Can Body Bulk Be Overdone? - John Grimek (1963)

 Strength & Health May 1963

Can body bulk be overdone? This seems to be a burning question that concern many aspiring bodybuilders. And it seems especially pertinent to all whose desire is to bulk up for added size at any cost. More specifically, this ambition seems to apply more directly to the younger, more slender type of individual who is discouraged by his physical appearance and wants to add extra body bulk to his frame by hook or by crook. Many succeed, and often at the expense of their symmetry.

Among bodybuilding enthusiasts the topic of body bulk is frequently discussed. Usually this discussion centers around methods involved that help to increase size and body girths. Naturally most of the younger fellows who take up weight training do so with the idea of getting bulkier because they feel it will improve their appearance. Most “mature men,” on the other hand, take up this type of activity to keep their bodyweight stable. But it is not uncommon to find even among this older group certain individuals who have ambitions similar to those of the younger men, i.e. to bulk up and add size to their frame.

These ambitions are made known to me through the letters I receive week after week. A few even enclose pictures to illustrate their point. Often, at first glace, even before reading the letter, I conclude that the writer is seeking advice on reducing. But imagine my surprise, when I finally read the letter and learn that the writer doesn’t want to lose weight… he wants to gain more!

I may ignore questions of this nature, but more likely a copy of an issue of our magazine which contains a reducing program is sent to such individuals. So far no one has ever complained about getting the wrong information, and I’ve often wondered just how many have taken the hint!

It’s a foregone conclusion, and one that is accepted by most weight trainees, that there are certain individuals who can add bulk to their frames rapidly. This is accomplished by eating larger quantities of food and following a regular exercise program. Many men who have this rapid gaining ability tend to overdo it. They don’t have any conception of when enough is enough and continue to add bulk until they become huge and shapeless. To such a person size is paramount, while muscularity and symmetry of proportions are meaningless. In time some do learn that size isn’t everything and may take certain steps to regain their former shape, but only a small handful ever succeed.

Those who bulk up beyond what their normal structure can hold for good symmetry rarely take into consideration the difficulty they would have in regaining their former figure. They fail to realize that in the process of acquiring this extra bulk their stomachs have become distended, thus making it necessary for them to eat larger portions of food to pacify their hunger. Losing the extra bulk depends a great deal on shrinking the stomach first so that less food is eaten, which reduces the calory intake and helps to reduce bodyweight. Anyone who has a hearty appetite knows how hard it is to cut down on eating. And those who don’t curb their appetite never lose weight, at least not enough to show.

One of the big reasons why so many eager bodybuilders want to bulk up is because they are impressed with physical size, namely a massive chest, big arms and huge legs. Physical shape has little meaning to them at this stage; only size is important, they feel. It’s very possible they might have seen some medium sized, well-muscled fellow who was tremendously impressive when he appeared under posing lights, but looked mediocre when he stood among a group of bigger, heavier men. This often is the reason why many youngsters want to get BIG – to look big anywhere and at any time. So many, however, succeed only in getting bigger around the midsection and hips and then try, without success, to slim these areas and retain some of the other girths. They seldom succeed.

We must all realize that there is only a certain amount of muscular mass that the bone structure can carry and still look presentable. Anything over that is excessive and may be nothing but fat. But, of course, many bodybuilders don’t know the difference between bulk and muscular mass. A lot of them “fatten up” and think they have achieved something spectacular. But an appraisal of their waist and hip size should show them the folly of their bulking up. Muscular bulk or mass, on the other hand, does not settle around only on the hips and waist, but all areas become heavier and have fine symmetry. A certain degree of muscularity is also present, although it may not be as finely defined as when the person is lighter. But those who get fat simply become round, soft and smooth without the fine contours of those who are firm and muscular.

Some years ago, in the August 1956 edition of this magazine, we presented a very unusual story of over-bulking. It was of the now well-known case of Bruce Randall.

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Bruce, like so many others, wanted to get big… and he did, eventually weighing 400 pounds! But even with all this bigness he lacked impressiveness. He decided to enter the 1956 Mr. America contest and undertook a very rigid diet and training program. Within a relatively short time he lost a lot of weight, and finally weighed in at the Mr. America contest at 187 pounds! Later, of course, he put on additional weight and now stays between 225 and 235. However, note his before picture (when he was heavy) and the more recent pose. Observe the amazing transformation. Observe, too, where much of his bulk was… around the hips, upper thighs and waist area. Study the “debulked” picture and notice how pleasing the overall effect is as compared to the heavy photos. Can there be any question as to size alone being preferable to good symmetry? Here is visual proof and is worth a moment of your contemplation before you go all-out on a bulk craze bender.

