TBT "Art Jones," Muscular Development 1971

Recently, the proprietor of Dr. Wonder's Comics and Collectibles-eh, Dr. Wonder that is- let me know that they had just taken in a box of 150 muscle magazines ranging from 1936 through 1971. 

Which came at an interesting time, because I had just sent binders full of '70s muscle magazines to John Little in Canada and John Hansen in Florida. Each of those guys has much bigger audiences than I have for that material. I've had 50 years to extract whatever value that stuff had, so rather than keep it to myself for another 50 years, I convinced myself it was time to let it go and find a new home and audience.

Then Dr. Wonder called. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.

Now I don't have the same nostalgic attachment to these new old magazines as I had with the ones I actually bought and saved since the '70s. Those reminded me of the place in life I was in when I bought them. 

These I can look at with some detachment. I'm amused by the corny/campy/kitschy ads and articles, and  impressed by the occasional actual piece of art (rare). I try to read the articles, and without the nostalgia getting in the way, see how most of them are a collection of preferences and misinterpretations and wishful thinking and ad copy, with the occasional gem of instruction that is better expressed and more useful than most of what is on social media and podcasts and YouTube today.

Then I realized that the reason I feature "memorabilia" in the newsletter and my own social media is because as cheesy and "gross" as a lot of this stuff was, it had an undeniable influence on me. Even if the influence was for me to say, "this can't be right," which led me to figure out my own way and eventually create my own approach.

So rather than let this stuff languish on ebay (or worse on one of my shelves) I'm going to help out Dr. Wonder by putting it in front of the likely audience for it. First to the subscribers to my newsletter, then to my YouTube subscribers, and then to the Vintage Muscle Magazine email list.

Here's a look at three magazines featuring articles by a writer, one "Art Jones," who made a bit more of a splash with his articles and ads in IRON MAN (Peary Rader, not Tony Stark) around this time, and a little later as the target in a series of hatchet jobs in the Weider magazines, and oh by the way developed the Nautilus and Medx machines.


Muscular Development was one of the York magazines, the flashier counterpart to Strength & Health, and I'm guessing York's attempt to compete with the Weider muscle magazines. By 1980 or so it was indistinguishable from Muscle Builder etc. But in 1971 it was a bit more grounded than the Weider mags, with classic strong men and strength athletes bylines.


The late Franco Columbu and some politician/actor/what have you. Bradley Steiner, a name I saw a lot at the time, and who wrote a bunch of great articles on basic training, turned out to be the martial arts teacher to my friend, the late Greg Anderson.

"Art" Jones, somehow managing to not mention "Nautilus" in the article, and to not buy ad space in this issue, unlike his articles in Iron Man. 


x


A few months later. On the cover, Ken Waller, who would later be featured frequently in the Weiders. Bradley Steiner again. Note "Anderson and Todd." Paul Anderson and Terry Todd. Todd would later found the HJ Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports and edit Iron Game History. And another Jones.


Reading this now, I could pick it apart. For starters, the gist of the article is "the harder it seems, the safer it is," not easier. Either way, I disagree, but at the time, NO ONE was even remotely raising this issue in the magazines. And again, no mention of Nautilus and no Nautilus ads.

In between those two months, cover article and photo by Jones featuring Casey Viator.


Unlike the previous two, this is an actual article on training. The magazine doesn't actually open to the two-page spread like this; in between is a two page centerfold of the cover without the logo or text, with ads facing the even and odd pages.


Later Nautilus instruction would call for strict form and brief infrequent workouts. Not so much here, which emphasizes effort at the expense of strict form and brief workouts. Direct quotes:

  • "...three times weekly schedule of training, working all bodyparts during each...two hours to each workout, a total training time of about 6 hours."
  • "...he changed to a six-times weekly schedule...during each of two weekly workouts he trains his arms for a period of about forty minutes...during two other workouts he trains his legs only...during the other two workouts he trains his torso ..."
  • "For developing the frontal thigh muscles...first, he performs a set of about 50 repetitions of leg presses on a Universal machine...immediately about 30 repetitions on a thigh extension station...third (and last) then he does his squats..."
Jones doesn't mention Nautilus by name, but he hints at an "experimental" program at a Deland school supervised by Bill Bradford,  doing "76% work on the new equipment and 24% work with barbells and other conventional training devices." And again, no Nautilus ads.

I highlight these three articles because of the influence Jones and Nautilus still have on many of my contemporaries in training, even those that weren't around 50 years ago, and who treat some of Jones' writing like sacred texts. When actually, each of his writings was part of a process, not the final word. Still, compared to the rest of the writing in the muscle mags, his articles showed a unique thought process worth considering.

Generally, though, these magazines are packed with material. Seventy five cents got you a lot of reading: powerlifting results, competitive bodybuilding routines, and old time strongmen stunts along with the basic training advice. Whether you were interested in all those topics is another matter.

But what I really wonder: were these guys actually on a beach or in front of a backdrop in York?

If you're interested in purchasing these magazines, feel free to contact Dr. Wonder directly at drwonder@comcast.net, instagram: drwondercomics, or the store at 33 N. Main Street, Cranbury NJ 08512. They are not listed on ebay as of yet, so feel free to make an offer for the 3 and get your money's worth on the shipping.

 This blog by Bill DeSimone, author of Joint-Friendly Fitness and Congruent Exercise.
Location: Cranbury, NJ, USA

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