Bodybuilding 1958
by Richard Alan
EDITOR'S NOTE -- Here is another article by Dick Alan that is even more thought provoking than his previous ones. We don't know what you will think of what he has to say but we would like to have your comments anyhow. We believe that most of the readers are level headed and intelligent and responsible citizens and we value their opinions very much. Won't you drop us a line? Your opinions will help formulate our future plans.
EVERY family in the United States should have its own home gym! But it won't!
In fact, a start will not even be made toward that goal until bodybuilding and weight lifting discard their cultist and cliquish ways, until they discard their philosophy of selfishness.
Certainly you know what I mean by their cultism! Any time a group will propagate food supplements and exercise as a dogma, making this claim or that claim, without any scientific proof, that group is a cult. Exercise and diet, the way we follow it, does not have the backing of science -- thus, not being scientific, it has the makings of a cult. Being a cult we cannot expect anyone but another cultist to come in with us. People with any brains at all want to know why they should train with weights. Can we say with any authority that this is why they should train, 1 -- 2 -- 3 --? You bet your life we can't!
What about the clique? Oh, you certainly must know what I mean here. Let me ask you a question, "Which bodybuilding 'camp' has developed the most Mr. Americas?" Ha ha, that is quite a joke, isn't it? Ah yes, we have two cliques in our game -- which "camp" do you belong to, whose "pupil" are you? Ridiculous, isn't it? Let me tell you something, cultists love cliques, but the man on the street isn't concerned with Mr. Americas or who can develop him into a Mr. America. To him they look repulsive -- just show a picture of any Mr. America to him and see his response! All he wants is health, real health -- no faddists for him! And we've lost another good man!
A cult, by its very nature, is a clique, and along with this goes selfishness. A cult usually thinks, whatever its beliefs are, that it "really has something that no one else has!" Then it tries to keep everything to itself by separating itself from the rest of society. Such is the way we think and do. We think we really have something of value in weight training, yet we have rolled up into a little ball and like a schizophrenic we have withdrawn ourselves from the world. Sure, we'll accept anyone wanting to join our cult who will take its teachings at face value. But we won't go out and champion the cause! Why? Two reasons. We don't have a leg to stand on without the backing of science, and we are self satisfied and too lazy to care about the other guy. With a smug smile on our face we feel that an eighteen inch arm will be all we need to make life worth living from now until eternity! Instead of applying our principles to health we have applied the principles to developing massive blobs of muscle that are ridiculous in the sight of others. Can't you see the selfishness in spending endless hours developing our bodies in a selfish pursuit of size instead of training for fitness, and spending some of our time helping others, especially the young kids coming up? Heaping ourselves with glory on the posing pedestal or on the lifting platform should not be our main motivation for training, but as long as it continues to be, our game is going to go nowhere! Really, in this writer's opinion, the people making up our game are, for the most part, so selfish that they don't care whether the game develops into a science or not, just as long as they make their buck out of it or as long as they get built!
Now that I have summed up conditions in the game in general, let's dig a little deeper into the specific faults of the game.
The Homosexual Stigma
One of the greatest evils of our game is the use of bodybuilders as models, posed in so-called "artistic" poses, which serve no other purpose than that of arousing people with perverted sex interests. I and many, many other bodybuilders have been duped into the belief that posing in posing straps or in side and rear nudes is more artistic than posing with trunks. Photographers, most of whom are, oddly enough, not bodybuilders themselves, have pounded this into the head of every young kid with whom they have come in contact. The poor kid, wanting to show off his physique with good photos, goes along with this, not wanting to be different from what he believes to be the standard procedure.
Having been started in the business of selling my photos at the age of 19 -- before I knew the "scoop" -- I learned a lot before I quit at the age of 21. I received literally around 5000 letters in that period of time, and found out first hand what it was that these boys wanted. It is amazing to note that out of those 5000 letters only two (2) were from women! I can also safely say from experience that very few of these 5000 trained with weights. They were all of the element that is giving weight training its biggest black eye -homosexuals.
The big problem arises from the fact that the public, when seeing some of these goings on, tends to associate weight trainers with homosexuals. Often they think of the two as being synonymous.
The public gets this idea not only from all these dungaree-sailor type photos with cowboy boots on, but also from what they have observed by watching bodybuilders in person. Many times a bodybuilder tries so hard to appear masculine that he actually looks effeminate. With his long wavy hair and tight fitting clothes he appears as if he just isn't natural. Walking in a semi-flexed condition, he acts as if all eyes are upon him -- that he must always look his best. He looks, actually, as if he has a hard time walking, moving, or even relaxing. Who knows, perhaps this is where the public gets the idea that we are muscle bound. Surely these guys are as well coordinated as anyone else, it's just that they appear all bound up. Ask any good coach and he'll tell you that the well coordinated person does not think about coordination -- he just does it! It is so natural that he doesn't have to think about it. But when we bodybuilders think about how we look every moment of the day it's no wonder we look as if we can't relax -- we can't. People notice this and wonder about us. I know, for I've been told more than once to relax -- when I thought I was already relaxing! I was one of these guys who becomes so obsessed with getting a good build that he gives up athletics, leads in school plays, presidencies of school classes and student council groups, etc. Literally, and my records will bear me out on this, I was one of the most popular kids in school, always elected to be the leader -- until I started weight training and separated myself from all my former friends.
It has taken me years to get back to normal and find out that there are more important things than my body. It has taken me years to find out that everyone isn't staring at me, criticizing me, watching my every movement so that I have to be semi-flexed all the time. My girlfriend has a terrific time teaching me to dance simply because I've never learned to loosen up, never learned to forget myself to the point where I could be limber.
