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Muscle Beach: Where the Best Bodies in the World Started a Fitness Revolution
The Story Behind America's Iconic Patch of Sand--Muscle Beach, California
Almost half a century before health clubs, fitness videos and weight training became American obsessions, a pioneering enclave in Santa Monica, California, started the physical culture boom. In the 1940s, Jack LaLanne, Vic Tanny, Joe Gold, Les and Pudgy Stockton and other like them drew thousands of visitors to the beach to watch their feats of strength and acrobatic displays. As more viewers became participants, body building and fitness became a part of the mainstream culture.
Muscle Beach is full of rich, new material about the original Muscle Beachers, many of whom are still alive and testaments to the benefits of a life devoted to fitness. With its fresh anecdotes and thirty-two rare and wonderful photographs, this history brings a legendary stretch of beach into focus.
Almost half a century before health clubs, fitness videos and weight training became American obsessions, a pioneering enclave in Santa Monica, California, started the physical culture boom. In the 1940s, Jack LaLanne, Vic Tanny, Joe Gold, Les and Pudgy Stockton and other like them drew thousands of visitors to the beach to watch their feats of strength and acrobatic displays. As more viewers became participants, body building and fitness became a part of the mainstream culture.
Muscle Beach is full of rich, new material about the original Muscle Beachers, many of whom are still alive and testaments to the benefits of a life devoted to fitness. With its fresh anecdotes and thirty-two rare and wonderful photographs, this history brings a legendary stretch of beach into focus.
160 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 5, 2013
You can finish this in an hour, but why bother? A long magazine piece at the back of Sports Illustrated would've worked just as well. Researchers might find some useful info in here about Jack LaLanne, Vic Tanny, Pudgy Stockton, and others.
February 20, 2014
Fitness America: The Colorful History of Muscle Beach
This is one of the several books available about the history of Muscle Beach that paved the way for fitness, aerobics, weight lifting, and body building. The athletes who made it possible, especially the ladies of Muscle beach, are the real stars. Women of modern generation must be highly indebted to them for popularizing a sport that was considered freakish and outright unfeminine. These women worked in 1930s and 40s when the land was highly conservative, and Santa Monica was no different. Strong pressure from local government through legislations, and public opinions through media were always unfriendly to women of Muscle beach. Muscle beach started around 1934, although few claim the foundation were laid as early as early 1920s. In its heyday, Muscle beach was made of men, women, and children who were learning and performing athletic feats, and acrobatic stunts to delight beachgoers. Some of these performers emerged as top class athletes, stuntman, bodybuilders, gymnasts, fitness consultants, and entrepreneurs. It is a long list of names that includes; Abbye "Pudgy" Stockton, Les Stockton, Jack Lalanne, Vic and Armand Tanny, Ran Hall, Frank Jares, Steve Reeves, George Eiferman, and so on. Many of them in later years became gym owners, trainers, authors and consultants.
Women performing stunts include; Pudgy Stockton lifting a man with one hand or support him on her shoulders; Pudgy or Relna Brewer would tear a book in half, and Relna would wrestle men and toss him like a rag doll. Women were considered equals by men on the platform. In the early 1940s WWII sent many men away to the warfront, this left women to join the workforce, and fill the void left by men at Muscle beach. Pudgy Stockton was a very powerful role model for women because she was not only muscular, and athletic, but also beautiful and feminine as a woman could be. When she died on June 26, 2006 at the age of 88 due to Alzheimer's disease; Boston Globe ran in its obituary column under the title "Queen of Muscle Beach." She was also called ``the First Lady of Iron," and ``America's Barbelle," in her time.
Many Hollywood stars hung out near Muscle beach. The list includes; Jane Russell who met her husband, Bob Waterfield, and Jayne Mansfield met her husband, Mickey Hargitay, a bodybuilder. Mae West known for her interest in men with good physique invited; Chuck Krauser, George Eiferman, Mickey Hargitay and Joe Gold for her live stage revue. Chuck Krauser and Mae West remained as couples until her death in 1980.
The athletes of Muscle beach were called "wackos, fruitcakes, hippies, and bums." The fall of Muscle beach started from 1952 - 1953 when the platform was taken over by the iron sports; weight lifting and bodybuilding, and the traditional acrobatic acts of Muscle beach was on its way out. Winning a competition was the main strategy of many iron sportsmen made them less social than acrobats. A combination of events that followed in late 50s may have closed the doors on the Muscle beach of Santa Monica. The events includes; car parking problems faced by the locals due to visitors to the beach; suggestive seminude poses, and physical touching of all male bodybuilders; Joe Weider's controversial publications that were aimed at gays; and a sex case involving a group of weight lifters and underage black girls sensationalized Santa Monica beach. In later years, Muscle beach reappeared at Venice beach, just south of the Pier, but it lacks the magic of "historical" Muscle beach of Santa Monica.
