Old School Bodybuilding

Baldsnake · 06-26-2005, 08:19 AM

Chapter 1.

It is the summer of 1955. This past year I have failed to gain much weight or strength on my skinny 6' 160 lb. 15 year old body. Being a year advanced in my junior high school year and up against older more mature boys in wrestling had bruised my ego. I love football but wearing glasses as thick as the bottom of a Coke bottle keeps me in wrestling where I can at least grapple with the football players in the class ( and get my skinny ass kicked). My goal this year is to gain 20 lbs. I know the answer is to go to the gym and to eat properly. There are very few gyms even in Los Angeles but I had visited Burt Goodrich's Hollywood Heath Spa on Hollywood Blvd. on a few occassions. 14 and over were allowed to train. A buck fifty to train and you get a towel and use of the steam room. My dad could not know because he thought that every one who lifted weights were "queers". I bought a few bodybuilding journals and had to hide them from my dad. Had he seen men in a magazine in my room with bare legs and chests he would have been convinced I was a "pansey". I knew different. The men I had met and seen at Goodrich's on my prior visits and at Muscle Beach were manly men full of self worth. I thought they looked awsome. Besides the girls seemed to like that look and that was a good thing.

Shoulders Moran is 16 and has a car. He is about 6'3'' and oddly built with the narrowest clavicles immaginable. He wants to build bigger shoulders for football in his senior year. Off we go. After work on Tues. and Thurs. (I have worked every summer since I was 11) and on Sat. and Sun. Those are doable days.

The gym is located right in the middle of Hollywood in a two story building. On the first floor was the health bar. We go upstairs and buy a 3 month summer membership. Inside in a long narrow low ceiling room are countless odd machines and racks of weights. Silent except for the clanging of weights and groans of heavy weights being moved. There are two huge fans moving the air, yet it is still stiffeling from the 90deg. plus day outside. I smell chalk and BenGay. There is a line of chalky sweaty hulks with odd strips of cloth tied around their wrists and knees at the drinking fountain. Look...there is Steve Reeves "Hercules" doing crunches. Wow!! And over there it's Bill Smith sitting at the fixed military press machine (they called it the "Smith's machine") If this place is not my answer to getting big I'll never find it. Just then Bill Pearl and his brother Harry (25 years later Harry was my mentor into competition)come into the gym. The Pearls are there paying Reeves back on some kinda wager. Shoulders and I are in muscle heaven. We are greeted by friendly.."Hey kids you are in the right place...ask questions and we will help where we can."

Laid out before us are the tools to gaining weight. In our hands are written the push/pull routine and our weight gain diet given to us by Bert himself.

geriatricmuscle · 06-26-2005, 09:38 AM

Fun read. Thanks for sharing. Why is it that simpler days always seem to be behind us?

gm

joed · 06-26-2005, 10:37 AM

Snake: what a great story. 'Shoulders' Moran - I had to laugh. Everyone had nicknames then; I still like to use them & pretend I'm a young kid again.

Baldsnake · 06-26-2005, 11:01 AM

Chapter 2.

Before sending Shoulders and I out into the weight room, Bert Goodrich asked us what our goals were. Shoulders was easy as he was already a big kid...football big. He simply needed to widen his deltoids and get stonger over all. My case was...well...a lot more involved. First of all Bert guessed that my metabolism was high and my testosterone level had not caught up with my growth in height spurt. He was putting us on compound movements such as cleans and presses, front squats with olympic bar going into military press at the top, dip and chin marathon, and 3 way dumbell bench press (super set inclines, flat and decline presses). Bert told us that when the body is under stress such as doing compounds it is forced to produce more testosterone for survival. I asked if there were any testosterone pills I could take. "Nope", Bert said. He said he had heard that the German SS troups in WWll were given testosterone by the German scientists but nothing had come to the USA yet. "If it were easy boys you would be waiting in line to sign up today. There are no shortcuts." (It was only about 2 years later CIBA labs in Germany was exporting Dianabol to the USA. Dianabol remained a secret amongst the bodybuilding community until the 70s).

