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The world
has gone crazy over muscles. Prodded and persuaded by the media, joggers
and aerobic enthusiasts, exercise has been promoted as way to burn off
excessive calories in pursuit of physical fitness and improved
appearance. And today, everyone is an expert on “diet and exercise” with
many individuals inflicting upon themselves a masochistic regime with
diets that border on starvation. Yet with it all, muscles are more
acceptable today than at any other tie in recent history or since the
halcyon days of Golden Greece. |
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Bodybuilding did not start with Eugen Sandow
as many believe. But Sandow definitely made an impact upon a lot of
people that became more conscious of their appearance and began exercising
In his day Sandow was recognized as the superstar of physical development,
and rightly so. His personality and “personal aura and enthusiasm”
for exercising took weight training out of the Bavarian and Austrian beer
halls, where strength feats and exercise topics were frequently discussed
in those days, and he placed them on a higher level.
His most elaborate volume was one edited by
G. Mercer Adams, a noted author, which was titled, Sandow’s System
of Physical Training, profusely illustrated. Copies of the this
book can be found even today but are quite expensive. The book was nicely
bound and contained numerous pictures of Sandow exercising and some
poses. Although Sandow passed on in 1925, his teachings live on. The gold statue was listed at 500 English pounds, equivalent to about $2,500, and in those days that was quite a sum. Later cheaper reproductions were made of ordinary metal and were presented as awards. They were still appreciated by those who received them. The main objective of this competition was to promote his training system, yet he actually started something that even today is considered to be “the only competition” among those who train to build muscle. Yet to my way of thinking, there was another man in America who turned out to be even a greater physique huckster than Sandow… and that was the eccentric Macfadden. Bernarr Macfadden started the physical culture movement in American in a big way, through he himself lived by the rules. One could find him walking the streets of New York City barefooted. He ate mostly raw, wholesome foods and urged everyone else to do the same for better heath. He was a true naturalist. He even started a chain of cafeterias around New York City, during the Depression that served only wholesome food at low prices. When he was 80 years old, to prove he was still agile, alert and athletic, he parachuted out of a plane and made a successful landing. Macfadden authored numerous books on health and disease. He also published Macfadden’s Encyclopedia, copies of which can still be found in many homes today He also published many magazines although his favorite one was Physical Culture dedicated to natural living and exercise. He spawned many new innovations – some of which had substance while others were not very practical. It as Macfadden, however, who staged the first physique contest in America in 1903, and held it in Madison Square Garden, then the showplace of all athletic events. The elite panel of judges consisted mainly of doctors and sculptures. Al Treloar, a Harvard-educated man, was the winner. Treloar was well-versed in athletics and strongmanism. He could tear two and three decks of playing cards with bare hands. He remained as physical director at the Los Angeles Athletic Club until his death. He as in his 80s when he passed on. Two decades later Macfadden again sponsored another contest through the pages of Physical Culture. This time to find the World’s Most Perfectly Developed Man. This contest was won by a young, well-developed Italian named Angelo Siciliano, who later changed his names to Charles Atlas.
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At one time, Atlas and Liederman demonstrated chest expanders in vacant store windows along Third Avenue during the 20s for Abe Boshes, Boshes, however, won the short man’s height class in the contest that Treloar won, and he did have an impressive body. Later Atlas and Liederman both went into business for themselves, selling their own training systems, and did exceedingly well. In fact, even today the Atlas system is still on the market and appears to be as popular as ever with men and women alike. In later years Atlas kept in shape by using his own training system, and stayed in remarkable shape to the very end. He passed away in 1978 It should be mentioned that back in those early days, muscle magazines, of which there were very few, were the “life blood” of all who trained with weights. The magazines featured the well-known international champions of muscle and strength, with emphasis on strength. This was the period when music halls were the only source of mass entertainment, and any good professional strongman could earn a lucrative living b y his ability. Those were truly the “golden days” of showmanship and incredible strength feats, feats that everyone could appreciate and relate to. Those were the days of Otto Arco, Bobby Pandour, Warren Lincoln, Travis, Sgt/S. Moss, Hackenschmidt, Strongfort, Maxick, Goerner, Apollon, Vansitart, Matysek, Breibart, MacMahon, Coutler and many, many more. The mere mention of these names leaves a nostalgic memory for many of us.
