Dr. Benjamin J. S. Szumskyj is an Australian who used to be an editor, author and critic of weird fiction, horror and fantasy literature. Since becoming a Christian, he has written non-fiction regarding Christianity and remains a teacher.
143-471: Between 2003 and 2008 he edited several books on authors such as Robert E. Howard , Karl Edward Wagner , Fritz Leiber , Robert Bloch and William Peter Blatty and wrote dozens of essays and articles on literary criticism for several magazines and journals such as Notes in Contemporary Literature , Wormwood: Writings about Fantasy, Supernatural and Decadent Literature and Star*Line: Journal of
286-415: A "Conan yarn without sex interest." In another novel twist, Conan and the other protagonists have, at best, a pyrrhic victory ; this was rare for pulp magazines. This was followed by another experimental Conan story, " The Black Stranger ", with a similar setting. The story was, however, rejected by Weird Tales , which was rare for later Conan stories. Howard's next piece, " The Man-Eaters of Zamboula ",
429-501: A Conan novel that later became Drums of Tombalku . The third attempt at writing the novel was more successful, resulting in Howard's only Conan novel The Hour of the Dragon , which was probably started on or around March 17, 1934. This novel combines elements of two previous Conan stories, "Black Colossus" and "The Scarlet Citadel", with Arthurian myth and provides an overview of Conan and
572-681: A back seat. The National Physique Committee (NPC) was formed in 1981 by Jim Manion, who had just stepped down as chairman of the AAU Physique Committee. The NPC has gone on to become the most successful bodybuilding organization in the United States and is the amateur division of the IFBB. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the decline of AAU-sponsored bodybuilding contests. In 1999, the AAU voted to discontinue its bodybuilding events. This period also saw
715-457: A bimonthly publication and pulps such as Fight Stories , Action Stories , and Strange Tales all folded. Howard was further hit when his savings were wiped out in 1931 when the Farmer's National Bank failed , and again, after transferring to another bank, when that one failed as well. Early 1932 saw Howard taking one of his frequent trips around Texas. He traveled through the southern part of
858-493: A bodybuilder who has won qualifying competitions as an amateur and has earned a "pro card" from their respective organization. Professionals earn the right to compete in competitions that include monetary prizes. A pro card also prohibits the athlete from competing in federations other than the one from which they have received the pro card. Depending on the level of success, these bodybuilders may receive monetary compensation from sponsors, much like athletes in other sports. Due to
1001-542: A boxer called Kid Allison. Howard wrote ten stories for this series but Sport Story only published three of them. With solid markets now all buying up his stories regularly, Howard quit taking college classes, and indeed would never again work a regular job. At twenty-three years of age, from the middle of nowhere in Texas, he had become a full-time writer; he was making good money and his father began bragging about his success, not to mention buying multiple copies of his work in
1144-438: A boxing-related ghost story published in the magazine Ghost Stories . In July of the same year, Argosy finally published one of Howard's stories, "Crowd-Horror", which was also a boxing story. Neither developed into ongoing series, however. After several minor successes and false starts, he struck gold again with a new series based on one of his favorite passions: boxing. July 1929 saw the debut of Sailor Steve Costigan in
1287-534: A category that emphasizes symmetry, proportion, pleasing lines, and a small waist over size and mass. The competitors in this category are not nearly as big as Open class bodybuilders but not as small as Men's Physique competitors. They pose and perform in men's boxer briefs or posing trunks to show off the legs as in the Open class, unlike Men's Physique which hide the legs in board shorts. The judging criteria also looks to see certain poses emphasized, such as ones accentuating
1430-467: A coma from which she was not expected to wake, he walked out to his car parked outside his kitchen window and shot himself in the head while sitting in the driver's seat. He died eight hours later. Howard was born January 22, 1906, in Peaster, Texas , the only son of a traveling country physician, Dr. Isaac Mordecai Howard, and his wife, Hester Jane Ervin Howard. His early life was spent wandering through
1573-543: A couple's romance and created a new one with a supernatural element; the story was re-titled " The Phoenix on the Sword ", an element from this new subplot. Howard immediately went on to write two more Conan stories. The first of these was " The Frost-Giant's Daughter ", an inversion of the Greek myth surrounding Apollo and Daphne, set much earlier in Conan's life. The last of the initial trio
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#17328951275641716-626: A figurehead (hosting a WBF television program on USA Network , and planning to make a guest pose during the 1992 championship before being injured in a motorcycle accident) and attempting to sign Lou Ferrigno (who left the organization shortly after the drug testing policy was announced) did not come to fruition. The second PPV received a minuscule audience, and the WBF dissolved only one month later in July 1992. In 2003, Joe Weider sold Weider Publications to American Media, Inc. (AMI). The position of president of
1859-445: A higher BV than that of soy , which was additionally avoided due to its alleged estrogenic (female hormone) properties, though more recent studies have shown that soy actually contains phytoestrogens which compete with estrogens in the male body and can block estrogenic actions. Soy, flax , and other plant-based foods that contain phytoestrogens are also beneficial because they can inhibit some pituitary functions while stimulating
2002-536: A hormone enabling cells to get the glucose they need. Insulin also carries amino acids into cells and promotes protein synthesis . Insulin has steroid-like effects in terms of muscle gains. It is impossible to promote protein synthesis without the existence of insulin, which means that without ingesting carbohydrates or protein—which also induces the release of insulin—it is impossible to add muscle mass. Bodybuilders seek out low-glycemic polysaccharides and other slowly digesting carbohydrates, which release energy in
2145-642: A house in the town with a cash down payment and made extensive renovations. That same year, sitting in a library in New Orleans while his father took medical courses at a nearby college, Howard discovered a book concerned with the scant fact and abundant legends surrounding an indigenous culture in ancient Scotland called the Picts . In 1920, the Vestal Well within the limits of Cross Plains struck oil and Cross Plains became an oil boomtown. Thousands of people arrived in
2288-533: A job writing oil news for the local newspaper Cross Plains Review at $ 5 per column. It was not until July 1925 that Howard received payment for his first printed story. Howard lost his job at the newspaper in the same year and spent one month working in a post office before quitting over the low wages. His next job, at the Cross Plains Natural Gas Company, did not last long due to his refusal to be subservient to his boss. He did manual labor for
2431-508: A letter dated March 10, 1932, Farnsworth Wright rejected "The Frost-Giant's Daughter" but noted that "The Phoenix on the Sword" had "points of real excellence" and suggested changes. "The God in the Bowl" would also be rejected and so a potential fourth Conan story concerning Conan as a thief was abandoned at the synopsis stage. Instead of abandoning the entire Conan concept, as had happened with previous failed characters, Howard rewrote "The Phoenix on
2574-410: A literary course but was not allowed to take one. The reason for this is undocumented, however biographer Mark Finn suggests that his father refused to pay for such a non-vocational education. In the week of Thanksgiving that year, and after years of rejection slips and near acceptances, he finally sold a short caveman tale titled "Spear and Fang", which netted him the sum of $ 16 and introduced him to
