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| Display Name | Post: REUNION OF CHICAGO MUSCLE. | |
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terrystrand Getting the hang of it Posts 28 
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09-18-04 01:14 PM - Post#35941
On October 17th, we will be hosting a Reunion Of Chicago Muscle Banquet in Palatine, Illinois. Bob Gajda is promoting it. Sergio Oliva, , Bill Pearl, Bill Seno, Ed Coan, to mention only a few -will be there. For details and a flyer/invitation about the bash, email me at terrystrand@yahoo.com. or click on the attachment.
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ccrow old hand Posts 10055 |
09-18-04 01:54 PM - Post#35942
Terry, can you possibly update us on Bob Gajda? I think he's one of the most underrated people in the iron sports. Besides a great physique and PHA circuit training, he is the first person I can remember ever talking about conditioning the "core" - in a book called Total Body Training in the late 70's, if I remembr right. Way ahead of its time.
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terrystrand Getting the hang of it Posts 28
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09-18-04 04:28 PM - Post#35943
Bob Gajda, one of the only four men in history [in American contests] to beat Arnold, just turned 65 last Monday. After winning Mr. A, Mr. World, and Mr. U., and establishing Chicago's Duncan Y as the home of Sergio, Bob continued established himself as a world authority in rehabilitation of sports injuries. Today he runs Gajda Health Plus in Palatine Illinois. He still looks great. Have anybody been able [or not] to download the flyer for the Reunion that I attached?
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Laree (Rhymes with Marie) Posts 26002 
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09-18-04 04:52 PM - Post#35944
Hey, Terry, sounds very cool! You guys will have a great time -- wonderful stuff. The download came out fine. Not sure what you did; it's a little different in that it downloads into a broswer, but it works fine and printed out well. |
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Joe Roark iron game student Posts 446 
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09-18-04 06:32 PM - Post#35945
Was Bob 64 or 65 last week? And, I was under the impression that Bob retired from competition before Arnold came to America. When did Bob beat Arnold? Thanks. |
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Anonymous |
09-18-04 07:45 PM - Post#35946
Bob Gajda was a favorite of mine as well .I agree with ccrow ! |
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terrystrand Getting the hang of it Posts 28
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09-19-04 02:23 AM - Post#35947
Bob Gajda introduced, to my way of thinking, the 'cut and chiseled look' so lacking in the AAU Mr. America's prior to his victory. Previously the likes of Joe Abbenda, Vern Weaver, etc were rather bulky...as was the look of the day. The IFBB guys were already getting away from the York style of big, strong and smooth winners. Also note that with the demise of the 60's came the demise of the triple threat guys like Bill Seno who could compete -and win!- in high level bodybuilding, Olympic lifting and power lifting contests. Sergio and Columbu were great lifters, Olympic and power, respectively. The Y was located in a very rough part of my home town but Bob worked tirelessly to build the Duncan Y weight room into a thing of wonder. He used bodybuilding for his social work there in the ways some leaders use baseball to help reach troubled kids. Later Joe Weider advised him, as Bob told me, to "forget all that Christian bull---t" so Bob could finally make some money at his sport. In 1967 a guy like Joe Namath had a $400,000 NFL contract while even in IFBB the Blond Bomber and Larry Scott and Sergio Oliva might have cleared at most a couple grand here and there for being the best bodybuilders on the planet! In the AAU you got zip. Bob G. got Hoffman to fund the Duncan Y lifting scholarships. Duncan sent many lifters to the Olympics back in the 60's: Phil Grippaldi, Russ Knipp, Mike Karchut, Fred Lowe, Tony Garcy. As a young man there was no better place to train whether you were a lifter or a bodybuilder. The gym was half made of truck parts and railroad ties, but it was the real deal. You could find any number of champions training there, as I often did, when you needed a true gym in which to go work out. As for Bob and Sergio's defeat of Arnold, I'll quote from another website: "In fact, Arnold would be beaten by only four men: Chet Yorton in the 1966 NABBA Mr. Universe, Bob Gajda in the 1966 FIHC Mr. Universe, Frank Zane in the 1968 IFBB Mr. Universe, and Sergio Oliva in the 1969 Mr. Olympia." And Joe R., I've been reading your work for years in Weider's mags. I take my hat off to you for keeping the iron stories and Herculean photos in ink! Thanx. Hope to see you and all Dave's bombers at the Chicago Muscle Reunion Banquet. Download the invitation at the top of this thread.
