Bodybuilding's Mythic Hero

Bodybuilding is barely one hundred years old. Its history is one of images: old black and white images, improving over time as lighting and posing mature; then in the 1940s the world of color opens new vision.

From the beginning bodybuilders epitomize physical perfection as strength, massive muscular development, and exceptional fitness. Written in images, bodybuilding's story appears in a succession of magazines -- magazines whose business fills the needs of readers seeking the exceptional physical fitness, health and physical development.

Bodybuilding magazines give us the latest news but very little in the way of history.

The images of bodybuilding's first 100 years cannot, however, speak for themselves -- they have been spoken for in a succession of discarded publications. Each publication spoke for images, telling its story as a chapter of the publication's agenda. In this article, we summon the story linking the images, the narrative of the first century of bodybuilding.

George Eifferman (Mr. America 1948; Mr. Universe 1962) died early in the year 2002. Although the major bodybuilding publications ran the dutiful articles about his passing, the legendary "Eiffy's" was a mere vague memory in the minds of most bodybuilding aficionados'. Although well-worth remembering, it seems that this hero of the Golden Age of bodybuilding has been nearly-forgotten

Two other heroes of bodybuilding's Golden Age also died in recent years without their passing receiving the kind of attention that men of their stature in other fields would have been given. John Grimek, also known as "the Glow," was honored upon his passing with an entire memorial issue of Terry and Jan Todd's Iron Game History (vols. 5-4 and 6-1, available online at www.aafla.org ), but other than that received the most perfunctory mention in other publications. Likewise, Steve Reeves, upon passing, fared only slightly better, no doubt due to his legacy of having portrayed Hercules in films. Steve Reeve's death should have been covered heavily by the mainstream media. For a few short years, besides having won the Mr. Universe and other major bodybuilding titles, he was a major film star. (Click here for Gallery of Reeves as Hercules.) Some nice photos of Eifferman, Grimek, and Reeves can be found at The Classic Bodybuilders.

According to Joseph Campbell (author of The Mythic Image and The Hero's Journey), a true hero's journey is worth remembering and is valuable to the culture whose mythology claims a particular hero as its own because that hero and his or her journey not only leave a record of what a culture values but provides a guiding light for generations to come. The lives of real people whose struggles and achievements ennoble them open a path for others and inspire cultural achievement.

People who participate in bodybuilding form a culture whether they know it or not. And the values of that culture are reflected in the recognition that people like Eifferman, Grimek, and Reeves received in their lives for the ways they struggled and all they achieved. These men fulfilled the mythic image of the successful bodybuilder while they were alive, but for some reason seem to have been relegated to a dusty shelf when it comes to being remembered today.

Others have taken their places in the limelight and wear the hero's crown, and the mythic image of the bodybuilding hero seems to have changed. How it has changed, and what the implications are for bodybuilding as a culture?

A brief overview of the history of the sport and some of the people who played a role in developing it, as well as some of the myths associated with it, is in order.

One bodybuilding myth people believe is: Joe Weider invented bodybuilding -- perhaps because of Joe's being known as the "King of Bodybuilding" -- even before he built his empire. Likewise, people believe that Arnold Schwarzenegger was the first bodybuilder. Both of these mythological figures, while defining epochs in bodybuilding's emerging story, actually arrived on the bodybuilding scene later in the game that most folks imagine. The history of bodybuilding and its heroes actually began much earlier. (For a really good photo gallery of some of the great heroes of bodybuilding, visit Christian Anderson's Internet tribute to Eugen Sandow.

In the beginning . . .
According to Gil Waldron's article entitled "Sandow: The Beginning," featured on Anderson's web site: "April 2nd 1867 saw the birth of one Friederich Wilhelm Mueller, to you and I, Eugen Sandow. Many pages in many books, newspapers and magazines have been written about this man, and most physical culturists, weight lifters and bodybuilders have heard of the Great Sandow, though 'Sandow the Magnificent' as David L. Chapman called him in his biography of Sandow, is probably a better description. It is well-documented how Mueller became Sandow, the name change, the marketing, the vaudeville performances, the friend and trainer to Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen.

