Classic Physique Building Supplements - Simple and Safe!

(Above Photo: Classic Physique Building Champ Jack Delinger - Mr. Western America 1948, Mr. America 1949, Mr. Universe - Pro 1956)

By now, everyone has heard about the recent recall of 14 Hydroxycut products. Apparently, according to the F.D.A. (Federal Drug Administration in the U.S.A.), there were 23 cases of liver damage and 1 reported death in association with the use of some of the Hydroxycut products. In light of this, the company responsible for Hydroxycut agreed to recall the 14 products.

What is Hydroxycut? Without going into a lot of biochemical detail, it is a modern, high-tech, "fat-burning" supplement which (according to their ads) blocks certain cell receptor sites to manipulate levels of enzymes and hormones to increase thermogenesis and fat-burning. Their ads are presented and couched in "scientific" terms (with pictures of intracellular molecular interactions) and the product is endorsed by several Mr. Olympias. In fact, the wording of some of the ads seems to make Hydroxycut responsible for bodybuilding competitors' victories. For example, one of their ads makes the following claim: "This [hydroxycut] formula is responsible for countless pro victories, and it's used by millions all over the world."

One might say that the reported cases of liver damage (and 1 death) represent a rarity, a small percentage of all hydroxycut users. Perhaps. On the other hand, how many hydroxycut users have liver damage and simply don't know it yet? Whatever the case turns out to be, we will leave the details of all this to be sorted out by the appropriate individuals, agencies, and companies involved.

Our point in drawing your attention to this is a simple one. The best physiques of the pre-roid, Golden Age (1940s and 50s) were built WITHOUT ANY SUPPLEMENTS whatsoever! Yes, that's right! That's the truth! Steve Reeves, Clancy Ross, George Eiferman, Jack Delinger (see photo above), Armand Tanny, and countless others all built their physiques even BEFORE protein powder was invented (let alone all the other supplements which followed)! They were all champions in the first half of the Golden Age (1940-50). Protein powder didn't come onto the scene until 1950-51. And during the first half of the Golden Age (before the Golden Age mags started to sell vitamins), there were plenty of articles in the muscle mags saying that you could get all the vitamins you needed from a good diet (they were big on recommending lots of fruits and vegetables!).

During the second half of the Golden Age (1950-59), protein powder and vitamins became the major supplements. The first protein powders were soy-based and were not of good quality. In the late 1950s, milk-and-egg protein (a very good protein powder) became available. To round out the supplements of the late 1950s we can add dessicated liver tablets, brewer's yeast, wheat germ oil, and gelatin. But clearly you can see that these late Golden Age supplements were not responsible for the classic physiques of the Golden Age champs (who had built their physiques earlier - before even these later supplements appeared). Even so, the Golden Age supplements are safe and simple! No need to worry about some unforeseen side-effects.

So how does a classic physique builder think about supplements? Start with a simple multivitamin. Why? It is good to be sure that you aren't suffering from any deficiency (given the poor quality of today's foods and diets). Also, muscle building might require higher levels of certain vitamins than you would normally need. Then, if you have trouble eating (because of your appetite or because of your schedule), think about using a basic protein powder supplement - so that together with your food, you are getting about 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. So, classic physique builders use protein powders for convenience (not out of necessity)! But if you get enough protein in your regular diet, then you don't need protein powder! It's as simple as that! If you want to try wheat germ oil, brewer's yeast, or liver tablets - that's fine, but don't expect these to make a dramatic difference.

So don't be fooled by modern, high-tech supplements that appear to be backed by "science" and endorsements! Science is only as good as the "scientist" behind it and scientists are people and people make mistakes all the time. NO Boosters, pump enhancers, HGH stimulators, fat-burners, creatine, "legal steroids", etc, - all promoted by modern supplement companies - were not needed by any classic physique builder of the Golden Age! If they didn't need it, neither do we. That should be a relief to you and your pocketbook!

For classic physique builders, the "tried and true" is the "Golden Path to a Golden Age Physique." The Golden Age champs had their own approach to "science." They had their hypotheses about muscle building, they tested their hypotheses (ideas), collected their data (their own responses), analyzed their results (did it work or not), and either rejected, modified, or accepted their hypotheses! That's empirical science! That's how the muscle building knowledge of the Golden Age was obtained. They may not have known all the minute details of the biochemical pathways involved, but their physiques showed the results of their science! Now, that's something you can believe in!