2717-631: A more informed consumer base. Another growing trend with gym-related social media is the phenomenon of gym-shaming; a video posted by content creator Jessica Fernandez on Twitch that went viral showed her lifting weights in a gym while a man in the background stared at her, sparking a widespread debate about narcissism and an increasingly toxic gym culture in the age of social media. The video led to criticism of an emerging trend in which gyms, once known as places for focused workouts, are now being treated as filming locations for aspiring or established influencers with bystanders being unintentionally placed under
2860-436: A more relatable image. These ambassadors, often in the form of fitness influencers or personal trainers, promote the brand by sharing their workout routines, dietary plans, and gym clothing. YouTube in particular has seen a surge in fitness content, ranging from gym vlogs to detailed discussions on workout attire. This not only provides consumers with an abundance of free resources to aid their fitness journey, but also creates
3003-399: A more stable fashion than high-glycemic sugars and starches. This is important as high-glycemic carbohydrates cause a sharp insulin response, which places the body in a state where it is likely to store additional food energy as fat. However, bodybuilders frequently do ingest some quickly digesting sugars (often in form of pure dextrose or maltodextrin ) just before, during, and/or just after
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#17328951275643146-536: A muscle champion despite the fact that he lost a leg in World War I ). Actor Francis X. Bushman , who was a disciple of Sandow, started his career as a bodybuilder and sculptor's model before beginning his famous silent movie career. Bodybuilding became more popular in the 1950s and 1960s with the emergence of strength and gymnastics champions, and the simultaneous popularization of bodybuilding magazines, training principles, nutrition for bulking up and cutting down ,
3289-513: A natural talent for prose writing and the encouragement of teachers, created in Howard an interest in becoming a professional writer. From the age of nine he began writing stories, mostly tales of historical fiction centering on Vikings , Arabs , battles , and bloodshed. One by one he discovered the authors who would influence his later work: Jack London and his stories of reincarnation and past lives, most notably The Star Rover (1915); Rudyard Kipling 's tales of subcontinent adventures;
3432-516: A new style of tale that ultimately became known as " sword and sorcery ". Featuring Kull , a barbarian precursor to later Howard heroes such as Conan , the tale hit Weird Tales in August 1929 and received fanfare from readers. Weird Tales editor Farnsworth Wright bought the story for $ 100, the most Howard had earned for a story at this time, and several more Kull stories followed. However, all but two were rejected, convincing Howard not to continue
3575-534: A number of IFBB regulars. The IFBB's inaugural championship in June 1991 (won by Gary Strydom ) received mixed reviews. The WBF would be indirectly impacted by a steroid scandal involving the WWF, prompting the organization to impose a drug testing policy prior to the 1992 championship. The drug testing policy hampered the quality of the 1992 championship, while attempts to increase interest by hiring WCW wrestler Lex Luger as
3718-499: A panel of judges who rank them based on conditioning, muscularity, posing, size, stage presentation, and symmetry. Bodybuilders prepare for competitions by exercising and eliminating non-essential body fat . This is enhanced at the final stage by a combination of carbohydrate loading and dehydration to achieve maximum muscle definition and vascularity . Most bodybuilders also tan and shave their bodies prior to competition. Bodybuilding requires significant time and effort to reach
3861-429: A personal choreographed routine to display their physique. A posedown is usually held at the end of a posing round, while judges are finishing their scoring. Bodybuilders are advised to spend a lot of time practising their posing in front of mirrors or under the guidance of their coach. In contrast to strongman or powerlifting competitions, where physical strength is paramount, or to Olympic weightlifting , where
4004-692: A result of this apprenticeship, his stories increasingly took on the aura of "prose-poems" filled with hypnotic, dreamy imagery and a power lacking in most other pulp efforts of the time. Further story sales to Weird Tales were sporadic but encouraging, and soon Howard was a regular in the magazine. His first cover story was for " Wolfshead ", a werewolf story published when he was only twenty. On reading "Wolfshead" in Weird Tales Howard became dismayed with his writing. He quit his stenographer's job to work at Robertson's Drug Store, where he rose to become head soda jerk on $ 80 per week. However, he resented
4147-540: A self-created regimen of exercise, including cutting down oak trees and chopping them into firewood every day, lifting weights, punching a bag and springing exercises, eventually building himself from a skinny teenager into a more muscled, burly form. Howard spent his late teens working odd jobs around Cross Plains, all of which he hated. In 1924, Howard returned to Brownwood to take a stenography course at Howard Payne College , this time boarding with his friend Lindsey Tyson instead of his mother. Howard would have preferred
4290-517: A series in print beyond just two stories, with seven Kane stories printed from 1928 to 1932. As the magazine published the Solomon Kane tale before Kull, this can be considered the first published example of sword and sorcery. 1929 was the year Howard broke out into other pulp markets, rather than just Weird Tales . The first story he sold to another magazine was "The Apparition in the Prize Ring",
4433-427: A state of anabolism . The cutting phase entails remaining in a net negative energy balance (calorie deficit). The main goal of cutting is to oxidize fat while preserving as much muscle as possible. The larger the calorie deficit, the faster one will lose weight. However, a large calorie deficit will also create the risk of losing muscle tissue. The bulking and cutting strategy is considered effective because there
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4576-593: A surveyor for a time before beginning a job as a stenographer for an oil company. In conjunction with his friend Tevis Clyde Smith , he dabbled heavily in verse, writing hundreds of poems and getting dozens published in Weird Tales and assorted poetry journals. With poor sales, and many publishers recoiling from his subject matter, Howard ultimately judged poetry writing a luxury he could not afford, and after 1930 he wrote little verse, instead dedicating his time to short stories and higher-paying markets. Nevertheless, as
4719-502: A variety of Texas cowtowns and boomtowns: Dark Valley (1906), Seminole (1908), Bronte (1909), Poteet (1910), Oran (1912), Wichita Falls (1913), Bagwell (1913), Cross Cut (1915), and Burkett (1917). During Howard's youth his parents' relationship began to break down. The Howard family had problems with money, which might have been exacerbated by Isaac Howard investing in get-rich-quick schemes. Hester Howard, meanwhile, came to believe that she had married below herself. Soon
4862-407: A variety of series characters. Soon he was submitting stories to magazines such as Adventure and Argosy . Rejections piled up, and with no mentors or instructions of any kind to aid him, Howard became a writing autodidact , methodically studying the markets and tailoring his stories and style to each. In the fall of 1922, when Howard was sixteen, he temporarily moved to a boarding house in
5005-491: A vigorous correspondence that would last for the rest of Howard's life. By virtue of this, Howard quickly became a member of the "Lovecraft Circle", a group of writers and friends all linked via the immense correspondence of H. P. Lovecraft (who wrote over 100,000 letters in his lifetime ), who made it a point to introduce his many like-minded friends to one another and encourage them to share stories, utilize each other's invented fictional trappings, and help each other succeed in