But how did Clark Kent turn into Superman? How did the man in question train? What system turned young Friedrich into Eugen, The Father of Modern Bodybuilding?"

Waldron goes on in his article to claim that, although Sandow was probably one of the earliest pupils of bodybuilding, he more than likely was not the originator, with that "accolade go[ing] to his friend and mentor Louis Durlacher, or as he was better known, Professor Attila.," who supposedly is credited with developing the shot loading barbell. Sandow, however, eventually developed his own style of training based on Atilla's teaching, and went on to become the "first celebrity bodybuilder and trainer to both royalty and the masses." (1)

Indeed, Sandow is considered by many to be one of the early heroes of bodybuilding. Not only did he, without the use of drugs, "inspire and motivate millions of people in his day towards better health and increased physical activity," [but] the positive things that Sandow represented and advocated were admired by millions of people during the turn of the last century, and Sandow made it fashionable for a man to have a muscular physique at a time when men were typically in poor physical condition, either painfully thin or overweight and sluggish.

Sandow also showed that there is no reason a 2000 year old statue should be any more magnificent than a living man. He proved it, and "man and women alike gazed at his physique as though it were [sic] a work of art.... and indeed it was...." (2)

Another notable hero in the history of bodybuilding is George Hackenschmidt, born of Swedish decent on August 2, 1878. According to David Gentle, in his article "George Hackenschmidt: The Russian Lion" Hackenschmidt, "a master of his own most ancient fighting skill, possessed the same qualities of the later to be recognized Japanese/Chinese martial arts masters, [who] had the total formula for combat domination. Winning between 1889 to 1908 over 3000 bouts, [...] George Hackenschmidt was destined to become famous throughout the World and take his place in fighting arts history as THE RUSSIAN LION and unlike many of his opponents and contemporary [sic] wrestlers, 'Hack' was never mean, vindictive or unnecessarily rough in his wrestling bouts, contrasting his physical prowess and fighting skills with a quietness of spirit.

George Hackenschmidt was the epitome of calm self-assurance and inner peace, with full awareness of his own capabilities and thus like all masters of combat found NO NEED FOR MACHISMO or outward aggression. His tactic to win was skill and speed, born of confidence in his own ability and fighting prowess. He spoke softly, so that you were forced to listen and pay attention, rather than raise his voice to be heard. His serenity was 'catching', calming all those in attendance at his lectures...and it was a developed calmness. A true warrior has to struggle and EARN the wisdom to do battle, with not only his adversities, but with LIFE ITSELF."(3)

The Hackenschmidt name may be familiar to some readers because the "Hack" machine of today's modern gyms is named after this hero. Click here to see a picture of this machine.

In the beginning Sandow and Hackenschmidt were two mythic, heroes of bodybuilding. Both were handsome, physically fit athletes whose appearances set the stage for an image of physical perfection that radiated health, strength, intelligence, and wisdom. Today, however, these two cultural giants somehow seem to have faded into the background as a new era of bodybuilding was born with commercially manufactured barbells and dumbbells, evolved into the Golden Age of bodybuilding, and the use of steroids was introduced.

The birth of a new era . . . The first commercially manufactured barbells and dumbbells began appearing on the bodybuilding scene in the late 1920's. And with them came new bodybuilding strategies based upon using these weights. Strength competition -- whether informal or organized as an amateur sport-was a good test of fitness. (For an interesting article on the history of the development of the barbell, see Jan Todd's "From Milo to Milo: A History of Barbells, Dumbbells, and Indian Clubs.")