We are happy to note that most Golden Age champs lived a long and healthy life. That is another good endorsement for their approach. Let's follow their example and keep it simple and safe!

- CPB

P.S. For a free 1 year subscription to Classic Physique Builder (CPBzine) - a pdf zine patterned after the muscle mags of the pre-roid, Golden Age - just send your name, the name of your city (not your address), state (or province), and country to cpbzine@gmail.com. The info you send us is strictly confidential. We don't share our info with anyone, so you won't get on any lists and you won't get any automated, unwanted email (even from us!).

Are Protein Supplements Necessary for Building A Classic Physique?

(Photos Upper Left: Clancy Ross - Mr America 1945; Upper Right: Steve Reeves - Mr America 1947; Lower: George Eiferman - Mr America 1948)

Today, in the mainstream bodybuilding and natural bodybuilding mags, there is a lot of hype about supplements. Each advertisement tries to convey the message that if you take their supplement, it will give you a physique like the one in the advertisement. What they don't tell you is that the physique in the ad is most likely a physique which got that way by using drugs and hormones (not by using their supplement). Nevertheless, the hype works and people spend hundreds of dollars in supplements that produce marginal effects at best.

But what about modern protein supplements (powders, drinks, amino acids, etc) for classic physique builders? In bodybuilding circles, there is a lot of discussion concerning the various types of protein supplements (whey concentrate, whey isolate, cassein, etc) and which ones are best. But what is the truth? Are they necessary for building a classic physique?

The truth is "No - they are not necessary!" And we have the proof!

Protein powders and tablets were first introduced in the early 1950s (the second decade of the Golden Age). First, there was a product called "44." This was followed by Bob Hoffman's "Hi-Proteen" and Weider's "Hi Protein." These were all low quality, soy-based protein powders and tablets. Very few people today would even think of using a soy-based protein supplement for serious muscle building. Now remember, these were introduced in the early 1950s and it took a few years to become popular and widespread. So protein powders were not used by most of the Golden Age (1940s and 50s) champs.

Now look at the physiques above of Clancy Ross (Mr America 1945), Steve Reeves (Mr America 1947) and George Eiferman (Mr America 1948). These classic physiques were built BEFORE the invention of protein powders! So there is the answer. We could have posted more photos of other classic physique building champs of the Golden Age prior to 1950 as added proof (but we are limited in trying to keep our posts short and readable).

These Golden Age champs had no commerical protein powders to rely on, so what did they do? They ate high protein diets to be sure. Drank lots of milk. There was also, at the time (shortly after WWII), powdered milk, powdered eggs, and powdered soy, that they could mix into a drink with juice, raw eggs, and other ingredients (to create their own protein drink). Steve Reeves is known to have done this. But this was not a universal practice.

So what does this tell us? Modern protein supplements are not necessary for building a classic physique!

But does that mean we (at CPB) are saying not to use them? No. In our fast-paced world, it is often difficult to find the time to eat properly during the day (note that Steve Reeves was on the 3 meals a day plan, not the 5-6 meals a day plan that is more common today - both plans work). Also, it may be harder for some to digest the amount of food required to get sufficient protein for muscle building. So, we acknowledge that protein powders and drinks may be more "convenient" than eating the equivalent amount of protein in food.

Does the type of protein powder matter? Should we be concerned about the difference between Whey protein isolate by cold-microfiltration versus ion-exchange or micellular cassein protein, etc? No. The difference is marginal and probably not noticeable. Any decent protein powder will do. A homemade milk, egg, and soy drink worked fine for Steve Reeves. So don't worry. Whatever is more digestable for you is a better guide than obsessing over the results of scientific studies showing that this or that protein powder mix is absorbed better or quicker than another. But try to get the majority of your protein in your food.