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terrystrand Getting the hang of it Posts 28
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09-19-04 02:38 AM - Post#35948
Forgot to answer the previous question asked about Bob Gajda's age...I believe I saw it listed on Joe's superb Iron History website listing Bob's birth in 1940, but my pal swears it was 1939. I'll settle it by asking Bob this Wednesday when we have our next sitdown meeting to plan the Chicago Muscle Reunion. I'll let you know.
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Joe Roark iron game student Posts 446
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09-19-04 06:27 AM - Post#35949
Terry, Thanks for the kind words about my work in FLEX. I soon begin my 13th year as IFBB Men's Historian, so I have not paid as much attention to the contests of other bodybuilding federations, but if Arnold competed in Oct 1966 at the FIHC Universe, then it is, literally, a breaking bit of news to me. The previous month would have been when Yorton beat him at the NABBA amateur U. Arnold was defeated by others, whose names I have never learned, indeed the contest titles I have never learned- regional events such as Mr. Muscles. But even this is uncertain, and was, of course, when he was a beginner. May I ask what website reported the Arnold info? By the way, the FIHC Mr. Universe/World events were sometimes some of the most poorly reported in the history of 'major' titles- almost as a throwaway afterthought when the World Weightlifting coverage had been exhaustively covered, and if a paragraph or two of space remained on a page. For the 1966, all I have ever found, were sentences here and there. Perhaps I missing the relevant mags. |
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Anonymous |
09-19-04 06:54 AM - Post#35950
These pictures of the Duncan YMCA was posted on IronAge. Bob Gajda's name is mentioned in the text. You may have to download for a better view. Henrik |
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terrystrand Getting the hang of it Posts 28
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09-19-04 09:45 AM - Post#35951
The reference to Bob's victory is at: http://www.legendaryfitness.com/arnold_schwarzenegger.htm And the photos of the old Duncan Y are great. Thank you very much. In the upper center of the shot is a wall-mounted, homemade, supersized version of the old York 'Krusher'. We used that because Bob liked it for developing the pec striations. A lot of springs were broken over the years on it as Bob, Sergio and others pumped the living daylights out of the gizmo. Norm Zale, rest his soul, a Chicago schoolteacher, wrote many an article in Iron Man and S&H about the gym and its denizens. In those days any writer with a typewriter could get published in the mags. Fortunately, Norm did a great job and promoted the Chicago scene. It was then included with the usual California and York activity that got the lion's share of coverage. The 'Factoid' features in Flex are superb. I'd always felt that too few updates were published as to the whereabouts of the old AAU and Weider champs. And I'd always page over for the Factoids remind me that guys lifted weights before there was an Arnold and a chrome gym on every corner! Tinerino, Dickerson, Waller, Bruce Randall, Rick Wayne, Marv Eder, Serge Nubret, Poole, Ortiz...the list of "MIA's"is long. Yet we hear little about them outside of a line or two once or twice a year in the muscle mags. Whatever happened to these guys? I heard Ortiz became a hotel doorman and Bruce Randall told me years ago that Eder became a meter reader, or contractor or something. But they are ususally just more or less rumors. The other fellow to beat the Oak on American soil lives a couple miles down the street here in Chicago in quiet retirement -Sergio Oliva. Arnold was aksed a while back in a published interview who he thought could have broken his string of Olympia wins. He replied, "Sergio, if he were to come in at his lifetime best [condition]." By the way, three of the nicest fellows I'd met over the years were our Dave, Bruce Randall, Chuck Sipes and Bill Pearl. Class acts, all! Ah, Nostalgia.