Putting it positively, we have to keep our training in its proper perspective. We have to emphasize the naturalness in weight training and encourage the young bodybuilder to participate in sports, social activities, and to stay friends with his schoolmates. We have to make him realize that, after all, it's not what he looks like that is important, but what he can say that might help others, and what he can leave behind him for posterity that is important.
Physique Contests
Physique contests do nothing to alleviate the above emphasis on the body. Many kids train every day with one hope in their minds: that of being a "Mr." winner some day. Glenn Bishop and I used to hero worship the "bodybuilding stars" to the point where we would spend hours seeing who could rattle off the most names while we worked mulching and weeding in the celery fields years ago. We used to dream of the day when we'd be like Reeves and the rest, and win our share of titles. This had two bad effects: we gave up all other forms of athletics to reach our goal and we were confused when we learned that this well built guy was a "Weider" man and that guy was a "York" man. It came to the point where we took sides, siding with the champions we liked best, and this often caused controversy between friends, leading to bad feelings.
I'd like to see all "Mr." type contests discontinued. Since they are non-athletic and foster "body worship" in an almost effeminate manner there should be no place for them in our scheme of things. In their place should be contests of a track and field nature, contests in gymnastics, wrestling and other recognized sports. With such contests we could actually show how weight training can produce great athletes, for with our methods, even as unscientific as they are, we should produce the greatest athletes the world has ever known -- and if we can't we'd better keep our mouths shut about weight training being so great. Our clubs should field such great teams that any kid wanting to have top athletic competition would seek out such a club as being the way to achieve athletic expression. Such activities would take the participant's mind away from his body and place it on performance. Performance, learning new skills, working as a team, taking defeat with the same grace as winning -- this is the type of character we need for the future citizens of tomorrow. When we, as a game, stand for such ideals as the above, we'll be accepted by professional people -- doctors, educators, and by laymen too. Then we'll go places. We have to show that we stand for ideals that make us worthy of acceptance. Right now we do not!
Lack of Science
Another fault is the lack of any desire to make weight training scientific. Outside of myself I know of no one who has come up through the ranks and attended universities and professional schools with the express purpose of helping to put the game on a more scientific level. Maybe it is because nobody is interested in science.
A short time ago I ran ads offering the best recipes my friends and I have come upon for gaining weight and providing the body with the essentials it needs. I asked 10 cents for these to cover costs of handling and postage -- it didn't even cover printing charges! It was an attempt on my part to give something back to the game for the fitness it has given me. After close to six months I received a total of 1000 letters in all, 4000 less than I received for photo inquiries!!! I should have received 50,000 requests for those recipes for they were selected carefully. For each recipe I worked hours to calculate the amount of protein, carbohydrate, fat and water, plus calories. But bodybuilders were too lazy to write for practically free information! If this is so, then how in the world can we expect these same people to build their own home gyms? Why in the world should I, or anyone else, spend the rest years of our lives going to school, trying to learn information that can be passed on to everybody, when they won't even send a lousy dime to see what it is you've got to help them. I think bodybuilders would rather spend $5.00 for some quack product as a supplement for their diet than to spend a dime for some real information which will not only allow them to eat better naturally, but to save them money too!
Are there any scholarships available for students such as myself? Ah, no! But there is money galore to send teams all over the world to compete in tournaments; there is money galore to send bodybuilders to Europe to compete for the glory, not of America, but of the big enterprise which sent them; there is money galore for Cadillacs! The big two in the game have not invested one cent in the future of the game, which will come only with the education of guys like myself who want to help. They make available no scholarships, they make no educational movies, they send out no lecturers to schools and colleges. It's no wonder we're a cult! Perhaps they wish us to remain a cult so they can keep their monopoly, their iron grip on the minds of kids coming up who don't know any better. Maybe they are afraid science will show they are wrong on some of their theories and thus destroy part of their lucrative business.
These are just a few of the things that are wrong that come to my mind -- perhaps you can think of more. But more important is to point the way to go. Next article we'll attempt to do just that, and then Richard Alan will have had his say. It'll be up to you.
PHOTO CAPTIONS
- Glenn Bishop, as shown in this photo, exemplifies the ideal physical type of muscular but well balanced athletic physique, a result of barbell training, gymnastics, and athletics in general. This is the type which appeals most to the general public and this is the type of pose most of them prefer. Many bodybuilders have become so wrapped up in muscle display that they cannot realize the importance of assuming a natural, relaxed pose such as this.
- The young man in the above illustrations is a gym operator from Salt Lake City, as well as a confirmed barbell man and one of the country's best jugglers. We regret that his name has gotten away from us, since it was not included on the photos. When photos are sent in for publication, pertinent information should be included on backs of photos since the photos are filed separately from letters. If more barbell men would cultivate other phases of athletics, as well as mental and spiritual growth it would reflect more favorably on the game.
- Ludwig Schusterich, in this photo by Leo Stem, shows one of the most outstanding physiques in the nation. Lud is a very accomplished athlete, an engineer with a very responsible executive position with a large aircraft corporation. He is capable in many fields, father of three fine children, and a real credit to the game and to his community. We should encourage more people to emulate his example of physical, mental, and spiritual development and perfection for a complete and well balanced personality.
- John Grimek at 48 still shows his physical perfection, a result of a balanced attitude towards life, and a realization of the importance of health and condition in the ultimate purpose of barbell training. He should maintain much of this same condition and physical perfection to the age of 70 or more with very little decline in size and proportions. This ideal state seldom occurs if you neglect the basic foundation of good health and decent living. John is a family man, with a large group of sons and daughters who are the delight of his life. Photo by Hasse.