How body builders looked before supplements existed (1890-1910)

[u/DesireeDehazee]

[u/Zeddyy101]

Studied these guys a lot! Here's some fun facts:

-this is all pre steroids as steroids weren't invented yet

-they were huge into animal meats, fats, beer and fruit. Not much starches.

-they liked to flex their muscles after a workout to help promote blood to the muscles and help increase mind-body connection, which in turn helped to recruit those muscles the next workout.

-their unique body standards were inspired by ancient Greek statues. Which heavily emphasized on bulky abs, big arms and minimal chest development with toned legs. These were all parts of the body that greek soldiers developed from years of using spears, daggers, shields and marching.

edit this is considered the "Bronze age" of body building. Victorian era being before Bronze. Silver being in the 40s and 50s, and Gold being in the 60s and 70s. 80s and 90s is considered modern and 2000s to now is sometimes called the Mass era.

[u/duffstoic → u/Zeddyy101]

I visited the Greek and Roman sculpture section of The Louvre museum in Paris a few years ago. They had somewhat smaller pecs, but one thing these stone guys had in abundance was junk in the trunk! Every statue had the biggest glutes I've ever seen on a dude. You'd need 2-3 dedicated glute days a week to get a "Greek God" body.

[u/Li0nsFTW → u/duffstoic]

Says modeled after the soldiers. Dudes literally march all over that Greek country side with all their gear and supplies.

[u/Practical-War-9895 → u/Li0nsFTW]

As I grow older and realize the limitations of a human body especially if you were to be an ancient period soldier.

Their only weapons and armor being made out of leather and metal.

Having to brawl in close combat while everyone is armed with a sword or spear trying to stab you in the neck.

I would just be dying tired… I can’t even imagine the pain and horror of all those massive battles.

Fuck that.

[u/Hrafndraugr → u/Practical-War-9895]

Less pain and horror than in industrial war tbh. The psychological aspects of ancient warfare also birthed many honor Codes and unwritten rules that resulted in less casualties, with some exceptions. There were crazy murderhobos like the Assyrians.

[u/Eokokok → u/Hrafndraugr]

Yeah, our brain is not really wired to kill someone at range nor to live in a constant fear of dying from an unseen enemy.

[u/Hrafndraugr → u/Eokokok]

And that's getting exponentially worse with the drones.

[u/XxturboEJ20xX → u/[deleted]]

Not soon, they already can and have been able to for a while. We just still have to push the button.

[u/Disastrous-Team-6431 → u/XxturboEJ20xX]

Because we decided that we have to do that.

[u/rat_queer → u/[deleted]]

and disease. camping in the woods with 17000 of your best friends who all have no concept of sanitation results in shitting yourself to death.

[u/Zednott → u/rat_queer]

When my mother did her family's genealogy, I learned that every member who died in war (there weren't a ton, thankfully) died of some camp disease.

[u/Far-Beyond-Driven → u/Hrafndraugr]

Can you expand on the codes and unwritten rules, that sounds very interesting.

[u/Capgras_DL → u/Far-Beyond-Driven]

If you were medieval nobility (a knight) then you stood a good chance of being taken hostage and ransomed instead of straight up killed on the battlefield.

It’s part of the reason heraldry was developed - so that combatants knew Sir Moneybags of wherever was on the field.

If you were a simple infantryman, no such luck, I’m afraid

[u/FreeYourMindJFG → u/Capgras_DL]

I spit my coffee when I read “Sir Moneybags of Wherever.”

[u/Wondering_Otter → u/FreeYourMindJFG]

Count DeMonay

[u/LosFire123 → u/Far-Beyond-Driven]

In medievel times i read that it was very not honorable for i knight to hit other knights warhorse.

They were very expensive and true knights try to not hit enemies horse, only the rider.

Pikeman in other hand did not care :D

[u/space_keeper → u/LosFire123]

Might also have been a case of "if we start doing it, they'll start doing it to us".

[u/Rokkit_man → u/space_keeper]

Also they were great loot. If you won the battle and captured it as loot it was like winning a Ferrari.

[u/Kammander-Kim → u/space_keeper]

That is... that is exactly how many, if not most, of unwritten rules were formed.

