The Golden Age, the Classic Ideal, and Mainstream Bodybuilding!

(Photo above: Muscular Development Feb 09 issue - a modern mainstream bodybuilding mag; Photo Below: Mr. America June 58 issue - a Golden Age mag)

When we say that during the Golden Age of Classic Physique Building (the 1940s and 50s), the classic ideal was valued and promoted, we aren't kidding! The contrast between the classic ideal of the Golden Age and the abandonment of that ideal by the modern, mainstream bodybuilding world is clearly seen in the contrast in magazine covers above.

The photo above shows the current cover of Muscular Development magazine (Feb 09 issue) - a mainstream bodybuilding mag. The photo below shows the cover of Mr. America magazine (June 58 issue) - a Golden Age mag.

Look at the Mr. America cover. Is there any question that during the Golden Age, the ideal of physique building was to build a classic, natural, healthy, athletic, and attractive physique - reminiscent of the statues of the heroes, demigods, gods of ancient Greece and Rome? This is a worthy goal! This is a worthy endeavor! What male, young or old, could not identify with this ideal?

Now look at the MD cover. What happenned? Where is the classic ideal? What goal is being promoted? The mainstream bodybuilding ideal represented here is NOT classic, NOT natural, NOT healthy, NOT athletic, NOT attractive - and is NOT derived from the best of ancient Greece or Rome. Does this ideal represent a worthy goal? Is this kind of bodybuilding a worthy endeavor? How many males, young or old, can really identify with this mainstream bodybuilding ideal?

Which ideal would you rather pursue? Which ideal will serve you better?

The ideal that you hold is important, because it will consciously or unconsciously guide your actions - for better or worse. So as you start to work out and build your physique, it is best to have your ideal and goals clear so that you can gravitate to those things that can help you achieve them (and stay away from those things that cannot).

- CPB

Ben Weider: Classic Physique Builder and Golden Age Giant (1923-2008)

(Photo above: Ben Weider - Classic Physique Builder and Golden Age Giant)

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Ben Weider, who passed away (in October, 2008) from an undisclosed illness at the age of 85 in Montreal, Canada. Ben, along with his brother Joe, was instrumental in establishing the Golden Age of Classic Physique Building in the 1940s and 50s.

Although others (like Bob Hoffman, Perry Rader, and all the champs, etc) also played an important role in the Golden Age, no one can deny that Joe and Ben Weider, with their magazines (Your Physique, Muscle Power, Muscle Builder, Mr. America, etc), exercise equipment, supplements, muscle building courses, their federation - the IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilders), and their tireless promotion of the benefits of weight training played an important and even pivotal role in sustaining the Golden Age through two decades.

Joe and Ben were a team. Joe was the creative force and Ben's role was promotion - in particular, the promotion of their federation (IFBB) founded in 1946 and bodybuilding (then, it was truly classic physique building) in general.

Although Joe and Ben would preside over the downfall of classic physique building with the advent of steroids (in the 1960s), we (at CPB) nevertheless recognize their great achievements in the Golden Age - which never would have been the same without them.

Ben was also a Napoleanic scholar and made important contributions in historical studies. We are truly sorry to see him pass and salute his good work and accomplishments! He was a classic physique builder (as you can see from his photo above) and truly a giant of the Golden Age.

- CPB

The Golden Age of Classic Physique Building: The Classic Ideal

What made the Golden Age of Classic Physique Building "Golden" was a conscious effort to emmulate the classic ideal. This can be seen quite clearly in the physique photography of that era (from 1940 - 1959).

Take a look at the above photo. It shows Clancy Ross (Mr. America 1945, Pro Mr. America 1946, Mr. USA 1948) on the cover of the March, 1956 issue of Joe Weider's Muscle Power magazine. Clancy is shown next to a classical Greek column. This is a clear attempt to portray bodybuilders as exemplifying the classic ideal of a muscular, powerful, symmetrical, yet attractive body. There is no glorification here of "freaky" size. Many other examples of this kind of physique photography can be found from the Golden Age of Classic Physique Building.

In the Golden Age of Classic Physique Building (before the advent of steroids), a classic physique was valued as the ideal. Today, that ideal has been lost in the mainstream bodybuilding world. Our mission here at Classic Physique Builder is to bring it back - if not to mainstream competitive bodybuilding, then to regular guys who want to build a fantastic physique and have no interest in using drugs. Many would be proud to have an all-natural, classic physique like that of Clancy Ross!

Joe Weider - Father of Classic Physique Building?

We have mixed feelings about Joe. On the one hand, he was certainly in the position, along with his brother Ben, to stop the take-over of classic physique building by steroid-users in the 1960s. He was in control of his magazines and he and his brother Ben were certainly at the reigns of the IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilders). However, it may well have been that no one could have stopped it - this is what Joe says in his book Brothers of Iron. He might be right, but perhaps he could have done a lot more to prevent the decline of the Golden Age of Classic Physique Building.

That being said, no one can deny that there probably would have been no Golden Age of Classic Physique Building (from 1940 - 1959) without Joe's magazines (Your Physique, Muscle Power, Muscle Builder), training equipment, muscle-building courses, supplements, contests, and tireless and relentless promotion of bodybuilding! So what can we say? How can we not like Joe! He is rightfully recognized as the "Father of Classic Physique Building."

