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Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 181: John Garon, 1920s Muscle (WTF?)

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We always love running across a photo of an old-time bodybuilder who looks better than us. Come on!

John Garon showing great musculature in 1925

John Garon (above), photographed in 1925, apparently had nothing to work out with except a curtain rod with cannonballs welded to the ends, yet look at his physique. WTF?

And his only protein source was possum shank. We’re just guessing at his diet, but as for training…

Most of the muscle bros back then picked up a lot of heavy stuff to show off their strength—like anvils, giant wooden wheels, and smelly ponies. And most were also gymnasts—the bodybuilders, not the ponies.

All of that along with their weight training gave them lots of stretch and contraction work from various angles, not to mention long tension times….

Remember that most gymnasts today have upper bodies that rival good uncut natural bodybuilders…

Gymnast with good muscle development

While practicing gymnastics for six hours a day may give you a great physique, at least upper body, it’s not feasible for most. And who the heck wants to hoist stinky ponies in their backyard? Not us…

Best to stick with short, efficient weight workouts that emphasize the ideal exercises, strategically adding on moves for stretch and contraction work…

And maybe some possum-shank casserole for dinner.

Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.

—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com

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Filed Under: X Files Tagged With: 1920s, 1925, bodybuilder, bodybuilders, bodybuilding zen, gymnasts, John Garon, old-school

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