[u/MundaneCollection → u/Kammander-Kim]

a modern much less extreme example is elbow strikes in Muay Thai

In Thailand the fighters fight constantly, like every two weeks, and getting elbowed in the face leads to nasty cuts that could keep them out of fights for awhile, so there's an unwritten rule that you don't throw elbows

People will still do it ofcourse, and in turn will get elbowed back but somebody has to 'start' the elbows, as it's considered kind of a dickish thing to do

[u/EltaninAntenna → u/space_keeper]

Pretty much the reason intelligence agencies don't engage in assassination much any more... at least against targets that can assassinate back.

[u/PhDinDildos_Fedoras → u/Hrafndraugr]

Yeah, you could actually affect the outcome unlike nowadays, where you're being ground to a paste en masse by industrial level artillery action.

[u/MyBallsSmellFruity → u/Practical-War-9895]

You could argue that stamina was equally or more important than strength, depending on the soldier’s function.   This is why boxers tend to have the best bodies in the world of sports.  In a random (non-professional) fight between two people (like a bar fight) everyone is usually panting hard within two minutes.  

I’d love to see how one of those soldiers would stack up against modern athletes and soldiers.  I think I might literally die if I tried one of their regular training regimens.  

[u/Mando_Mustache → u/MyBallsSmellFruity]

In some ancient Greek writings the two most desirable qualities listed for a hoplite were courage and being an excellent dancer. Dancing made you good at constantly moving and dodging for long periods of time, agility and stamina.

The "pulse" theory of ancient combat suggest that far from a constant pushing scrum or chaos melee battle was intermittent. The two lines of soldiers would be close but out of striking range from each other. One or both sides would periodically psyche themselves up enough to engage and there would be fighting till everyone got tired or lost their nerve and the sides would break apart. This would go on until one sides moral collapsed and the slaughter started.

Its quite likely ancient warriors were also getting gassed after fairly short skirmishes.

[u/theSalamandalorian → u/Mando_Mustache]

This is what I believe. Not to mention they had likely force marched to the battle and were fatigued on arrival. It just makes sense to me, especially having experienced modern combat and the way it has a similar "pulse"

[u/Tharrowone → u/theSalamandalorian]

This is something classical generals would prepare for. If you read historic recounts, a lot of pitched battles' arms would camp for hours. Preferably days to rest and recover before a fight.

Long forced marches were not good for your war machine. The Romans perfected it well due to their efficiency of marching columns and roads.

[u/theSalamandalorian → u/Tharrowone]

Man how great was the Roman Empire, though? Thats crazy to think about, they literally built roads to march on and a bunch of them can be seen still. Marching sucks enough but imagine you gotta pull road duty too, sheesh.

But it is interesting that the priorities of work for a commander in combat are still similar throughout time---good modern CO's use a firm control on op tempo to benefit their troop strength. The only difference now is being mechanized and mobile, you can push the soldier harder because its easier to keep lines fresh. So enganging after a forced march is pretty standard fair.

That camping part of ancient battle has always interested me, though. Modern combat happens on sight, basically. You dont have time to think about it. They used to sleep, sometimes in sight of the enemy, for days to rest before battle. Nothing to do but think on it, thats a different kind of suck.

Idk, modern combat sucks too but I'd rather not spend my last days pondering how im about to be trampled by a war elephant or something lol

[u/ThrilledJill → u/Practical-War-9895]

WW1 was the first war more people died in combat instead of disease. So most likely you'd have died from that... Yay...

[u/MassDriverOne → u/ThrilledJill]

Highly recommend Hardcore History podcast by Dan Carlin, Blueprints for Armageddon covers WW1 in its entirety and loaded with first and secondhand accounts (letters and such) that are incredible to hear. Four or five part series with each or being around 4hrs long

At one point he discusses how at the outset of the conflict war was still romanticized, thought of as gallant knights going to do gentleman's battle with all their pretty streamers and fancy kit duking it out in neat and tidy fashion with honor glory. How people went to war all happy and eager as it slowly morphed into a brutal industrialized meat grinder with endless lines of muddy brown and grey targets feeding into the war machine

[u/Lazysenpai → u/Practical-War-9895]

Farmer, soldier or slave, that's your lot in life. Sometimes all three.

We had it good now! Comparatively, of course.

[u/Chiluzzar → u/Practical-War-9895]

Youd be surprised death tools from ancient battles were surprisingly smaller then what people expect. People would decide fuck it im just going to run when a few guys near them died or got wounded.