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Anonymous |
09-19-04 11:08 AM - Post#35952
Terry - what do you remember about Sergio's training? There have been many different stories. Henrik |
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cajinjohn Old time trainer Posts 12495 
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09-19-04 11:35 AM - Post#35953
The last I heard about Marvin Eder was he had retired from work. he was still training in BW ex. only. He was doing Par.dips, pullups, and squat jumps 5 sets of 15 reps each. three days a week. He attended the Old timers annual get together a couple of years ago and was said that he looked as powerful as ever.
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Laree (Rhymes with Marie) Posts 26002
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09-19-04 11:52 AM - Post#35954
Quote: Dennis is in southern California, Northridge, with his wife Anita. Chris Dickerson is in Florida -- we saw him in February at John Balik's IronMan contest. Ken Waller works with Steve Paris, the guy who provides the Gold's Gym apparel; Ricky is the editor (and maybe publisher?) of a paper in St. Lucia. Marvin is in New York; Serge we saw a few years ago when he was personal training in the LA area (and looked, shall we say, AMAZING), but I heard he's since moved to Europe; Harold is in Florida. Bruce Randall and Freddy... dunnno. |
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Joe Roark iron game student Posts 446
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09-19-04 12:17 PM - Post#35955
For the past several weeks at least, Chris Dickerson has been in New York... |
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terrystrand Getting the hang of it Posts 28
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09-19-04 12:27 PM - Post#35956
The photo of Arnold and Serg above is a treat! It most likely taken when the Oak came to Duncan during the 1969 AAU Mr. America/Senior National Weightlifting Championships held at nearby Depaul University. I attended that very contest and saw Arnold being shown around by Serg. I was waiting on the corner of Damen and Fullerton in Chicago with a bus transfer in my hand after coming from my job at Bodybuilder Sport Shop, the source of all things iron in those days. They had serious equipment for sale, and it was the only place in the Windy City to buy it. Otherwise you had to mail off to Rader or Iron Man to have exercise equipment shipped to you, FOB. But I digress...Bill Seno [world record bench press holder, MD and Iron Man coverman, and 1964 AAU Mr. America Most Muscular winner] picked me up on the corner of Fullerton and Damen and gave me a lift to the contest. That was probably within a day or two of the above photo. Sergio went on to beat Arnold a few months later for the final time at the Myth's third and last Mr. O. victory. Serg had no absolutely no idea on how to parlay his status as the world's best bodybuilder into something lucrative, unlike Arnold who had his eye on much bigger things from the get-go. By the way, Bruce Randall who bulked up to 401 pounds and cut down to about 190 to wint the Mr. U. is an unsung, untributed iron god to my way of thinking. I would take the subway as a teen to hear him speak at Montgomery Wards in the Loop [downtown Chicago] when he'd swing through promoting Billard Barbells for the store. Bruce was fantastic and was all about helping people to shape up, much in the way Jack LaLanne [Happy 90th B-day, Jack] was. If Bruce sold a few barbells along the way, that was fine with him, but like Dave and Jack, he was first and foremost a beneficent caring coach at heart. Thanx, Laree for the updates. A few of them I was aware of. As for remuneration of the top bodybuilders of that era, while Joe Namath earned $400,000 while signed to his 1967 NFL contract, Larry Scott, Dave, Sergio [the equivalents of Joe Namath as far as they're being among the best in the world at their sport] earned probably less than $5,000. And the AAU guys like Bob Gajda earned zip! About the same as a world tiddlywinks champion. Sigh...
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jkinnan Old hand here on IOL Posts 944 
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09-20-04 11:03 AM - Post#35957
Hey there, On the flier it made a mention of guest speakers. Who? Speaking about what? I'd be very interested in attending, but I'd like some more info. If it's more of a reunion of friends catching up on old times . . . well I've got no old times to catch up on. A great lineup of people, to be sure, though. Just Sergio and Ed Coan alone would be well worth it.
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terrystrand Getting the hang of it Posts 28
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09-20-04 11:26 PM - Post#35958
Bill Pearl has told us he will be there to accept a lifetime achievement award and be a speaker. He will be in town for the Club Industry Show at McCormick Place that weekend. Sergio has said he will be there. This Banquet will be the first in a yearly annual bash of Midwest lifters and bodybuilders of all levels. It's going to be a great time for all real iron guys. A lot of old timers, to be sure.
