1967 IFBB Mr. Universe

Posted on Thursday, June 20th, 2019 by John Wood
A look at Joe Weider shaking Sergio Oliva’s hand on the winner’s platform of the 1967 IFBB Mr. Universe contest. This event was held at Montreal’s Paul Sauvè Arena and the Jr. and Sr. Mr. Canada contests were also held in conjunction. Vic Downs, winner of the “Most Musclular” award, is on the left. Christopher Forde, 4th in his class, is at the right. Frank Zane, fresh off a win in the Mr. Eastern United States, finished third in the tall class.

Here’s the complete results:

1967 IFBB MR. UNIVERSE

Overall Winner: Sergio Oliva (Chicago, Ill.)

Most Muscular: Vic Downs (Toronto, Canada)

Best Physique / Short Class:
1. Rick Wayne (London, England)
2. Rock Stonewall (Chicago, Ill.)
3. Dennis Gauthier (Montreal, Canada)
4. T. Kanazawa (Hiroshima, Japan)

Best Physique / Tall Class:
1. Sergio Oliva (Chicago, Ill.)
2. Vic Downs (Toronto, Canada)
3. Frank Zane (Tampa, Fla)
4. Christopher Forde (Trinidad, W.I.)

Most Muscular / Short Class:
1. Elliot Gilchrist (Grenada, W.I.)
2. Pierre van den Steen (Brussels, Belgium)
3. Mitsuo Endo (Tokyo, Japan)
4. Eino Akkila (Sweden)

Most Muscular / Tall Class:
1. Vic Downs (Toronto, Canada)
2. Glen Wells (Nassau, Bahamas)
3. Conrad Laframboise (Toronto, Canada)
4. David Sheppard (New York, N.Y.)

All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.

Clash of the Titans: Grimek vs. Stanko

Posted on Tuesday, April 30th, 2019 by John Wood
Clash of the Titans: Grimek vs. Stanko
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…
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.

Joe Abbenda

Posted on Tuesday, December 4th, 2018 by John Wood
Joe Abbenda from Long Island, New York was a very popular and successful bodybuilder during the late 50’s and early 60’s. He began his bodybuilding career by winning the Teenage Mr. America title in 1959. The next year he finished fifth in the AAU Mr. America contest, followed that up with second place finish in 1961, and finally won the title in 1962. Abbenda also won the NABBA Amateur Mr. Universe that same year and the Pro Mr. Universe in 1963.

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.

All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.

Strength & Bulk Training for Weight Lifters & Body Builders by Reg Park

Posted on Monday, September 25th, 2017 by John Wood
TRAIN LIKE MR. UNIVERSE!
Reg Park Shows You How!

When you’re talking about the greatest bodybuilders who
ever lived, Reg Park is right at the top of everyone’s list.

Reg won the Mr. Universe contest three times (nearly a
4th) but his muscles weren’t just for show – with a
behind-the-neck press of 300 pounds and a squat of
over 600 pounds, Reg was not just one of the strongest
bodybuilders of all time but one of the strongest men
of all time too!

You would think that Reg would have
some “top secret” training methods
that helped him build such
incredible size and strength…

Actually: Reg built his
strength with nothing
more than a handful of
basic exercises and a
lot of hard work.

Still, it’s always
a good thing to
have a look at
how a Champion
actually trains…

What exercises does
he like to use?

…or not use?

…how many sets?

…how often does he train?

…what about the “mental” side of training?

Fortunately for us, Reg Park has, in fact, answered all these questions (and many more) in writing… Now you can learn directly from the man himself through a training course which Reg wrote way back in 1960 and which is now available in high-quality modern reprint format:

Reg Park won the Mr. Universe title three times (1951, ’58 and ”65), and nearly a fourth! ~ (finishing 2nd in 1970 and ’73 and 3rd in 1971)
You know you’ve made it as a physique star when you are instantly recognizable even from the back — Reg presses a few dumbbells at Muscle Beach
Reg shows his championship form — Reg would be the first to tell you that his training consisted of basic exercises and a lot of hard work.
Strength & Bulk Training for
Weight Lifters & Body Builders
Reg Park Course

Table of Contents:

Preface
Introduction
Classification of Body Types
Conflicting principles of Training
The Basic Principles of Weight-Training
The Principles and Degrees of Strength
and Bulk Training
Strength Training for Body Bulk and
Muscle Size
Increased Strength
Strength and Bulk Training Exercises
Increase Strength Essential for Learning Advanced Techniques
Varying Strength and Bulk Training Routines

(1.) First Strength and Bulk Course

(a.) Stabilizing
(b.) Developing a Positive Attitude
(c.) Poundage Increase
(d.) Overloading

(2.) Second Strength and Bulk Course for Weight Lifters, Second Strength and Bulk Course for Body Builders

(3.) Third Strength and Bulk Course for Weight Lifters, Third Strength and Bulk Course for Body Builders

Recording Training Sessions … Rest … Food … Sticking Points … Regularity of Training … Limit Poundages … Single Attempts … Mental Horizons … Boredom … Injuries and Stress … Layoffs…

A List of Strength Trainers
Strength Training for Athletes
Conclusion
Exercise Illustrations

This basic, no-nonsense training guide cuts through all the fluff and gives you only the essentials for getting results. Strength & Bulk Training for Weight Lifters and Body Builders was originally published in 1960. The modern reprint edition is faithful to the original, is 8-1/2″ x 11″ in size, 30 pages long and contains some pictures.

Order now!Strength & Bulk Training for Weight Lifters & Body Builders by Reg Park
___________$19.99 plus s/h
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.

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.

Enrico Tomas

Posted on Saturday, February 20th, 2016 by John Wood

Enrico Tomas, from New York City, is shown here on the January, 1955 issue of Strength and Health magazine. Enrico only competed in a few bodybuilding contests but never finished lower than third and in 1954, he took first both in the AAU Mr. New York State and the NABBA Mr. Universe.
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.

Frank Zane on a Pogo Stick

Posted on Friday, December 18th, 2015 by John Wood

Ladies and Gentlemen, “Mr. Universe” Frank Zane on a pogo stick! – This was taken at Sunken Gardens botanical garden in St. Petersburg, Florida on January, 17th, 1969. On that day, Zane set an unofficial record of sorts by seeing the entire attraction by way of this bouncing mode of transportation.

All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.

George Eiferman – Chest Development

Posted on Saturday, April 25th, 2015 by John Wood
Back in the old days, “chest development” meant chest and ribcage expansion, not just bigger pecs.

Here’s a look at George Eiferman, a classic bodybuilder, who was famous for his chest development, on the cover of the February, 1948 Strength and Health Magazine.

Eiferman won the AAU Mr. America, AAU Mr. California and IFBB Mr. Universe titles.

In this picture Eiferman weighed around 190 pounds. You can tell that ribcage and chest expansion contributes greatly to the “look” of strength and power.

Steve Reeves – THE Classic Physique

Posted on Thursday, September 4th, 2014 by John Wood
It’s not hard to see why Steve Reeves was known as THE Classic Physique – just take a look. During his career Reeves won nearly every contest he entered, including: the 1947 AAU Mr. America, Mr. Pacific Coast and Mr. Western America Contests, the 1948 Mr. World contest, and the 1950 NABBA Mr. Universe contest. Reeves was well-known for his broad shoulders which were measured by Armand Tanny at an unbelievable 23-1/2 inches!
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.