Another comparable case is that of Bill Pearl. At the time of his winning the Mr. America title in 1953 he weighed around 190 pounds in a trained down condition. Over the years he has experimented with getting heavier, then losing it. The past year or more he decided to maintain this heavier bodyweight and now stays around 230 to 235 in fine, solid condition. And although he has at times gone up to 250 pounds in bodyweight, his waist and hips still remain in proportion, which adds to his impressiveness. Naturally his muscularity is not as defined at this bodyweight as it is when he’s lighter, but the obvious fact is that he has retained his symmetry while increasing size… and that’s the important secondary goal in any bulking-up program: to retain symmetry!

I was assured that people are impressed by massive size on my trips to London, where in different years I had the opportunity to appear in two different extremes – first, relatively slender, and then in heavy condition. Before I went to London I had the impression that Europeans approved of the smaller, leaner type of physique. I felt that in order to win this Mr. Universe contest I would have to lose 20 or more pounds from my usual bodyweight. I began taking off weight, and when I finally arrived in London I weighed slightly over 190 pounds.  But what I forgot to consider was the food shortage in London at the time. Before I knew it I lost another 10 pounds without even trying! Naturally I showed far more muscle delineation at this bodyweight than normally. Yet somehow I was pleased by this loss of weight because now I felt I approached the European standard more closely even though my chest, arms and legs were larger than what they considered ideal. Many of the contestants and officials to whom I talked thought I was at my normal bodyweight. They were surprised to learn that I weight almost 30 pounds lighter than usual for this event. A few were horrified at the thought of losing that much weight, which is just opposite of what they were trying to do, to gain weight. Almost all to whom I spoke suggested that if ever I visited London again I should return at my maximum bodyweight.

 The opportunity came the next year when I was invited to take part in their annual show. This time I weighed around 215 and with very little increase in the size of my waist and hips. This alone seemed to accentuate my other girths and made me appear heavier than I was. Actually, I received more compliments at this bodyweight than I did the year before when I showed twice the muscularity. And this proved to me beyond any doubt that size was more important than anything else as far as the bodybuilding public was concerned, a conclusion I’m sure is just as valid today.

I questioned a number of fellows as to why they preferred a bulked-up physique to a more slender, shapely one, and almost everyone replied that it wasn’t hard to stay lean with the food shortage that existed at the time, and that building up was a problem. But they made it clear that no one appreciated a bulked-up, shapeless physique that was ruined in the process of gaining size. They seemed to appreciate the body mass only when it was accompanied by shapely contours and some degree of muscularity.

In this country the bulk craze began back in the 30s when one bodybuilding authority advocated bulking up without regard to waistline size. He theorized that after the desired size was obtained direct specialization upon the hip and waist region would reduce these areas and result in a heavier but shapelier physique. Obviously this theory never succeeded. The fellows who followed this advice of bulking up got heavier around the middle, and when they trained down the size of the waistline, other girths shrank too. This is what some of these fellows are trying to do today: get heavier and then by trimming the hips and waist they hope to keep other measurements large. There must be a lot of disappointed fellows, that’s all I can say!

Once the waistline has been increased far beyond its normal size it requires a lot of work, with some starvation, to get it back to normal. However, if body bulk is kept within the normal potential boundary of the body structure, the result is athletic and not a roly poly mass.

Of course there will always be some who desire to bulk up, and they should if they are underweight. However, never allow the waistline to creep up on your chest measurement. Always try to retain at least 10 to 12 inches differential between the two. Strive towards increasing the chest, shoulder, arm and leg size but always in proportion to each other. In this way you’ll get bulk and be physically impressive with it.

To bulk up the standard movements for different areas of the body will suffice if enough exercise is done to congest the muscles. Avoid overworking them, however. Training programs should be brief but complete. Such exercises as the curl, regular press, squat, chest work, bench press, deadlift, shrug and some abdominal work should be included. The latter, abdominal training, should be done only enough to keep the abdominal area toned up and the inner organs stimulated. However, if the waistline is overly large additional work should be included to reduce it. In fact some abdominal exercise should be done every day until the entire area begins to show improvement.

Always keep your goal in mind but avoid overdoing a good thing. In this way you’ll be pleased with the results instead of being disappointed with the consequences. Which is something to remember – that you want results, not consequences! Doesn’t that make sense?

Enjoy your lifting!