The athletes of Muscle beach have endured a great deal; it was a time when doctors told patients that muscle is bad; women may lose child bearing capability, and men may become impotent. In spite of all odds, they pursued their interests, and prevailed. They did not use steroids, and many were philosophical about life. George Eiferman printed his business card bearing his mind over body philosophy; a list of ten daily exercises, and one of them was; "We are never alone. Walk with God."
The author tells the story wonderfully and I did not find anything in this book that is either bigoted or unfair to any section of the society. I recommend this book to all fans of Muscle beach.
This is one of the several books available about the history of Muscle Beach that paved the way for fitness, aerobics, weight lifting, and body building. The athletes who made it possible, especially the ladies of Muscle beach, are the real stars. Women of modern generation must be highly indebted to them for popularizing a sport that was considered freakish and outright unfeminine. These women worked in 1930s and 40s when the land was highly conservative, and Santa Monica was no different. Strong pressure from local government through legislations, and public opinions through media were always unfriendly to women of Muscle beach. Muscle beach started around 1934, although few claim the foundation were laid as early as early 1920s. In its heyday, Muscle beach was made of men, women, and children who were learning and performing athletic feats, and acrobatic stunts to delight beachgoers. Some of these performers emerged as top class athletes, stuntman, bodybuilders, gymnasts, fitness consultants, and entrepreneurs. It is a long list of names that includes; Abbye "Pudgy" Stockton, Les Stockton, Jack Lalanne, Vic and Armand Tanny, Ran Hall, Frank Jares, Steve Reeves, George Eiferman, and so on. Many of them in later years became gym owners, trainers, authors and consultants.
Women performing stunts include; Pudgy Stockton lifting a man with one hand or support him on her shoulders; Pudgy or Relna Brewer would tear a book in half, and Relna would wrestle men and toss him like a rag doll. Women were considered equals by men on the platform. In the early 1940s WWII sent many men away to the warfront, this left women to join the workforce, and fill the void left by men at Muscle beach. Pudgy Stockton was a very powerful role model for women because she was not only muscular, and athletic, but also beautiful and feminine as a woman could be. When she died on June 26, 2006 at the age of 88 due to Alzheimer's disease; Boston Globe ran in its obituary column under the title "Queen of Muscle Beach." She was also called ``the First Lady of Iron," and ``America's Barbelle," in her time.
Many Hollywood stars hung out near Muscle beach. The list includes; Jane Russell who met her husband, Bob Waterfield, and Jayne Mansfield met her husband, Mickey Hargitay, a bodybuilder. Mae West known for her interest in men with good physique invited; Chuck Krauser, George Eiferman, Mickey Hargitay and Joe Gold for her live stage revue. Chuck Krauser and Mae West remained as couples until her death in 1980.
The athletes of Muscle beach were called "wackos, fruitcakes, hippies, and bums." The fall of Muscle beach started from 1952 - 1953 when the platform was taken over by the iron sports; weight lifting and bodybuilding, and the traditional acrobatic acts of Muscle beach was on its way out. Winning a competition was the main strategy of many iron sportsmen made them less social than acrobats. A combination of events that followed in late 50s may have closed the doors on the Muscle beach of Santa Monica. The events includes; car parking problems faced by the locals due to visitors to the beach; suggestive seminude poses, and physical touching of all male bodybuilders; Joe Weider's controversial publications that were aimed at gays; and a sex case involving a group of weight lifters and underage black girls sensationalized Santa Monica beach. In later years, Muscle beach reappeared at Venice beach, just south of the Pier, but it lacks the magic of "historical" Muscle beach of Santa Monica.
The athletes of Muscle beach have endured a great deal; it was a time when doctors told patients that muscle is bad; women may lose child bearing capability, and men may become impotent. In spite of all odds, they pursued their interests, and prevailed. They did not use steroids, and many were philosophical about life. George Eiferman printed his business card bearing his mind over body philosophy; a list of ten daily exercises, and one of them was; "We are never alone. Walk with God."
The author tells the story wonderfully and I did not find anything in this book that is either bigoted or unfair to any section of the society. I recommend this book to all fans of Muscle beach.
April 1, 2009
Great overview of the "original" muscle beach in Santa Monica, and the key personalities in the development of the modern fitness industry in America.
Read
October 24, 2017It's a great book to read on Muscle Beach
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews