# how did pre-steroid era bodybuilders train?



## iMan323 (Feb 5, 2008)

I'm extremely curios what the training and the diets of pre-1950's bodybuilders looked like.  Men like Steve Reevers, Armand Tanny, etc..

Anybody have any clue?


----------



## danzik17 (Feb 5, 2008)

Lots of food, lots of basic compound exercises.  Read "Super Squats" - it's a great book that really illustrates a lot of those fundamental ideas.


----------



## Metallibanger (Feb 5, 2008)

Steve Reeves:


----------



## P-funk (Feb 5, 2008)

Total body workouts.  Heavy compound lifting.

Super Squats, Dinasour Training, and Brawn are all excellent recourses into the way that training was; and should be.

Milo Strength Journal from Ironmind.com is also an excellent resource of information on training ideas both old and new.


----------



## PreMier (Feb 5, 2008)

like p-funk trains.


too bad you cant read a journal of what he does, because he is 'too cool' to post at IM


----------



## P-funk (Feb 6, 2008)

lol


----------



## Big G (Feb 6, 2008)

OK. I've already read SuperSquats (and survived a grueling program of heavy 20rep squat sets!) so just ordered Din*o*s*a*ur Training, Brawn and Beyond Brawn. Maybe, if I get the urge, I'll write some book reviews in the IM  thread soon too.

Thanks PF.


----------



## jls55 (Aug 19, 2009)

*train like Steve Reeves*

As a member of the Steve Reeves International Socitey, you can look on the net or web for SRIS and there order training books written by Reeves himself.


----------



## mr.universe (Aug 21, 2009)

Their training was based on The Failure Principle and listening to your body.  Simple and effective.  Not much different than todays training methods, the pro's that are successful are the ones that know their body best.


----------



## Dodge (Aug 24, 2009)

I actualy think steve reeves looks disgusting. His body is like a 60year old 'roider


----------



## StacyCaliman (Aug 27, 2009)

Who cares? Their physiques sucked. Those guys were totally clueless. You never look backward for ideas... you always look forward.


----------



## Ben dur (Aug 29, 2009)

Dodge said:


> I actualy think steve reeves looks disgusting. His body is like a 60year old 'roider




id like to slap you for that statement

by definition it makes no sense


this is before the era of steroids...
and in most of the pictures available of him he was in his 20's-30's

he has extremely girthy forearms, and thick dense shoulders, a narrow waist and huge  upper arms

todays "roiders"
have 42" bellies
waistlines as big around as there chest...

i have to disagree with you completely


----------



## Built (Aug 29, 2009)

StacyCaliman said:


> Who cares? Their physiques sucked. Those guys were totally clueless. You never look backward for ideas... you always look forward.



That's right. Why take advantage of pre-existing knowledge - it's so much cooler to do cable crossovers while standing on a BOSU ball and call it "functional training". 



Dodge said:


> I actualy think steve reeves looks disgusting. His body is like a 60year old 'roider



Steve Reeves looked wonderful -





Ben dur said:


> he has extremely girthy forearms, and thick dense shoulders, a narrow waist and huge  upper arms



I'd love to see more men looking like him now, instead of:



Ben dur said:


> todays "roiders"
> have 42" bellies
> waistlines as big around as their chests...



I must say, however, that a few well-placed cycles can indeed do a body good.

While there is a broad range of physiques that appeal to me, ranging from "lanky surfer-dude" to "meaty strong-man", the following consistently appeal: a man who looks like he either has a natural thickness to him, or that he MIGHT have run a few modest cycles, or both. 

I appreciate "ripped to the bone" as a necessary evil for the stage, and I understand that the mass-monsters put "bums in seats" - everybody wants to pay to see the freak-show - but the over-done size of today's superheavyweights don't really turn my crank. 

A strong, healthy-looking body with good proportion and symmetry is never out of date. 

My .02 CDN.


----------



## Perdido (Aug 29, 2009)

^ agree.