According to John D. Fair, author of Bob Hoffman & the Manly Culture of York Barbell, "...the capital of weightlifting in America [from the 1930's to the 1980's] was York, Pennsylvania, the home of the York Barbell Company. [And] Bob Hoffman, the founder of York Barbell, propagated an ideology of success for Americans seeking physical improvement. Often called the "Father of World Weightlifting," Hoffman . . . inaugurated a golden age of American weightlifting" the barbell company's monthly Strength and Health magazine was the premier publication in the field in its day, and was joined by its companion magazine Muscular Development in the early 1960's.(4)

Modern bodybuilding unwittingly got its boost from Hoffman despite the fact that Hoffman understood bodybuilding to be a detriment to competitive Olympic lifting -- his greatest passion. And according to Fair, "... Hoffman emerged as one of the most prominent muscle peddlers in America, using his fame and fortune to promote competitive weightlifting, bodybuilding, and powerlifting. Muscletown USA reveals other innovations in which Hoffman played a major role, including weight training for athletes, health foods, bottled spring water, isometrics, and women's weightlifting. Even anabolic steroids, first used by weightlifters in the early 1960s, were a direct outgrowth of the fitness culture spawned by Hoffman."

Images of bodybuilders through the 1930s reflect a discipline in search of itself. Bodybuilding and weightlifting were not greatly distinguished as differing types of training. As sport, weightlifting had no professionals and was under the jurisdiction of the Amateur Athletic Union in the United States. Bodybuilding would soon follow.

The Golden Age...
By the 1940's, Abbey "Pudgy" Stockton of Santa Monica's "Muscle Beach" began a monthly column for women's bodybuilding in Strength and Health and John Grimek, according to David Chapman, Earle Liederman, writer and muscleman emeritus," commented upon first seeing Grimek: "When I first saw him on the Santa Monica bathing beach," [...] "I must confess my eyes opened a bit wider, for seldom have I seen such a highly developed body. Criticism cannot find one weak spot."

At 5'9", the mature Grimek weighed between 195 and 230 pounds. Every inch of him was a powerhouse, and the"Glow's" strength was legendary -- a standard only the strongest Olympic lifters could match or excel when Grimek was in his prime. Grimek's having won the Mr. America title twice in succession led the Amateur Athletic Union to pass a rule limiting the number of times one person could win the title to once, for it was feared, it seems, that Grimek would continue winning the title annually for another ten or twenty years!

According to a tribute to Grimek found at "with his combination of proportionate bodylines and raw power, John Grimek served as the perfect hybrid between the pre-war "bodybuilder as strongman" genre and the modern "one sport only" bodybuilder. John passed away on November 20, 1998, and will forever be remembered for his philosophy of life -- always keep your focus on good health as the primary motivation for your toil, and build muscle the old fashioned way -- earn it by hard work and dedication.

Grimek was the second and third Mr. America, winning that title twice and moving the AAU to restrict winning it to only once by any individual. Until the mid 1960s, Mr. America was the highest bodybuilding title awarded in the United States. And it was an amateur title.

Professional bodybuilding had yet to appear. To the extent professionalism appeared, one might become a pro after winning Mr. America -- largely since there was no where else to go. Pros in those days did little more than make income from bodybuilding -- as authors in bodybuilding publications, opening gyms, etc. Product endorsements hardly existed -- food supplements only appearing in the early 1950s.

Steve Reeves, it seems, chose to follow this path. Just following WWII, young Reeves benefited from the coaching of Ed and Alyce Yarick, owners of a very special gym in Oakland, California. The Yarick gym produced a number of top titleholders besides Reeves, including Clancy Ross and Jack Delinger. Legend holds that Yarick's gym is the place where the incline bench was invented -- the witness of which was the superlative upper pec development of both Ross and Reeves, which had never been seen before.

There is good reason to believe that Reeves should actually be called the first bodybuilder. He trained for size, shape, and proportion rather than for strength -- one of the main differences between bodybuilding and other forms of weight training. Unlike Grimek, Reeves did not arrive at bodybuilding through competitive lifting, and his strength never approached that of the competitive lifters and pro wrestlers of his day. Reeves should be credited with setting the standard for pure bodybuilding concerned with developing the optimal masculine physique based on an aesthetic standard inspired several decades of bodybuilders.