Bert was explaining his weight gain diet as he wrote it down for me. Six (6) eggs for breakfast. Two pieces of whole wheat toast with P-nut butter and honey. One banana. I qt. whole milk. Lunch was two tuna sandwiches on
whole wheat, apple, one qt. whole milk. Afternoon pre workout protein drink with orange juice, one raw egg, two scoops of Bob Hoffmans soy protein powder, one packet of gelitin, one scoop of vanilla ice cream and whip it up.
Afterworkout a handfull of desicated liver with one qt. of beer. "If you get caught with the beer I'll tell 'em you are lying if you mention my name...get it?". Dinner is what ever your mom puts on the table. "Never question your mom's cooking". Never were truer words spoken. My mom was oblivious to my gym time and diet change. My dad commented how wrestling was finally putting some muscle on my bones. My grandfather was my sounding board and number one backer. My girlfriend told me I farted too much (had to figure with my diet) but liked running her hands on my stomach muscles. (the term 6-pack had to wait for the '80s).

jaguarr · 06-26-2005, 11:08 AM

Liver and beer for a post-workout meal? I think I'll stick with my shake and oatmeal bran.

jag

Minotaur · 06-26-2005, 11:57 AM

"Just lift the damn bar".

Bad_Vibes · 06-26-2005, 01:00 PM

Great stories, hope there's more.

A.FreeRadical · 06-26-2005, 05:02 PM

I forgot about Bob Hoffman's soy powder and dessicated liver tablets. I ate the liver tablets by the handfulls.

A fun read walking with you down memory lane.

*
aA.FreeRadical a

KingWill · 06-26-2005, 05:06 PM

Good reads. LOL at the dessicated liver tabs. At one time I think I was taking about 30 a day.

GameDayDog · 06-26-2005, 06:19 PM

I always refer to myself as a throwback... I started lyfting seriously when I was 16... My government job had an employee gym... It was there that I was taught about using proper form and having a proper routine... I remember the benches, the machines & some of the people lyke Robert, my fyrst personal trainer/gym employee ... but oddly enough I don't remember there being a squat rack, just leg machines...

Flex, Ironman & other bodybuilding magazines literally haven't changed in the last 15 years... The only advances have been in supplements... Back then I was taking amino acids and Weider Mega Mass 2000... the scoop was bigger than the one in a box of laundry detergent... I'm not gonna mention how awful the taste was...

I lyke to thynk of my early days as the old days.. but the truth is... I'm just an old car, parked on the street in front of the house... You Sir, are a numbers matching, 454 1969 Chevelle SS with a blower... A true classic... perfectly preserved... and I hope you'll stay with us... Parked in our BB.Com Forums garage for many years to come...

Peace..~G
Chapter 3.. Chapter 3.. Chapter 3...

Baldsnake · 06-27-2005, 07:56 AM

Chapter 3.

July 4th was comming up in a few days and I am anxious to take Marcia with me to Muscle Beach where the body builders in Los Angeles gather
on weekends and holidays to tan, play vollyball and do stongman tricks/balancing for the always appreciative beachgoers. I'll get a ride with Easton. Shoulders still won't take his shirt off in public and will not go to the beach. His delts are getting bigger...oh well. Easton has a cool Ford convertable, doesn't date, always willing to drive to the beach and has a terrible crush on Marcia. I know she is going to wear her two piece suit which drives us both nutts. Getting from downtown L.A. to the beach and back is always a buck for gas which I pay, 25 cents for parking which Easton pays and I buy the Hava Tampa cigars. Not a bad deal. (Damn I can't wait until I get my own wheels.) I have packed my tuna sandwiches and made an extra for Marcia. I heard at the gym that a few of them are going to get there early with a keg of beer and some dry ice...bury the keg with the ice...spicket just above the sand and covered with a towel. Bitchin! Ten cents a cup. I paid upfront 50 cents knowing Marcia would only want one and Easton and I two each.