Look at where we are at today after all of the machine inventions, ab contraptions, butt blasters, the gazelle, p90 or whatever the hell that is and an infinite number of other training programs...

Give me a squat rack, a bench, a bar and a stack of weights & a simple training program I can remember without reading a book or looking at a DVD - done.


----------



## min0 lee (Aug 29, 2009)

Dodge said:


> I actualy think steve reeves looks disgusting. His body is like a 60year old 'roider


----------



## Gordo (Aug 31, 2009)

Reg Park said back in the day it was all free weights and a chinning bar and that's it.




I imagine a lot of food to boot. I think they did a lot of core olympic style lifts as well.


----------



## CowPimp (Aug 31, 2009)

A lot of very old school lifters used to do all kinds of total body lifts, some of them stuff people don't do anymore.  The Turkish Getup is a great example.

Also, squat racks were not as commonly used a long time ago as now.  So, a lot of lifters had to clean their bars into place for overhead pressing or squats.  Every workout was fully body because you had to pick that shit up off the floor for every lift.


----------



## min0 lee (Aug 31, 2009)

CowPimp said:


> A lot of very old school lifters used to do all kinds of total body lifts, some of them stuff people don't do anymore.  *The Turkish Getup *is a great example.
> 
> Also, squat racks were not as commonly used a long time ago as now.  So, a lot of lifters had to clean their bars into place for overhead pressing or squats.  Every workout was fully body because you had to pick that shit up off the floor for every lift.


----------



## Ben dur (Aug 31, 2009)

alot of crossfit guru's would argue that their program would have been ideal for the natural bodybuilder

alot of what they imphasize on is natural GH and Test release from high intensity intervals, circuits, sprints, and heavy power lifts

some of the crossfit guys swear they are all natty and some have some extreme hypertrophy

they claim that typical body building does "too much" micro trauma, and that the unassisted hormone system is playing catch up much of the time

i throw alot of their philosophies into my personal program


----------



## Gazhole (Aug 31, 2009)

CowPimp said:


> A lot of very old school lifters used to do all kinds of total body lifts, some of them stuff people don't do anymore.  The Turkish Getup is a great example.
> 
> Also, squat racks were not as commonly used a long time ago as now.  So, a lot of lifters had to clean their bars into place for overhead pressing or squats.  Every workout was fully body because you had to pick that shit up off the floor for every lift.



I read MILO and they have articles on old school movements all the time. Turkish Getups, Pullover and Press, Dumbell Anyhows, Jefferson Squats, One Armed Deadlifts...loads of other stuff you just don't see anymore.


----------



## monkclaudio (Sep 11, 2010)

*steve reeves*



Dodge said:


> I actualy think steve reeves looks disgusting. His body is like a 60year old 'roider


 I think Steve Reeve to this day is one of the best built bodies,your talking out of your ass i think.


----------



## chesty4 (Sep 11, 2010)

StacyCaliman said:


> Who cares? Their physiques sucked. Those guys were totally clueless. You never look backward for ideas... you always look forward.



 Really? You never heard the phrase "back to basics"? Even _with_ gear, how do you think today's pros got their physiques? Same basics guys like Reeves and Park used.


----------



## scottie350 (Sep 13, 2010)

Built said:


> That's right. Why take advantage of pre-existing knowledge - it's so much cooler to do cable crossovers while standing on a BOSU ball and call it "functional training".
> 
> 
> 
> ...



absolutely well put bro


----------



## MDR (Sep 13, 2010)

scottie350 said:


> absolutely well put bro



Built is a woman, but your right it was very well put!


----------



## scottie350 (Sep 13, 2010)

MDR said:


> Built is a woman, but your right it was very well put!




wow my bad..i completely wasnt paying attention to that...that was my ignorance at work there

Sorry built
have mercy??


----------



## midwest216 (Sep 14, 2010)

sometimes looking backwards is the best way to improve moving forward. Just a thought.


----------