5148-485: A workout. This may help to replenish glycogen stored within the muscle, and to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. The motor proteins actin and myosin generate the forces exerted by contracting muscles. Cortisol decreases amino acid uptake by muscle and inhibits protein synthesis. Current recommendations suggest that bodybuilders should consume 25–30% of protein per total calorie intake to further their goal of maintaining and improving their body composition. This
5291-524: Is G. K. Chesterton 's The Ballad of the White Horse and Chesterton's concept that "it is the chief value of legend to mix up the centuries while preserving the sentiment." By March, Howard had recycled an unpublished Kull story called " By This Axe I Rule! " into his first Conan story. The central plot remains that of a barbarian having become king of a civilized country and a conspiracy to assassinate him. However, he removed an entire subplot concerning
5434-443: Is Howard's earliest surviving boxing story known to exist; it is told in the first person, uses elements of a traditional tall-tale and is a fictionalized account of Howard (as "Steve") and his friend Lindsey Tyson (as "Spike") training for a fight. This story and the elements it uses would also be important in Howard's literary future. In May 1927, after having to return home due to contracting measles and then being forced to retake
5577-474: Is a well-established link between muscle hypertrophy and being in a state of positive energy balance. A sustained period of caloric surplus will allow the athlete to gain more fat-free mass than they could otherwise gain under eucaloric conditions. Some gain in fat mass is expected, which athletes seek to oxidize in a cutting period while maintaining as much lean mass as possible. However, it is unclear whether one can maintain enough fat-free mass during cutting for
5720-570: Is a widely debated topic, with many arguing that 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day is ideal, some suggesting that less is sufficient, while others recommending 1.5, 2, or more. It is believed that protein needs to be consumed frequently throughout the day, especially during/after a workout, and before sleep. There is also some debate concerning the best type of protein to take. Chicken, turkey, beef, pork, fish, eggs and dairy foods are high in protein, as are some nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils. Casein or whey are often used to supplement
5863-473: Is combined with cardiovascular exercise to lose body fat . Proteins, carbohydrates and fats are the three major macronutrients that the human body needs to build muscle. The ratios of calories from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats vary depending on the goals of the bodybuilder. Carbohydrates play an important role for bodybuilders. They give the body energy to deal with the rigors of training and recovery. Carbohydrates also promote secretion of insulin ,
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6006-401: Is favored by bodybuilders more than myofibrillar hypertrophy, which builds athletic strength. Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is triggered by increasing repetitions, whereas myofibrillar hypertrophy is triggered by lifting heavier weight. In either case, there is an increase in both size and strength of the muscles (compared to what happens if that same individual does not lift weights at all), although
6149-528: Is not a sport. The advent of social media had a profound influence on fitness and bodybuilding. It is common to see platforms such as Instagram , TikTok , and YouTube flooded with fitness-related content, changing how the average person views and interacts with fitness culture. Gym clothing brands like Gymshark, YoungLA and Rawgear leveraged this platform to create their brands. By recruiting fitness ambassadors—real people who embody their brand values—these companies personalize their marketing strategy and create
6292-641: Is now Scott Sheaffer.) It was in 2008 that Szumskyj left the field of literary criticism to devote his life to his Christian commitments (as noted in Within the Shadow of the Cross , SSWFT #37), renouncing his former works as inconsistent with his faith. The change was so significant, it resulted in him writing The Pilgrim’s Digress: Why Christians Should Avoid the Fantasy and Horror Genres (Ichthus Publications, 2015). As he wrote in
6435-407: Is the process of eating at a massive caloric surplus without trying to figure out the exact amount of ingested macronutrients, often down with junk food such as burgers and fries. Weightlifters who attempt to gain mass quickly with no aesthetic concerns often choose to do this. Bodybuilders use three main strategies to maximize muscle hypertrophy : Intensive weight training causes micro-tears to
6578-438: Is to have higher calorie and lower calorie days to maintain a balance between gain and loss. Many clean bulk diets start off with a moderate amount of carbs, moderate amount of protein, and a low amount of fats. To maintain a clean bulk, it is important to reach calorie goals every day. Macronutrient goals (carbs, fats, and proteins) will be different for each person, but it is ideal to get as close as possible. "Dirty bulking"
6721-775: The Controlled Substances Act (CSA). In Canada, steroids are listed under Schedule IV of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act , enacted by the federal Parliament in 1996. In 1990, professional wrestling promoter Vince McMahon attempted to form his own bodybuilding organization known as the World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF). It operated as a sister to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), which provided cross-promotion via its performers and personalities. Tom Platz served as
6864-452: The Middle Ages and the early Renaissance , tales that rival even his best Conan stories for their historical sweep and splendor. In addition to series characters such as Turlogh Dubh O'Brien and Cormac Fitzgeoffrey , Howard sold a variety of tales depicting various times and periods from the fall of Rome to the fifteenth century. The magazine eventually ceased publication in 1934 due to
7007-514: The Royal Albert Hall in London. Judged by Sandow, Sir Charles Lawes, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle , the contest was a great success and many bodybuilding enthusiasts were turned away due to the overwhelming number of audience members. The trophy presented to the winner was a gold statue of Sandow sculpted by Frederick Pomeroy. The winner was William L. Murray of Nottingham . The silver Sandow trophy
7150-867: The Science Fiction Poetry Association . He was also general editor of the journal Studies in Fantasy Literature and editor-in-chief of the journal Studies in Australian Weird Fiction , before the former was cancelled because the publisher shut down and the latter was handed over to poet and critic Phillip A. Ellis. He was also the editor of Sword and Sorcery & Weird Fiction Terminus (SSWFT) amateur press association from its inception in March 2001 until December 2008. SSWFT has members in Australia, US, UK, Finland and Sweden (the a.p.a.'s Editor
7293-568: The vacuum to illustrate a tapered torso and lack of the infamous bloated gut of Open bodybuilding. The Classic Physique division in Mr. Olympia began in 2016. Danny Hester was the first classic physique Mr. Olympia. As of 2024 , Chris Bumstead is the 6x reigning Mr. Olympia. The female movement of the 1960s, combined with Title IX and the all around fitness revolution, gave birth to new alternative perspectives of feminine beauty that included an athletic physique of toned muscle. This athletic physique
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#17328951275647436-512: The "off-season") and, approximately 12–14 weeks from competition, lose a maximum of body fat (referred to as "cutting") while preserving as much muscular mass as possible. The bulking phase entails remaining in a net positive energy balance ( calorie surplus). The amount of a surplus in which a person remains is based on the person's goals, as a bigger surplus and longer bulking phase will create more fat tissue. The surplus of calories relative to one's energy balance will ensure that muscles remain in
