returned backstage and she once again became that little, bewilderd, elderly lady and was quickly escorted to a waiting limo ,,,, never to be seen again in public (as far as I know).
That was the same year that the city of Santa Monica printed thousands of newspapers hailing the arrival of the Mr America event in their fair city and that was the day when the Mr America Parade came to down and drew many thousands of parade loving folks.
And all the contestants played a part in that parade. Some even rode the elephants.
And that was the year the contestants were told that they would not need to bring their recorded music for their posing routines .... as Ken had made arrangements for a full and live symphony orchestra to play all the tunes required.
And that was the day when a fully equipped gym was installed backstage for the pump up area.
And as far as I know, none of that has ever been repeated and problem never will be.
Ken did one hell of a great job.
ken, if you happen to be reading this .... correct me when I've been in error and add some interesting stuff. What the hell year was that anyway!?
BUT I've jumped ahead too far! Let's get back to the 50's and Steve and his good friend George and lots of other pioneers.
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As an addition to the above post, I should mention that Pete Grymkowski decided to place a bench on the inside of the front window by the doorway so that the people who were always stopping on the outside to look into the inside could come inside and have a place to sit and watch all the crazy gym activity.
That small act of kindness was a blessing in disguise because many of those bench sitters would end up buying the Gold's Gym Guido t-shirts that helped keep the place open.
OK, back to the 50's in Northern California .... the San Francisco Bay Area to be specific. (I hope I'm not repeating myself here because I wrote this part once before while in the process of posting it, but somehow it got lost and has been so far 'unfound')
So back in them days there was the YMCA and some minor gyms scattered around the bay ...... notably Lalanne's in San Francisco's old downtown area, and Walt Baptiste's on Van Ness Avenue which was actually a Yoga Studio, and Yarick's Gym over in Oakland across the bay from the big city of San Francisco. Head on east past Oakland and a few minutes later there was nothing but empty pasture-land until you got to highway 99 an hour or so later. Turning south on 99 would take you all the way to Los Angeles and Santa Monica where Muscle Beach was located ... about an 8 hour drive through fields of garlic, onions, artichokes, asparagus, almonds and little bergs named Fresno and Bakersfield.
At least three young kids made that trip on a semi frequent basis, but Steve Reeves and George Eifferman and another named Jack Dillinger are no longer here to verify exactly how many trips were actually made. But on a couple of those trips to Muscle Beach they stayed at a placed called "Muscle House" .. the exact history of which has escaped my memory but I believe that they were the short term guests of Pudgy Stockton and her husband, Mr. Stockton.
I first met Reeves when he must have been around 17 - 18 years of age. I am guessing at his age but I think I was about 4 or 5 when I first 'met' him and Steve was 13 years older than myself. But maybe we were both somewhat older as I'm not too good at recalling dates.
My dad had taken me and my mom to a lake in the Berkley Hills named Lake Tamescal. He had grown up in that area as a kid and always liked to return to see how much it had changed. Back then it used to be in a very rural and wooded area within the rolling hills of Berkley but today it is surrounded by fancy homes and a major freeway.
I was about 5 I think and this big guy came walking out of the water and tapped me on the head and said, "Get big, kid!" and proceeded over to talk to my dad for a few minutes before heading off to join his friends. At that time I thought he was a large sized football player.
Back then every teen ager who lived in the vicinity of the Golden Gate used to spend as much summer time as possible in a heavily redwooded vacation area on the Russian River called Rio Nido. It was merely 70 miles north of the Golden Gate and the ideal spot for all the Bay Area kids to get together and spend summer days on the river and summer nights in the dancehall which featured big named bands such as Harry James and Dick Crest and many others.
Steve and his friends would show up often and enjoy themselves but they'd always head on back to Oakland late Sunday afternoons to make sure they were ready to lift some weights the following day.
We'd cross paths on a number of occasions but we'd merely say, "Hello" or "What's up?" and continue on our way.
Then a few years later I was reading an Oakland newspaper and there was an interview with Steve's mom about her son and what a good kid he was and the fact that he never had a cold nor a cavity. (It was a small news day, I guess!)
And shortly after he had his picture in Look Magazine and then he appeared on TV on a recurring basis .... an afternoon talk show called something like the "Ralph Edwards Show' and eventually received a major part in an MGM movie with Debbie Reynolds called. "ATHENA" which eventually led to his discovery and lead in Hercules Unchained which was so bad that I got a stomach ache
And then he sort of disappeared from the Bay Area and continued making movies. But we were destined to meet once again many years later after his retirement.
But in the meantime back in the Bay Area the gym business started awakening.
A group of local bodybuilders opened American Health Studios with a few branches around the city but that didn't last too very long and all us regulars found the front doors locked one Saturday morning and it never did reopen.
And Vic Tanny opened a very fancy, chrome plated barbell place on Market Street across from the Powell Street Cable Car turn around thing which appeared to be doing damn good business but was just too fancy for us regular gym rats.
And business was even booming faster down south in Los Angeles where jack Lalanne was opening health studios all over town. I've been told that Win Paris was the main man who helped get that chain off the ground and make it very successful, but LA was too far away to know for sure.
Now the pioneers who refused to expand were having competition.
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Injecting some stuff I heard from a old BB'ing vet. It was said he got more Hollywood ass than a toilet seat. Anyway, that's was the exact quote said about him.
Mae West owned the Rossmore Arms (on Rossmore about a half block south of Melrose & Vine). According to eye witnesses many a BB'er, wrestler and pro boxer's had over night, or weekend, stays there. Her father was a pro boxer and she seemed to like the muscular strong type of male (the father thing I guess) she was heard to say once. She was probably in her late 50's or middle 60's around then. May be the same time she also had the Vegas show. Pretty active in the sex department. BB'ers would always drop by for a "visit". When I heard this tale I didn't even know who Mae West was. And as Stuntman suggest, they did have to prop her up at time, but not so much because of old age. Maybe because of the inch of makeup and the heavy wigs she wore back than. Very, very rich lady.
Muscle House by the Sea, owned by another rich lady, was know for offering room and board to BB'ers. Don't know if the Stocktons ran it than or not. This guy told be another name. Peanut West, as Stuntman mentioned, use to have a well equipped home style gym/garage (like the kind I usually train at) in Culver City (not far from the beach) where strong men gathered and some serious workouts took place, I had been told.
The movie Athena also had an Mr A winner by the name of Dick Dubois (or something like that) who had a similar body frame and height as Reeves. Just about Reeves equal in a lot of ways. He later became a preacher. A couple of BB'ing vet's told me he was one of the biggest A wipes back than. Maybe religion changed him...yeah right!
