In the beginning...
It's ironic to see Bob Goldman (author of 'Death in the locker room) et al being big on drug testing when history shows us that ancient Greeks and others argued over how athletes were 'cheating' cos most ran barefoot and some had taken to wearing sandals. In those times the rewards could be crazy - as in parades in your home town, a free house, dinner with the town leaders and so on. Equally, if you lost many didn't want to go home due to the same they'd brought on their home town. Imagine coming last and how you'd be treated by some... stay away lol. Others argued about how the discus was thrown and so on. Same as the more modern debates over wooden bats vs aluminium in Baseball.
I'll eat it then...
What about the idea, one which has come around again (see the Liver King), of the ideas that eating this or that animals organ will give you the same animal essence. From the Chinese etc consuming ground Rhino horn to Romans chewing down on both cooked Bulls Balls/Testicles. So if you eat the heart you'll have the heart of that animal and so on. In other words athletes, not just bodybuilders and strength athletes, for 100's if not 1000's of years have looked for an edge. And not just in shoes and apparel, or the equipment but in what we'd call drugs.
They were off their tits or high as f**k
In the 1800's they used what was called Coca Wine. One big selling brand of the time was Vin Mariani. It was used by a LOT of people. Like cyclists, runners and long distance walkers. Heck even TWO POPES used it (Pope Leo XIII and later Pope Saint Pius X). Pope Leo awarded a Vatican gold medal to the wine, and also appeared on a poster endorsing it. Jamie L references Russian athletes and circus strongmen using it. As well as by many of the public as it was super cheap. He also mentions the original formulas for 7-UP (Lithium) and Coca-Cola (Coke) both containing drugs. In other words EVERYONE was HIGH and ON DRUGS. Not just lifters - EVERYONE - at least some of the time.
Or drunk...
In the early 1900's old time weightlifters such as the Saxon Brothers and many UK strongmen drank beer DURING the workouts. Literally a tankard of weak beer on the window sill and sipped as you did a set. You can read how they did so in front of British strongman Thomas Inch HERE where he saw them tap a barrel (small ones have 40 pints of beer) prior to drinking it as they trained in a garden.
Famous so-called Nattys...
Fast forward to the mid-50's and the York Barbell gang. Now some of you might be aware of Dr John Ziegler's involvement with development of Dianabol. Both John D Fair (in one of his books - MuscleTown USA) and Randy Roach (in book II of Muscle Smoke and Mirrors) detail the background of that. Basically he introduced it to their Olympic Lifters. They, like many modern users of PEDs, started of sensibly but very quickly ignored dosing protocols suggested by Ziegler. But let's get to one of the most famous bodybuilders that many Iron Game historians insist did not use steroids - John Grimek.
John Grimek was both a seriously good bodybuilder, winning the Mr America 2x but also a great weightlifter. He even beat the potentially more famous bodybuilder and all time handsome dude as well as film star Steve Reeves. Most agree that this was NOT cos he was a better bodybuilder but because he kicked ass posing what he had AND could lift weights on stage far better than Steve could.
It wasn't the drugs it was all me...except it wasn't
Now in Randy's book (mentioned above), page 335 in August of 1960 you have Grimek writing to Ziegler about his use of Dianabol. However, it was NOT a positive experience according to John. He stated he'd had no improvement and even that his shoulders felt sore (had he upped his volume??). Other athletes at York said it did 'nothing for them' yet also claimed to have done as well if not better then they'd done in the past'. Was that an early example of 'it's all me not the drugs?'. Even the owner of York Barbell, Bob Hoffman, jumped on the DBol train in 1962. Strange how they claimed it did nothing then even the then elderly owner was jumping on the PED wagon... funny that
To some it up you've Jamie Lewis pointing out how we seem to have forgotten just how many were using and abusing all manner of uppers, downers, speed and various stimulants back in the day. It is by no means a modern thing to use a PED or to look for an edge. Old timers natty?? Natty my ass
Very good post. I'd love to read more from you.