Joe certainly practiced what he preached. Though he never won a major title (although he did place 5th in the tall class of the 1951 Mr. Universe contest after being "forced" to enter the contest by his friend Reg Park), he certainly did build an impressive physique! He appeared several times on the cover of his first magazine - Your Physique. The above photo on the left shows Joe on the cover of The October 1944 issue. It looks like he was about 170 lbs at that time. He was certainly no Steve Reeves, but you see a developing classic physique!. The above photo on the right shows Joe sometime between 1947 - 1952. He oftern used this photo in his byline for his magazine articles. It looks like he packed on more muscle mass and his body weight is up around 200 lbs. His measurements, as reported by Sig Klein in Muscle Builder magazine in 1955 were: chest - 51 in., neck - 17.5, waist - 34.5, upper arm - 17.3, thigh - 25.2, calf - 16.8, height 5'11". These are definitely classic proportions! Not bad for a magazine publisher!

Your Physique: Joe Weider's First Bodybuilding Magazine

In a previous post, we stated that our beginning date for the Golden Age of Classic Physique Building was 1940 - the year that Joe Weider published his first bodybuilding magazine, Your Physique. Here is a brief account of how Joe put together his first issue (August 1940, vol.1, no.1).

Joe was 17 years old. He went through back issues of Bob Hoffman's magazine Strength and Health and wrote down the names and addresses of guys in the "Pen Pals" section. With his 7 dollars in savings, he bought 600 post cards, sent them out to his mailing list, and sold subscriptions to his new magazine (75 cents for 6 bimonthly issues) - which didn't exist yet! With the money he received, he rented a typewriter and worked at night on his dining room table when his mother was asleep. He hand-lettered the big display type, drew his own muscle man illustrations, and typed 22 pages onto mimeograph stencils. He ran off copies on a rented mimeograph machine. Only the cover page was professional printed. He stapled the pages together and then sent them out. More subscriptions poured in! His second issue was sent to a real typsetter and printer.

Your Physique ran from 1940 to 1952 through 17 volumes. Many Weider magazines, exercise equipment, muscle-building courses, and supplements were to follow and the rest was history! Not bad for a 17 year-old kid with 7 bucks to his name!

Above is his first issue of Your Physique (August 1940, vol. 1, no. 1). Barton Horvath is on the cover. You can find an archive of Your Physique covers at http://www.musclememory.com/. You can also read more about Joe Weider in his book Brothers of Iron - which is available at most bookstores.

The Twilight of the Golden Age of Classic Physique Buildling: Harold Poole (Mr Universe 1963, Mr America 1964)

The Golden Age of Classic Physique Building did not end ubruptly in 1960 with the advent of steroids, but it did fade away rapidly. Nevertheless, it took some time before steroids permeated the field. During the 1960s, natural bodybuilders like the great Harold Poole competed with those who began to use steroids such as Dianabol. Unfortunately, as time went on, natural bodybuilders like Poole realized that they could not match the unnatural development of the steroid-users. So, the "naturals" gradually left the competitive field as the 1960s wore on.

This is exactly what happenned to Harold Poole. He competed with Larry Scott at the first two Mr. Olympia contests in 1965 and 1966 and placed 2nd each time. In 1967 he competed against Sergio Oliva and placed 3rd. After that he realized he could no longer compete with those who had an unfair advantage due to steroids. So he gradually left the field, but occasionally reappeared to test himself against the steroid-users.

Harold typifies the 1960s as the "Twilight of the Golden Age of Classic Physique Building." He had an amazing drug-free classic physique that anyone would be proud of! For those who have no interest in steriods, isn't it inspiring to know that a physique like Harold's can be built naturally?

You can read a great interview with Harold Poole by David Robson at this site: www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson301.htm

The "Golden Age" of Classic Physique Building!

What was the Golden Age of Bodybuilding? Well...that depends on who is defining it. For some, it was the era of "Muscle Beach." For others, it was the 1960s and 1970s - a time when bodybuilding came more into the public consciousness. For many, it is simply refers to the generation of bodybuilders that inspired them.

However, we maintain that there was truly a Golden Age of Classic Physique Building. It began in 1940 with the publication of Joe Weider's Your Physique Magazine - the first magazine dedicated solely to bodybuilding. It ended with the passing of 1959. Why? In 1960, steroids were introduced into bodybuilding. From that point in time, they gradually permeated the field. The Golden Age had passed and physiques became increasingly unnatural in size, proportion, and muscularity.

So to find our inspiration, we look to that time between 1940-1959 - when physiques were built by proper training, proper nutrition, proper rest, determination, and persistance. This was a time when supplements consisted of protein powder, vitamins, minerals, brewer's yeast, and gelatin. Yet, even without today's sophistication in costly supplements, bodybuilders were still able to build healthy, classic, symmetrical physiques. Seeing the pictures of the bodybuilders of this Golden Age says volumes about what can be achieved naturally!

Here is a shot of John Grimek, Mr America (1940, 1941), Mr Universe (1948), and Mr USA 1949 - who inspired many including Steve Reeves and Joe Weider!