80's Muscle!: June 2011

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Working out the arty way

Aria (1987) is an episodic film consisting of ten short films by a variety of directors.
Each segment features its director's visual accompaniment to arias and scenes from operas.
In the 3rd segment ("Armide", directed by Jean-Luc Godard) two deranged naked cleaning ladies try to attract the attention of oblivious bodybuilders. Fortunately those guys pay more attention to their muscles than to the shifted girls hopping around them.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Peter Hensel

Peter Hensel posing @ FIBO fitness & bodybuilding fair in Cologne, 1987. As an East-German "Kulturistik"-Champion (1983) he was apparently allowed to travel outside GDR to take part in Western sport events. I didn't even know there were bodybuilding contests in East Germany in the early 80's as body shaping was considered a sign of "Western decadence". They didn't even have public gyms; you could only train in a weight room if you were a member in a state-run sports club. Some people built their own weights (cans filled with sand, car tires) in order to train.
"

Dolph Lundgren's "Maximum Potential", 1987

I found this great Dolph Lundgren workout tape on facebook. I can't believe Quentin Tarantino was a production assistant on this! For a selection of amazing film stills and an awesome soundtrack (hacked by Uncle T-NUC for his project POWERGLOVE) check out "Maximum Potential" on fb/.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Gary Strydom at FIBO 1987, interview + posing routine

Rare footage from FIBO fitness & bodybuilding fair in Cologne, Germany.

Muscle Mix IV

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Muscle Musicals

FYI: Your favourite 80's muscle hero movies are now musicals:

The videos are made by the people who produced the Off-Broadway musical "Silence Of The Lambs".

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Buff Science

The Craft Center - Muscle and Brains!

"In the late 1980's, I was the only bodybuilder training regularly at "Dr. Squat" - Dr. Fred Hatfiels's exercise research laboratory - The Craft Center in Reseda, CA. I lived right next to the Craft Center and as the "resident bodybuilder" I had all these great minds to pick at a cutting edge exercise research laboratory."
- Andreas Cahling

Andreas Cahling "hooked up" by Professor G. Laich, MD.

Andreas Cahling monitored by Dr. Laich and Dr. Hatfield.
Fred Hatfield could squat with more than 1000 lbs (460 kg)!

Andreas Cahling squatting with "Dr. Squat" - Dr. Fred Hatfield.
Fred could squat with more than 1000 lbs (460 kg).

Andreas Cahling, Harvey Kurland (MSc) and Dr. Squat.
DR. SQUAT COULD SQUAT MORE THAN 1000 lbs (460 kg)!

via andreascahling.blogspot.com/

Monday, June 13, 2011

"Shall I kick him out?"

In 1986, IFBB Champion Vince Taylor not only lived in West-Berlin (probably as a GI), he also appeared as a whiskey-sipping nude model in a German detective series.

woman: "May I introduce to you Joe Kessler - my model."
detective: "THAT'S your model?! As far as I can see YOU'RE NOT PAINTING HIM!"
woman: "We're having a preliminary talk..."

Here's a fun fact from Vince's biography:
"The 1983 Mr. Berlin Vince Taylor started off in the light-heavyweight class, but a few weird things happened. He crashed his car - twice - on the way to the venue. He was too late to enter as a light-heavy, but they let him compete as a 170lbs. heavyweight and he ended up winning the whole thing."

WWF promos

Bodybuilder Mike Christian humiliates Bobby the Brain Heenan in a pose down contest:

Hulk Hogan working out (1987). AMAZING SYNTH SOUNDTRACK!!!

"Mr Wonderful" Paul Orndorff showing people how to get in shape (1984). I can't believe they found an obese lady who was willing to be insulted and yelled at in front of the camera.