Weight a minute

Flex, July, 2009 by Joe Weider

YOU MAY KNOW ME as the father of modern bodybuilding, but did you know that I actually got my start in weightlifting? When I was a teenager in the 1930s, bodybuilding barely existed as an organized sport. The first Mr. America competition didn't even take place until 1939. Until that point, there were a few smaller shows and some exhibitions that combined posing with feats of strength, but bodybuilding as a sport was very much in its infancy.

For this reason, I first found weightlifting. This ancient sport had its roots in China, some 3,000 years ago. The earliest reference to weight-lifting in Greece, the motherland of the Olympic games--is on a stone dating back to 600 B.C. in the city of Olympia.

I took up weightlifting in my backyard with a "barbell" made from a couple of old flywheels affixed to a rusty iron shaft that I found down at the local train yard. Back then, weightlifting equipment was scarce and, quite frankly, I didn't have enough money to buy a full set. So, with knowledge gleaned from some old copies of a magazine called Strength, I began doing a rudimentary exercise routine with that makeshift barbell.

By age 17, I was able to press 210 pounds, which was a Canadian record for my weight class. As my knowledge base and my interests broadened, I gravitated toward traditional bodybuilding training, but I continued performing lifts such as the clean and press and the snatch for years to come. These movements created the foundation upon which I built everything else as my bodyweight increased from 165 pounds to more than 200.

Here within the pages of FLEX, we provide you with an unlimited amount of information on bodybuilding exercises and routines from top pros and knowledgeable experts in the field today. From traps to calves, we show you how to develop all of your muscle groups to their fullest. In fact, if I had half the information contained in a single issue of FLEX back when I was getting started in the iron game, I may well have gone on to a career as a competitive bodybuilder rather than as a bodybuilding publisher.

Although you can build a fine physique using bodybuilding-specific exercises, consider adding weightlifting movements to your regimen. The clean and press and the snatch are different from standard bodybuilding exercises in that they require momentum and the use of the whole body to move the weight. The result of doing these exercises is an increase in power, which is a combination of strength and speed. This will translate to your bodybuilding workouts and to your life, imbuing you with newfound energy, as well as balance, agility and quickness.

The addition of weightlifting movements to your workouts can give your training a much-needed breath of fresh air. In the end, I believe that you'll become a better bodybuilder--and a better athlete in general--simply by incorporating two lifts into your routine that have been around even longer than I have.

BY JOE WEIDER, THE MASTER BLASTER