Stuntman asked about my Unk's, but they dropped out of the Muscle Beach and any serious training thing long, long ago. Moved down to Oceanside/Carlsbad for a while. Came back to Hollywood for some home security work years later. They each bought a old California stucco style house and remodeled them both themselves.. Nice property value increase now. I'll probably be going to West Hollywood this or next weekend. Their both near 300lbs, over 6 feet and somewhat trim for being in their early 70's. But still have to turn sideways to get through a normal size door. South Sea island genetics.
The Unk's were the one's who got be doing 20 rep heavy breathing squats. Old time secret they told me. Gained 30lbs for football in 3 month's.
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Thanks again, JPM.
I have a favor to ask of ya.... Would it be possible for you to shoot some photos of the places you mentioned if and when you are in that area and it they still exist? In particular - the Rossmore Arms and Muscle House.
Was Muscle House located in the Santa Monica/Muscle Beach area or further on down the beach in the southern direction? I doubt if it's still standing but a few of those old structure are still facing the sea.
I once saw one of those grocery store, cash-register rags with a story on the front page claiming that Mae West was actually a man in drag, but I never picked it up to read it.
ANd I sort of recall that she and W.C. Fields made some old movies together. I gotta look that one up on IMDB.
Mae West did have a live traveling show that did feature four or five top bodybuilders of that time and a couple of friends of mine did appear with her in one of her last movies, but that was so long ago that it similar to remembering shadows.
I knew Peanuts and his pal, George Frenn, when they were both at the height of their lifting career, but I never did get a chance to see his garage gym which was often talked about back then. I also heard that years later before he passed away, he entered a bodybuilding contest .... but that could have been a funny rumor only.
I never did met Dubois nor did I ever meet anyone who knew him personally, but I did see Athena when it first came out and was surprised that Steve was in such great shape in a couple of scenes in that movie because I had seen him a bit earlier and he looked like an ordinary well shaped athlete. Is that movie available on DVD? I think I used to own the VHS version which is useless now. I see Debbie Reynolds on rare occasions here in LV and it I get a chance to talk to her I'll ask about the making of that film.
I bet your uncles were familiar with Zuver's Gym and Bob who owned the very small Oceanside gym (more like a handball court gym) on the east side of the freeway, and possibly Paul Edney who owned the Gold's Gym there, or possibly even the very small roadside gym owned by ------?------- further on down the highway sort of in the racetrack vicinity. Or possibly even Leo Stern and Bill Pearl down in the San Diego area. We used to travel up and down the So Cal coastline collecting trophies for winning pushup and pullup contests that those small beach towns used to promote on busy weekends. And occasional bench press events also.
Those were the days when beach-front parking was never a problem.
I'll see if I can find some old on-line photos of some of these above mentioned places and post them here to show what they old days really looked like.
Thanks again, JPM PS... As your uncles if they ever attended any of the old Embassy Hotel Auditorium contests in downtown LA and it they know or have ever met Gene Mozee, Arty Zeller or any other of those old timers who began it all in one form or another.
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CORRECTION:
I recall that in an earlier post on GetBig that someone offered the following statement which is in conflict with the above post ...
I believe the lady who ran the Muscle House By The Sea was Joy Crettaz, not Pudgy Stockton.
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Thanks again, JPM.
I have a favor to ask of ya.... Would it be possible for you to shoot some photos of the places you mentioned if and when you are in that area and it they still exist? In particular - the Rossmore Arms and Muscle House.
Was Muscle House located in the Santa Monica/Muscle Beach area or further on down the beach in the southern direction? I doubt if it's still standing but a few of those old structure are still facing the sea.
I once saw one of those grocery store, cash-register rags with a story on the front page claiming that Mae West was actually a man in drag, but I never picked it up to read it.
ANd I sort of recall that she and W.C. Fields made some old movies together. I gotta look that one up on IMDB.
Mae West did have a live traveling show that did feature four or five top bodybuilders of that time and a couple of friends of mine did appear with her in one of her last movies, but that was so long ago that it similar to remembering shadows.
I knew Peanuts and his pal, George Frenn, when they were both at the height of their lifting career, but I never did get a chance to see his garage gym which was often talked about back then. I also heard that years later before he passed away, he entered a bodybuilding contest .... but that could have been a funny rumor only.
I never did met Dubois nor did I ever meet anyone who knew him personally, but I did see Athena when it first came out and was surprised that Steve was in such great shape in a couple of scenes in that movie because I had seen him a bit earlier and he looked like an ordinary well shaped athlete. Is that movie available on DVD? I think I used to own the VHS version which is useless now. I see Debbie Reynolds on rare occasions here in LV and it I get a chance to talk to her I'll ask about the making of that film.
I bet your uncles were familiar with Zuver's Gym and Bob who owned the very small Oceanside gym (more like a handball court gym) on the east side of the freeway, and possibly Paul Edney who owned the Gold's Gym there, or possibly even the very small roadside gym owned by ------?------- further on down the highway sort of in the racetrack vicinity. Or possibly even Leo Stern and Bill Pearl down in the San Diego area. We used to travel up and down the So Cal coastline collecting trophies for winning pushup and pullup contests that those small beach towns used to promote on busy weekends. And occasional bench press events also.
Those were the days when beach-front parking was never a problem.
I'll see if I can find some old on-line photos of some of these above mentioned places and post them here to show what they old days really looked like.
Thanks again, JPM PS... As your uncles if they ever attended any of the old Embassy Hotel Auditorium contests in downtown LA and it they know or have ever met Gene Mozee, Arty Zeller or any other of those old timers who began it all in one form or another.
stuntman go on youtube.com ric drasin takes you on a tour of the old musclebeach stomping grounds.
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Very interesting read to say the least. Bob Janis ran the Oceanside Gym and was the area district chairman for the AAU. Ralph Kroger had the seaside gym in Del Mar before opening his gym in El Cajon. Anyone remember Maylon Wiltse-aka Maylon the Magician, had a very informative conversation with him in the early 80's.
Be safe and strong,
Big Pat
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Big Pat, thanks! I knew Bob Janis very well back then in the 60's but had forgotten his last name. Do you also recall a friend of his with the first name of Roger? Also a great bodybuilder who used to live on one of the boats in the Oceanside Harbor who would most likely be in his 60's now?
And Ralph used to own a gym in Hilo Hawaii before he returned to the mainland. If I'm not mistaken he was very religious.
Did you train at Bob's or were you in Oceanside while Gold's was located there?
I have no idea who the Magician was though.
Thanks for your input. I appreciate the help.
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Stuntmovie, thank you for all your posts.
Mr. Janis issued my AAU physique card to me in 1977.
I live in the San Diego East county, so I am not that familiar with what went on with gyms in north county. I do remember that Roger Metz(sp) had the IronMan gym in Oceanside in the late 70'early 80's. Mr. Kroger currently has a gym in Cherokee, Indiana called Victory Gym.