7579-531: The 1950s (such as Vince's Gym in North Hollywood, California and Vic Tanny 's chain gyms), there were still segments of the United States that had no "hardcore" bodybuilding gyms until the advent of Gold's Gym in the mid-1960s. Finally, the famed Muscle Beach in Santa Monica continued its popularity as the place to be for witnessing acrobatic acts, feats of strength, and the like. The movement grew more in
7722-493: The 1960s with increased TV and movie exposure, as bodybuilders were typecast in popular shows and movies. In the 1970s, bodybuilding had major publicity thanks to the appearance of Arnold Schwarzenegger , Franco Columbu , Lou Ferrigno , Mike Mentzer and others in the 1977 docudrama Pumping Iron . By this time, the IFBB dominated the competitive bodybuilding landscape and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) took
7865-539: The 2011 NPC Armbrust Pro Gym Warrior Classic Championships in Loveland, Colorado , at the age of 75 years and 349 days. In competitive bodybuilding, bodybuilders aspire to present an " aesthetically pleasing" body on stage. In prejudging, competitors do a series of mandatory poses: the front lat spread, rear lat spread, front double biceps , back double biceps , side chest , side triceps , Most Muscular (men only), abdominals and thighs . Each competitor also performs
8008-513: The Border ". This was the first Conan tale to have an explicit ( Robert W. Chambers -influenced) American setting, although American themes had appeared earlier, and the only one in which Conan himself does not appear. His next story was based on his unfinished material and became " Beyond the Black River ", which not only used the different American-frontier setting but was also, in Howard's own words,
8151-531: The Depression, leaving several of Howard's stories aimed at this market unsold. In August 1930 Howard wrote a letter to Weird Tales praising a recent reprint of H. P. Lovecraft 's " The Rats in the Walls " and discussing some of the obscure Gaelic references used within. Editor Farnsworth Wright forwarded the letter to Lovecraft, who responded warmly to Howard, and soon the two Weird Tales veterans were engaged in
8294-506: The Depression. Also in this period, Howard wrote the first of the James Allison stories, "Marchers of Valhalla". Allison is a disabled Texan who begins to recall his past lives, the first of which is in the later part of Howard's new Hyborian age. In a letter to Clark Ashton Smith in October 1933, he wrote that its sequel "The Garden of Fear" was "dealing with one of my various conceptions of
8437-498: The Headland ", " The Children of the Night " and " The Fire of Asshurbanipal "). He also corresponded with other "Weird Tale" writers such as Clark Ashton Smith , August Derleth , and E. Hoffmann Price . The correspondence between Howard and Lovecraft contained a lengthy discussion on a frequent element in Howard's fiction, barbarism versus civilization. Howard held that civilization
8580-470: The Hyborian age for the new British audience. Howard sent his final draft to Denis Archer on May 20, 1934. He had worked exclusively on the novel for two months, writing approximately 5,000 words per day, seven days a week. Although he told acquaintances that he had little hope for this novel, he had put a lot of effort into it. However, the publisher went into receivership in late 1934, before it could print
8723-536: The Hyborian and post-Hyborian world." In May 1933, a British publisher, Denis Archer, contacted Howard about publishing a book in the United Kingdom. Howard submitted a batch of his best available stories, including "The Tower of the Elephant" and " The Scarlet Citadel ", on June 15. In January 1934 the publisher rejected the collection but suggested a novel instead. Though the publisher was "exceedingly interested" in
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#17328951275648866-549: The IFBB was filled by Rafael Santonja following the death of Ben Weider in October 2008. In 2004, contest promoter Wayne DeMilia broke ranks with the IFBB and AMI took over the promotion of the Mr. Olympia contest: in 2017 AMI took the contest outright. In the early 21st century, patterns of consumption and recreation similar to those of the United States became more widespread in Europe and especially in Eastern Europe following
9009-500: The Physique category is primarily judged by the front and back poses. Many of the men's physique competitors are not above 200 lbs and have a bit of a more attainable and aesthetic physique in comparison to open-bodybuilders. Although this category started off slowly, it has grown tremendously, and currently men's physique seems to be a more popular class than open-bodybuilding. This is the middle ground of Men's Physique and Bodybuilding,
9152-712: The Picts in their struggle against the invading Romans , and introduced readers to Howard's king of the Picts, Bran Mak Morn . Howard followed up this tale with the now-classic revenge nightmare " Worms of the Earth " and several other tales, creating horrific adventures tinged with a Cthulhu -esque gloss and notable for their use of metaphor and symbolism. With the onset of the Great Depression , many pulp markets reduced their schedules or went out of business entirely. Howard saw market after market falter and vanish. Weird Tales became
9295-453: The Sword" based on Wright's feedback and including material from his essay. Both this revision and the next Conan story, " The Tower of the Elephant ", sold with no problems. Howard had written nine Conan stories before the first saw print. Conan first appeared to the public in Weird Tales in December 1932 and was such a hit that Howard was eventually able to place seventeen Conan stories in
9438-513: The Truth: A Christian Insider's Story , he is the author of Souls Knit Together: Thirty-One Lessons On Friendship From David And Jonathan (Pronomian Press, 2024). This biographical article about a print editor is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about an Australian writer is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936)
9581-558: The WBF's director of talent development, and announced the new organization during an ambush of that year's Mr. Olympia (which, unbeknownst to organizers, McMahon and Platz had attended as representatives of an accompanying magazine, Bodybuilding Lifestyles ). It touted efforts to bring bigger prize money and more "dramatic" events to the sport of bodybuilding—which resulted in its championships being held as pay-per-view events with WWF-inspired sports entertainment features and showmanship. The organization signed high-valued contracts with
9724-466: The World Bodybuilding Guild (WBBG). Consequently, the contests grew both in number and in size. Besides the many "Mr. XXX" (insert town, city, state, or region) championships, the most prestigious titles were Mr. America , Mr. World, Mr. Universe, Mr. Galaxy, and ultimately Mr. Olympia , which was started in 1965 by the IFBB and is now considered the most important bodybuilding competition in
9867-496: The age of nine, he longed to become a writer of adventure fiction but did not have real success until he was 23. Thereafter, until his death by suicide at age 30, Howard's writings were published in a wide selection of magazines, journals, and newspapers, and he became proficient in several subgenres. His greatest success occurred after his death. Although a Conan novel was nearly published in 1934, Howard's stories were never collected during his lifetime. The main outlet for his stories
10010-561: The bronze trophy. Since then, Mr. Olympia winners have been consistently awarded a replica of the bronze Sandow. The first large-scale bodybuilding competition in America took place from December 28, 1903, to January 2, 1904, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The competition was promoted by Bernarr Macfadden , the father of physical culture and publisher of original bodybuilding magazines such as Health & Strength . The winner
10153-430: The bulking phase. Eating more frequently does not increase basal metabolic rate when compared to 3 meals a day. While food does have a metabolic cost to digest, absorb, and store, called the thermic effect of food , it depends on the quantity and type of food, not how the food is spread across the meals of the day. Well-controlled studies using whole-body calorimetry and doubly labeled water have demonstrated that there