In a previous post, we looked at Steve Reeves diet. But to briefly recap, he had his homemade protein drink for breakfast. For lunch he had cottage cheese, raisins, nuts, and a couple pieces of fruit. For dinner, he had fish or some other meat and a large salad. At times, he also included goat milk and carrot juice in his diet, and would snack on figs. If you estimate his protein intake, it was probably less than 200 grams. He was 6 ft. 1 in. and weighed 215 lbs. So he was probably getting less than 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. You can see by this diet that the quantity of food he was eating was not overwhelming either.

So save your money and use protein supplements sparingly and for convenience. A good multivitamin is also helpful. To build a classic physique, you need proper training, proper nutrition, and proper rest. You don't need expensive, modern, high-tech supplements (which will decrease your pocket book size and not substanitally increase your muscle size)!

- CPB

Classic Physique Champion - Clancy Ross!

Meet Classic Physique Champion Clancy Ross (photo above) - Mr. America 1945, Mr. Pro America 1946, Mr. USA 1948. Clancy was known as "King of the Bodybuilders" back in the Golden Age (the 1940s and 50s). He was born in 1923 and passed away this year at the age of 85.

There are many good things we could say about Clancy. In addition to being a champion, he owned his own gym and wrote articles for Joe Weider's Your Physique, Muscle Power, and Muscle Builder mags. He competed against the likes of Alan Stephan, George Eiferman, and Steve Reeves and was one of the few to beat Steve Reeves in a contest.

Just look at his classic physique! It is powerful, muscular, symmetrical, and yet attractive. There is no hint of over-development or extreme definition. He is in no way fat. He has muscular definition, yet he doesn't look like an "airbrush-tanned, dissecting-room cadaver". Instead, his skin and entire physique has a healthy glow! His physique is reminescent of a classical Greek god! It is in no way "cartoonish." He is a great role model for aspiring, classic physique builders of today!

Now take a second look at his incredible physique and realize that at the time of this photo, modern nutritional supplements (like creatine, NO and testosterone boosters, pump enhancers, anabolic agents, fat burners, etc) did not exist! Even protein powders did not exist at that time. The first protein powders for bodybuilders didn't appear until 1950-51! All they had, up until that time, was proper training, proper nutrition, and proper rest. How's that for an "eye-opener?"

There is something else you can see in the photo. He is pictured holding a classical Greek column. This shows you that the classical ideal was clearly valued in the Golden Age. It was a healthy ideal which inspired the Golden Age and one which can still inspire us today! - CPB

Classic Physique Supplements - Harold Poole

What kind of supplements did the champions of the Golden Era of Classic Physique Building use to build their great physiques? In the current issue of MuscleMag (July 08), there is a great interview with Harold Poole (Mr. America, Mr. Universe), one of the last non-drug users of the Golden Era, who placed 2nd in the first two Mr. Olympia contests against Larry Scott (1965, 1966 - some say he should have won in 1966). In the interview, he states the following: "I took wheat-germ oil, dessicated liver tablets, protein powder, and brewer's yeast." That's it! More evidence that one can build a spectacular, classic physique, without steroids and with a minimum of nutritional supplements. - Classic Physique Builder

Classic Physique Supplements of the Golden Age of Natural Bodybuilding

Just what supplements were available during the Golden Age of Natural Bodybuilding? Well...we won't give a comprehensive list in this post. However, flipping through the May 1953 issue of Joe Weider's Muscle Power magazine we find ads for the following supplements:

1) Weider Hi-Protein Supplement (which included vitamins & minerals)

2) Weider Weight Gaining Supplement (which included vitamins & minerals)

3) Weider Reduce Aid Supplement (which also included vitamins & minerals)

4) Dr. Tilney's Goat Milk Capsules & Peppermint Tea

That's it! Just 4 ads for supplements in the entire 82 page issue! Quite a difference from today's bodybuilding magazines where it's hard to find the real articles among all the supplement ads and/or hard to tell the ads apart from the articles.

Take a look at Reg Park (Mr. Universe) on the cover (above photo) of the May 1953 issue of Muscle Power and just think - it was possible to build that physique without the high-tech supplements of today! For the average guy that goes to the gym who can't afford to spend an entire paycheck on supplements, this should give you some much-needed perspective and hope! With some basic protein supplements, vitamins & minerals, a good diet, proper training and rest, you can build an impressive, classic physique!