I have mostly trained at college weight rooms and at one time had a small commercial gym. I have had the chance to spend sometime with Leo Stern (RIP), Gene Fisher at Geo. Redpath's old gym in Spring Valley and have been in Bill Golumbick's gym more than a few times. If I had it to do over I would have taken the time to visit and train at all the gyms in San Diego. I remember Earl Clark's in the south bay. Bob Clark ( Iron Co) had a gym, Keith's Health House on the boardwalk in Mission Beach. San Diego is so rich in weight training history, I wish I had taken more advantage of it at that time.
Be safe and strong,
Big Pat
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Big Pat, Yep! Roger Metz was the friend of Bob's I was trying to recall. Are you in contact with either of them? Small world that you knew him also.
Back in or about 1961/1962 there was a notable bodybuilder in the San Diego area who had a serious accident with a chain-saw (cutting his thigh pretty seriously). We were attempting to contact him regarding a BB seminar on Camp Pendleton around the time of his accident.
Do you recall his name?
I forget the exact year (early 60's) but I was present at a Police Training Academy powerlifting event the day that Pat Casey got his first official 600 pound bench-press. The location was/is close to the San Diego Zoo because as soon as he got that lift the lions roared and that really impressed the sparse audience.
I never had the opportunity to meet Leo Stern but I consider myself to be a friend of Bill Pearl's and lifted in his Pasadena location many times.
I am familiar with the names of the gyms you mentioned but have never visited them, but back in the early 60's there was a commercial gym in an old beach-house directly facing the Mission Beach main area a block or so north of the roller coaster and whomever owned that place used to promote fitness events on the beach.
A bunch of us Marines would go down there, enter whatever event was going on, and end up taking most of the trophies back to the base.
And I also recall a great beach bar an the side street about a block east of the beach and directly across and north of the amusement park.
Any recollection of that area, that gym, that great beach bar, and those old Mission Beach fitness events?
AND ..... How about Rick Stephenson's and partners' Gold's Gym a bit north of that area later on?
Old memories! Thanks!
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Stuntmovie, glad I could fill in the names for you.
I only had two phone conversations with Mr. Janis, never met him in person. The only way I know of Mr. Metz was an article about him and the IronMan gym in Dan Lurie's Muscle Training Illus. in the 80's. MTI also did an article about a seminar that Ty Youngs (Mr. Yorton's NBBA winner) did at the IronMan. I do know that Mr. Metz sold the gym to a guy named C.C. Sanders, who also promoted physique shows in the North County.
I must admit the 60's were at least a decade before my time, but I have had many fine conversations with men who trained here in the San Diego area. I believe the man you are referring to with the leg injuries is Big John McWilliams. I had an older gym member of mine who trained with him at the North Park Health Club in the 60's. He was the club manager and from what I was told trained a lot of the SD Charger football players, including John Kemp. I have heard two, now three stories on how he injured his legs. One is war injuries, two is yours about the chainsaw and three, which Dr. A on IronAge forum states, from an industrial accident. Years ago Mr. George Coates (former IM writer) lent me all the photos that Mr. Stern took of him, he is always wearing long pants. There is one famous image of him that appeared in IM magazine in the late 50's that shows his right arm flexed which looks like a bowling ball . He has been given credit for having the first true 20" arm.
I have to make an appointment this morning but will continue with the Mission Beach question later this evening.
Be safe and strong,
Pat
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Stuntmovie, glad I could fill in the names for you.
I only had two phone conversations with Mr. Janis, never met him in person. The only way I know of Mr. Metz was an article about him and the IronMan gym in Dan Lurie's Muscle Training Illus. in the 80's. MTI also did an article about a seminar that Ty Youngs (Mr. Yorton's NBBA winner) did at the IronMan. I do know that Mr. Metz sold the gym to a guy named C.C. Sanders, who also promoted physique shows in the North County.
I must admit the 60's were at least a decade before my time, but I have had many fine conversations with men who trained here in the San Diego area. I believe the man you are referring to with the leg injuries is Big John McWilliams. I had an older gym member of mine who trained with him at the North Park Health Club in the 60's. He was the club manager and from what I was told trained a lot of the SD Charger football players, including John Kemp. I have heard two, now three stories on how he injured his legs. One is war injuries, two is yours about the chainsaw and three, which Dr. A on IronAge forum states, from an industrial accident. Years ago Mr. George Coates (former IM writer) lent me all the photos the Mr. Stern took of him, he is always wearing long pants. There is one famous image of him that appeared in IM magazine in the late 50's that shows his right arm flexed which looks like a bowling ball . He has been given credit for having the first true 20" arm.
I have to make an appointment this morning but will continue with the Mission Beach question later this evening.
Be safe and strong,
Pat
it was said of john mcwilliams that he drank lots of water and used to pray that most of it would go yo his arms...
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Thank you Funk51 for posting the image of Mr. McWilliams.
I would have thought that image was later than 1950! I guess he had Leroy Colbert beat by a long shot to the 20 inch mark.
For Stuntmovie, the only gym in Mission Beach that I ever knew of was Bud Keith's Health House. It was just North of the Big Dipper roller coaster at Belmont Park. I correspond with a guy in New York years ago when I was selling vintage physique magazines who lived with a relative every summer and trained at the Health House (60's). He said it was the best time of his life and related about all the "interesting characters" that lifted and enjoyed the beach. I know the guy who bought Mr. Keith's equipment when he vacated the location (1980 or so). The Health House became Hamel's Sports, that sells beach items and rents bikes and skates. The Hamel's brother also sponsored the annual Mr/Miss. Mission Beach contests on a upper deck that faces the ocean. The most popular bar that I know of in the area is the Pennant, but that is located South of the end of Belmont Park.
As for the Gold's gym in Pacific Beach, I once talked with a man named Paul Eddny(Sp) who was a NPC judge at one time. I don't know, but I think he was the first franchise owner of the gym.
I have always been fortunate to have a well equipment home gym and other than Mr. Stern's or Mr. Fisher's gyms I have trained at home. Like I said earlier, San Diego is very rich in training history and I am glad to have seen and experienced some of it
I always look forward to your posts as I learn so much about the history of muscle building here in California.
Be safe and strong,
Pat
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Thanks, Pat!
The 60's San Diego bodybuilder I referred to earlier was definitely not John McWilliams, but I find it interesting that Mr X and Mr McWilliams possibly had similar leg accidents with a chainsaw.
But I do believe that the Health House owner was the person who promoted those fitness events during some of the summer weekends in the 60's. If I recall correctly Health House was a small beach-front home with small rooms that was converted to a gym.
I know Paul Edney very well. He had the Gold's Gym in Oceanside before he moved to Hawaii and the last time we communicated, he was running a military gym in Afghanistan. Before that he was taking bit parts in various Hollywood movies and appeared as one of the survivors in that highly rated but wierd TV show filmed in Hawaii which I never watched.
