Wednesday, June 17, 2009
1946 Mr. America Alan StephanAlan Stephan on the cover of the August 1946 issue of Strength and Health Magazine. As evident by the headline, Stephan was the newly crowned 1946 AAU Mr. America. He also won the IFBB Pro-Mr. America in 1949.
Labels: 1940 Mr. America Contest, 1946 Mr. America Contest, AAU, Alan Stephan, Bodybuilding, Cover, Muscle Magazine, Strength and Health
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Reg Park JournalChampion bodybuilder... Movie Star... Gym Owner... You can also add magazine editor and publisher to the long list of Reg Park's accomplishments. From 1954 through 1958, Reg published "The Reg Park Journal" on a monthly basis and, as you might expect, its pages were filled with great training information.
Here's the cover of the September 1954 issue featuring Reg and the very glamourous Shirley Eaton. If you don't immediately recognize the name, she was the gal famously painted gold from head to toe in the James Bond movie Goldfinger.
Labels: Bodybuilding Magazine, Cover, Muscle Magazine, Reg Park, The Reg Park Journal
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Sunday, March 08, 2009
Muscle Builder Magazine Volume 2, No. 1, September, 1924Lionel Strongfort on the cover of the Sepember, 1924 issue of Macfadden's Muscle Builder Magazine. This issue included articles on boxing and wrestling, as well as abdominal training and the wrestler's bridge.
Labels: Abdominal Training, Bernarr Macfadden, Cover, Lionel Strongfort, Muscle Builder, Muscle Builder Magazine, Muscle Magazine, Wrestlers Bridge
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Barton HorvathNew York City Bodybuilder Barton Horvath, on the cover of the October, 1937 issue of Strength and Health Magazine. His focus on chest expansion is evident. Horvath did not compete in many contests but did become a successful strength author for a number of years.
Labels: Barton Horvath, Chest Development, Classic Bodybuilder, Cover, Muscle Magazine, Strength and Health Magazine, Strength Author
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Friday, February 13, 2009
Melvin WellsThe great bodybuilder Melvin Wells on the cover of the October/November 1950 issue of Ironman Magazine. It was said that Wells was the "uncrowned" Mr. America, this is the condition that he was in when he nearly took home the crown at the 1950 contest. He didn't win the contest but he did capture the "Most Muscular" subdivision - and deservedly so.
Labels: Bodybuilder, Cover, Iron Man Magazine, Melvin Wells, Mr. America, Muscle Magazine
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Bernarr MacFadden's Muscle Builder MagazineThe early physical culture pioneer Bernarr MacFadden published one of the earliest physical training magazines entitled 'Muscle Builder'. Each issue featured training articles and tips from the great strongmen and early bodybuilders of the day.
This is the cover of issue #1 published in March of 1924 which features Earle E. Liederman - a good choice. 'Muscle Builder' ran for 29 issues and copies are very tough to come by.
Labels: Bernarr Macfadden, Cover, Earle E. Liederman, Early Bodybuilder, MacFadden Publication, Muscle Builder, Muscle Builder Magazine, Muscle Magazine
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Sunday, January 04, 2009
'The Strongman' MagazineOne of Alan Calvert's forays into publishing was 'The Strongman' magazine which began publication in June of 1931 (the first issue featured Sandow on the cover.) Each issue highlighted the greatest strength athletes of all time and how they trained. 'The Strongman' ran for 16 issues but was eventually absorbed into Calvert's Strength Magazine.
Labels: Alan Calvert, Cover, Muscle Magazine, The Strongman
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Friday, November 07, 2008
Jim Park - 1952 Mr. America1952 AAU Mr. America Jim Park, on the cover of the June 1952 Iron Man Magazine. Park also won the 1952 Mr. World and 1954 Mr. Universe bodybuilding contests.
Labels: 1952 Mr. America, AAU, Bodybuilder, Cover, Iron Man Magazine, Jim Park, Muscle Magazine
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Friday, October 31, 2008
Jack LaLanneJack Lalanne on the cover the of the January, 1947 issue of Strength and Health Magazine. Jack is still going strong at 94 years of age!
Labels: Bodybuilding, Cover, Jack LaLanne, Muscle Magazine, Strength and Health Magazine
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
For over four decades, Sig Klein owned and ran his famous gym in downtown New York city and something that he did for a while was put out his own newsletter: "Klein's Bell."
This short 4-8 page publication was distributed to members of Klein's gym and highlighted training articles, physique photography and any other topics of interest and it was actually a pretty radical idea for the time. This is the cover of the August 1932 issue featuring the "15-inch Arm Club" - Also goes to show you don't need a huge arm to be impressive.
Klein's Bell ran for 19 issues although in 1933 it merged with Alan Calvert's THE STRONGMAN Magazine
Labels: Alan Calvert, Cover, Kleins Bell, Muscle Magazine, Sig Klein
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Peary RaderPeary Rader was the editor and long-time publisher of Iron Man Magazine from 1936 through 1986. It all began when Peary printed the first issue of Ironman (there were only 50 copies) on an old mimeograph machine and distributed it to his friends.
His no-nonsense style and focus on the basics went over well... soon the demand for another issue grew too big to ignore, then another and another. At it's peak, Iron Man Magazine had 40,000 subscribers.
