Weider

I am a young buck of only 22 years, and therefore was not around during the “Golden Age” of bodybuilding journalism. I’ve read t-mag religiously for over year, and even consider TC to be a prophet. I’ve also read how Weider “invented bodybuilding”. I seen the newer issues of Muscle and fitness, we get them at our fitness center and never saw the connection, but today I stumbled across an issue from 1991, I could not beleive the audacity of some of these writers, one actually credited Weider with bringing periodization, to body builders. I never doubted t-mag, but always thought they might be exaggerating a bit, but what I saw was absolutely ridiculous.

That’s business. Bill Phillips credits himself with ‘creating’ and building EAS, which he actually bought from two guys and then marketed the supplements through Muscle Media magazine. It’s all about proper marketing and a little ‘bullshiting’. Read the book ‘Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion’. Anyhow, the funniest pics I saw of Joe Weider was of him being in the gym with Arnold Shwarzzenegger, pretending that he was showing him how to properly lift weights! It’s like, ya, sure Joe, Arnold was taking lessons from you on proper form and technique.

Nate, you can thank your lucky stars that you were born when you were (at least as far as bodybuilding goes). 20 years ago, there was basically no alternative to Weider, and when I think of all the YEARS of effort that I wasted trying to follow the path laid out in M&F and Flex, it makes me so mad I could . . . Well, anyway. To have the info the T-Mag puts out, and to get it for free . . . Suffice to say that there hasn’t ever been anything better in bodybuilding, and there probably never will be.

Nate, Chris and I have seen it all in our time. And I’m sure there are some guys older than we are. I am 41 and started lifting with magazines by Bob Hoffman; he was primarily into strength. Weider stole his ideas and was better at marketing. He also brought bodybuilding and nutrition to the general public. Bill Phillips came along and used Weider as an example of ripping off the public. Then he turned around and did the same thing. Tim Patterson and TC teamed up and are taking off where Bill left off before his “selling out”. Without these pioneers, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Just don’t get caught up in the “my guy is better than your guy attitude”. I agree with Chris in that you are lucky to not have to go through the two-hour routines, bee pollen, raw eggs and brewers yeast. But, I wouldn’t change what I had to go through for what you are getting now. I appreciate it more. I also see that even though TC is great and all, he is not the “be all, end all” of knowledge. Keep reading and learning from the guys they have on staff. Read different books you find interesting. My library is full of different authors on training and nutrition. No one has all the answers. Read and decide what works for you. One book in particular for us older guys is “Dr. Bob Arnot’s guide to turning back the clock”. In it he shows how to buy a mountain bike, roller blades, skis and some of his nutritional stuff is interesting. In it you’ll see some of the ideas he took from other authors. At least he is willing to tell you that. Every magazine including this one is taking what was discovered before and either making it better or bringing it out again. Examples: I started on milk protein. Now it’s in vogue again. Methoxy was discovered long before Biotest sold it. The formula that they are trying to sell you for post workout nutrition is in my opinion an upgrade from the ideas of Dr. Michael Colgan’s book “Optimum Sports Nutrition” and Twin Labs “Mass Fuel”, as well as Champion Nutrition’s “Met-Max”. Don’t ever forget that there are allot of people who made the world what it is today. Even though they are egotistical, where would we or the current writers/experts be without them?