The California bodybuilding world was very small back then and I honestly think I have met and shaken hands with way over 70% of the individuals who lifted in earnest back then and over 90% of those individual who published legit bodybuilding and power and olympic lifting magazines including Dan Lauri, Bob Hoffman and John Terpak, Joe and Ben Weider, Bob Kennedy, Jeff Everson (Cory loves me and I'm Jeff's only fan!), Mike Lambert, and Perry and Mabel Raider.
I gotta admit though that meeting each of the above occured over a long period of time when the "gym/lifting/muscle business" was so damn small that we could have all gathered for lunch in a small town McDonald's.
No one back then expected what's happening at present.
But that's the truth of just about everything we take for granted today.
Everything and everybody were so much different way back then!
Thanks again Pat!
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T NATION: It seems like some people were writing about steroids in the '40s, but it wasn't until the late '50s when they were introduced to athletes.
RR: They weren't writing about them in the iron game in the 1940s. Paul de Kruif wrote The Male Hormone in 1945, singing the praises of Methyltestosterone and Testosterone replacement for those medically in need. There were some inklings about, "Well, what could it do for a healthy person?"
I know Irvin Johnson [who later changed his name to Rheo Blair] had possession of Nilivar between 1956 and '58, when it just came out.
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Whoohh I havnt been on Getbig in around a month or so, didnt realize all this action that has taken place on this thread.
I'll read through and digest it all. Thanks to stunt movie and everyone else for taking the time to tell these stories!!!
When you think about it we are a small "sub culture" for lack of a better term. You guys that experienced this stuff first hand are an excellent source of info and there are those of us that do like to hear how it all went down. Thanks again!
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Thanks for your comments, Pac and Former. I'll do my best to continue but at the moment I'm pressed for time due to family matters and the pending holiday season.
But .... one of Ed Corney's original training partners has asked me to write about those days in Northern California and tell the tales about Mallard Williamson of MLO fame, Mike Dayton who hung himself frequently, Jack Dillinger, Ralph Countryman, Bob's Gym in Fremont, and others .... and then continue on concerning his association with the So Cal contingents.
But before that I should mention the days of Pearl, Wayne Bouvier, Don Howorth, Pete Lupus, Gene Mozee, Norm Marks, Reg Park, Reg and Sheri Lewis, Arti Zeller, John Corvello, Larry Scott. Bill McArdle, Bill Smith, Arnold, Franco, Draper, Zane, Paul Anderson, etc., etc.
(Jott'n all the above down for memory notes)
Any questions regarding these old days and old 'lifters' would be appreciated. I'll answer them if I can and won't if I can't. I'm bad at recalling dates so correct me if you can catch me reporting incorrect time periods.
More later if the interest continues.
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More later if the interest continues.
Definitely!
Let's keep this thread going.
One of us will bump it after the holidays.
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Stuntman: Driving down from San Jose (after the long Thanksgiving) took a quick side trip to visit the Unk's in West Hollywood. Only saw one, the other was in Pago Pago. The one in Hollywood was not too familiar with San Diego/Oceanside gyms..didn't ask why.. Though he thought the Marine base backed some BB'ing/lifting shows around there. The Unk's mostly did their deeds in LA/beach/Valley. The Valley had quite a few lifters among some of the biker gangs(and want to be's) in the 60-70's. Usually started when doing joint time and carried through to the outside, but no more weights in prison anymore. Told that Don Howorth (extra wide delts, great arms) got messed up with the Angels or Mongols, running smack and did a little joint time himself. Any truth to that I wonder?
Didn't get to go by the Rossmore Arms. Vine St becomes Rossmore after it crosses Melrose Ave. The apartments are across the street from the Catholic church, so you could do a Google/Microsoft street view if wanting to see how they look. I lived about three blocks away (with a former girlfriend) from that area for a short while. Sorry about the pic.
Heard that there was a famous BB'er by the name of Chuck Spies (spelling totally wrong I bet), from NoCal who became a preacher. Later hung himself over a teen age girl? Exceptional strong guy. True story?
Keep the good stuff up, I'm somewhat a student of most history. Some of those names you bring up, I haven't a clue, but all interesting .
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Stuntman: Driving down from San Jose (after the long Thanksgiving) took a quick side trip to visit the Unk's in West Hollywood. Only saw one, the other was in Pago Pago. The one in Hollywood was not too familiar with San Diego/Oceanside gyms..didn't ask why.. Though he thought the Marine base backed some BB'ing/lifting shows around there. The Unk's mostly did their deeds in LA/beach/Valley. The Valley had quite a few lifters among some of the biker gangs(and want to be's) in the 60-70's. Usually started when doing joint time and carried through to the outside, but no more weights in prison anymore. Told that Don Howorth (extra wide delts, great arms) got messed up with the Angels or Mongols, running smack and did a little joint time himself. Any truth to that I wonder?
Didn't get to go by the Rossmore Arms. Vine St becomes Rossmore after it crosses Melrose Ave. The apartments are across the street from the Catholic church, so you could do a Google/Microsoft street view if wanting to see how they look. I lived about three blocks away (with a former girlfriend) from that area for a short while. Sorry about the pic.
Heard that there was a famous BB'er by the name of Chuck Spies (spelling totally wrong I bet), from NoCal who became a preacher. Later hung himself over a teen age girl? Exceptional strong guy. True story?
Keep the good stuff up, I'm somewhat a student of most history. Some of those names you bring up, I haven't a clue, but all interesting .
chuck sipes well known bber,artist,strongman,lumberjack, heard he trained in his garage. pic in a weider ad
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JPM and anyone else who may be interested,
San Jose! WOW! …. As a kid I used to drive with my dad down to San Jose and have lunch on the train depot bench …. And that was just about all there was of much interest in San Jose back then.
Driving back north after that short lunch-stop we’d pass dozens of small shacks along the road selling cherries.
And on some occasions we’d take the Skyline Road route back to the city of San Francisco and stop off at the Peanut Shack (Peanut Farm?) and have a cold bottle of Coca~Cola while my dad has his normal Four Roses and 7-Up.
That place was only there due to the proximity of Stanford University and it’s faculty and underage students mostly.
I’m surprised you didn’t drive east for an hour or so and pick up Highway 5 for the straight shot into Los Angeles once you’re over the Grapevine.
You took the long but more picturesque route but it’s good to see that you made it to your designation in West Hollywod.
Your uncle is correct about the Camp Pendleton lifting/BB events we held back then.
And I also spent a lot of time in “the Valley”, but those were the days when that entire “Valley” was mostly large and small scale horse ranches where the stunt guys kept their ‘ponies’ and practiced falling on the weekends in an effort to be ready for their next movie ‘gig’.
You uncles might recall a TV show called, “Spin and Marty” (a Disney Production if I recall correctly) and in that show there was an old sway-back horse who appeared in just about every episode.
One of the stunt guys I associated with back then owned that old sway-back horse and retired him once that TV series was over.
He bought that horse the nicest, green grassed field he could find and put him out to pasture.