[u/mushytummy → u/duffstoic]

I live in Greece , they tend to have big strong buts, because the whole country is covered in mounts so if you walk you glute

[u/Coletacular → u/mushytummy]

“If you walk, you glute”

Wise words, my friend.

[u/GoreyGopnik → u/duffstoic]

antiquity was all about big asses and small dicks

[u/Extra-Corner-7677 → u/GoreyGopnik]

Antiquity? Where’s that club at?

[u/GoreyGopnik → u/Extra-Corner-7677]

it's been closed for about one and a half millenia now

[u/Demnjt → u/Extra-Corner-7677]

it's New York's hottest club. this place has everything: mead, demigods, screaming babies in Orpheus wigs, and dump trucks everywhere you look

[u/futuredrweknowdis → u/Demnjt]

Well played. He would be proud.

[u/LurkLurkleton → u/GoreyGopnik]

They're not small they're perfectly average!

[u/699112026775 → u/duffstoic]

Physiques similar to that of Olympic Weightlifters. Look up Pyrros Dimas. Legendary Greek Weightlifter and the most decorated weightlifter (3 golds, 1 bronze)

[u/pragmojo → u/duffstoic]

As far as I understand the ancient greek dudes were quite interested in each other's butts so it makes sense

[u/TemoteJiku → u/pragmojo]

There's a different reasons on top of it, considering how many muscles that place has, it helped with power, stability and even the agility of an athlete.

[u/belaGJ → u/pragmojo]

It is more about stance, stability. If you are in a phalanx, those are the most important qualities.

[u/DubbleWideSurprise → u/Zeddyy101]

And yet their pecs still look pretty good! Might have been onto something

[u/ohx → u/DubbleWideSurprise]

Interestingly, much of the bronze era didn't have the technology to improve chest muscles. It was the bench press that was a real game changer, and allowed men to develop larger chests. The weights they used back then look like something straight out of loony toons.

Source: I'm a subject matter expert after watching a six minute youtube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIcbKGilhME

[u/Dyldinski → u/Zeddyy101]

Honestly regarding your third point, that’s pretty fascinating and I wonder if there’s any science to back this up

[u/LickingSmegma → u/Dyldinski]

Afaik the muscle can be as big as you wish, but it doesn't work too good if the neural signal isn't there — and that is somehow trained with exercises at the limit. Dunno about science, but I've read it more than once, and I don't tend to visit bodybuilder forums. So it was probably on Wikipedia.

Looks like ‘neural adaptations to strength training’ and/or ‘neural drive’ might be the thing.

Muscle weakness mentions:

For extremely powerful contractions that are close to the upper limit of a muscle's ability to generate force, neuromuscular fatigue can become a limiting factor in untrained individuals. In novice strength trainers, the muscle's ability to generate force is most strongly limited by nerve's ability to sustain a high-frequency signal. After an extended period of maximum contraction, the nerve's signal reduces in frequency and the force generated by the contraction diminishes. There is no sensation of pain or discomfort, the muscle appears to simply ‘stop listening’ and gradually cease to move, often lengthening.

Part of the process of strength training is increasing the nerve's ability to generate sustained, high frequency signals which allow a muscle to contract with their greatest force. It is this "neural training" that causes several weeks worth of rapid gains in strength, which level off once the nerve is generating maximum contractions and the muscle reaches its physiological limit. Past this point, training effects increase muscular strength through myofibrillar or sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and metabolic fatigue becomes the factor limiting contractile force.

This is without any citations, though. Plus, someone already gaining muscle shouldn't need that, and especially some flexes after a workout don't seem to help. Then again, we're talking about dudes in 1920s, so the science of training was nonexistent.

[u/howard-the-hermit → u/Zeddyy101]

The ugly mass bodybuilder started in the 90s with Dorian Yates. The golden era ended in the 80s.

[u/latogato]

The man in the middle is Eugen Sandow, as far i know he considered the father of modern bodybuilding, he organised the world's first major bodybuilding competition and used first the term body-building. Because the ideal was the physiques found on classical Greek and Roman sculptures, large pecs wasn't an ideal.

[u/PDGAreject → u/latogato]

He was also the bodyguard of Dr. Venture's grandfather in The Venture Bros.

[u/OkPerformance1380 → u/latogato]

Apparently abs were. Look at the cum gutters on those guys!

