Steve Reeves and Reg Park: Waist Comparisons and Individual Variation!

(Photos Above: CPB Champ Reg Park above and middle, CPB Champ Steve Reeves below)

OK...since the last post generated a bit of discussion regarding Steve Reeves waist measurement, I thought these photos above would help inform the discussion further.

I hope no one minds the "art photos" of Reg and Steve (but such photos were common in the more classical-oriented, pre-roid Golden Age of the 1940s and 50s). But these photos are similarly posed and allow us to examine Reeves' and Park's waist depth from the side.

In the photo above, Park is doing a "stomach vacuum" - trying to hold his stomach in. This is similar to what Steve is doing in the bottom photo. In the middle photo, Reg is tensing his abdominals. In both photos of Reg, his waist (to my view) seems deeper and thicker than Steve's. Nothing wrong with that! Both CPB Champs are in good form. The difference in waist thickness is probably simply a structural and genetic one.

This is very instructive in understanding the phenomenon of individual (genetic) variation. We are all different in the combination of our height, bone structure, muscle attachments, tendon lengths, etc. So when we strive to build a classic physique naturally, we will build a classic version of ourselves. Although we may greatly admire Reeves or Park or others, our classic physiques will look different from theirs just as theirs look different from each other. This is simply due to natural, individual variation. The great thing is that a classic physique will look great no matter what!

When we train naturally, these normal individual variations are developed and can be easily seen by the eye. Training under steroids exaggerates natural anatomy and thus has a tendency to "cover up" natural individual variation. That is why roid-users all look the same! The more exaggeration of anatomy there is (due to greater roid use), the more normal anatomy is "covered up" and more similar they all look!

Going back to natural training and classic physique building - if you want to build a classic V-taper, then you must approach your training in a way that will minimize your waist measurement and maximize your shoulder, chest, and lat width. If you like the thicker-waist, Greek classic ideal look, then your waist training will be different (and you can incorporate training with heavier weights along with the progressive resistance principle). Both looks (the classic Reeves physique and the classic Greek ideal) are fine and it is a matter of personal choice.

So just remember, we are inspired by photos of our favorite CPB Champs, but because of individual genetic variation, you will build a classic version of you - and that will be great!

- CPB

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

Reg Park's Diet for a Classic Physique!

(Photo Above: Steve Reeves on the left, Reg Park on the right)

In the Golden Age of Classic Physique Building (the 1940s and 50s), the approach to diet was much simpler than today. The CPB Champs simply ate a high protein diet consisting of what they considered to be "nutritious, wholesome foods." So basically the diet was meat (all kinds), dairy (whether cow-based or goat-based), eggs, fruits, vegetables (in salads or cooked), nuts, and a bit of whole-grain cereals & bread (starchy foods were used sparingly).

The quantity of food varied depending on the individual. For example, Steve Reeves (see previous post - click on label "Classic Physique Diet") seems to have eaten a smaller quantity of food than Reg Park, even though they were of similar height and weight. But that makes sense since everyone's metabolism and activity levels are a bit different. The bottom line is that the CPB champs, through trial and error, figured out the quantity of food that was necessary to achieve their goals (of either gaining mass or increasing definition).

Here is some info on Reg Park's diet:

A Sample Daily Menu:

Breakfast: A glass of fresh orange juiceFruit: paw-paw (papaya) & banana,

Cooked Oatmeal (large soup plate full) with full cream/whole milk & fresh cream

A plate of bacon, eggs, tomato and toast

A couple of cups of tea

Lunch: Large bowl of soup (tomato, pea, minestrone etc.) with rye bread

Cooked vegetables

Beef steak

Desert

A couple of cups of tea with some chocolate

Also wine or milk stout(like Guiness)

Supper: Same as lunch.

(Reg would consume Milk stout/Guiness as an aid when he needed to gain weight)

In an interview with Reg by Osmo Kiiha, Reg was asked about his diet:"What type of diet did you follow?

Reg: I liked to eat like a king, but only food that was good for me. I ate prodigious amounts of food during the day, but adhered to a very balanced diet with everything in proper proportions. My favorite food is steak, which I sometimes eat twice a day. I also like salads, orange juice and wine. I have a wine cellar in my home. I also have used protein supplements and take vitamin and mineral tablets.

In an article in "Iron Man Magazine, Earle Liedeman wrote the following about Reg Park: "Reg Park of England wins a good second to Mac Batchelor with his speed. Once, when dining with Reg, he gargled three large plates of vegetable soup, then gulped chucks from his extra large and thick steak without his teeth sinking into the meat once, apparently, next stuffed many side dishes of vegetables into his ever open mouth and these include an extra large pair of baked potatoes, a huge bowl of salad, three glasses of milk and the last, the piece de resistance, a big dish of ice cream with cake. And all this, mind you, in about ten minutes. Gee! I've seen hungry bloodhounds gobble down food, but Reg Park wins a can of fried grasshoppers as second place for amount, and first place for speed."

So there you have it, another glimpse into the Golden Age nutrition of the CPB Champs! What can you learn from this for your classic physique building endeavors?

1) Eat a balanced, high protein diet of meats (all kinds), eggs, dairy (either cow-based or goat-based), vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grain breads and cereals (use sparingly).

(2) Use a 3 meal a day plan with/or without snacks in-between - depending on your goal of either gaining mass (with snacks)or losing weight (without snacks).

(3) Protein and vitamin supplements can be helpful.

(4) Adjust the quantity of food to achieve your goals (you may need to eat more for gaining mass or less if trying to lose body fat) - everyone is different, so follow the classic Greek advise to "know thyself."

(5) Remember that proper diet is as important as proper training and proper rest (but all three must be done together in order to achieve your goals).

(6) Avoid all junk (processed food, refined sugar, candies, cakes, pastries, soft drinks, etc) that does not contribute valuable nutrients to "building up the body."

- CPB

2009 New Year's Message from CPB!

(Photo Above: Informal shot of Golden Age champ and film star Reg Park in a swimming pool).

Happy New Year to all you classic physique builders (CPB'ers) around the world! We hope 2009 will be a great year for you and one that brings you closer to your classic physique building goals.

We will do our best, at CPB Blog, to continue to promote the ideal of building a classic physique and living a healthy lifestyle by bringing you information and inspiration from the Golden Age of Classic Physique Building (the 1940s and 50s).

This year, in addition to bringing you our CPB Blog, we plan to put out our first issue of CPB Zine very soon - a do-it-yourself (maga) zine devoted entirely to building a classic physique. It will be patterned after the magazines of the Golden Age of Classic Physique Building. CPB Zine may, of course, cover some of the same topics as those that appear on the CPB Blog. However, those topics will be able to be developed more in depth in the Zine. Our first issue is nearing completion. Compared to today's mainstream bodybuilding mags, our zine will be small. But, over time, it will grow. It won't contain page after page of supplement ads, steroid-enhanced physiques, cars, tech gadgets, and other irrelevant items - just a lot of straight talk about building a classic physique and classic health. When our first issue is complete, we will announce it here on CPB Blog and let everyone know how they can get their free copy.

We also plan, this year, to make available our CPB Golden Age Muscle Building Courses - which will be patterned after and based on the courses that were available during the Golden Age. The beginners course will probably be offered first, followed by the intermediate and then advanced courses.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our polls. We will still keep them open. So if you haven't participated, please feel free to do so. Your response in these polls are very helpfult to us.

We encourage everyone to contribute constructive comments to CPB Blog about our post topics. You can post using your name, initials, alias, or "Anonymous" - whichever of these you choose is fine. But it would be great if you could let everyone know what country you are from. We hope that through our collective effort, and with your help, we can ignite classic physique building interest around the world!

We end our 2009 New Year's message with a photo of Reg Park's classic physique (see above). It is powerful, symmetrical, natural, radiating with health, inspiring and looks great! Who wouldn't want a physique like that? Let's let Reg and the other CPB champs of the Golden Age be our inspiration in 2009 as we follow their example in building a classic physique. If they could do it, so can we! Let's make this a really great year and get ever closer to our classic physique goals!

Happy New Year!

- CPB

Classic Physique Building Inspiration: The Films of Reg Park!

(Photo above: Reg Park; Mr. Britain 1949; Mr. Europe 1950; Mr. Universe 1951; Mr. Universe - Pro 1958, 1965)

Need some more classic physique building inspiration? Check out the films of classic physique building champion Reg Park! After Steve Reeves opened the way with his "Hercules" and "Hercules Unchained" films in the late 1950s, others took over the role of Hercules in a variety of classic muscle movies in the early 1960s. Reg starred in 5 films:

1) Hercules and the Captive Women (1961)
2) Hercules in the Haunted World (1961)
3) Hercules, the Prisoner of Evil (1964)
4) Maciste in King Solomon's Mines (1964)
5) Hercules the Avenger (1965)

The films are all available today in DVD format and there are many places, such as http://www.amazon.com/, where you can purchase them.

Reg had a more "rugged look" than Steve Reeves, but like Steve, he was "all natural." Check out our new clips from his film "Hercules in the Haunted World" (on the sidebar). He was and still is a great inspiration to any aspiring classic physique builder! - CPB

Reg Park - Classic Physique Mass

Do you think that you cannot build mass naturally, without steroids? Take a look at Reg Park above. Reg built his mass naturally, before the use of steroids, and before the use of all the modern nutritional supplements we have today. Reg was 6'2" at 225lbs. He won the following titles: Mr Britain 1949, Mr Europe 1950, Mr Universe 1958, 1965. He went on to star as Hercules in 5 movies in the early 1960s. He competed up until the early 1970s and placed well against steroid-using bodybuilders half his age (e.g., placed 2nd in the Tall Class of the Mr. Universe NABBA 1973 Contest). He had plenty of mass, and yet still retained a classic physique! He should serve as an inspiration to us all! - Classic Physique Builder

The Classical Look

The tradegy of modern, mainstream bodybuilding is that it lost the ideal of the classic physique in favor of the gargantuan, "hulk-like" physique.

Before steroids, bodybuilders were inspired by the great classical sculptures of the ancient greeks which were muscular, proportionate, and yet attractive. Read the following excerpt from an article written by the great Reg Park (Mr Britain 1949, Mr Europe 1950, Mr Universe 1951, 1958, 1965) for Your Physique Magazine (Nov '50):

"The Classical Look for Physical Perfection

by Reg Park, Mr. Europe

When I first became interested in bodybuilding I took a new interest in not alone my own body, but in any statue or photograph which portrayed a well developed physique. I spent many hours studying the statues of the great masters at the Tate Gallery at Millbank in London, as well as at the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square. There, enchanted by the sculptural grandeur of Apollo, Discobulous, Hercules and others representative of the great Grecian art which has endured the years and remains even today the accepted peak of physical perfection, I received my first education in physical proportions and impressiveness.

I was quick to notice how each body part blended perfectly with the rest of the anatomy in these masterpieces. How Hercules, thick, powerful and heavily muscled retained this massive proportionate development throughout his entire body..." (end of quote).

Can you imagine that article having been written by today's Mr. Olympia? So the classic ideal has been lost by mainstream bodybuilding. But we don't have to follow their lead. Bodybuilding can be natural, healthy, and lead to classic, muscular, and attractive physiques. We would do well to follow the example of Reg Park! (photo above is Reg Park on the cover of Your Physique Magazine, Jan 1951). - 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!

The Classic Physiques of Reg Park and Steve Reeves

Reg Park (photo: left) was an English bodybuilder, businessman, and film actor. He won the Mr. Britain 1949, Mr. Universe 1951, 1958, and 1965 titles. After winning the Mr. Universe title again in 1958, he went on to star in five Italian Sword and Sandal films – a genre first popularized by Steve Reeves. His films include "Hercules in the Haunted World" (1961) and "Hercules and the Captive Women" (1963). In the 1950’s, he published The Reg Park Journal – a bodybuilding magazine featuring the best bodybuilders of that time.

Although Reg's physique seems bulkier and more massive than Steve Reeves (photo: right), actually their measurements were very similar. Reg's measurements were: height (6' 0"), weight (218 lbs), neck (18 in), arms (18 1/4 in), calves (17 1/2 in), chest (53 in), waist (32 in), forearm (14 1/4 in), wrist (8 in). Steve's measurements were: height (6' 1"), weight (215 lbs), neck (18 1/4 in), arms (18 1/4 in), calves (18 1/4 in), chest (52 in), waist (29 in), forearm (14 3/4 in), wrist (7 1/4 in).

This comparison shows that despite having different looking physiques (Reg's "appearing" more massive and bulky and Steve's "appearing" more sleek), both actually embodied the ideal of the classic physique. So, it doesn't matter whether you have thicker bone structure and a more massive appearance or a thinner bone structure, you can still build a classic physique!

Visit Reg's official web site: http://www.regpark.net/.