That old horse made him enough money to retire himself in a decent ranch-house abode right next door to his old horse’s place.
We used to go out there and work the horses and many of those horses made their initial appearances in “The Virginian” and “How the West Was One”, but as far as I know – not a one of them got screen credits – neither above or below the title.
I’m proud to say that I knew a good number of those old horses before they hit the silver screen!
I never did meet Trigger though!
Ask your uncles if they do recall those good old days and if they can recall “Spin and Marty” and that old sway-backed horse that every Disney kid grew to love.
The stunt guys owned their own bar on Ventura Boulevard back then and there was always some wild-assed thing going on in that place. And most of the stunt guys had their own Harley’s and those are probably more than likely the 'gangs' your uncle remembers. I don’t recall any Hell’s Angels stopping by to pay a visit, but it wouldn’t have been unlikely. They surely would have been welcomed with open arms and maybe an occasional punch in the nose .... but always followed by a round of 'cheer' for one and all.
Many drinks were on the house after a few tough guys hit the floor but ...... No-one ever left that place without a shit-load of new found friends. (Especially if you rode a bike!)
(I think I told the story about all the stunt guys barrowing all the necessities from the studios which were closed on weekends .. and making motorcycle movies of their own and then returning all the gear back to its proper place before everyone showed up back to work on Monday morn. I was the dead guy on the highway more than once. I also kind of recall telling the story about my visit to Errol Flynn’s love-nest-pad long after he had passed away and meeting with his son and the top stunt guys in the biz to plan for next weekend’s shoot.)
Those were damn good days and times well spent.
AND YES! I did know Don Howorth. Not well but we did cross baths on a few occasions. He was known for having the biggest delts in the business and always showed up at various functions wearing long sleeve cashmir sweaters.
I don’t have personal knowledge about his past incarceration but I believe he was arrested while transferring drugs from one place to another while he was a member of some motorcycle ‘club’.
That’s hearsay though.
And Chuck Sipes! Yep, I met him also but I don’t recall the circumstances and anything I say about Chuck here is based on fading memory banks, so don’t rely on this as the Gospel truth!
If I recall correctly, Chuck was from Ione, California and a friend of mine once told me that Chuck worked for the Preston School industry as a counselor for misguided kids. And that job even-tually led to a counselor with the Stockton Youth Authority.
He was a great water-skier and sailor and ran the 100 year dash in Modesto Jr College. (All this information from someone who knew Chuck at that time.)
Regarding Chuck’s death, there are a couple of conflicting stories – one or both of which may be true. I do know old timers who knew Chuck pretty well and I plan on giving them a call to get the facts.
Next post – I’m hoping to get back on track and restart my memory in some form of historically accurate order; but first I gotta reread this stuff to see where I left off.
If interested … Stand by to stand by. Or as the old saying goes … “Hurry up and wait!” or “Duck down! I think I heard a shot!”.
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I GOTTA ADD THIS about the Stunt guys back then ....
I don't know how it is today but back then the Stuntmen were the movie industry heros.
If some big shot movie personality was having some personal or well publicized problems, the studio head would more than likely call on one of the stunt guys to quietly solve the problem because these guys were reliable, dependable, and tough as shit. And they also knew how to keep their mouth shut when things got a bit too out of hand.
I was never involved in one of those 'out of hand' excursions but I was involved in a few that the present day Paparazzi would pay me enough for a great retirement., but the only Paparazzi back then was an old lady and her nemesis who would send you a complimentary dinner at the Brown Derby if you ever ratted someone out!
On one occasion that I can speak of ... I actually held an OSCAR (that Academy Award statue) in my hands in order to prevent it from being used as a murder weapon .... or an attempt of using it as such.
Just wanted to say that if the studio heads wanted any situation to be handled properly in an effort to save the reputation of a big screen star, they'd call my best friend first and then some big time detective if he and his friends were up in the hills making motorcycle movies with 'barrowed stuff'.
My hat is off to all you guys and gals! I know you're reading this to see if I "impolitely" mention you .... and if and when I fuck up!
And to make tis somewhat bodybuilding related , the only movie persons who resembled a bodybuilder back then was Bill Smith and Woody Strode but definitely nothing like the pros today.
Bill Smith below .... Gotta find a good pic of Woody.
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William/Bill Smith was said to be a top arm wrestling guy. And pretty impressive doing heavy reverse BB curls. Worked out at Gironda's for quite a few years. Robert Blake worked out there about the same time.. Smith was the king of "B" biker movies for awhile. Told he spoke Russian and some other languages very well when in the Air Force. Could have been a "A" list action star but rumored to have a drinking problem.
Yeah stuntmen were known to be off the wall, a rare breed. Lots of time on their hands. Gironda was a stuntman, as was his father before him. A few stunt women were known to out drink some of the stuntmen. In the old days stuntmen used to dress like women to take their falls, fights, etc. Westerns gave the stuntmen an the opportunity to get a good paying job. If you could ride a horse (goes for any actor also) you got a gig. Later on it was bikes.
Did find out that Chuck Spies was an excellent bencher and all around strongman. Bending iron bars, etc. Guess he really did hang himself after leaving his wife for that teenage girl. The girl did leave him after awhile herself. Reason he took his own life I have been told. Also heard that Howorth was more a mule than an actual member of any gang. Easy money if you got the balls. Quite a few biker clubs/bars in The Valley. Mexican, black, white trash and even mixed bloods. Lot of AK47's out and about the Valley these days. No gang has actually used any, yet.
Driving home from San Jose I go south to Gilroy, than east on the Pacheco Pass to the 5. South on the 5, over the Grapevine, where I usually take the 210 east to the 15, all the way home to Escondido. This time I took the 5 straight thought from the Grapevine to Burbank, Glendale and than Hollywood. Present day San Jose is one very cool place. Sunnyvale, Los Gatos, Mountain View, Campbell, etc all included. If you like hot Asian women, like in San Diego, that's where you want to be.
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JPM, I don't recall having ever met Bill Smith personally but I had heard his name mentioned a number of times around the Universal lot before he became known for his role in Rich Man. Poor Man.... but those Grade "B" motorcycle movies you mentioned might possibly have been the very same motorcycle movies the guys were making on their weekend days off with the ' borrowed equipment ' from the studio/studios.
I was involved on a very very small scale, but I never did see one of those bike flicks which eventually were shown as 2nd features in drive-in theaters and also shown throughout the Far East. But now that you mentioned that BILL SMITH was in them, I might be able to do some research on IMDB.com and look for my Academy overlooked scene as the dead guy on the pavement.
I don't know if you recall THE VIRGINIAN TV series, but a lot of the stuntmen and women got their start on that show thanks to Jim Drury who starred in it with Doug McClure and others. I was sometimes used as the dummy whose head was used to test the break-a-ways (bottles made from sugar if I do recall) to make sure that they did break-a-way when the camera rolled.
