One day, as he was thumbing through a magazine called ‘Strength and Health’, Weider was mesmerised by the pictures of muscular wrestlers, boxers and weightlifters. “If you’re born to the iron, you know it the first time you lift a weight.” – Joe Weider In attempt to toughen himself up, Weider tried to join the local wrestling club, but was turned away by the coach who was concerned that the boy’s small frame would result in him being “beaten the f*ck out of”. Weighing in at just seven stone, Weider was a scrawny kid, an easy target for the bullies who made a game of tormenting and beating up the local Jewish kids (not one I think Hasbro could ever market). He grew up in the Plateau District, one of the poorest and roughest areas of the city, which was essentially a transplanted European ghetto infested with gangs, troublemakers and right knobheads. Josef Weider was born in Montreal, Canada some time between 1919-1922 (no-one really knows), to a Jewish family of Polish Emigrants. (Just without all the murder, extortion, and decapitated horses, as the Gymtalk lawyers have advised me to add.) If Eugen Sandow was the father of modern bodybuilding and Arnie the precocious first son, then Joe Weider was the all-powerful godfather, a Don Corleone figure, chomping on a fat cigar while directing all the action from a smoky backroom office. So, as our way of saying thank you to Weider, who passed away earlier this year, Gymtalk have decided to bring you the story behind this legendary figure, this charismatic prophet and bodybuilding Goliath, who promoted the gospel of fitness with the evangelical zeal of a musclebound Christ.Īlthough being a Jew, he probably would have hated this metaphor, so here’s one he might be more appreciative of…
The ‘Master Blaster’, as he is affectionately referred to (although that sounds more like a Power Rangers toy or an exceptionally thorough dildo), didn’t just contribute to the sport of bodybuilding the guy practically invented it.
That may sound like a bold claim, but I do not doubt its veracity for a second.
In the case of bodybuilding, that backdoor busybody (not a euphemism) is Joe Weider.Įveryone who harbours an interest in bodybuilding, from the steroid-addled pros to the scrawny weekend warriors, would not be lifting iron if it were not for Weider. However, as with many successful popstars and political candidates, it’s often the people behind the scenes to who we owe the real gratitude. We have posters of them on our bedroom walls, we have all their videos bookmarked on YouTube, we’ve spent the best part of 10 years hunting down their home address and spying secretly on their family’s every movement, silently waiting.
These are the athletes that we know and love. These archetypal images, these larger than life personalities, are the glossy face of bodybuilding. When you think of bodybuilding, certain iconic images will undoubtedly spring to mind.Īrnold Schwarzenegger, smiling smugly, chest inflated like two fleshy beachballs Ronnie Coleman leg pressing 2,300lbs, screaming “yeah buddy” like a brain damaged child Reg Park as Hercules, swanning around in some frankly awful sword and sandals flick or maybe Louis Ferringo as the Hulk, looking like a cross between a sex offender and a gigantic green blob.
0 kommentar(er)