10296-412: The character of Conan . Later, in 1935, Howard claimed in a letter to Clark Ashton Smith that Conan "simply grew up in my mind a few years ago when I was stopping in a little border town on the lower Rio Grande." However, the character actually took nine months to develop. Howard had originally used the name "Conan" for a Gael reaver in a past-life-themed story he completed in October 1931, which
10439-461: The citizenry by so-called 'civilized' leaders. Howard initially deferred to Lovecraft but gradually asserted his own views, even coming to deride Lovecraft's opinions. In 1930, with his interest in Solomon Kane dwindling and his Kull stories not catching on, Howard applied his new sword-and-sorcery and horror experience to one of his first loves: the Picts . His story "Kings of the Night" depicted King Kull conjured into pre-Christian Britain to aid
10582-482: The classic mythological tales collected by Thomas Bulfinch . Howard was considered by friends to be eidetic , and astounded them with his ability to memorize lengthy reams of poetry with ease after one or two readings. In 1919, when Howard was thirteen, Dr. Howard moved his family to the Central Texas hamlet of Cross Plains , and there the family would stay for the rest of Howard's life. Howard's father bought
10725-633: The collapse of the Soviet Union . This resulted in the emergence of whole new populations of bodybuilders from former Eastern Bloc states. In the early 2000s, the IFBB was attempting to make bodybuilding an Olympic sport. It obtained full IOC membership in 2000 and was attempting to get approved as a demonstration event at the Olympics, which would hopefully lead to it being added as a full contest. This did not happen and Olympic recognition for bodybuilding remains controversial since many argue that bodybuilding
10868-606: The combination of a traditional tall tale and slapstick comedy. Stories sold to Fight Stories provided Howard with a market just as stable as Weird Tales . Due to his success in Fight Stories , Howard was contacted by the publisher Street & Smith in February 1931 with a request to move the Steve Costigan stories to their own pulp Sport Story Magazine . Howard refused but created a new, similar series just for them based on
11011-450: The conclusion of the book, "I regret very, very much what I edited and wrote during my almost ten years in the field of literary criticism. Without sounding melodramatic, it spiritually sickens me, and if I could, I would destroy ever last copy of what I wrote and contributed to and expunge every title bearing my name or contribution from the Internet, along with the memories indelibly etched on
11154-618: The course, Howard passed his exams. While waiting for the official graduation in August, he returned to writing, including a re-write of "The Shadow Kingdom". He rewrote it again in August and submitted it to Weird Tales in September. This story was an experiment with the entire concept of the "weird tale" horror fiction as defined by practitioners such as Edgar Allan Poe , A. Merritt , and H. P. Lovecraft , mixing elements of fantasy, horror and mythology with historical romance , action and swordplay into thematic vehicles never before seen,
11297-598: The desired results. A novice bodybuilder may be able to gain 8–15 pounds (4–7 kg) of muscle per year if they lift weights for seven hours per week, but muscle gains begin to slow down after the first two years to about 5–15 pounds (2–7 kg) per year. After five years, gains can decrease to as little as 3–10 pounds (1–5 kg) per year. Some bodybuilders use anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs to build muscles and recover from injuries faster. However, using performance-enhancing drugs can have serious health risks. Furthermore, most competitions prohibit
11440-478: The diet with additional protein. Whey is the type of protein contained in many popular brands of protein supplements and is preferred by many bodybuilders because of its high biological value (BV) and quick absorption rates. Whey protein also has a bigger effect than casein on insulin levels, triggering about double the amount of insulin release. That effect is somewhat overcome by combining casein and whey. Bodybuilders were previously thought to require protein with
11583-421: The drug store and, in September, returned to Brownwood to complete his bookkeeping course. It was during this August that he began working on the story that would become " The Shadow Kingdom ", one of the most important works of his career. While at college, Howard wrote for their newspaper, The Yellow Jacket . One of the short stories printed in this newspaper was a comedy called "Cupid vs. Pollux". This story
11726-400: The emphasis is different. The high levels of muscle growth and repair achieved by bodybuilders require a specialized diet. Generally speaking, bodybuilders require more calories than the average person of the same weight to provide the protein and energy requirements needed to support their training and increase muscle mass. In preparation of a contest, a sub-maintenance level of food energy
11869-448: The entrants were judged solely on muscularity. In 1980, the first Ms. Olympia (initially known as the "Miss" Olympia), the most prestigious contest for professionals, was held. The first winner was Rachel McLish , who had also won the NPC's USA Championship earlier in the year. The contest was a major turning point for female bodybuilding. In 1985, the documentary Pumping Iron II: The Women
12012-508: The final version. " Rogues in the House " is the only Conan story to be completed in a single draft. These stories sold easily and they include the first and second Conan stories to feature on the cover of Weird Tales , " Black Colossus " and " Xuthal of the Dusk ". Howard's motivation for quick and easy sales at this time was influenced by the collapse of some other markets, such as Fight Stories , in
12155-491: The genre of sword and sorcery grew up around Howard's masterwork, with dozens of practitioners evoking Howard's creation to one degree or another. In spring 1933, Howard started to place work with Otis Adelbert Kline , a former pulp writer, as his agent. Kline encouraged him to try writing in other genres in order to expand into different markets. Kline's agency was successful in finding outlets for more of Howard's stories and even placed works that had been rejected when Howard
12298-422: The growing concerns of the high cost, health consequences, and illegal nature of some steroids, many organizations have formed in response and have deemed themselves "natural" bodybuilding competitions. In addition to the concerns noted, many promoters of bodybuilding have sought to shed the "freakish" perception that the general public has of bodybuilding and have successfully introduced a more mainstream audience to
12441-579: The hopes of becoming a member of the IOC , the IFBB introduced doping tests for both steroids and other banned substances. Although doping tests occurred, the majority of professional bodybuilders still used anabolic steroids for competition. During the 1970s, the use of anabolic steroids was openly discussed, partly due to the fact they were legal. In the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990, U.S. Congress placed anabolic steroids into Schedule III of
12584-438: The influence which bodybuilding content on social media has on young adults and their perception of their own bodies, as they tend to compare themselves to gym influencers online. These concerns get further exacerbated by the poor transparency about steroid use on social media, as many influencers either don't elaborate about whether or not they are "natural" bodybuilders, or firmly deny accusations about being "enhanced". This blurs
12727-512: The job itself and worked such long hours every day of the week that he became ill. He relaxed by visiting the Neeb Ice House, to which he was introduced by an oil field worker befriended at the drug store, to drink and began to take part in boxing matches. These matches became an important part of his life; the combination of boxing and writing provided an outlet for his frustrations and anger. In August 1926, Howard quit his exhausting job at
12870-412: The larger ones include: MuscleMania, Ultimate Fitness Events (UFE), INBF/WNBF, and INBA/PNBA. These organizations either have an American or worldwide presence and are not limited to the country in which they are headquartered. Due to those who found open-bodybuilding to be "too big" or "ugly" and unhealthy, a new category was started in 2013. The first Men's Physique Olympia winner was Mark Wingson, who
13013-448: The late 1980s and early 1990s. The related areas of fitness and figure competition increased in popularity, surpassing that of female bodybuilding, and provided an alternative for women who choose not to develop the level of muscularity necessary for bodybuilding. McLish would closely resemble what is thought of today as a fitness and figure competitor, instead of what is now considered a female bodybuilder. E. Wilma Conner competed in
13156-589: The line between what can be achieved naturally and what can only be achieved through the use of anabolic steroids. This is also detrimental for adult lifters since they often find their body image being skewed by the content they consume, potentially leading to an unhealthy relationship towards nutrition and exercise. Mental disorders such as body dysmorphia or eating disorders might also be a consequence. However, more and more influencers are opening up about steroid use and strongly advocate for transparency about steroid use online. This has sparked an ongoing open debate about
13299-437: The liver's P450 system (which eliminates hormones, drugs, and waste from the body) to more actively process and excrete excess estrogen. Some bodybuilders often split their food intake into 5 to 7 meals of equal nutritional content and eat at regular intervals (e.g., every 2 to 3 hours). This approach serves two purposes: to limit overindulging in the cutting phase, and to allow for the consumption of large volumes of food during
13442-523: The magazine between 1933 and 1936. Howard then took a short break from Conan after his initial burst of stories, returning to the character in mid-1933. These stories, his "middle period", are routine and considered the weakest of the series. Stories, such as " Iron Shadows in the Moon ", were often simply Conan rescuing a damsel in distress from a monster in some ruins. While earlier Conan stories had three or four drafts, some in this period had only two including
13585-402: The main point is equally split between strength and technique, bodybuilding competitions typically emphasize condition, size, and symmetry. Different organizations emphasize particular aspects of competition, and sometimes have different categories in which to compete. The general strategy adopted by most present-day competitive bodybuilders is to make muscle gains for most of the year (known as
13728-474: The men simply displayed their bodies as part of strength demonstrations or wrestling matches. Sandow had a stage show built around these displays through his manager, Florenz Ziegfeld . The Oscar -winning 1936 musical film The Great Ziegfeld depicts the beginning of modern bodybuilding, when Sandow began to display his body for carnivals. Sandow was so successful at flexing and posing his physique that he later created several businesses around his fame, and
13871-616: The minds of my readers. I abhor it all . That is why I can sympathize with the Apostle Paul’s line in Philippians 3:8... I agree with him [here] and feel the same about what I formerly read and wrote. Dung . The same can be said of what I watched. If to gain Christ is to lose the world’s literature (and non-fiction), then so be it. I would rather read through the lens of Christ" ("Conclusion: It's All About Philippians 3:8", p. 90-91). The book
14014-603: The muscles being trained; this is generally known as microtrauma . These micro-tears in the muscle contribute to the soreness felt after exercise, called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). It is the repair of these micro-traumas that results in muscle growth . Normally, this soreness becomes most apparent a day or two after a workout. However, as muscles become adapted to the exercises, soreness tends to decrease. Weight training aims to build muscle by prompting two different types of hypertrophy : sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar. Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy leads to larger muscles and so
14157-641: The nearby city of Brownwood to complete his senior year of high school, accompanied by his mother. It was in Brownwood that he first met friends his own age who shared his interest not only for sports and history but also writing and poetry. The two most important of these, Tevis Clyde Smith and Truett Vinson, shared his Bohemian and literary outlook on life, and together they wrote amateur papers and magazines, exchanged long letters filled with poetry and existential thoughts on life and philosophy, and encouraged each other's writing endeavors. Through Vinson, Howard
14300-400: The novel. The story was briefly held as part of the company's assets before being returned to Howard. It was later printed in Weird Tales as a serial over five months, beginning with the December 1935 issue. Howard may have begun losing interest in Conan in late 1934, with a growing desire to write westerns. He began to write, although never finished, a Conan story called " Wolves Beyond
14443-456: The omnipresence of evil and enemies in the world, and taught him the value of physical strength and violence. As the son of the local doctor, Howard had frequent exposure to the effects of injury and violence, due to accidents on farms and oil fields combined with the massive increase in crime that came with the oil boom . Firsthand tales of gunfights, lynchings , feuds , and Indian raids developed his distinctly Texan, hardboiled outlook on
14586-443: The overall process to be worth it. The attempt to increase muscle mass in one's body without any gain in fat is called clean bulking. Competitive bodybuilders focus their efforts to achieve a peak appearance during a brief "competition season". Clean bulking takes longer and is a more refined approach to achieving the body fat and muscle mass percentage a person is looking for. A common tactic for keeping fat low and muscle mass high
14729-460: The pages of Fight Stories . A tough-as-nails, two-fisted mariner with a head of rocks and occasionally a heart of gold, Costigan began boxing his way through a variety of exotic seaports and adventure locales, becoming so popular in Fight Stories that the same editors began using additional Costigan episodes in their sister magazine Action Stories . The series saw a return to Howard's use of humor and ( unreliable ) first-person narration, with
14872-659: The pair were actively fighting. Hester did not want Isaac to have anything to do with their son. She had a particularly strong influence on her son's intellectual growth. She had spent her early years helping a variety of sick relatives, contracting tuberculosis in the process. She instilled in her son a deep love of poetry and literature, recited verse daily and supported him unceasingly in his efforts to write. Other experiences would later seep into his prose. Although he loved reading and learning, he found school to be confining and began to hate having anyone in authority over him. Experiences watching and confronting bullies revealed
15015-629: The people who came with it. He was already poorly disposed towards oil booms as they were the cause of the constant traveling in his early years but this was aggravated by what he perceived to be the effect oil booms had on towns. "I'll say one thing about an oil boom; it will teach a kid that Life's a pretty rotten thing as quick as anything I can think of." —Robert E. Howard in a letter to Weird Tales editor Farnsworth Wright, Summer 1931. At fifteen Howard first sampled pulp magazines , especially Adventure and its star authors Talbot Mundy and Harold Lamb . The next few years saw him creating
15158-456: The pro level. Others were renowned for their spectacular development of a particular body part, like Tom Platz or Paul Demayo for their leg muscles. At the time of shooting Pumping Iron , Schwarzenegger, while never admitting to steroid use until long after his retirement, said, "You have to do anything you can to get the advantage in competition". He would later say that he did not regret using steroids. To combat anabolic steroid use and in
15301-463: The public and challenging each other. The focus was not on their physique, and they possessed relatively large bellies and fatty limbs compared to bodybuilders of today. Bodybuilding developed in the late 19th century, promoted in England by Eugen Sandow . He allowed audiences to enjoy viewing his physique in "muscle display performances". Although audiences were thrilled to see a well-developed physique,