Holy ****...what a crowd today. Glad we got here early to stake out our blankets near the stage. I wonder if the fog will burn off early? Todays events include olympic lifting, chin ups on the swinging rings, parallel bar dips,
rope climb and the farmers walk. There are going to be some demonstrations on pyramids...you know, 5 guys on the bottom, then 4, 3, 2 and always Peggy on the top. Peggy was in her 30s and built like a little man. Cute but too many muscles for a girl. Freaky man. Hey look....two black guys. Damn are they big!! "Check those guys out Easton". I have never seen black bodybuilders before. They sure do have an advantage with their dark skin and baby oil. Wonder why more black guys don't train with weights? Damn!!

Jack La Lanne...what is he doing here? Thought he was too old for this scene. He has got to give it up some day. Walking Charlie from my gym is here. One crazy guy. Always walking and doing curls with 35 pounders then about once every minute does a deep squat. That is the only thing he does. The guys say he is off his rocker from too many explosions in Korea. Bet he is entering the farmers walk.
Scar is also here. Way cool. I explain to Marcia that the scars on his back, back of legs and arms are from a booby trap of coral rock going off on him when as a frogman in the Navy as he was sneeking into some North Korean harbor. Scar does lots of dead lifts, cleans and presses and recently has been doing olympic lifting. He has a big leather belt he cinches around his stomach and wraps his knees with elastic bandages. Scar is the only man I have ever seen with long hair. I guess to cover up his scars. If my dad saw him for sure he would say he was a queer.

Bill Smith arrives and is swarmed by a flock of girls. He is wearing Levis...shirt off. I hear that no one has ever seen his legs...who cares...look at those shoulders and arms. What is that screaming...yes I knew it.... Hercules is here. This is the handsomest man alive. Sure hope it's not queer to think that. After getting his picture taken by the L.A. Times with all the girls draped over him he spots me and approaches. "Hi, I'm Steve Reeves", he sticks out his hand to Marcia. "Your boyfriend here will be Mr. Muscle Beach some day if he continues to train as hard as he has been." Thanks Steve, I thought, this will guarantee me getting to 2nd base with Marcia tonight. What a great day this is. Look at those three old tanned guys over there with the young chickies. They must be at least 40. Now thats where I want to be when I'm old guy....muscles and girls. With my Hava Tampa cigar in my lips, beer in one hand, Marcias hand in the other....some guy all covered with chalk doing the olympic Snatch on stage.....have I died and gone to bodybuilding heaven? Wonder if Muscle Beach will be here in 50 yeras....that's lets see...2005..... July 4th 2005.

Baldsnake
Mr. Muscle Beach
Mr. Muscle Beach over 40
Mr. Muscle Beach over 50

GameDayDog · 06-27-2005, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baldsnake

Bill Smith arrives and is swarmed by a flock of girls. He is wearing Levis...shirt off. I hear that no one has ever seen his legs...who cares...look at those shoulders and arms.

I can see it already... Sigh.. Let the GameDayDog jokes start...

Peace..~G

joed · 06-27-2005, 06:37 PM

Snake: your stories read like something I read about a yr ago, can't quite remember the name - maybe the old Bosco series when a gym mgr takes a young guy under his wing & works him to death & the kid grows like a weed. Do you know the book I'm talking about?

Baldsnake · 06-27-2005, 07:39 PM

The Bosco Gym is a noted power lifting gym in the southwest somewhere. Nope never read any book with a gym or bodybuilding theme. Except for we preachers and choir...public would rather watch clouds float by. If you havn't noticed....some 75% of this forum is devoted to get big by this afternnoon....what pills can I take....and the most bang for the least amount of effort. Very little intrest in the history....same goes for the general population and our Nations history. Whats in it for me TODAY. I'm hung up on history. My 3 week trip to Europe/Israel this summer is (I hope ) only phase one in my covering the history of western man (Roman/Greek) and the Judeo/Christian culture.

My MuscleMag articles were popular for a while then the younger set drawn to our sport with T&A introduction could care less regarding my writings.