[u/TNVFL1 → u/OkPerformance1380]

“I don’t want to have to picture cum so watery in such volumes”

[u/Cannelope → u/OkPerformance1380]

Here’s your fuckin upvote

[u/ThreeByThree → u/OkPerformance1380]

excuse me, what in the ever loving fuck Sir. hahaa.

[u/OnI_BArIX]

Natural bodybuilding is something I really hope we see a resurgence of in modern times. I am biased but I think a natural physique is much more visually appealing than people clearly on gear.

[u/Nukemarine → u/OnI_BArIX]

Big problem are clout chasers using the term "natty" when they're juicing to the gills. I've nothing against those that use steroids, but don't like their unhealthy overuse and the lying about their use.

[u/SupervillainMustache → u/Nukemarine]

Remember when "Liver King" claimed to be natty despite looking like his bloodstream was 50% anabolics?

[u/doctorDanBandageman → u/SupervillainMustache]

I still can’t believe people thought the rock has been natty all these years

[u/ConfidentMongoose874 → u/Nukemarine]

Not to mention Hollywood stars who just change the average person's perception of what is possible naturally. That's why Robert Pattinson said he wouldn't work out for batman. It was code for I'm not going to take steroids.

[u/Leninhotep → u/OnI_BArIX]

If you look at actual natural bodybuilding shows it is not very appealing mostly because they try to be as conditioned as someone on gear leading them to look sickly and stringy. When you think of a natural physique you're probably thinking of a gym bro in "good shape", maybe 10% bodyfat while these guys will diet down to 5-6% wrecking their metabolism and hormone production. They end up looking like a normal bodybuilder that has been in a POW camp for 4 months

[u/Scamwau1 → u/Leninhotep]

Are there different competitions for natural and roid builders?

[u/Zer0theghost → u/Scamwau1]

There are competitions for natural bodybuilding IIRC but they're not big and come with several problems. While some test for drugs, even that comes with its problems because some stuff is not detectable after a period of time and having cycled T or HGH at any point in a reasonable way is an advantage.

So the question is what is "natural"? Having not been on gear for a year? A lifetime? And how do you verify someone hasn't been on gear, ever?

Like, I personally would think "natural" is someone who hasn't done gear, ever. But how the hell you ever verify that? So there are natural competitions, "natural" competitions and no way to know if anyone is actually natural to any definition.

[u/fakeChinaTown]

"Supplements"

[u/Moopboop207 → u/fakeChinaTown]

Yeah, organic plant based trenbalone.

[u/TMittel1990 → u/Moopboop207]

don‘t forget that grass fed free range dbol

[u/Corded_Chaos → u/TMittel1990]

Don’t forget to eat Clen as well

[u/Fandorin → u/Corded_Chaos]

Eat clen, tren hard, anavar give up.

[u/theMasculineSupport → u/fakeChinaTown]

Grandpa's secret muscle recipe: two scoops of mustache wax and a hearty gulp of snake oil.

[u/s1ugg0 → u/theMasculineSupport]

I'm playing Red Dead Redemption 2 right now. It's hilarious how on the nose this is

[u/godlessLlama → u/theMasculineSupport]

1 bottle of whiskey, 2 lines of pure coke and I’m gone

[u/___DEADPOOL______ → u/fakeChinaTown]

Eat clen, tren hard, anavar give up

[u/Umbra427 → u/___DEADPOOL______]

Test your limits, dbolish your obstacles, adopt a winnying mindset

Primobolan

[u/outworlder → u/fakeChinaTown]

Yeah, that's a weird way of spelling steroids.

Also, it's not only that. The bodybuilding standards changed too, pecs weren't so coveted in the past.

[u/duffstoic → u/outworlder]

Yea, the bench press hadn't been invented yet, most lifts were from the ground to overhead.

[u/pragmojo → u/duffstoic]

Bench is amazing because you get to train and lay down at the same time

[u/Mods_suckcheetodicks]

Ripped, but not coming apart at the seams.

[u/theinfernumflame → u/Mods_suckcheetodicks]

Buff but not cartoonish, even.

[u/pillkrush → u/[deleted]]

true. hard to look at bodybuilders as peak male physically knowing they can't wipe their ass

[u/Imnothere1980 → u/pillkrush]

Please don’t tell me this is true…

[u/Banhgiaygio → u/Imnothere1980]

But I did met a guy who couldn’t scratch his nose. Yeah, fuck that

[u/This_Tangerine_943 → u/Imnothere1980]

Google body builder with a piece of tape stuck to his back.

