Customer Reviews

West Coast Bodybuilding Scene: The Golden Era

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Wow! I almost dropped a dumbbell on my toe in excitement when I discovered the publication of this book! I was indeed pleasantly surprised by this literal treasure-trove of original articles, anecdotes, and amusing characterizations of many of the most famous of the insiders in the golden age of bodybuilding in southern California in the 1950s and 1960s, all those amusing tales of the exploits and observations of all the most famous denizens from the golden age of bodybuilding back in the 'good old days", when few and far between such serious palaces of steel as the local Gold's Gym or World facility available for the faithful aspiring bodybuilders. Instead, most of us labored in valiant pursuit for bigger and stronger muscles either alone in our makeshift home gyms in our basements or garages, or just as often we worked out in the shabby but better equipped environs of the local YMCAs, where we were considered more muscle-headed curiosities than seekers after strength and fitness.

Indeed, all of those old memories and recollections are reincarnated by the recollections and observations in this wonderful book. Dick Tyler, a practicing Chiropractor (as is his good friend, former Mr. Olympia Franco Columbo), breathes fresh life into all the old legends, as does famed 60's sensation the Blond Bomber himself, Dave Draper, (who writes the preface for the book), throwing open the wide window allowing the reader to see these stars of the bodybuilding world as real breathing people, as individual personalities who just happened to comprise the inner elite of this special little world of the bodybuilding subculture. These recollections also serve as to provide a unique glimpse into an extremely short but quite special period of time within that bodybuilding world, at the very moment of its most amazing transformation from what had formerly been a small and curious little world of true believers comprised of dedicated bodybuilders who went about their lives chasing the "power of the pump", into all the other aspects of what they became at that moment that bodybuilding went "mainstream", as it became a national phenomenon in the wake of the rise of Arnold Schwarzenegger to prominence in the early 1970s.

As someone who spent his own formative years reading about that rarified world of the top bodybuilders living in the sun and surf along the backdrop of ocean and Santa Monica, I can finally say that a book exists that faithfully recreates the essence of that now long-gone world, a world more emblematic of a simpler, kinder, and less complicated existence, when one might just as easily catch Larry Scott or Steve Reeves working out in the free Muscle Beach gym as view newcomers like a young Dave Draper or the incredible Frank Zane walking along the street. This is a great book, and one that deserves a wide readership by all of us who might well find the golden age of bodybuilding as fascinating as those of us who grew up reading and dreaming about it still do. Enjoy!

Indispensable for anyone that would like to relive the greatest era the sport of bodybuilding has ever known. Dick Tyler brings you behind the scenes while writing articles for Joe Weider' s magazines in the mid 60's to early 70's.

Anyone interested in bodybuilding from the 60's will enjoy Dicks writing. Funny, insightful and informative, you get the feel of what it was like when guys named Pearl, Sergio, Franco, Zane, Draper and Arnold were on the scene.

Brilliantly complemented with captions written by the Blond Bomber himself, Dave Draper. This book contains more photos then any other book of it's type I have seen. The stories and photos in this book are priceless!

Dick Tyler has written a charming and quietly brilliant piece about an era few remember. I remember Muscle Beach and my heroes back in the early 60s. This is the FIRST opus I have read that allowed me to re-live those terrific memories... when men with muscles built them with honest hard work and they impressed us, not with intimidation, but with a sense of pride in their appearance and a genuine love of the sport. Dave Draper's intro is marvelous and it's great to read anything he writes.. he KNOWS his subject. I recommend this book highly to anyone who wants to remember, or wants to research this magical time and place. Magnificent!!

If you've ever wondered what Bodybuilding was like during the "Golden Era", then this is the book for you. Culled from contemporary stories and articles published in the Weider magazines from the mid-sixties to the mid-seventies, this book portrays the simplicity and innocence of big-time bodybuilding in Southern California before health and fitness became a multi-billion dollar industry.

Want to know what Governor Schwarzenegger was like in those days? Dick Tyler met Arnold and wrote about him within weeks of his arrival in the US!

Want to know about Muscle Beach and how it really was? Or what happened to the denizens of that stalwart arena after it was shut down? Read about it here.

Before all the money, before all the hype, before all the questionable supplement practices, heck -- before ephedra -- it was all happening here. Read about it and enjoy and perhaps long for that simpler time.

If you're a newcomer to bodybuilding and all you know is what you read in "Flex" or "Muscular Development", you need this book.

Set in the laidback style of the 60's and early 70's, Tyler shows us what it was like to be on Muscle Beach, or Gold's Gym (not the spas they have now). Written in the easygoing prose of the time, it does a great job of transporting you back to that time and place, even if you've never been there (like me).

You won't find the latest workout tips here. Instead you are whisked away to the culture and place where bodybuilding first hit the big time in the USA. No six figure paychecks here, just hard work and hard iron.

At 48, I'm constantly on the lookout for books and videos to keep me motivated for daily workouts. "West Coast Bodybuilding Scene" fits the bill from every angle.

If you are seriously into the fun & history of the good times in Bodybuilding. Then you can't go wrong buying this book. It's written with an easy going style that helps the reader feel the vibe ,sweat & good hard workouts of these very strong men. You'll learn a lot about why these guys worked out so hard & enjoyed it!
What they did,,how they trained, what they added to Football, Boxing & other sports, Well they just made sportsmen & women faster & stronger. Lift some weights, feel the buzz come alive. Ladies & gentlemen these guys were ahead of their time. It's a good read.

This wonderful book gives a backstage pass to the life and times of some of bodybuilding's greats! Just to name a few, we have Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dave Draper, Franco Columbo, and Mike Katz. Pages of beautiful photography accompany this explicitly written novel, one of my all time favorites. Dick has the unique ability to take you back in time, show you the real men of muscle, and give a bird's eye view of what their lives were really like on a daily basis. Lighthearted humor and truthfulism is expressed throughout. This book is enlightening, inspiring, and motivational. This is the genuine article, a definite keeper. Special thanks to my great friend Karen DeCoster for giving me this, the best birthday present ever.

This is a great read, hope more is coming. I'd like to hear more about even earlier bodybuilders from before the 60's. It would be great to hear the stories before the "juice" era arrived and changed the spirit of bodybuilding.

The book has been described well in other reviews. So mine will be short and to the point. The years of the 1960s and 1970s was indeed the golden age of bodybuilding. Some would argue that it was the fifties, some even the forties. But the sixties and early seventies were the brief years when bodybuilding evolved from a hidden, disregarded sport into a full-fledged, respected athletic event with its own contests. It became respected.

Moreover, this was the time when the greats to whom we look to as models today were created. We meet Arnold when he started out, Dave Draper when he was soft and unformed, yet tenacious. We meet the very small but unique young, handsome men who, for a very brief time in history, came together to form the golden age of bodybuilding.

This was the time when the men looked great. No freaky ugly muscle --- rather lovely, sleek, striking and handsome muscle that made the male form look perfect.

This well-written book will take you back to that time and into the places that were alive for these men in those days. You'll learn about them in intimate ways heretofore untold.

Highly recommended.

- Susanna K. Hutcheson

I got this book as a gift but flipped through the pages before wrapping it. The gift recipient is a big fan of Dave Draper and Arnold and all the rest and just LOVED it. A lotta fun to read. Great pics, too.