Bodybuilding history is always something that has interested me. Books, novels, and academic papers only provide so much. I think there is no better way to get a feel for what it was all about than through the pages of vintage bodybuilding magazines. As a teenager I was fortunate enough to be given a handful of copies of late 70’s and early 80’s Weider publications. It was from these magazines that I first familiarized myself with the silver and golden era bodybuilders. The pictures told a story and so did the articles that accompanied them. This was the best way to get familiar with the exercises that worked each body part. It gave you a reference that could then be put into practice in the gym.
I have amassed over 1000 magazines from the late 1930s to the mid 1980s. I have many more in the cupboards of my home gym that need to be sorted. Despite this the collection continues to grow as I make contact with those that still have these treasures and want them passed on to their next custodian. I have met some great characters and heard some amazing stories in the process. Some transactions have taken months to get over the line. Hours on the phone and many km’s in the car. All very enjoyable experiences that are just as valuable to me as the magazines themselves. I hope that this website will expand on my connection with like minded people as I transition into semi-retirement with a magazine in one hand and a dumbbell in the other doing what I enjoy!
Now for the website itself. I am hoping to cover 4 key areas: Silver Era Bodybuilding (1940s to 1960’s), Golden Era Bodybuilding (1970s to 1980s), Women’s Bodybuilding from the early pioneers such as Abbye Stockton to the first competitions of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s where Lisa Lyon and Rachel McLish made their mark. Most importantly I want to pay tribute to the Australian bodybuilders of this time through the pages of the key Australian Muscle Magazines. There was a time in the 1980’s when 4 bodybuilding magazines existed in Australia – Rocco Oppedisano’s Muscle Australia, Paul Graham’s Australasian Muscle & Fitness, Wayne McDonald’s Reps Bodybuilding Australia and Graeme Hulm’s The Pump. These were all critical magazines that promoted the local stars and covered the local competitions as well as providing a unique coverage of the overseas stars and competitions.
I hope to make this website as user friendly as possible by ensuring each blog or entry is tagged with the key aspects of each article. That way with a press of the button you can discover every entry pertaining to Frank Zane, Women’s Bodybuilding, Calve Training or the Mr Universe Contest or whatever else take your fancy.
I will be updating content regularly, so check back for more fascinating snippets of a bygone era.