Baldsnake · 06-28-2005, 07:49 AM

Once a month I do one hand Olympic bar bench presses. This not only strengthens all the muscles in the rotator cuff, it hits pec, front delt, tricep, forearm and all the hand/wrist muscles. A side effect is balance and concentration.

Feet firmly on the ground take a grip dead center on the bar with your right hand, left hand holding the left side upright. Be steady and lower bar to and touch your right pec. Keep the bar straight...do not let it dip to one side. Set of 10...now left hand. With collars begin to up the weight with 5 pounders.

This morning I super setted this with heavy toes in/toes out leg presses, leg press machine calf and one arm heavy dumbell bicept curls....eight super sets....round and round. This took 45 min. As soon as my heart slowed down I headed home for my whey protein drink, scoop of L- glutamine, went back to a little creatine after one month layoff and always my handfull of special selected aminos.

Tomorrow is backwards treadmill with 10 pound dumbells followed by 75 pound dumbells in each hand and walk the gym with a shrug here and there until I drop the weights. I will finish with a chin/dip marathon.

Should I have said....Odd School lifting?

never2late · 06-28-2005, 08:31 AM

The folks that raised me were big on natural foods, vitamins, etc. -- this is going back to the late 50's into the 60's. I can remember a "can" of Hoffman's protein -- a serving would be mixed for me each day. If I am remembering correctly, the "can" was actually rolled pressboard or cardboard-like (not tin or aluminum). They were big on vitamins as well . . . although I think that you needed a doctor's prescription for vitamins back then in the drug store (not sure), you couldn't just walk in and buy vitamins. They gave me one "upjohn unicap therapeutic" a day in the morning. There were always mags such as Strength & Health, and other health & vitality magazines around.

The big thing was fresh air, sunshine, fresh foods, positive attitudes/living, etc.

They were really ahead of their time.

I can see the effect that modern living has had on those within my own generation now. It's not pretty. I myself got off the path for a number of years -- but am back on it, straight and narrow.

I have much to owe them for providing me a solid foundation to begin with. And for showing me the "right" way to do it -- and for showing me what health & vitality is all about.

Yes, those were the days . . . but those days are still here . . . inside many of us, I'm sure.

Baldsnake · 06-28-2005, 08:44 AM

You are right on N2L. On my Ist day of sobriety in 1980 I was back at Bill Pearl's Pasadena Gym. My roots, my foundation. Saved my life!! That is why our young parents are in the most part failing their children today with instant gratification...grad parties leaving middle school...good Lord. Aruba, the land of rum and spread legs for high school graduation.

Without roots plants blow away or fall over in stormy times.

GROWLER · 02-15-2008, 08:53 AM

Look what I found in the search section. I was looking under Old School and BINGO!!

StartinOver-68 · 02-15-2008, 09:39 AM

Good find....... I remember the Bob Hoffman soy powder, liver tabs, and the Hav A Tampa Jewels. The beer came later for me.

dmangiarelli · 02-15-2008, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GROWLER

Look what I found in the search section. I was looking under Old School and BINGO!!

Nice find!

Capnwilliam · 02-15-2008, 05:23 PM

Hooray for the old days!

Yeah, I can remember when "washboard abs" were every bodybuilder's goal. The kids today don't know what a washboard is.

"Six pack abs"? What's that: a beer gut? ;-)

Jim

NotTooLate · 02-15-2008, 06:55 PM

What an awesome story! I really enjoyed reading this. It is so interesting to find out what it used to be like. It was really interesting also to see life as a young man. I had no idea that people used to think bodybuilders were gay! LOL I think it's the opposite now. Maybe this is why so many bodybuilders are so paranoid about gay issues and are always saying NO HOMO LOL This story was not only interesting but well written. You've got talent as a writer. I roared when Steve Reeves told your girlfriend that you would be Mr Muscle Beach some day if you kept training like you were and then you thought "this will guarantee me getting to 2nd base with Marcia tonight" LOL

Excellent post. I would like to read more of these stories! Do you have any more? Can you publish them in a book? I would definitely buy this book.