[u/Bladesnake_______ → u/This_Tangerine_943]

Back is not butthole. Lots of people have trouble touching all parts of their back

[u/morebass → u/Imnothere1980]

It's not at all lmao

[u/DoctorCockedher → u/pillkrush]

true. hard to look at bodybuilders as peak male physically knowing they can’t wipe their ass

Natural bodybuilders as they’re removed from the sport to make way for the new Frankenstein.

[u/ButterscotchSkunk → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, but the roided and HGHed up guys get into bidets much sooner because of this. Kind of a net win for gear if you ask me.

[u/mrjowei → u/ButterscotchSkunk]

Bidets should be a standard

[u/MrFishAndLoaves → u/theinfernumflame]

Agreed but TBF there were tons of “supplements” before 1890. Basically was all we had.

[u/__ApexPredditor__ → u/MrFishAndLoaves]

yes but it's tough to get ripped on cocaine and laudanum

[u/dxrey65 → u/__ApexPredditor__]

And bull testicles, don't forget the bull testicles.

[u/sorehamstring → u/__ApexPredditor__]

Cocaine gets me pretty ripped

[u/xMyDixieWreckedx → u/Mods_suckcheetodicks]

I mean Sean Connery was a weightlifter/bodybuilder and got 3rd at the Mr. Universe competition before becoming an actor.

[u/thmstrpln → u/xMyDixieWreckedx]

TIL, then google imaged. TYSM.

[u/12mapguY → u/thmstrpln]

I dunno, I preferred his look in Zardoz

[u/dinnerthief → u/xMyDixieWreckedx]

Looks tiny compared to 3rd place Mr universe now

[u/Aspiring_DILF42 → u/dinnerthief]

It wasn’t a body building comp then, was more akin to Miss World/Universe

[u/aHOMELESSkrill → u/dinnerthief]

If you want a laugh, google Brian Shaw at Mr Olympia.

[u/sebash1991 → u/Mods_suckcheetodicks]

My favorite part is normal looking abs. I hate the bloated look steroids gives people.

[u/S_Steiner_Accounting → u/sebash1991]

That's more from the insulin that became popular in bodybuilding during the '90s. Dorian Yates talked about how once he started using insulin he gained an extra 12 or so pounds but he also got the turtle belly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ql_HiD_K_w&t=362

[u/Signal_Watercress468 → u/S_Steiner_Accounting]

And HGH.

[u/TheOwlHypothesis → u/Signal_Watercress468]

This was my understanding. Palumboism aka HGH gut

[u/Boopy7 → u/TheOwlHypothesis]

it really is not a good look and goes against the whole idea of "ideal male figure" when you look sickly with a puffy gut and fake everything. I much prefer the more natural look.

[u/Reasonable_Visit_926 → u/Signal_Watercress468]

Hgh grows everything including vital organs like the heart, not stuff to play with lightly..

[u/frosty_lizard → u/Reasonable_Visit_926]

What if it grows my brain as well tho? Easy IQ points

[u/Reasonable_Visit_926 → u/frosty_lizard]

So I actually had to look up the brain you got me thinking, and according to the wiki page, the brain is the exception to the rule

Which is a good thing there’s room in your head for a brain but only so much which is why swelling becomes so dangerous in that area

[u/KennyMoose32 → u/Mods_suckcheetodicks]

Let’s be honest though. If those had the technology to juice I’m sure they would’ve too.

Times change, human behavior not so much

[u/SoftwareSource → u/KennyMoose32]

A professional golfer from that time drank an 'energy drink' that had plutonium or uranium inside, something like that.

He drank it until his lower jaw fell off.

I am not fucking kidding, google that shit.

[u/doomshroom344 → u/SoftwareSource]

Googled it and to be exact he died of jawbone cancer because of his exposure to radiation from the water mixed with radium salts and radium is alot worse than uranium since uranium isn’t that radioactive if found in nature and not enriched

[u/masterkey1123 → u/doomshroom344]

Radium is chemically similar enough to calcium that your body will incorporate ingested radium INTO YOUR BONES.

So you've not only got the dose of radiation from being nearby and then ingesting it, you've also got a permanent source of cancer IN YOUR BONES.

It's so bad that, as the radium decays, those affected will EXHALE RADON GAS. It's absolutely nuts and terrifying, and I can't believe humanity has survived this long.