Labels: Iron Man Magazine, Muscle Magazine, Peary Rader, Strength Author
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Friday, February 01, 2008
| In 1934, Walt Baptist and his wife Magana established the first training center of its kind, which combined the disciplines of physical culture, yoga, weight training, meditation, and breathing exercises. Walt and his wife also appeared on the cover of many bodybuilding magazines in the 1940s and 1950's such as Strength and Health and Iron Man Magazine. For a while, he even had his own physical culture magazine, Body Moderne, pictured here. |  Walt Baptiste |
Labels: Body Moderne, Breathing Exercises, Cover, Muscle Control, Muscle Magazine, Physical Culture, Walt Baptiste, Yoga
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Saturday, November 03, 2007
 Strength and Health Magazine #1 | Just in case you ever need to know who was on the cover of Strength and Health #1, the answer is Walter "Wally" Zagurski. Zagurski was an original member of the "York Gang" who lifted back when it was called the "York Oil Burner Athletic Club." He competed in the 1932 Olympics, won the 1933 Sr. National Weightlifting title at 165 pounds and was a very good all-around strength athlete. He was also one of the few men who could lift the Louis Cyr Challenge Dumbbell overhead. |
Labels: Muscle Magazine, Olympics, Strength and Health, Wally Zagurski, weightlifting, York, York Barbell
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Thursday, October 25, 2007
 Ell Darden | Ell Darden was a champion bodybuilder who graced the cover of several different magazines in the 1970's. He made the cover of Strength and Health Magazine and Muscular Development Magazine several times but he never did make the cover of Iron Man Magazine... He did, however, make the back cover of Iron Man as shown here from the November 1970 issue. He went on to write countless training articles and a few books. You can see his latest book here: The New Bodybuilding for Oldschool Results. |
Labels: Bodybuilding, Ellington Darden, Iron Man Magazine, Muscle Magazine, Muscular Development, Strength and Health
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Classic Muscular Development MagazineBob Hoffman and the York Barbell Company began Strength and Health Magazine in 1932 to highlight and promote the wonders of proper strength training to the world. These early Strength and Health magazines covered a variety of topics including bodybuilding, Olympic weightlifting, Nutrition, athletic training and more.
In 1964, the York Barbell company started its second magazine entitled "Muscular Development" which was devoted specifically to bodybuilding. The editor of Muscular Development Magazine from 1964 until 1986 was none other than John Grimek (who also graced the first cover.)
The first five issues are featured above (January to May 1964) Covermen from left to right John Grimek,Bill Pearl, Bernie Earnst, Larry Scott and Hugo Labra.
Labels: Bernie Earnst, Bill Pearl, Bob Hoffman, Bodybuilding, Hugo Labra, John Grimek, Larry Scott, Muscle Magazine, Muscular Development, York Barbell
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
| Peary Rader began lifting weights at 12 years old in order to build up his 128 pound frame. Heavy, high-rep squats and plenty of milk helped him gain nearly a hundred pounds of muscle over the next few years and, as a result, he went on to become a local weightlifting champion. Needless to say, strength training became a big part of his life once he saw how effective it could be. He wanted to spread the word... In the mid 1930's Rader found a broken mimeograph machine at the school where he worked as a maintenance man, took it home, repaired it and fashioned his own magazine discussing the wonders of proper weight lifting. He mailed the original print run of just 50 copies to his friends -- who liked what they saw -- which inspired Peary Rader to keep publishing. The issues became more and more streamlined and his magazine became known first as "The Iron Man" and later just "Iron Man" which highlighted bodybuilding, weightlifting, nutrition and overall strength training. Over time, Iron Man Magazine became the "Encyclopedia" for serious trainees all over the country and the world with its simple, yet effective training messages and basic workouts. -- Something decidedly lacking in today's strength world... (Pictured above: Joe Miller, Bert Goodrich, John Grimek, Sam Loprinzi, Roy Hilligenn, Bill Pearl, Reg Park, Timmy Leong, and "Red" Lerille) |  |
Labels: Bert Goodrich, Bill Pearl, Bodybuilding, Iron Man Magazine, Joe Miller, John Grimek, Muscle Magazine, Peary Rader, Red Lerille, Reg Park, Roy Hilligenn, Sam Loprinzi, Squat Workout, Timmy Leong
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Sunday, August 05, 2007
If you were interested in strength training in the early part of the 20th century, Bernarr Macfadden's Muscle Builder would have been one of the few magazines where you would find training info.
Here's a look at the September 1925 issue which featured Harry Glick on the cover.
Articles include:
Here's a look at the September 1925 issue which featured Harry Glick on the cover.
Articles include:
-- All in all, a very nice collection of strength and physical culture training info from way back. |  Muscle Builder - September, 1925 |
Labels: Bernarr Macfadden, Joe Bonomo, Muscle Builder, Muscle Magazine
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Monday, July 30, 2007
Before he became the most popular strength author of all time, Ellington Darden graced the cover of several top bodybuilding magazines including the July 1970 of Muscular Development pictured here.
Ell Darden went on to author over 50 books on strength training. His latest can be found here: The New Bodybuilding for Old School Results
As an expert (not the armchair variety) in training, Ell Darden started asking the right questions very early on. He entered and placed very highly in a number of bodybuilding contests. Here's a look at the contests he won: |  Ellington Darden on the July 1970- issue of Muscular Development |
Labels: AAU, Bodybuilding, Collegiate Mr. America, Cover, Ellington Darden, Mr. South, Mr. Texas, Muscle Magazine, Muscular Development
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Thursday, July 26, 2007
They called him "The Myth" because he was bigger than anyone else anyone had ever seen before. - Sergio Oliva. Here's a shot that I certainly had never seen before -- from the cover of a recent Japanese muscle magazine, probably taken some time in the 1970's:
Sergio Oliva
While he was understandably blessed in the genetic department, there is no question that Sergio Oliva still benefitted greatly from his training. Find out what how he trained to reach his largest right HERE.
Sergio OlivaWhile he was understandably blessed in the genetic department, there is no question that Sergio Oliva still benefitted greatly from his training. Find out what how he trained to reach his largest right HERE.
Labels: Bodybuilding, Muscle Magazine, Sergio Oliva
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
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