Big Muscles Forever

This article contained the usual gossip. Bodybuilder-actor Larry Powers was in a film with Patty Duke and James Farrantino. Don Howarth was taking acting lessons while Larry Scott was in hard training. Harold Poole was managing a way out night club called Cheetah and had plans to enter the 1969 Mr. Olympia. As of this writing that would make the contestants for the 1969 Mr. Olympia as follows: Harold Poole, Sergio Oliva, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Sipes and Dave Draper.

This was an article by Dick Tyler which covered the 1968 Mr. America show and other odds and ends. All Time great Frank Zane won the show. 2nd place winners included John DeCola in the medium class and Richard Giofu in the tall class. Johnny Maldonado, vastly improved, Eddie Giuliani and Rock Stonewall also placed. Mike Katz won the best chest award. Forty-five year old Zabo Koszewski won best abs and most muscular.

Chuck Sipes entered the Mr. World and won. There was also an arm wrestling contest. Joe Weider produced the event while Bud Parker directed the show.

This was a guest editorial that was more like an ad asking the readers to get the word out about Weider supplements. The article started out by stating that Weider is advertising in many different magazines. Joe Weider’s goal was to expose everyone he could to the benefits of exercise and good diet, mainly through Weider products . Once exposed the reader could make up his own mind whether to follow the healthy bodybuilding lifestyle or not.

The article also stated that Sergio Oliva was strictly a Joe Weider supplement guy. At this time Sergio Oliva was unbeatable. Arnold defeated him later on but in 1969 Oliva was king. The article concluded with Joe Weider, through Dick Tyler, encouraging readers to send in information on stores not carrying the Weider line so that they could be contacted. An ad appeared on the last page of this editorial on how Muscle Builder/Power was growing and would have a fifteen cent price increase to seventy five cents.

 This months issue to be reviewed is the May 1969 Muscle Builder/Power featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the 21 year old new phenomenon of the space-age muscle world…..by Joe Weider. Stay tuned this month for a lot of Arnold and Frank Zane, Sergio Oliva, Harold Poole, Vince Gironda and more old time champions.

  Here was a great device that you can still get. Need a quick pump or definition, try the twister. Great on vacations while away from the weight room. As a youngster I thought I would look like Dave Draper with a couple of twists. That would have been nice.

Keep the Lower Back and Biceps Out of Back Training by Ken Passariello, Mr. Universe.

Ken Passariello wrote in this short article that most back exercises he sees are performed incorrectly. As a result the back is the weakest body-part found on most bodybuilders. Ken likes to personally concentrate on free weights and cable exercises when working the back. ” Essentially, any pullback movement of the lats is just like a shrug, but instead of lifting the shoulders, you draw them back,” stated Ken Passariello.

Another problem is when you use the biceps too much while working the back. “The only thing your arms and hands should do in back exercises is connect your back muscles to the resistance. Minimize biceps involvement by pulling the bar or handles toward you so that they touch near the waist rather than the chest. Keeping the weight at this level uses far less biceps effort than the higher level,” stated Passariello.

the article concluded by saying that becoming a good bodybuilder means hard work with lots of intensity. Good technique and strict form are essential for your bodybuilding success.

Blogger note: This wraps up the review of the first ever issue of Flex Magazine. Find it and buy it.

This was a short article by Wayne S. Demilia regarding a lawsuit settled out of court. The article didn’t go into any detail but did thank a number of IFBB officials and bodybuilders. Included in this group were Jim Mannion, Chuck Williams and Mike Quinn.

This article provided complete coverage of a historic bodybuilding contest, primarily because it had a contestant by the name of Lee Haney. Part of the article mentioned a new judging system which unfairly eliminated Egyptian bodybuilder Esmat Sedak. Many might not recognise the name Sedak by he was a serious high placing bodybuilder during the 1980’s. On to the contest.

In the lightweight division, 38 year old longtime competitor James Gaubert of the USA ran away with the division. Hermand Hoffend of Germany and Jean LeBlanc of Canada finished second and third respectively.

In the middleweight division a flawless Dale Ruplinger from the USA dominated this division. Erwin Knoller from Germany was second with Erwin Note of Belgium in third.

There was some controversy in the light-heavyweight division. Many thought longtime pro Ahmet Enulu was ineligible to compete. However, he did compete and win. This division was closer than the lightweight or middleweight divisions. The article didn’t list Enulu’s age but I believe he was in his late thirties at this time. Keijo Reiman of finland finished second with Moses Maldonado of the USA in third place. Angelito Lesta of England was in fifth and Ulf Larsson of Sweden in sixth.

What made this contest historic was the fact that future Mr. Olypia Lee Haney at 22 years of age won the division. Surprisingly it was close between Lee haney of the USA and Gunnar Rosbo of Norway. Rosbo had earlier sustained a pinch nerve which made one side of his body a little smaller than the other side. Rosbo finished second with Alois Pek of Czecholovakia in third place. In fourth place was future actor Rolf Moller from Germany. Rachel McLish future boyfriend Christian Janatsch finished in fourteenth place. Blogger note: Who cares, when Rachel McLish is in your future .

A great article by Flex and a great contest with lots of talent.

If you like reading about Ed Corney, Franco Columbu, Frank Zane, Arnold Schwarzenneger, Larry Scott, Sergio Olive, Dave Draper, Don Howarth, Steve Reeves, Vince Gironda and others look for some big articles and fun stuff in 2009.

“Standing relaxed should not be taken literally. You always flex a little bit. At the World Championships in Cairo, the competitors were made to keep their hands on their thighs to minimize overflexing. It didn’t work. They all crunched up as if doing a most-muscular shot.” So started the article on the first round of judging.

This was a short article on how to look your best while supposedly staying relaxed. The article described ways bodybuilders would flex to show their best while trying not to look like they were flexing. In round one judges look for symmetry which basically means a balanced development.

The article pointed a finger at the judges to be fair. “Who on that stage really has the best physique/” asked the article.