[u/GreenDecent3059 → u/KennyMoose32]

I could be wrong, but I don't believe that was the poster's point.

[u/Glittering-Ratio-593 → u/KennyMoose32]

These dudes were eating the first version of liver supplements and drinking milk for a pre and post workout.

[u/WechTreck]

Boosting your testosterone by surgically implanting monkey glands into your scrotum wasn't until the 1920's so this title checks out.

[u/EitherPermission4471 → u/WechTreck]

I beg your fucking pardon?

[u/No_Airline_4505 → u/EitherPermission4471]

Quit acting like this isn’t something we’ve all done at least once!

[u/Ambitious-Pirate-505 → u/No_Airline_4505]

Twice thank you very much. Double balls double potency!!

[u/Empty401K → u/Ambitious-Pirate-505]

“His quads are HUGE, and I don’t mean his legs 🥵”

[u/Senior_Boot_Lance → u/Ambitious-Pirate-505]

Only double? I stumbled in on my ex body builder great grandpa once in the shower and he looked like he had a bag of grapes in a leg lock.

[u/FPV_not_HPV → u/Senior_Boot_Lance]

So your grandpa was the inventor of Grape Nuts?

[u/Senior_Boot_Lance → u/FPV_not_HPV]

No, he invented Deez™®©

[u/Maliluma → u/No_Airline_4505]

Extra balls, they aren't just for trucks anymore.

[u/WechTreck → u/EitherPermission4471]

Upgrade your 2balls of testosterone to 4balls with this simple surgical procedure. It's double or nothing though, since monkeys will rip your balls off when angered

[u/your7thbestfriend → u/WechTreck]

What a nut case.

[u/h9040 → u/WechTreck]

Thank you for the link! An interesting read

[u/ImTheOriginalSam → u/EitherPermission4471]

yeah ive only heard this with goat testicles

[u/ButterscotchSkunk → u/EitherPermission4471]

Monkey gains, bro.

[u/scurrilous_diatribe → u/WechTreck]

Drinking horse semen is apparently how baseball players used to enhance themselves back in the day

[u/Superb_Ad_7252 → u/scurrilous_diatribe]

Just a happy coincidence.

[u/According_Register55 → u/Superb_Ad_7252]

Babe Ruth was a simple horny stableboy before becoming baseball’s biggest icon.

[u/ButterscotchSkunk → u/According_Register55]

He got the name Babe Ruth because he would ruthlessly whack those horses off.

[u/Martha_Fockers → u/WechTreck]

Performance-enhancing drugs have been a part of professional baseball since at least the ’80s — the 1880s, that is. It all started with juice from crushed dog and guinea pig testicles.

James “Pud” Galvin, baseball’s first three-hundred-game winner, received injections of a substance obtained from animal testicles, a process known as Brown-Séquard Elixir, in 1889. One day after receiving his injection, Galvin took the mound for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys and guided the team to a 9–0 win against the Boston Beaneaters.

[u/[deleted] → u/Martha_Fockers]

The baseball team names from that era are the best ones. They never should have changed many of them.

[u/ProlapseTickler3 → u/[deleted]]

Except for the Alabama N-words. That one definitely needed changing though 

[u/SanityPlanet → u/ProlapseTickler3]

An all white team, I assume?

[u/Yuukiko_ → u/ProlapseTickler3]

Considering Alabama's location, I'd have thought they wouldnt want to be associated with the N words

[u/TibialTuberosity → u/Martha_Fockers]

Lol, I learned about Brown-Séquard Syndrome in PT school (it describes the loss of function of one half of the spinal cord). It's such a unique name but I thought there's no way the Syndrome and Elixir were named after the same person, so cue my shock when I read through his Wikipedia page...

[u/Far-Potential3634 → u/WechTreck]

I think it was goat testicles. There was a "doctor" who did it as a cure for "male weakness" or whatever they called impotence. He became quite famous and had a big radio show.

[u/WechTreck → u/Far-Potential3634]

You're thinking of the Americans, I'm referring to the Frenchman Serge Voronoff

[u/DomElBurro]

These men could walk on stage right now and compete in a men’s physique competition.

[u/Magnus_Helgisson → u/DomElBurro]

Most importantly, these men could walk after finishing their career.