The Golden Age of bodybuilding spanned from the 1940's through the 1970's. Two focuses of training permeated the time: 1) health, strength, and fitness; and 2) refined, mature development of aesthetic muscular development. Compared to today's Steroid Age and its standards of excellence, The Golden Age of bodybuilding can easily be considered a grassroots age of innocence.

The year the music stopped...
Steroids were not used until the York athletes experimented with them and Dianobol became the new breakfast of champions. Steroids were not illegal as controlled substances (but became so in the 1980's), and they caught on. The bad thing is not that they worked, creating a hormonal advantage for some competitors that could not be contended. The bad thing is that that deception entered the world of bodybuilding -- deception perpetrated by trusted leaders of the field. The resulting veil of secrecy about steroids not only misled trusting readers of muscle magazines but created a culture of misinformation, disinformation, and outright lying, giving birth to a culture of denial.

But was anyone telling the truth about using them? As steroids and their use became increasingly sophisticated, greater size and a super-shredded appearance emerged as the new heroic image -- along with advertisements for new nutritional supplements and isometric training equipment alleged to have made the difference.

The face of physique of bodybuilding changed, and the treasuries of new bodybuilding emperors grew. The mythic image of the bodybuilding hero shifted in magazines from that of builders simple posing to posed workout sessions. And, eventually the steroid truth trickled out.

The Golden Age was steroid-free, and bodybuilding was natural. The longevity of competitive years was greater, and for good reason: the physiques of the heroes of the Golden Age were the result of years of sustained training. But, as steroids entered the picture, became more readily available and more powerful, training achievement could be obtained in a few years. Steroids speed up the development process, but they also shorten the duration of a bodybuilder's career.

Bodybuilding, up until the use of steroids, was a culture of athletes who trained the natural way, and a culture whose heroes were people who believed in developing their potential without the use of drugs. They were heroes whose achievements and way of living were admired because they offered a beam of healthy guiding light and encouragement for others.

All too often the steroid issue is cast in mold of morality. Experimental use of steroids was a project of the Hoffman organization, undertaken for the benefit of American amateur weightlifting. With the gossip mill buzzing about the amazing benefits of steroids, legal and blackmarket sources filled the need. Cast in the misleading image of drugs, the veil of secrecy concerning hormonal supplementation proved far more harmful than their actual use -- it deprived both individuals and science of supervised, controlled scientific experimentation. Rather than science, the average user of testosterone products detrimentally relied on the untutored amateurish advice of amateurs like himself or herself.

The worse consequence of the big lie about steroids was the resulting myth that steroids are 'the big secret' of the stars. In a culture of instant gratification, steroids took their rightful place along side microwave frozen meals and everything else instant. The image of bodybuilding thus shifted from art to science (pseudo-science): forget years of progressive development of body, mind and character.

The mythology of bodybuilding appears to be crumbling, as its finest heroes ride off into the sunset, too often forgotten. Sandow, Eifferman, Grimek, and Reeves showed today's bodybuilders what human potential, left to natural devices, can accomplish.

Mr. Pharmacopia…

Bodybuilding's hall of images reveals increasing size and weight along with the march of time. Throughout the 80s and 90s bodybuilders just got bigger and bigger. Once testosterones were introduced and their alchemy understood, bodybuilders became 20 or 30 pounds heavier (depending at times on steroid related edema!). The new bodybuilders run upward of 100 pounds heavier than their predecessors. Use of the word steroid is far more appropriate these days since the pharmaceutical arsenal includes a wide range of synthetic endocrine substances representing many of the glands, no longer merely testosterone.