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Joe Roark iron game student Posts 446
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09-21-04 05:00 PM - Post#35959
Terry, Details about the contest Gajda won in Berlin are harder to find than coming up with a reason to justify me as a guest poser, but we are continuing to look. If you have a chance, please ask Bob who was in fact in that contest. Thanks. |
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terrystrand Getting the hang of it Posts 28
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09-21-04 09:23 PM - Post#35960
Joe...I noticed in your Factoid feature in Flex that you call[ed] Illinois home. Any chance you could motor on over to our Reunion Banquet? Also, I will ask Bob tomorrow when I see him about his Berlin victory. Must've been written up in S&H or MD, but I haven't searched it out myself as of yet. If you wanna email me your phone number I can call you with more details.
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Laree (Rhymes with Marie) Posts 26002
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10-17-04 11:26 AM - Post#35961
From today's Chicago Tribune: Crew Still has Pecs of Steel Crew still has pecs of steel In the '60s, champion bodybuilder Bob Gajda turned Chicago's Duncan YMCA into the Midwest's Mecca for weightlifting. By John Keilman Tribune staff reporter October 17, 2004 In a time when health clubs outnumber hardware stores and grandmothers bang out sets on Nautilus machines, it's hard to recall the hostility facing weightlifters four decades ago. Coaches thought barbells reduced athletes to immobile lunks. Lifting was considered vain, hedonistic, a sign of homosexuality. But in the 1960s, a group of young men defied a disapproving society to turn Chicago's Duncan YMCA into one of the country's first bodybuilding temples. Powered by liver pills and brewer's yeast, they lifted countless tons in pursuit of stovepipe arms, dinner-plate pecs and keg-size thighs. On Sunday, 200 of these brawny trailblazers are expected to gather at a Palatine hotel to reminisce about those days of home-welded benches and contraband Soviet barbells. Most are in their 50s and 60s now, but many still lift, chasing the same dream of physical perfection that drove them in their youth. "A little scrawny kid, he lifted weights and all of a sudden he said, `Man, I'm somebody.' It made a lot of kids into somebodies," said Bob Gajda, 64, the champion bodybuilder who created the Duncan "Y" weightlifting program. When friends introduced Gajda to weights at the age of 14, he was a spindly freshman quarterback at Gordon Tech High School, searching for a way to improve his game. Encouraged by his strength gains, he kept at it despite promising his coach--in front of a nun--that he would quit. He soon threw himself into what was known as "physical culture," a philosophy of clean living that encompassed everything from physique to nutrition to getting a good night's sleep. He kept lifting during a stint in the Air Force and won the title of Mr. Oklahoma when his buddies entered his name on a lark. When he returned to Chicago in 1962, he landed a job with the YMCA and within two years began turning the Duncan "Y," a scarred brick fortress at 1515 W. Monroe St., into an empire of iron. He filled two giant rooms with racks of barbells and dumbbells, some of them retrieved from junkyards. He built benches from welded pipes and invented his own machines, such as the "crusher" that worked the chest muscles. And despite Cold War trade restrictions on Soviet goods, he brought in stainless-steel Russian weight sets, considered the most precise and rugged in the world. "The Russian athletes and their coaches, they were the best," he said. "To lift their weights was a symbolic issue. It wasn't that we were communists rebelling. It was that we lift their weights now, and next time we'll beat them." Though the gymnasium was built mainly by Gajda's hustle, ingenuity and reputation--he won three major bodybuilding titles in 1966--he and others say mob bosses who hung out at the Duncan "Y" also played a role. "These guys would go there and use the steam room for their discussions, because nobody could come in wired up," said Alek Jakich, 55, a retired Chicago housing inspector who lifted there as a teenager. "Whenever there was a funding problem, Gajda would talk to one of them and it was like, `Sure kid, here's a couple grand.'" Such money-raising helped bring in new equipment and fund one of the nation's finest competitive weightlifting teams, but it didn't exactly turn the Duncan "Y" into the