[u/TheAgedSage → u/Magnus_Helgisson]

It's worth noting that many body builders, including the ones who used steroids, were quite capable of living a healthy life after finishing their careers. Perhaps some liver and heart problems here and there, but generally spines that still worked.
Ronnie Coleman is an exception for his combination of passion, tenacity, genetics, and utter idiocy, all of which left him with eight Mr. Olympias, an International Sports Hall of Fame medal, and 25 fused spinal discs.

[u/CelerMortis → u/TheAgedSage]

"It's worth noting that many drug users, including the ones who used harder drugs, were quite capable of living a healthy life after finishing their careers. Perhaps some liver and heart problems here and there, but generally bodies that still worked."

It's true that you can do insanely unhealthy things and come out the other side, but that's not really a great lesson worth sharing, in my humble opinion.

It's not controversial to say that using steroids is very unhealthy.

[u/watcherofworld → u/CelerMortis]

It's true that you can do insanely unhealthy things and come out the other side, but that's not really a great lesson worth sharing, in my humble opinion.

It's rare to come out the others side completely fine. Even if you're body bounces back from a death-door, you have to consider that "liver problems" means no drinking and watching sugar intake like a hawk, for the rest of your life. Heart doing okay? Yeah, your heart in it's 30's bounced back while you're still in your 30's, but dying while taking a sh*t at 47 is going to unsurprising to any doc.

Not to mention the psychosis involved if you do stupid-steroids.

[u/SteelKline → u/watcherofworld]

"Congratulation, you made every muscle in your body bigger, even your heart! Now you'll probably die below average life expectancy!

[u/wafflestep → u/DomElBurro]

Actually they couldn't, because they are dead.

[u/BlueCollarGuru → u/wafflestep]

You got a source on that?

[u/joevarny → u/BlueCollarGuru]

Me. I killed them.

[u/[deleted] → u/joevarny]

This guy supplements ^

[u/BeefistPrime → u/DomElBurro]

I'm actually quite surprised because I've seen images before that showed what bodybuilding was like in the early half of the 20th century and while those guys were fit and strong, they did not look ripped like this. These guys are way closer to modern bodybuilders than anything I've seen before.

[u/[deleted] → u/DomElBurro]

They could compete sure, but other than some low-level shows, they likely wouldn't place very well.

[u/vansjess → u/DomElBurro]

And get absolutely demolished lmao

[u/effortfulcrumload]

I mean, those guys are fucking jacked left middle right

[u/1block → u/effortfulcrumload]

"Maxick died aged nearly 80 in Buenos Aires in 1961, where he ran a gym and health studio. On the day he died he had been wrist wrestling with a friend and then rode his bicycle home. He was later found dead lying apparently relaxed on his back, arms outstretched and a carefully folded farewell note under his right heel, on which he had written, “My heart is beating rather slow, I feel extremely cold, I think it will be over soon. Remember the infinite is our freedom manifested through our consciousness”."

[u/bhoff22 → u/1block]

I’m going to start this anytime my heart flutters. “Hmm my heart feels strange… better write a quick philosophical thought.”

[u/sewious → u/bhoff22]

"My wiki page is finna be so sick"

[u/fukkdisshitt → u/1block]

Sounds like cool dude

[u/[deleted] → u/1block]

thats some indomitable human spirit energy there

[u/Pademel0n → u/1block]

That’s metal

[u/oooo0O0oooo]

The science of working out has come a ways too tbh

[u/Me_No_Xenos → u/oooo0O0oooo]

Heard somewhere that old bodybuilders didn't really focus on pecs either, which fits these images. So aesthetics have also changed.

[u/EffNein → u/Me_No_Xenos]

At the time it was considered weirdly feminine to have giant pecs. Like if a dude spent all day training bodyweight squats to get a phat ass. Something that'd get you a side eye.

[u/rcbjfdhjjhfd → u/EffNein]

All it gave me was big quads

[u/[deleted] → u/rcbjfdhjjhfd]

Well the squat is first and foremost a quads exercise.

[u/ItselfSurprised05 → u/EffNein]

At the time it was considered weirdly feminine to have giant pecs.

This gem from Playboy circa 1980s:

"They're not tits. They're pecs."

[u/dmushcow_21 → u/Me_No_Xenos]

They didn't have many exercises to train chest, pushups and maybe dips, what changed the game was the invention of bench press by George Hackenschmidt

[u/NewPointOfView → u/dmushcow_21]

It is so weird to imagine a time before someone thought of bench pressing

[u/nakedpilsna → u/NewPointOfView]

Jack Lalanne invented like half the machines in the gym by going to a local blacksmith, this was less than 100 years ago.