Here a few of the magazine titles that some of you might remember, Jowett’s Bodybuilder, Berry’s Strongman, Klein’s Bell, Physical Development, Strength, Macfadden’s Physical Culture and the Bodybuilder, a rotogravure newspaper type of magazine devoted strictly to strongmanism, Iron Man and a magazine printed in Canada and supported by York. In Great Britain the top sellers were Health and Strength, now over 100 years old, Superman and Apollon magazines. Desbonnet’s La Culture Physique, printed in Paris, and the German magazine published by Albert Stoltz, Athleten-Zeitung were all magazines dealing with strongmanism and weights. During this time many mail order training systems were being advertised for building muscles and strength. The most popular apparatus offered then were hand-grips and chest expanders. Earle Liederman sold chest expanders with his training course, then later offered his weight training system to his students. Jowett, Strongfort and Atlas were all widely advertise, but Jowett’s “Be As Tough As A Marine” made quite a hit with muscle seekers. Liederman, however, was the largest advertiser. He literally spent millions, even during the depression, which eventually “did him in”. After his business folded he obtained a position on radio and read poetry over the airwaves, most of which he himself wrote. Later he moved to California and did much the same thing over the radio, besides writing articles for S & H. He died in California after being involved in a serious car accident. He was in his 90s when he passed on.
About this time others jumped on the bandwagon and offered their mail order training systems. Some made extraordinary clams, something that might have landed them in the courts today, while others, but only a few, were openly honest and advocated sheer hard work with weights as being the only way to develop a shapely, muscular body. Shortly after the turn of the century a man in America founded the Milo Barbell Company in Philadelphia, and started the magazine Strength. Strength started out as little more than a pamphlet but blossomed into a full-size magazine featuring weight training and other health articles to rival Physical Culture. However, during World War 1 the publication was suspended, as well as the manufacturing of barbells. But after he war operations began once again. For a time things began to flourish but it was difficult to convince people to exercise with weights. Weights were always associated with the circus strongman, so the public in general avoided training with them Calvert, the founder of the Milo Barbell Company persisted in his effort and urged people to exercise with weights, even writing a book, published before the war, which he titled The Truth About Weightlifting. Calvert was instrumental in educating thousands in the basic principles of progressive weight training. Eventually he became disenchanted with the lack of interest and sold the business to G.D. Redmond. Redmond engaged Jowett to edit Strength magazine, but after a couple of years, he left. Mark Berry was then his associate, so when Jowett left, Mark took over and remained as editor until the company folded. It was while Mark was editor that he brought out the Strongman, a magazine devoted to the avid weight trainer. However, after Strength magazine ceased publication, Mark continued on his own in this field. He published a small magazine he called Physical Training Notes. This, too, failed to survive. Prior to the bankruptcy of the Milo company and Strength magazine, Mark Berry authored a truly fine book titled, Physical Training Simplified. It was informative but rather technical for most enthusiasts. He followed this with two volumes of Physical Improvement. His final effort was a book he called Your Physique and Its Culture that featured John Grimek posing for the exercise.
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All Photos are from David Gentle's Classic Photo
Collection. These photographs may not
be used in any
manner without exclusive written permission. |
During
the 1880s awkward dumbbells and shot-loading weights were the only
training equipment available. But Sandow, a shrewd businessman,
designed his own. His training system consisted of numerous
exercises which were done with very light dumbbells, and sometimes with
dumbbells that were of the hand-gripping design. Nevertheless, his
training system attracted the layman and nobility alike. However, it
should be added that this system was NOT the same method that he used to
build his own physique Sandow, as you might guess, trained with
heavy weights for bulk and power. In fact the training system he
marketed, if practices for any length of time, could actually inhibit
muscle growth rather than encourage it. Yet all those who trained
under Sandow during that time did develop some muscles in spite of that
training system.
Sandow also published a number of books
under his name. One early paperback, titled Bodybuilding – Or Man
in the Making, was a popular exercise manual. Later he published
Strength and How to Obtain It, was nothing more than urging
the reader to enroll for his training system. Nevertheless, the book
enjoyed numerous reprinting.
Muscle magazines then, as now, catered
mostly to the muscle and strength enthusiasts. These magazines reported
lifting matches and challenges, something that was quite common in that
era However, physique photos were the main pictorial attraction. Poses
of Sig Klein and Tony Sansone were especially favored. Particularly when
taken by the master of photography, Towsend of New York. Townsend’s
pictures were always a work of art, and those who saw them admired his
work. Your Physique,
All
these books and muscle magazines helped to foster greater interest, but it
was Strength & Health magazine, first published in 1932,
that hoped to revive the failing interest in the iron game. And today,
Strength & Health continues to put emphasis on bodybuilding and
weightlifting, encouraging all individuals to exercise, eat properly and
stay in strong physical shape …so bodybuilding and weight training has
been stimulated and is on the move once again.