Mr. America Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

Jules Bacon, Mr. America 1943

Posted on Friday, August 27th, 2021 by John Wood

Shown above is Jules Bacon, AAU Mr. America winner of 1943. It was said that Bacon had one of the finest physiques of his era

Bacon was an integral part of the early history and success of the York Barbell company and could often be found demonstrating exercises in articles and advertisements in Strength and Health magazine.

Maybe, on your best day, and with all the modern advancements in supplements, protein powders, and cell volumizers, you can build as much muscle and the kind of condition as Jules Bacon did 80 years ago.

Clash of the Titans: Grimek vs. Stanko

Posted on Tuesday, April 30th, 2019 by John Wood

What would happen if two of the greatest strength athletes in history went head to head? Whether bodybuilding, Olympic lifting or unusual feats of strength, I would say the match up between John Grimek and Steve Stanko is pretty evenly matched. Only history knows the outcome of this arm wrestling match…

1949 AAU Mr. America Results

Posted on Tuesday, December 4th, 2018 by John Wood

A look at Jack Dellinger, newly minted AAU Mr. America on the cover of the June/July 1949 issue of Strength & Health Magazine. The overall placings of the 1949 Mr. America contest were as follows:

1.Jack Delinger
2. Melvin Wells
3. Bill Melby
4. Harry Smith
5. Valerio Pasqua
6. Jim Krznarich
6. Stan Stanczyk
6. Kimon Voyages
9. Everett Sinderoff
10. Joe Shaw

Jack Delinger won the overall title although Melvin Wells won the “Most Muscular” Sub-division.

Chuck Sipes Lifting His Truck

Posted on Friday, October 26th, 2018 by John Wood

Chuck Sipes was one of the strongest bodybuilders of all time. Chuck, who won the 1959 IFBB Mr. America, 1960 IFBB Mr. Universe, and 1968 Mr. World Bodybuilding titles, could also could perform many incredible feats of strength.

As he was training to accomplish a 600 pound(!) bench press, Chuck used to train using a variety of techniques involving heavy supports and negatives — he even had a special handle welded to the underside of his pickup truck which he used to lift and support the whole affair.

Sipes would first lift the pickup truck as high as he could with his arms then wedge his legs underneath. In the top position, he estimated that he was supporting 1600 pounds.

George Eiferman

Posted on Tuesday, May 29th, 2018 by John Wood

George Eiferman, ’48 Mr. America and ’62 Mr. Universe is shown here in his natural environment: the sands of Muscle Beach, Santa Monica, California. Needless to say he was famous for his chest development.

Bert Goodrich – The First Mr. America (1938)

Posted on Saturday, February 17th, 2018 by John Wood

The first ever AAU Mr. America was Bert Goodrich, shown here on an early cover of Iron Man Magazine. Bert got his start by training with Earle E. Liederman’s courses and was a tremendous athlete in high school, excelling in hand balancing, swimming, and track and field events. He went on to became a stuntman in several Hollywood Movies and later opened up his own gym.

Ron Lacy: Wrist Roller Training

Posted on Sunday, October 15th, 2017 by John Wood

How does Mr. America build forearm strength? The Wrist Roller, of course. It was a great method then and still a greta method now. If you could peek into the training log of just about every strength champion throughout history, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll find the wrist roller as a part of their respective programs.

The wrist roller is also a very good choice because it is simple and very effective: Mr. Lacy’s choice here is just a sturdy tree branch with a cord tied to it. You can get more fancy than that if you like but when it all comes down to it, that is minimally all you need.

Mr. America ’68, Jim Haislop

Posted on Wednesday, February 8th, 2017 by John Wood

Jim Haislop, the popular bodybuilder from Tampa, Florida, shows the foundation of his development: squats. Haislop had quite a career, winning Mr. Florida in 1965, Mr. North America in 1966, Mr. Northern States and Mr. USA in 1967, Mr. America and Junior Mr. America in 1968 and took first in his class at the 1969 NABBA Mr. Universe contest.

John Grimek’s Bodybuilding Contest History

Posted on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015 by John Wood

Here’s John Grimek showing his winning form and hardware after taking first in the 1948 Mr. Universe contest (defeating Steve Reeves in the process!) Most bodybuilders are lucky to win one contest in their careers but Grimek finished first in EVERY contest he ever entered. Here’s a look at the full list:

1939 – York Perfect Man
1940 – AAU Mr. America
1941 – AAU Mr. America
1946 – Most Muscular Man in America
1948 – NABBA – Mr. Universe
1949 – Mr. USA

After winning the AAU Mr. America contest for the second year in a row, they passed a rule that one could not enter it again once they won – the powers that be figured that if they didn’t take this step, Grimek would just keep on winning them.

Frank Leight – Mr. America 1942

Posted on Wednesday, February 4th, 2015 by John Wood

Frank Leight, AAU Mr. America 1942, is shown here with some classic globe barbells and kettlebells on the cover of the July, 1942 issue of Strength and Health Magazine. Frank Leight finished 2nd in 1940 (losing to John Grimek and 3rd in 1941 (again behind Grimek, and Jules Bacon) before finally winning the Mr. America contest himself in 1942.