Classic Physique Builder Zine? Please Take Our New Poll.

(Photo above left: modern muscle mag Muscular Development, above right: Golden-Age mag Your Physique)

Are you frustrated with the modern, mainstream bodybuilding mags? We are. Just to find the table of contents, you often have to wade through 20+ pages of supplement ads! Then, of course, there is page after page of images of steroid-enhanced bodybuilders - despite the fact that most weight trainers have no desire to emulate that kind of physique.

In some mags, there is the open promotion of steroid use - to the point where they even devote a section of their table of contents to "Drugs." This preoccupation with steroids is reflected in ads for supplements that have steroid sounding names or are touted as "legal steroids."

Try reading any article on nutrition and what do you find? Half the time, the "article" that poses as a "research report" is really an ad for some supplement. And whether it is really an ad or a legitimate article, it seems that you need a degree in biochemistry to understand it! A lot of scientific studies may be cited to impress, but these articles often leave you wondering what their "findings" actually mean in terms of any real effect in making gains.

Now, when you get to an actual training article, the steroid-enhanced bodybuilders depicted are often posed with "grimacing," "growling," or "scowling" expressions, perhaps to emphasize the "monstrous" or "freaky" nature of their physiques. The photos are rarely attractive, inspiring, or uplifting. If you read the article and training advice that they give, you are left to wonder whether this advice, which works for steroid-users, will actually work for those who aren't on the "juice!"

Then, there is the shear volume of the ads! We have regularly counted the pages of the ads - which often add up to be more than half the total pages of the modern muscle mags! It is tough to locate the articles among all the ads!

This is not what the mags of the Golden Age (1940s and 50s) were like! Back then, the table of contents was typically on the 3rd page (just after the cover). The photos were of inspiring, classic physiques that were attractive and attainable. The articles were up front and center... easy to locate and read. The training advice was simple and straightforward and was based on what really worked in the gym. You could actually apply the advice and see the results for yourself - and you didn't need a degree in biochem or exercise physiology in order to understand it! There were no steroids back then, so you never had to wonder if the advice would work for a non-steroid user. The ads were far fewer and were mostly for barbells & dumbbells and training courses (ever see a weight training course advertised in a modern muscle mag?). It was impossible to confuse an "ad" for an "article." The goal promoted and valued was to attain a classic physique - one that was healthy and full of vitality.

Our frustration with the modern muscle mags has led us to the idea of putting our own muscle mag together - Classic Physique Builder Zine. A zine (rather than a magazine) is a grass roots magazine that anyone can put together. We would base Classic Physique Builder Zine after the mags of the Golden Age (like Your Physique and Muscle Power) and fill it with more in-depth articles on the methods of the Golden Age and inspiring photos of the Golden Age champs. We would put it into .pdf format and email for free to anyone who is interested. You could then print it out, put 3 staples in it, and have your own copy of a modern, Golden-Age type muscle mag! We are thinking of perhaps starting with bi-monthly issues (one issue every 2 months).

We think Classic Physique Builder Zine would fill a void for those of us that are put off by the modern bodybuilding or fitness mags and who just want to focus on getting simple and straight information about how to build a classic physique. We have an incredible archive of material from the Golden Age of Classic Physique Building that we would like to share with like-minded individuals. This zine (which would complement our CPB Blog) just might be the way to do it!

What do you think? Let us know! So far, in our first poll, there seems to be great interest in CPB classic physique training courses (based on info from the Golden Age) - so we will do our best to offer these in the near future. But, please take our new poll (that you will find on the sidebar) and let us know if a modern, Golden Age-type muscle zine (Classic Physique Builder Zine) would be something that you would be interested in. By the way, we have not tried to publicize our CPB Blog. We are hoping that "word of mouth" recommendations will grow our ranks and attract more readers. So if you like our CPB Blog, then spread the word! Eventually, together we can create a Renaissance of Classic Physique Building! And you can play an important part of that movement! - CPB