I also got hit by a few chairs in a wild west set but didn't feel a thing. Never did appear on that series though.
Sorry! Getting off track once again .... but Bill was strong and did train at Vince's as you stated.
As for Woody Strode ....l'm not sure he lifted. I think he was mostly 'genetics', but I could be wrong.
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Stuntman
Woody Strode played football at UCLA. Though I may be wrong, I believe he was an All American at the time (1950's?) and played end (that's what they called it way back than). Remember because I took a high school recruiting trip up to Westwood my senior year. His picture and honors were on the wall. Believe also he wrestled a bit (Pro). Impressed me at the time because he was in one of my favorite classic westerns (The Professionals) and had seen him in other flicks. Doubt if he lifted, just one of those natural muscular men. Lifting for any sport (back in his day) was taboo by coaches.
Keith should know about arm wrestling and Bill Smith. Don't know Smiths age but he must be close to 70 now.
Your probably right about making those weekend productions on borrowed equipment.They could make a lot of money with the drive-in people, which a lot of was down south. Lot of stuff had locations in the Newhall/Saugus ares of the north valley way back than. Outdoor/indoor porno film said to have been started out there. Even in the Hollywood hills and the canyons around there I have been told. Still a somewhat a lonely & rugged area even now.
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Gayer than bodybuilding historians.
http://rheohblair.blogspot.com/
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JPM, as I stated earlier ... I never did meet Bill Smith personally and I don't recall ever being on one of the sets he was working on but I can tell ya that he was highly respected by everyone I ever met at Universal.
I did some IMDB searching and found out that he worked on more than 300 movie and TV shows and some of the following facts may be of interest ....
Lifetime Achievement Award from Academy of Bodybuilding and Fitness
Record-holder for reverse-curling his own body weight.
Two Time Arm Wrestling World Champion-200lb class-Petaluma, CA. (I'm sure that this took place at Gilardi's Bar in Petaluma which is supposedly where it all started. Keith can clarify this.)
Served in the Airforce, National Security Agency, during the Korean War.
Graduated UCLA Cum Laude.
He was the Marlboro Man in the final televised Marlboro commercial.
Fluent in English, Russian, German, French, Serbo-Croatian.
Competed as a downhill skier in AAU events at Mammoth Mountain
Competed in motocross events with Steve McQueen and doubled as one of the track riders in C.C. and Company (1970).
Had a 31-1 record as an amateur boxer
Held the Air Force Light-Heavyweight Weightlifting Championship
Performed over 5,100 continuous sit-ups over a five hour period
Played semi-pro football for the Wiesbaden Flyers in Germany
Has a Masters Degree in Russian and taught Russian Language Studies at UCLA in the late 1950s.
Won a Muscle Beach contest by performing 35 inverted handstand dips
Honorary member of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures.
Direct descendant of Western figures Kit Carson and Daniel Boone.
Bruce Lee personally offered Smith the co-lead in Enter the Dragon (1973), but another film went over schedule and John Saxon stepped into the role.
Filmed an eight-minute test pilot portraying Caine for the TV series "Kung Fu" (1972), wearing prosthetic eyepieces to make him appear chinese. The network wanted Smith for the role, but producer Jerry Thorpe ultimately deemed him too muscular and menacing.
Studied kung fu for eight years with Jimmy Woo and kenpo karate master Ed Parker.
Stunt doubled for former Tarzan Lex Barker while living in France.
Turned down the role of Tarzan at MGM.
Training partner of first Mr. Olympia, Larry Scott.
Fought California wildfires in the early 1950s
Worked as a lifeguard on the French Riviera
Worked as a trainer at Bert Goodrich's Hollywood Gym
Child actor in both "A" and "B" movies of the 1940s. He stated in a horror magazine that during breaks on the set of The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), star Lon Chaney Jr., treated all of the children on the set to ice cream.
Threw the discus 151 feet at a time when the top AAU distance was 150.6 feet.
Won the Light-Heavyweight German-Austrian Boxing Championship while in the service.
In 1942's The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), he plays the boy who throws the little girl's ball to the top of the roof. This role marks the first of his many appearances as a villain.
Has a master's degree in Russian.
His favorite writer is Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Recipient of the 2008 Silver Spur Award.
Recipient of the 2005 Southern California Motion Picture Council Award.
Inducted into the Venice Muscle Beach Bodybuilding Hall of Fame 2010.
BILL SMITH: If you are reading this, I was Jack Tyree's best man at his second wedding in LV. I believe you remember Jack. (Stunts Unlimited or Stuntman's Association with Jim Drury and "The Virginian" TV crew) . Jack passed away while filming a jump for "The Sword and the Sorceror". His first wedding was held in the 'diving tank' on the Universal lot. I was asked to be best man in that wedding also but I was in the USMC participating in a war someplace. It would be interesting to hear those early day back lot stories if you would want to contribute. I'm not sure, but I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to shake your hand back then. Thanks if you can contribute to this 'discussion'.
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Former, thanks for the link to that interesting article.
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Finalllly I got a chance to go through everything on this thread. My apologies, as sometimes I go weeks without getting a chance to get on this site.
Thank you though Stuntmovie!! Very cool to read a lot of this stuff and I’m able to gain some new perspective on this industry. Appreciate you taking the time to tell these stories.
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Stuntmovie, thanks for all the great memories. Do you recall the name of the bar on Ventura blvd that some of the stuntmen owned? or where it was. Thanks.
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credit: http://rheohblair.blogspot.com/p/document-rheo-blair-supplement-brochure.html
Rheo Blair Supplement Brochure:
This primary document is the complete text (minus size/price options and contact information) of a supplement handout Rheo Blair produced sometime between the late 1970's and 1983. It was a two sided 8.5 X 11 piece. This brochure contains only a portion of the supplements he produced and sold under his label. The others he offered only to his private clients as those supplements were typically more specific and expensive. His Amino Acids in free form are the best (and most expensive) example. In 1978, a 1000 capsule bottle sold for $572. He also offered individual amino acids, individual B vitamins, etc. This list also does not contain his protein powders of which there were many public and private versions over the years, the latter more expensive, not white in color, and available exclusively to his private clients. These latter were often mixed in his office by him or an assistant when a private client dropped by to make a purchase. When someone tells me Rheo Blair's protein is/was/may become available by certain parties, my reaction is always "Really? Which formula?" I have yet to get an answer to that question. But that is a subject for a future discussion. Back to the supplements. In reading these descriptions, one senses both his nutritional genius and his marketing savvy.
"WHAT IS UNUSUAL ABOUT BLAIR SUPPLEMENTS?"
"They’re not made just to have something to sell! In the beginning they were made for my own personal use and shared with my very close friends. They are shared more widely now as celebrities and physical culture champions and their friends experience outstanding results when these formulas are combined with the BLAIR PROGRAM.