15444-462: The public eye in the process. Bodybuilder Joey Swoll, who voiced his concerns over this culture, addressed the controversy by stating that while harassment in gyms needs to be addressed, the man in Fernandez's video was not guilty of it. Although social media is giving more attention to the world of bodybuilding, there are still some areas that are controversial. For instance, concerns are growing over
15587-661: The pulp field. In time this circle of correspondents has developed a legendary patina about it rivaling similar literary conclaves such as The Inklings , the Bloomsbury Group , and the Beats . Howard was given the affectionate nickname "Two-Gun Bob" by virtue of his long explications to Lovecraft about the history of his beloved Southwest , and during the ensuing years he contributed several notable elements to Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos of horror stories (beginning with " The Black Stone ", his Mythos stories also included " The Cairn on
15730-641: The pulps. Howard's " Celtic phase" began in 1930, during which he became fascinated by Celtic themes and his own Irish ancestry. He shared this enthusiasm with Harold Preece , a friend made in Austin in the summer of 1927; Howard's letters to both Preece and Clyde Smith contain much Irish-related material and discussion. Howard taught himself a little Gaelic , examined the Irish parts of his family history and began writing about Irish characters. Turlogh Dubh O'Brien and Cormac Mac Art were created at this time, although he
15873-559: The readers of a struggling pulp called Weird Tales . Now that his career in fiction had begun, Howard dropped out of Howard Payne College at the end of the semester and returned to Cross Plains. Shortly afterwards, he received notice that another story, "The Hyena", had been accepted by Weird Tales . During the same period, Howard made his first attempt to write a novel, a loosely autobiographical book modeled on Jack London 's Martin Eden and titled Post Oaks & Sand Roughs . The book
16016-607: The research necessary for a purely historical setting was too time-consuming for him to engage in on a regular basis and still earn a living. The Hyborian Age, with its varied settings similar to real places and eras of history, allowed him to write fantastical historical fiction without such problems. He may have been inspired in the creation of his setting by Thomas Bulfinch 's 1913 edition of his Bulfinch's Mythology called The Outline of Mythology , which contained stories from history and legend, including many that were direct influences on Howard's work. Another potential inspiration
16159-450: The rise of anabolic steroids in bodybuilding and many other sports. More significant use began with Arnold Schwarzenegger , Sergio Oliva , and Lou Ferrigno in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and continuing through the 1980s with Lee Haney , the 1990s with Dorian Yates , Ronnie Coleman , and Markus Rühl , and up to the present day. Bodybuilders such as Greg Kovacs attained mass and size never seen previously but were not successful at
16302-432: The risks of anabolic steroids. Many people view this as a positive trend as it raises awareness and educates about the effects, uses and dangers of steroids. Another topic which is now widely discussed online is mental health in association with bodybuilding, as aforementioned mental disorders might affect hobby lifters of all ages and backgrounds. In the modern bodybuilding industry, the term "professional" generally means
16445-407: The series. In March 1928, Howard salvaged and re-submitted to Weird Tales a story rejected by the more popular pulp Argosy , and the result was " Red Shadows ", the first of many stories featuring the vengeful Puritan swashbuckler Solomon Kane . Appearing in the August 1928 issue of Weird Tales , the character was a big hit with readers and this was the first of Howard's characters to sustain
16588-580: The sport of bodybuilding by including competitors whose physiques appear much more attainable and realistic. In natural contests, the testing protocol ranges among organizations from lie detectors to urinalysis . Penalties range from organization to organization, from suspensions to strict bans from competition. Natural organizations also have their own list of banned substances and it is important to refer to each organization's website for more information about which substances are banned from competition. There are many natural bodybuilding organizations; some of
16731-496: The state with his main occupation being, in his own words, "the wholesale consumption of tortillas, enchiladas and cheap Spanish wine." In Fredericksburg , while overlooking sullen hills through a misty rain, he conceived of the fantasy land of Cimmeria , a bitter hard northern region home to fearsome barbarians. In February, while in Mission , he wrote the poem Cimmeria . It was also during this trip that Howard first conceived of
16874-447: The stories, the rejection letter explained that there was a "prejudice that is very strong over here just now against collections of short stories." The suggested novel, however, could be published by Pawling and Ness Ltd in a first edition of 5,000 copies for lending libraries. In late 1933 Howard returned to Conan, starting again slightly awkwardly with " The Devil in Iron ". However, this
17017-474: The third following a few days later. With these three completed he created an essay called " The Hyborian Age " in order to flesh out his setting in more detail. There were four drafts of this essay, starting with a two-page outline and finishing as an 8,000-word essay. Howard supplemented this with two sketched maps and an additional short piece entitled "Notes on Various Peoples of the Hyborian Age." In
17160-417: The town looking for oil wealth. New businesses sprang up from scratch and the crime rate increased to match. Cross Plains' population quickly grew from 1,500 to 10,000, it suffered overcrowding, the traffic ruined its unpaved roads and vice crime exploded but it also used its new wealth on civic improvements, including a new school, an ice manufacturing plant, and new hotels. Howard hated the boom and despised
17303-482: The use of protein and other food supplements , and the opportunity to enter physique contests. The number of bodybuilding organizations grew, and most notably the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB) was founded in 1946 by Canadian brothers Joe and Ben Weider . Other bodybuilding organizations included the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), National Amateur Bodybuilding Association (NABBA), and
17446-882: The use of these substances. Despite some calls for drug testing to be implemented, the National Physique Committee (considered the leading amateur bodybuilding federation) does not require testing. The winner of the annual IFBB Mr. Olympia contest is recognized as the world's top male professional bodybuilder. Since 1950, the NABBA Universe Championships have been considered the top amateur bodybuilding contests, with notable winners including Ronnie Coleman , Jay Cutler , Steve Reeves , and Arnold Schwarzenegger . Stone-lifting competitions were practiced in ancient Egypt , Greece , and Tamilakam . Western weightlifting developed in Europe from 1880 to 1953, with strongmen displaying feats of strength for
17589-415: The world. During the 1950s, the most successful and most famous competing bodybuilders were Bill Pearl , Reg Park , Leroy Colbert , and Clarence Ross . Certain bodybuilders rose to fame thanks to the relatively new medium of television, as well as cinema. The most notable were Jack LaLanne , Steve Reeves , Reg Park, and Mickey Hargitay . While there were well-known gyms throughout the country during
17732-592: The world. Many other important bodybuilders in the early history of bodybuilding prior to 1930 include: Earle Liederman (writer of some of bodybuilding's earliest books), Zishe Breitbart , George Hackenschmidt , Emy Nkemena, George F. Jowett, Finn Hateral (a pioneer in the art of posing) , Frank Saldo , Monte Saldo , William Bankier , Launceston Elliot, Sig Klein , Sgt. Alfred Moss, Joe Nordquist, Lionel Strongfort ("Strongfortism"), Gustav Frištenský , Ralph Parcaut (a champion wrestler who also authored an early book on "physical culture"), and Alan P. Mead (who became