It's also clear that no one understands the physiological implications of both exceptionally massive use of the substances nor the even more fascinating question of their synergistic outcomes. It is clear that 'growth' is not restricted to muscles but includes internal organs and viscera as well. Today's Mr. Endocrinology contestants sport 40-inch bellies not earned the hard way from prodigious beer drinking but instead of overdosing hormones.

Ironically, testosterone isn't all that bad as it's been made out to be. Natural testosterone replacement therapies combined with an anabolic diet and bodybuilding type physical training have proven extremely beneficial to long term survival of HIV+ males and females. As viropause (andropause, the male equivalent of menopause) becomes more widely recognized (amplified by early onset due to vasectomies), testosterone replacement therapy, training, and an anabolic diet become keys to longevity of healthy, fit individuals.

Bodybuilders and consumers today are inundated with catalogues that cloak themselves as bodybuilding magazines filled with infomercials pretending to be science. Worse still are the websites dedicated to this or that ultimate quick fix. And the name of the game has changed too often from promoting good health to making a buck. Formerly bodybuilding advocated health and fitness; too often today it's just an illusionary image of a young face accompanied by an undercurrent of sex in the form of a catalogue magazine.

Perhaps letting the old heroes of bodybuilding die quietly serves some purpose, the result of which is selective amnesia. Forgetting about how the greats of the past did it, after all, means not having to admit to not being able to live up to that image.

Back to the future...

The kind of face tomorrow's bodybuilding hero will wear remains to be seen. Perhaps he will return from his odyssey into drugs with a renewed understanding of the importance of bodybuilding for health and well being. Perhaps he will have awoken from his recent slip into the deep slumber of illusion that working with steroids is the path he should take, and once again begin to reflect the values once recognized by the culture that begot him.

Bodybuilding has yet to find its 'middle path avoiding extremes'. While Mr. Pharmacopia threatens to be the sole, de facto professional standard, new 'natural' standards seem at times to be just plain reactionary -- and just as thoughtless. Does natural include seniors competition admitting of persons undergoing testosterone replacement therapy? If not, what standard of hopeless Puritanism is at play? Certainly any scientific standard has been tossed carelessly out the window. Can 'naturals' make use of ancient herbs, equally natural, from throughout the pre-patent medicine era of healing wisdom?

Our hall of images has revealed a century of the bodybuilding family's culture and history. For half it's life, bodybuilding's pinnacles were simply the actualization of dormant innate capabilities. With synthetic testosterone's arrival, the Golden Age was replaced by that of the Alchemical Magus, superceded by the gargantuans of the Pharmacopia. An image of sober sanity is closer than it seems. Bodybuilding inherently can produce the mature, psychologically and spiritually fit giants we knew and know as Grimek, Reeves, and Pearl.

The greatest lesson in our mirror is that of authority -- just as a bodybuilder is the author of his or her physique, s/he ought also to be full author/authority of his/her story. If testosterone has been involved, own it with integrity. Our hormonal replacement therapies for men and women don't make those treated any less of a man or women; they merely promote becoming a fuller, healthier version of yourself. It's time to outgrow the 'drug' image. And it's also time to draw the line between hormonal supplementation bringing persons within a healthy range versus the Frankensteinesque bizarre distortions evident in Pharmacopia.

Tomorrow's bodybuilders face a really tough challenge. Living up to the mythic image created by the great bodybuilding heroes of the past and competing with their achievements will take a lot of working out. Those of us who continue to believe that bodybuilding is a way to being awake and promoting good health certainly hope they will give it a try.

References
(1) Waldon, http://www.sandowmuseum.com/sandowone.html.
(2) Anderson, "The Life of Eugene Sandow," http://www.sandowmuseum.com/sandowlife.html
(3)George Hackenschmidt: The Russian Lion" (http://www.naturalstrength.com/history/hackenschmidt.1.htm
(4)John D. Fair, Bob Hoffman & the Manly Culture of York Barbell

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Ken O'Neill resides in Wimberley, Texas, and. is available for personal consultation and workshops. kayoneill@earthlink.net.