Blair formulas combine the best in body cell nutrients proven helpful in our own researches over 32 years and the work of medical centers, hospitals and universities here and abroad. We work exclusively with individual people so we are interested in results, that is, better physical efficiency through effective nutrition. An athlete must have a healthy heart, a bodybuilder an efficient liver function, an actor or other artists a well-nourished brain and nervous system. Whether we’re working with a sports personality or a T.V. celebrity, the Blair supplements are the best we know how to make to supply organ cell nutrients and other body cell nutrients to support the nutrition of those who are looking for the best!
B COMPLEX Three capsules a day supply 1,695 mg. of ALL the B-Complex factors, offered in what we consider proper and balanced proportions. Balanced in lipotropic factors, choline and inositol, which we feel may be important to proper liver function. Includes extra factors to assist assimilation, in easy-to-swallow capsules for quick dispersion in the stomach.
CHOLINE PLUS Our unusual lipotropic formula, high in factors that assist the handling of lipids (fats). Two capsules contain 1,150 mg. choline bitartrate, 150-mg. calcium pantothenate, 60 mg. pyridoxin (B-6), 250 mg. inositol and 30-mg. para-aminobenzioc acid (PABA). Should be used with
Blair’s B-COMPLEX to maintain the important balance among B-family factors.
LIVER EXTRACT This is an extract requiring many pounds of whole, raw beef liver, thoroughly chopped and pressed under great pressure, leaving only a grey solid mass and the extracted juice which is then quickly vacuum- dried and encapsulated. Each capsule offers 500-mg. of liver fractions, processed at low temperature and tested salmonella-free. Contains only the extracted water-soluble nutrients for which liver itself is famous, offered in “free-form,” ready for almost immediate absorption in the blood.
IRON PLUS Chelated iron, plus other chelated minerals including copper, manganese, Zinc, etc. in what we consider the proper proportions. Each capsule supplies 1,000 mcg. Of biotin as well as Vitamin B-12 and ten other important nutrients to give a synergistic action beyond reproach. You’ll be pleased with this unusual hematinic, mineral formula.
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"MORE ABOUT THOSE UNUSUAL BLAIR SUPPLEMENTS"
IOCEN Natural, organic iodine extreacted from the sea vegetable DULSE and offered in a medicine-dropper bottle for easy Administration. Adequate iodine intake is important to support thyroid function.
LECITHIN A natural raw crude lecithin. Each three capsules contain 3,600 mg. Soya lecithin offering 102 mg. choline, 54 mg. inositol, 1,440 mg. linoleic acid and 9 mg. linolenic acid all as naturally occurring in raw, crude lecithin.
CALCIUM P-f and CALCIUM PLUS This pair of calcium formulas contains vitamin C, Vitamin D and hydrochloric acid for a synergistic action which aids in calcium metabolism. NO bone meal, NO egg shell & phosphorus-free. These formulas contain calcium from three different natural (food salt) sources (citrate, gluconate and lactate) and like most Blair supplements are offered in easy-to-swallow capsule form rather than the common hard-to-swallow tablets which may not dissolve and therefore may never release their valuable nutrients. CALCIUM PLUS is the non- constipating form and may help irregularity. CALCIUM P-F is for those who have no elimination problem.
SOYBRO Each capsule contains 6 minims or 360 milligrams of fractions from Crude germ oils which we feel play a significant role in a whole nutritional program. SOYBRO offers these fractions in convenient capsule form. Blair students who have the budget for it take as many as 30 of these capsules daily. A 14-to-1 fractionation (one unit of SOYBRO offers the fractions available in fourteen units of the whole oils) from crude rice germ oil, crude wheat germ oil and crude Soya germ oil to furnish essential lipids without excess fats.
VITAMIN A A truly natural Vitamin A. Each perle contains 10,000 U.S.P. units of Vitamin A from fish liver oil.
COD LIVER OIL Only pure natural and organic Cod Liver Oil from natural sources. Four capsules daily furnish 40 minims of natural Cod Liver Oil, offering 5,000 U.S.P. units of Vitamin A with 540 U.S.P. units of Vitamin D.
VITAMIN C A super-strength Vitamin C providing 500 milligrams per tablet. If an average orange contains 30 milligrams of Vitamin C, then one of these tablets would offer the “C” from over 15 oranges! Coal tar free, synthesized from natural food sources by deep-vat fermentation process. Special-shaped tablet for easy swallowing.
BIO – PLUS The most active bioflavonoids that money can buy! Each capsule contains 500-mg. Lemon bioflavonoids with hesperidin, 50 mg. rutin and 150 mg. Vitamin C.
VITAMIN E – 400 All-natural Vitamin E derived from vegetable oils, providing 400 I.U. d-alpha tocopherol, plus mixed tocopherols (delta, beta, gamma) which have been found to be important anti-oxidants. Also Available in E-100 and E-200 strengths."
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I found the above interesting.
I was not aware that Johnson had a "special line" of supplements for his "private clients."
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credit: http://rheohblair.blogspot.com/p/blairs-protein-way-of-life-note-this-is_29.html
Document: Blair's Protein Way of Life
Note: this is from an original copy which I am in possession of. Rheo Blair was single-handedly responsible for "inventing" the protein powder supplement and bringing it to the public in the early 1950's. Needless to say, he spawned an enormous industry. So, he is known first and foremost for his protein powders, of which there were many versions over the years. The "Protein Way of Life" is something Rheo Blair came up with to give to his many customers who purchased the powders that they might have available to them a complete set of instructions on the PROPER ways to use his protein supplement, which was critical in order for it to be most effective. To just buy the powder and then mix it with whatever and whenever was useless. To achieve results, there were many specific "hows" and "whens." This document details those. It had to be mixed with certain things, i.e. milk and cream, in certain proportions. It had to be consumed in small quantities throughout the day, everyday. This could become monotonous -- believe me, I know this from personal experience. So there are variations on flavoring options, with or without fruit, shake or pudding, etc. When people followed the steps outlined in this document, WITH the rest of his program -- supplements, sleep, hydrotherapy, specific dietary guidelines (though the protein accounted for MOST of one's diet when working with Rheo) and modest exercise, the results obtained were dramatic and sometimes almost unbelievable. Please note regarding this latter that it was just as important to fully follow the rest of his system as it was to use the protein supplement in the proper manner if one wanted results -- CW.
How to mix the protein drink
A man normally uses the 1/3-cup measuring scoop filled level with Blair's Instant Protein (or the 1/4-cup scoop filled heaping) mixed with a glassful of liquid. A lady normally uses the 1/4-cup scoop filled level. Using the blender, a man mixes four of the 1/3-cup scoopfuls (same as one and one third cupfuls) to the quart; a lady uses four 1/4-cup scoopfuls, or a cupful, to the quart.
The 1/4-cup scoop filled level with protein equals approximately 18 grams of protein; mixed with a glassful of half-and-half it comes to about 26 grams. The 1/3-cup scoop filled level (or the 1/4-cup scoop filled heaping) yields about 24 grams of protein; mixed with a glassful of half-and-half it's approximately 32 grams of protein.
