Pre-War, Post-War . . . And The Change - Al Murray (1963)

                                                         

Thanks to Liam Tweed! 

A queer title for a muscle article, but I've just been treating myself to a short rest, feet up, spine poured into my easy chair. Seed for thought was the current topic . . . 

Body-building v. Weight-lifting. 

To Bulk or not to Bulk.

Fancy hair styles, flashy ties and jive cotton slacks. 

Being old enough to have known and trained with some of the real old timers, whom by the way I greatly respect. Yet young enough to be able to lift and exercise with the best post-war youngsters of my weight. I feel I can review the passing years and fashions with some authority. 

Let's start with dress and hair styles. Over 20 years ago we were at it. Just the same as boys of today, and those that went before my time. In the early thirties bell bottom trousers were then in vogue, later my good friend the great John Grimek . . . 

  

. . . set us the long hair do. Those of us who couldn't match his physique could at least copy his hair style. But there was a more intelligent set of youths (which by the way I did not belong to) who weren't influenced by fads and fashions, just as there are youths who train today who realize that modern dress does not necessarily mean you possess a modern mentality, but instead only a veneering of our modern world. 

As I left my teens and early twenties I looked back and smiled in the same way as many of out boys will do in a few years to come. 

It's the poor guy who never wakes up who is to be pitied; this is usually the same guy who cheats when measuring his biceps. Nevertheless flashy ties, dress and hair styles are much better than untidiness and filth. 

Ye Gods, the color of some of our weight-trainers' underclothes (which are supposed to be white) would turn your stomachs. So good luck with the flashy dresser providing he has a clean vest underneath. 

Now let us deal with the views on the gap between body-building and weight-lifting. Many of my pre-war weight-lifting friends say, what is this difference between body-building and weight-lifting, they were one and the same before the war.

They were, but there is a difference now, which is causing a little alarm both in America and here. So, you rightly ask, what is this difference, and here are my humble views . . . 

Pre-war enthusiasts were just as keen to look like Grimek and Klein as the modern body-builder who envies the build of a man like Reg Park. But here lies the answer. They were more, of firstly impressed by this power, and later by their development. It was the feats of strength performed by the stage strong man that inspired us, and later the size of his muscles but the interest and accent was on strength and efficiency. 

Today it is different. A very large percentage of our weight-trainers couldn't care less about their strength, as long as they look good. However, I am pleased to report a swing back to a compromise between pre-war and post-war methods and views. On many occasions as full time National Coach I was forced to listen to youngsters and many not so young who should have known better talk on and on about pecs, lats traps, their size and shape, on and on they'd go, but not one single word about power. So and so had a magnificent body, but still not a word of his ability to shift heavy weights. 

Pre-war you would often hear a conversation go like this: Gee, Tom, your arms have come on since I saw you last, what can you curl? Or, Gee, Tom, your arms are bigger. Here Tom would nip in with, "Yes, Bill, my curl has moved up to 130," or some such remark. Many of these same boys had little interest in Olympic lifting but they were weight-lifters at heart and trained on the bodybuilding lifts with the object of creating certificate of merit or breaking County, Divisional or British records at the same time they expected as a result, a muscular physique. I trained then in a similar fashion with the Olympics thrown in and my arm was over 16 (real) inches. 

John Grimek once said to me, "What does your arm measure, Al?" 
I replied, "Oh, just over 16 inches." 

"Gee," says John, "that's bigger than our 17 inch arms in the States." 

True modern training methods which I heartily agree with when not carried too far will give you bulk quicker than we knew how, but we did have a better balance of muscle and power. Knowing your editor, Reg Park (Reg Park Journal magazine), I can say he is a weight-trainer with the pre-war attitude about power. Like myself he agrees that your strength should match your muscles. 

If you are over 13 stone (182 lbs.), with arms measuring 17 inches and a 48 inch chest to match, yet you know you can't do a strict curl with 150 lbs. or stand on your own two legs and press 200 lbs., then for Pete's sake do something about it. Unless of course you don't mind being an empty shell with a veneering of muscle. Once you realize your muscles are bigger than you are, cut down the reps, use heavier weights twice a week and cut down on your cheating exercises until you are as strong as you look. Join the B.A.W.L.A., set up County, Divisional or British Records, show the world that you at least are not a cream puff.    

Just in case you think this is a lot of hot air from someone who has nothing else to do but write, here are a few test Reub Martin, Les Willoughby and I performed when Tommy Kono and Clyde Emrich were training at my gym. Previous to this I curled two 80-lb. dumbbells 6 times in public. Reg Park agreed that these curls were in decent style. Reub and I started off our mucking about strength tests by curling my two cumbersome old fashioned 75-lb. kettlebells, up to now many have tried and been unsuccessful. Reub made 3 good curls, yours truly 2. 

Reub, Les and I then went on to a standing clean contest with dumbbells weighing 115 lbs. each, no splitting or dipping at the knees, bells to be pulled straight into the shoulders. Les and I missed the first attempt but succeeded on the second. Reub made this 3 reps, this is a killer for anyone under 13 stone, in fact it's a killer period. I say here and now that there isn't a man of Reub's weight, 13 st. 12 lbs., in the country who can lick him at all round feats of strength, any takers? 

Next stunt, I lay on a bench with a 130-lb. barbell behind my neck and performed a lying press out from behind neck to arms length. The bar is pressed out into the starting position of the pullover at arms length and then returned to the bench behind the neck. 

Reub then did a pullover at arms length with two 85-lb. dumbbells, total 170 lbs. and he has done more. One must remember, Reub has a very strenuous stage act which prevents him from training regularly with weight. But he has quality muscle with a vengeance. 

It's strength like this, blended with bulk that I'd like to see more often. 

How about it, fellows? See you around.

Enjoy Your Lifting!