What makes it even better is that you did become MR Muscle Beach!

oldsuperman · 02-15-2008, 07:39 PM

OK my brothers and sisters in Iron, this is why I joined this forum. What a wonderful thread, to gleam from a Master the likes of Bill Mortimer, Baldie. God I miss him and the others that gave us such knowledge and debate on this forum.

It's because of men like this!

Not because I wanna discuss "Funny sex stories" or "Long hair" or "what happened in a fricken bar last night" or "typo and spelling errors" or other o/t crap that has INVADED this forum!

So much potential here, and such waste of energy.

Well, just an old BBers feelings on it for what it's worth.

NotTooLate · 02-15-2008, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldsuperman

OK my brothers and sisters in Iron, this is why I joined this forum. What a wonderful thread, to gleam from a Master the likes of Bill Mortimer, Baldie. God I miss him and the others that gave us such knowledge and debate on this forum.

It's because of men like this!

Not because I wanna discuss "Funny sex stories" or "Long hair" or "what happened is a fricken bar last night" or "typo and spelling errors" or other o/t crap that has INVADED this forum!

So much potential here, and such waste of energy.

Well, just an old BBers feelings on it for what it's worth.

I understand your frustration. I like the other threads too but this kind of thread is really what it's all about. I wish there were more like this but I can't contribute because I haven't been on this scene long enough to. I would LOVE to read more of these. Please post some of your stories oldsuperman.

oldsuperman · 02-15-2008, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotTooLate

I understand your frustration. I like the other threads too but this kind of thread is really what it's all about. I wish there were more like this but I can't contribute because I haven't been on this scene long enough to. I would LOVE to read more of these. Please post some of your stories oldsuperman.

Ahhh! Yet you can contribute to the debate and struggle of your goals. We used to argue, debate if you will, about technique, sups, training, diets, BBers of the past and present, competitions both lifting and BBing, currant and past comps, symmetry and you don't have to be a competing BBer or lifter do discuss, debate any of these topics.

I have and will continue to posted some threads of my thoughts and feelings on BBing and thx for asking me to. Maybe I'll stop complaining so much?.... Probably not! After all, it IS a BBing forum! LOL! ed

NotTooLate · 02-15-2008, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldsuperman

Ahhh! Yet you can contribute to the debate and struggle of your goals. We used to argue, debate if you will, about technique, sups, training, diets, BBers of the past and present, competitions both lifting and BBing, currant and past comps, symmetry and you don't have to be a competing BBer or lifter do discuss, debate any of these topics.

I have and will continue to posted some threads of my thoughts and feelings on BBing and thx for asking me to. Maybe I'll stop complaining so much?.... Probably not! After all, it IS a BBing forum! LOL! ed

Yes, I can contribute to that. I would like to see more of those threads.

You have a right to complain, everyone else does LOL I look forward to reading more of your posts

Baldiewonkanobi · 02-16-2008, 05:33 AM

Thanks to you know who for the nice E mail. OK as long as we keep it all about bodybuilding.

The summer of 1980. Now 4 months into my return to bodybuilding and sobriety I was a dedicated trainer at Bill Pearl's Pasadena Gym. Bill had wisely placed me (6' , 168 pounds, 40" waist, and 13" bicept) under the watchful eye of his bigger brother Harry. 25 years earlier I had seen them at Bert Goodrich's gym in Hollywood. Pearls was set up in two sections...the front with the day's latest chome machines, light dumbells, and abb mats. The rear was where the gorillas trained. Bill's hand made machines, squat racks, power racks, dumbells to 200, yes 200, and olympic bars galore. Harry kept me on the old push/pull routine, 4 days a week. My wife worked out with me at my side to encourage my new sobriety. We bicycled on off days. That is, until I graduated in about 60 days to the back room. She had developed her own training dedicated lady friends by then. Harry was the Floor Manager and helped with routines, nutrition and form/lifting sudgestions. (paid private trainers were yet to be invented) He was often heard to say..."why don't you go home and vacuum , you will get more exercise there". Or, "Half ass measures get half ass results". He had me gulping down handfulls of vit/min, descicated liver and brewers yeast tablets. I was drinking MLO Milk & Egg protein drinks twice a day. Can we say....pfart? I had just learned how to squat properly and my goal was one wheel on each side for 10 reps. I could bench 135, but squat...ouch. Chins and dips were added to my routine. I would finish a set of 10 dips trembling then would start to walk away and Harry would say..."Are you warmed up yet?". Then he would place a belt with chain and a hanging 25 pound plate around me and coax me into a 10 rep set. He often had me into the "whoop whoops" sounding like a small child after a crying jag. I did call on muscle memory...long ago muscle memory. An 18 year layoff augmented by booze, cocaine, tobacco and weed had done its number on me . Yet, muscle memory gave me an advantage still over the average bear. My body weight had now sky rocketed up to 180. My arms bulged at a moutain like 14". ****, my wife spotted a hint of pecs. Man, I was full of my new Bad Self. I even purchased a tank top and got my wife's name tatooed on my upper arm. .

I had heard that there was a Mr. Muscle Beach contest going on in Venice for the 4th of July. Neet!! We were going to the in-laws for a BBQ that day in the Marina, blocks from Venice Beach. On the afternoon of the 4th my wife and I headed up the beach, she in her hot bikini and me with blue jeans to hide my skinny ass legs and my new pec revealing Pearls Gym tank top. There they were already on the outdoor stage, massive, tan and oiled up....the largest men I had ever seen at one time together. About 1,000 people gathered on the sand shouting for their favorite. "Wow..Mr. Muscle Beach". "No", I was corrected by an onlooker, "Over 40 Mr. Muscle Beach". Chit, I am 40 this can not be. I had a sweat shirt under my arm which I slowly slipped on. Yet, something inside told me I should be on that stage. That would be my ultimate F you alcohol, F you drugs. I knew from Harry it would be a long steady haul. I would need to lift the Empire State building and consume enough protein to launch the Goodyear blimp with my own methane. Hell, why not. I was a graduate obsessive compulsive...this was destiny.

Baldiewon

I love you Harry, still hear you shouting in my ear. I'll post an old pic of you so the peeps in here know that Bill Pearl had a bigger brother.

Fiend_73 · 02-16-2008, 05:36 AM

Thank-you for returning good sir.
A pleasure to see you here again.

And another thank-you for the lessons gleaned from your wisdom.

NotTooLate · 02-16-2008, 06:27 AM

Wow Baldiewonkanobi, that was a great story! It really brought tears to my eyes. These are the best stories ever. I wish you had written a book. If you ever write one I want a copy. I'm sure glad that your here sharing these stories with us. Thank you for coming back! This forum really needs people like yourself who were there on the bodybuilding scene back in the day and can pass on what it was like and be mentors to the younger folk now. I hope you stay because it's a huge loss to this forum if you don't.

Thank you to you know who as well for emailing Mr Baldie

oldsuperman · 02-16-2008, 08:56 AM

Well good Brother! Pulled out of your cave to sniff the air I see! LOL!!!

Well since we spoke last I have been banned twice and there were more O/T threads posted then ones focussed of BBing most of the time.

YOU were the one that encouraged me to join this forum because I could add to the debate and dialogue. You were right! It WAS great! Yet there has been a wave of newbies that feel this is a social club to gossip about lives and activities that have NOTHING about BBing?!

I have said many times on this forum that O/T threads and posts are fine and fun in moderation, yet the foundation of this forum is Bodybuilding! Something has gone amiss this last year. I get PMed by "closet" " wanna be" BBers wanting info and they lose out, when they could post on the forum for "EVERYONE" to contribute instead of my opinion alone in a PM. Besides, I don't have time to tell them how to train and eat!

Hope you stay. I saw you were posting on another forum and I lurked for an hour! It was such a breath of fresh air to read about the topics of the classic BBers of the past! What a treasure and a pleasure to have lurked there!

Well, we're all waiting with baited breath as "Paul Harvey would say, "And now, for the rest of the story!" Keep it up friend. ed