The preferred liquid for mixing the protein is half-and-half, and for a good reason. Nature seems to indicate that protein and fat should be taken in even balance. Milk with 3% protein is balanced with an equal amount of fat. Likewise eggs, meat, etc.
Blair's Instant Protein is extracted from milk and eggs without this normally occurring fat; both eggs and milk were defatted in processing. Whole milk is normally balanced by itself, so if we mix the protein with milk we throw off this natural balance. However, by mixing the protein with half whole milk and half heavy cream we restore some of the fat removed during processing and we achieve a product more normally balanced as to proportions of protein and fat.
Remember, you are not actually drinking half-and-half when you follow this suggestion. The protein with half-and-half makes a "milk" drink which is equivalent to whole milk in the balance of protein and fat. It is thick and creamy because it is concentrated.
The "half-and-half" sold by most dairies is not a true "one half" plus "one half" but it can be used. We prefer to mix our own, using one-half whole milk and one-half heavy (whipping) cream. We recommend using raw milk and raw cream if it is available.
Do not be alarmed that we suggest using cream, for cream is not necessarily fattening for all people. By eliminating from the diet the high carbohydrate foods (those high in starch and sugar) you may find the body uses fats for a superior source of energy. Fats in the diet often tend to burn off accumulated body fat.
This protein drink made with half-and-half is delicious and tasty, especially if you make sure that the milk and cream are VERY COLD!
(For other liquids to use in mixing the protein, see WEIGHT WATCHERS on page five and VARIATIONS, page six <below>)
Additions to the protein drink:
When you wish to flavor the mixture, you may add some vanilla or other favorite flavoring. Whatever flavoring you care to add, Blair's protein always tastes like melted ice cream. Notice that we offer three good flavorings (see Blair's order blank)
If you wish, you may add a raw egg or two to the glassful of protein drink to provide a higher biological value. A whole egg adds about six grams of protein. We recommend that you use the whole egg, both yolk and white, and fertile if possible.
When you wish to make the mixture thicker or more like an ice cream malt, try adding some ice milk cubes. Just put milk or half-and-half in the ice cube tray and freeze. Adding a few cubes to the blender mixture keeps it cold and improves both texture and taste.
For the addition of oils, see VARIATIONS on last page.
HOW TO DRINK THE PROTEIN DRINK
The way you get this protein mixture into the stomach is important. Mistakes at this point can spell disappointing results. The protein drink is never to be gulped. It is to be sipped slowly. Some persons should take at least 30 minutes to get the glassful swallowed.
The same goes for milk, which ought always to be sipped slowly, taking fifteen minutes to sip a glassful. To make it easier, use a straw and pinch the end together. This puts milk into the stomach at the same rate a baby does, and that is the best way.
Now, we don't suggest sitting and looking at the drink for thirty minutes! Sip it slowly while you keep busy at other things like getting ready in the morning, working, studying, working out, etc.
You might do as Don Howorth does. First thing in the morning he would mix or pour the protein drink and start sipping. Then he'd shower and sip some more. After shaving, some more. After thirty minutes or so he's ready to sip the last and start the day's work.
This slow sipping is important. Many people I meet do not have the ability to digest foods as efficiently or to metabolize them as readily as they should. Putting foods into the stomach slowly helps to handle them more efficiently.
The way you use water and other liquids can also influence digestive efficiency. Try to get at least eight glassfuls of liquid each day (including your protein drinks). But avoid taking large amounts of water with meals as this may seriously dilute the digestive juices.
Rather, sip water between feedings, taking one or two PEPTAIN HCL tablets to help maintain the level of stomach acids. If you are trying to gain weight, try sipping milk (with Peptain) between meals instead of water.
Take Smaller Feedings
The protein drink makes a full meal; nothing else need be taken with it. It is important that we learn to take small feedings and to take them oftener. That is why we do not recommend three meals a day. Better to take protein snacks slowly all day long, in five or seven (or even ten) small feedings. This tends to encourage more efficient handling of our food. With this discipline we may possibly eat less in volume and still receive more real nourishment.
The stomach is normally the size of the two fists put together. When we are eating small meals, the stomach tends to shrink back to its normal size. For better handling of food, try never to fill the stomach more than 2/3 full. Take only the equivalent of a 6-or 8-ounce glassful in volume at a time.
You may wish to keep a pitcherful of the protein mixture in the refrigerator or carry a thermos so you can have protein available at all times. Sip it as regularly as possible while working or studying. This can take the place of several of your meals or all of them, as you wish. By the way, our 5-cup plastic shaker is very handy to keep a supply of protein ready and sealed at all times.
Those just starting the high protein diet should use smaller amounts to begin with and gradually increase the daily intake over several weeks. This gives the body a chance to increase its efficiency in digestion and assimilation so that it can handle greater amounts of this important life-giving substance.
We have found that when one increases the protein intake he may want to decrease the amount of potatoes and bread and cereals, as well as of salads and vegetables in the diet. These other foods take a secondary place to protein and they should not be allowed to displace protein in the digestive tract.
We feel that some people can handle more protein and handle it more efficiently in the proper length of time when they include an appropriate amount of the protein digestant, Peptain HCL. How much should one use? The more protein, the more digestive assistance one may require. Again, a person's own digestive efficiency determines how much assistance he needs in order to handle protein in good amounts and in the proper length of time.
These busy days some people fall into the habit of missing meals. Some are just not hungry on rising, which could be due to eating too large an amount the evening before. In weight control, missing meals can be serious. Morning is the time the body needs protein more than any other time, after being without food for about twelve hours. It is important to provide protein of good quality early in the day. We feel that ideally never an hour should go by without some protein going into the stomach. Small amounts taken often - this is a valuable secret. But miss meals, never!!
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Good post Montague!!
One thing I def do not do is sip a shake slowly but maybe there is something to doing that. If I'm at work or whatever I usually just down it without a second thought.
The company truly was ahead of its time, no doubt!!
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I thought this was rather cute in an amusing kind of way:
http://www.rheoblair.com/
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Here's a resource that tells exact what Blair's Protein was and what was in it http://www.rheoblair.com/rheo-h-blair-protein.html (http://www.rheoblair.com/rheo-h-blair-protein.html)
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Combine with D-bol to make an effective mass gainer.
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Here's a resource that tells exact what Blair's Protein was and what was in it http://www.rheoblair.com/rheo-h-blair-protein.html (http://www.rheoblair.com/rheo-h-blair-protein.html)
Interesting first post.
We look forward to more!!
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Interesting first post.
We look forward to more!!
those were my thoughts exactly.... we have a rookie of the year candidate. ;D
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those were my thoughts exactly.... we have a rookie of the year candidate. ;D
Oh, I'm glad you're "watching," too...
;)