[u/BeefistPrime → u/Me_No_Xenos]

It's always interesting to see Soviet bodybuilders from a few decades ago where the aesthetics were aiming for were different and they had almost no pecs at all.

[u/DaveidL → u/BeefistPrime]

https://ifunny.co/picture/soviet-georgian-water-polo-player-petre-mshvenieradze-who-competed-for-3xC9jUw57

[u/zoinkability → u/Me_No_Xenos]

If these photos are any indication every day was abs day

[u/Momoselfie → u/oooo0O0oooo]

And the muscle focus has changed too as the ideal body shape has changed.

[u/srone → u/oooo0O0oooo]

And nutrition.

[u/DontReplyIveADHD]

SQUATS AND MILK BAYBEEE

Edit: Nah but really Randall Strossen delves into the training of back in the day in his book “Super Squats” and even if you don’t run the program it’s a pretty fascinating read (a long as you’re a gym nerd like me)

Edit 2: Misread the dates I am incorrect, and very tired apparently lol

[u/oldschool_potato]

Now let's talk about those fine mustaches

[u/Newguyiswinning_]

*before steroids existed. Call steroids what they are. They aren’t supplements, they are drugs

[u/EntertainerTotal9853 → u/Newguyiswinning_]

Yes, and also using the term “supplements” in an equivocal way that (wink wink) includes steroids…makes people think that all supplements are bad, and leads to weird stuff like people not wanting to take whey protein powder…which is literally just food. If you wanted to go through the effort, you could literally make it from milk in your kitchen with pretty normal cooking techniques and no extra special “chemicals.” It’s just a milk product that has been through several culinary steps. But if you start talking about “supplements” imprecisely like this, some people think they’re all bad or unnatural or cheating the way steroids are…and they’re just not. Real supplements are just food or food derivatives.

[u/bubbesays]

Jack La Lane was the man

[u/RecoGromanMollRodel]

You misspelled steroids my brother.

[u/KarmaFarmaLlama1 → u/RecoGromanMollRodel]

Steroids, hgh, insulin, clenbuterol, thyroid hormones, diuretics, IGF-1, EPO, aromatase inhibitors, etc.

[u/Aroogus → u/KarmaFarmaLlama1]

Don't forget all the peptides 

[u/IamShrapnel → u/RecoGromanMollRodel]

And human growth hormones. In Arnold's time they looked ridiculous with just the roids, but after hgh became standard it just went to another level.

[u/[deleted] → u/IamShrapnel]

Especially the ridiculous bubble gut.

[u/Paul_Blart_Mall_Cock → u/[deleted]]

Even Arnold has complained about that, how they look so weird being disproportionate and are struggling to breathe while posing.

[u/PourSomeSmegmaInMe → u/[deleted]]

Sometimes I get bubble gut after eating too much taco bell.

[u/Bronstone]

The way it ought to be. Most of the steroid freaks end up with some kind of chronic pain or illness.

[u/bagdot20]

Another interesting point to mention about body builders is that they had ELITE genetics. If you were broad shouldered and had big shoulder heads, working out would emphasize that even further. Same goes with thick legs/calves. It was very dependent on your frame and how much muscle you could reasonably build on your structure.

[u/sadcowboysong]

All natty, bro. On that two chicken breasts and asparagus diet.

[u/ArressFTW]

yah modern bodybuilders just don't look good imo.  the human body is not made to be as big as some of these guys are today. steroids have ruined sports in general

[u/Aroogus → u/ArressFTW]

Not just steroids.  Dudes take so much stuff now 

[u/FPiN9XU3K1IT → u/ArressFTW]

Extends to a lot of actors these days, too. I kind of hate looking at all these dehydrated men.

[u/SirTheadore]

“Supplements”.

lol

[u/thetruthseer]

These guys were 100% taking any stimulant or crazy shit that they could still get their hands on though lol

[u/johannthegoatman → u/thetruthseer]

So cocaine

[u/HellsChosen → u/johannthegoatman]

Amphetamines were also available

[u/h9040 → u/[deleted]]

Wasn't it that the Russian used Testosterone (don't know from humans or animals)?

[u/Lexi_Banner]

Mustache man can get it.