17875-434: The world. Sports, especially boxing , became a passionate preoccupation. At the time, boxing was the most popular sport in the country, with a cultural influence far in excess of what it is today. James J. Jeffries , Jack Johnson , Bob Fitzsimmons , and later Jack Dempsey were the names that inspired during those years, and he grew up a lover of all contests of violent, masculine struggle. Voracious reading, along with
18018-626: Was Weird Tales , where Howard created Conan the Barbarian. With Conan and his other heroes, Howard helped fashion the genre now known as sword and sorcery, spawning many imitators and giving him a large influence in the fantasy field. Howard remains a highly read author, with his best works still reprinted, and is one of the best-selling fantasy writers of all time. Howard's suicide and the circumstances surrounding it have led to speculation about his mental health . His mother had been ill with tuberculosis her entire life, and upon learning she had entered
18161-507: Was Al Treloar , who was declared "The Most Perfectly Developed Man in the World". Treloar won a thousand dollar cash prize, a substantial sum at that time. Two weeks later, Thomas Edison made a film of Treloar's posing routine. Edison had also made two films of Sandow a few years before. Those were the first three motion pictures featuring a bodybuilder. In the early 20th century, Macfadden and Charles Atlas continued to promote bodybuilding across
18304-400: Was " The God in the Bowl ", which went through three drafts and has a slower pace than most Conan stories. This one is a murder mystery filled with corrupt officials and serves as Conan's introduction into civilization, while showing that he is a more decent person than the civilized characters. Before the end of the month, he sent the first two stories to Weird Tales in the same package, with
18447-410: Was among the first to market products branded with his name. He was credited with inventing and selling the first exercise equipment for the masses: machined dumbbells , spring pulleys , and tension bands. Even his image was sold by the thousands in " cabinet cards " and other prints. Sandow organized the first bodybuilding contest on September 14, 1901, called the "Great Competition". It was held at
18590-541: Was an American writer who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He created the character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre. Howard was born and raised in Texas . He spent most of his life in the town of Cross Plains , with some time spent in nearby Brownwood . A bookish and intellectual child, he was also a fan of boxing , eventually taking up amateur boxing, and spent some time in his late teens bodybuilding . From
18733-467: Was followed by Jeremy Buendia for four consecutive years. Like open-bodybuilding, the federations in which bodybuilders can compete are natural divisions as well as normal ones. The main difference between the two is that men's physique competitors pose in board shorts rather than a traditional posing suit and open-bodybuilders are much larger and are more muscular than the men's physique competitors. Open-bodybuilders have an extensive routine for posing while
18876-460: Was followed with the beginning of the latter group of Conan stories that "carry the most intellectual punch," starting with " The People of the Black Circle ". Howard probably began to work on the novel in February 1934, starting to write Almuric (a non-Conan, sword and planet science fiction novel) but abandoned it half way. This was followed by another abortive attempt at a novel, this time
19019-469: Was found in various popular media outlets such as fashion magazines . Female bodybuilders changed the limits of traditional femininity as their bodies showed that muscles are not only just for men. The first U.S. Women's National Physique Championship, promoted by Henry McGhee and held in 1978 in Canton, Ohio , is generally regarded as the first true female bodybuilding contest—that is, the first contest where
19162-432: Was inherently corrupt and fragile. This attitude is summed up in his famous line from " Beyond the Black River ": "Barbarism is the natural state of mankind. Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph." Lovecraft held the opposite viewpoint, that civilization was the peak of human achievement and the only way forward. Howard countered by listing many historic abuses of
19305-524: Was introduced to The Tattler , the newspaper of the Brownwood High School. It was in this publication that Howard's stories were first printed. The December 1922 issue featured two stories, "'Golden Hope Christmas" and "West is West", which won gold and silver prizes respectively. Howard graduated from high school in May 1923 and moved back to Cross Plains. On his return to his home town he engaged in
19448-632: Was marketing himself alone. Howard continued to sell directly to Weird Tales , however. Bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy . An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder . It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic purposes over functional ones, distinguishing it from similar activities such as powerlifting and calisthenics . In competitive bodybuilding, competitors appear onstage in line-ups and perform specified poses (and later individual posing routines) for
19591-409: Was more formulaic and was accepted by the magazine with no problems. Howard only wrote one more Conan story, "Red Nails", which was influenced both by his personal experiences at the time and an extrapolation of his views on civilization. The character of Conan had a wide and enduring influence among other Weird Tales writers, including C. L. Moore and Fritz Leiber , and over the ensuing decades
19734-465: Was not able to sell the latter's stories. When Farnsworth Wright started a new pulp in 1930 called Oriental Stories , Howard was overjoyed—here was a venue where he could run riot through favorite themes of history and battle and exotic mysticism. During the four years of the magazine's existence, he crafted some of his very best tales, gloomy vignettes of war and rapine in the Middle and Far East during
19877-468: Was otherwise of middling quality and was never published in the author's lifetime, but it is of interest to Howard scholars for the personal information it contains. Howard's alter ego in this novel is Steve Costigan, a name he would use more than once in the future. The novel was finished in 1928, but not published until long after his death. Weird Tales paid on publication, meaning that Howard had no money of his own at this time. To remedy this, he took
20020-460: Was presented to second-place winner D. Cooper. The bronze Sandow trophy—now the most famous of all—was presented to third-place winner A.C. Smythe. In 1950, this same bronze trophy was presented to Steve Reeves for winning the inaugural NABBA Mr. Universe contest. It would not resurface again until 1977 when the winner of the IFBB Mr. Olympia contest, Frank Zane , was presented with a replica of
20163-419: Was published in the magazine Strange Tales in June 1932. Although the character swears by the god "Crom", that is his only link to the more famous successor character. Going back home he developed the idea, fleshing out a new invented world—his Hyborian Age —and populating it with all manner of countries, peoples, monsters, and magic . Howard loved history and enjoyed writing historical stories. However,
20306-402: Was released. It documented the preparation of several women for the 1983 Caesars Palace World Cup Championship. Competitors prominently featured in the film were Kris Alexander, Lori Bowen, Lydia Cheng, Carla Dunlap, Bev Francis , and McLish. At the time, Francis was actually a powerlifter , though she soon made a successful transition to bodybuilding, becoming one of the leading competitors of
20449-450: Was revised and republished as Fantasy, Horror, and the Truth: A Christian Insider's Story (Aneko Press, 2020). When not working, he focuses all his time and energy on theological studies and has begun to write articles for Christian publications online and in-print such as Got Questions Ministries , Creation Ministries International , Bible League Quarterly , Evangelical Action , and several others. In addition to Fantasy, Horror, and
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