The Truth about Bodybuilding - Old School Bodybuilding and Old Time Bodybuilding Remembered

Click Here to Sign Up for Your Free Muscle Building Magazine

The Truth about Bodybuilding

Old School Bodybuilding and Old Time Bodybuilding Remembered
Whatever Happened to BodyBuilding?
by Trigg
Over the last several months I have seen an attitude develop on the web concerning Bodybuilding, that decries its very existence as a legitimate purpose for lifting. Various foes of BodyBuilding call it an endeavor for those "less than men" (or "less than women", also, I presume). BodyBuilders are looked at as weaklings, mirror athletes, "non-strength trainers", and general all-round burdens on society.? I am certainly not the last apologist for the phenomenon today known as bodybuilding. The one that seems to be based on who can come closest to death through dehydration and starvation on stage, yet still retain some muscular lumps and survive the night with only a minor coma. Rather I come to reminisce about the noble pursuit of bodybuilding that most, and I mean MOST, of us began to lift in the shadows of. Since PLUSA is not available on newsstands, and MILO is only a title for the great majority of us, it is unlikely that most of us got our first inspiration to lift from seeing a powerlifter or rock tosser. Some of us were introduced to it through sports, or maybe a family member lifted. But most of us likely picked up a copy of Muscular Development magazine instead of Mad Magazine one day, or we grew up watching Lou Ferrigino play "The Hulk" on TV. Bodybuilding is what drew us to lifting, if we grew up in the 70's (and 80's, I suppose).
The first bodybuilding workouts books I ever purchased was Beef It, by Robert Kennedy. Crazy title, inspirational book. Published in 1983, it was full of exercise instructions, routines, and nutritional information that was the height of the game at the time. It was also full of pics of the bodybuilders who were at the height of the game at the time. Guys like Arnold and Franco of course. But also guys like Lee Haney (before he had even done his first Olympia), Serge Nubret, Lance Dreher,? Scott Wilson, Gerard Buinoud, the Barbarian Brothers (Peter and David Paul), Sergio Oliva, Ali Mata, Mohammed Makaway, Al Beckles, Tim Belknap, Larry Scott, John Cardillo (yes, that same one), Greg DeFerro, Roy Callender, Bronston Austin, Jr., Casey Viator, Mike Mentzer, and on and on and on. Certainly the majority, if not the entirety, used steroids to some degree. But not near to the degree that they are used today. The book was written, almost innocently, for the steroid user. It was assumed that you WOULD use steroids, since all (figuratively) strength athletes at the time were using them. Certainly powerlifters of the era (Bill Kazmier, Doyle Kennady, Dave Waddington, etc. ) were likely using them as well. But, in spite of that, there was some slight degree of believability for what was coming out of the mags those days.
The exercises and routines were a a little different then, as well. Pics of Serge Nubret doing flyes with 90 lb. d-bells, Bronston Austin squatting for reps with 455 lbs., the Barbarian Brothers doing behind the neck presses with 315 lbs. Not the "posed" pics with exquisite lighting and strategic beads of sweat. Just pics of guys in the gym. Routines focussed around big compound moves, with finishing exercises that were "exotic", like leg extensions or leg curls. No real machine work to speak of, except for the Mentzers who liked to work out on Nautalis equipment. Most of those guys were strong. Very strong, even. They were not training to powerlift (although some of them had, before and would after. Does anybody remember Bev Francis?), so maybe limit strength was sacrificed, but none-the-less they were strength athletes. The state of anabolic drugs and patterns of use during that time? required a lot of time under heavy loads to produce growth. Don't be fooled into thinking these were guys hanging around a fitness clubs Smith Machines.
I kind of miss those days. The routines were not very productive for a natural lifter, Joe Weider ruled the universe, and Arnold was the biggest thing going, but they (all of them) got me into the game. And while I am more of a powerlifter than anything these days, I am still "bodybuilder" enough to want to stay reasonably trim and lean. I haven't forgotten that Brawn, by Stuart McRobert was written for and by a bodybuilder. That guys like Grimek, Scott, Columbu, and Pearl were not "pantywaist mirror boys", and Freddy Ortiz had the nicest arms, ever......
So if you bodybuild, then give it your best. Do it honestly and pay your dues under the iron. Squat, bench, deadlift, and curl your way to your size. Don't let an ignorant blowhard tell you your not "true to the game", because you are playing it the way it has been played for years. It isn't your fault some have forgotten its roots, and have allowed themselves to be fooled by what surrounds them. What is called bodybuilding today, is not what it was 10, 20 and 30 years ago. And that's the truth.....

Click Here to Sign Up for Your Free Muscle Building Magazine

Disclaimer: This information is for entertainment purposes only. We strongly recommend that you consult a physician before beginning any exercise program. MuscleNet.com is not a licensed medical care provider. The reader should understand that participating in any exercise program can result in physical injury and agrees to do so at his own risk. The findings and opinions of authors expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily state or reflect those of MuscleNet.com.