Taj Mahal. "We had hot steam pipes, leaky faucets," said Terry Strand, 56, a personal trainer. "You cut yourself on the chipped-up tile in the shower room. There were broken-down lockers. The whole place reeked like Bengay. It was a dungeon. It was great." Pushing weights was just part of the young lifters' Spartan routine. They shunned white bread and Twinkies as devoutly as booze and drugs, favoring protein binges of milk, raw eggs or powdered meat dissolved in tomato juice. The worse it tasted, they figured, the better it had to be. By the late 1960s, the Duncan "Y" had become a leading muscle Mecca, a peer to Gold's Gym in California or Mid-City Gym in New York. It was the base for Sergio Oliva, a massive Cuban defector known as one of history's greatest bodybuilders, and once attracted a visit from the young Arnold Schwarzenegger. "Those guys were really studious," said Shawn Perine, senior writer at Flex magazine. "With the Chicago winters as they were, you weren't doing it to walk around the beach in a tank top. That was real hard-core, down-and-dirty training." But in 1970, YMCA officials decided the troubled neighborhood needed more services for children and ex-cons, and that the programs should take over the weightlifting space. As Gajda remembers, he was called into the boss' office and told: "We want to close down the hernia factory." Just like that, the glorious 7-year run was over. Gajda became a physical rehabilitation expert, helping the likes of Jim McMahon and John McEnroe recover from injuries. Many of his proteges gave up competitive bodybuilding and weightlifting, disgusted by the increasingly large role played by steroids and other drugs. "Back then it was a healthful activity," said Jakich. "Today it's about who's got the best pharmacist." But most of the gang has continued to hit the weights. They might not be the giants they were in the 1960s, but they're still plenty strong and proud of it. Asked about his bench press, Gajda, a trim man with a graying goatee, shot back: "I'll go outside and put 270 on. You want to see it?" Such bravado will surely be part of Sunday's reunion, as will sadness over the deaths of Chicago bodybuilding icons like Jesse "Rock" Stonewall. But most of all, these pumped-up pioneers will share their pride in how they built a sport that became even bigger than their biceps. "We're the `for-real' muscleheads," said Monroe Saffold, 56, a Chicago science teacher who can still dead lift 500 pounds. "We're the ones who didn't get paid. We did it just for the love of it." ----- The reunion is today (Sunday) -- hopefully Terry will report back! |
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gem1 Old hand here on IOL Posts 825 
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10-17-04 02:44 PM - Post#35962
This is a report I really want to hear about. Hopefully another news article will be printed too. Guy |
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123abc At home here Posts 299 |
10-17-04 03:34 PM - Post#35963
Never knew that Bob beat Arnold. It certainly was never publicized like Mr. Roark said. I knew that Sergio, Zane, and Chet did and I thought the 4th guy was a fellow in Europe, Germany perhaps, that beat him before he came to America. Sure would like to see some pictures of Yorton and Gadja today and get their thoughts on things. There is a fairly recent picture of Sergio on his website with his manager at a table at a show somewhere I'm sure selling his pictures. Saw him last in Atlanta about 1995 when all the Mr. Olympias were on stage with Joe Weider for a group shot. They all still looked good. |
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cajinjohn Old time trainer Posts 12495
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10-17-04 06:00 PM - Post#35964
Wonder what happened to Bill Seno ? Power lifter and bodybuilder
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123abc At home here Posts 299 |
10-17-04 07:51 PM - Post#35965
Maybe Gadja was the one I was thinking of who beat Arnold in Europe (Germany). Just knew that someone had beaten him there but didn't know the name. |
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Gregthebody Carpal tunnel from posting! Posts 2949 |
10-17-04 09:15 PM - Post#35966
Only 3 have ever beaten Arnold.Zane,Yorton, and Sergio. I don't think Arnold was in the 1966 Mr. Universe. I'm a HUGE Arnold fan, and I may br wrong, but I think I'm right, greg It was Chet Yorton in 1966, Mr. Universe, Zane in 1968, Mr. Universe, and Sergio 1969, Mr. Olympia, (from Muscle Memory) Greg |
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