A Steroid Free Bodybuilder You Can Trust - Eugen Sandow

Here is a good comparison picture of Eugen Sandow vs Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Eugen Sandow is known as the first real bodybuilder and gained international fame for doing the first bodybuilding style poses for crowds of people. The interesting thing is that he died 10 years before testosterone was discovered…so you know he could have never used steroids.

Eugen Sandow vs Arnold Schwarzenegger

During his time Sandow was considered one of the biggest and best built men in the world, he was the gold standard for bodybuilding before testosterone was discovered. As soon as testosterone was discovered and steroids were being dosed in people Arnold became the new gold standard. I’m sure the sheer size of Arnold vs Sandow just goes to show you how much of a difference drugs can make.

Basically these pictures show you what the gold standard for a muscular body was before and after the discovery of steroids.

Eugen Sandow was the real deal and a body size that can be attained without steroids…on the other hand here are some examples of the type of size that can only be built using steroids: Steroid Muscle

John

Posted by johnbarban in steroids

Tags: bodybuilding, eugen sandow, steroids |24 Comments

24 Responses to “A Steroid Free Bodybuilder You Can Trust – Eugen Sandow”

Gareth Says:
February 3rd, 2010 at 7:56 am
Very interesting… I’m sure most people would view that physique as imminently more attainable. It would be interesting to see what his training comprised of. I’d bet he used very few movements (in comparison to the many we see being recommended today) with very few sets (again in comparison with what we get told today). I’d also bet he didn’t eat six meals a day or only ate chicken and rice or was worried about how much protein he was getting. It’s amazing how much steroids have distorted our perception of what an ideal physique should look like… Beginners would probably be better off reading one of his books and just sticking to what he says then purchasing your typical bodybuilding magazine off the shelf and listening to Arnold.
Jordan Says:
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:37 am
Not only is he natural, but he looks better, too!
FlamingJune Says:
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:50 am
Just imagine what Sandow would look like with a spray tan!
Jonathan Says:
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:24 pm
What do you estimate their respective Adonis Indexes to be? Sandow’s has got to be much closer to the golden ratio than Arnold’s….that in itself should speak volumes!
johnbarban Says:
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Jonathan,

Yeah I would think you’re right…Arnold is probably past the golden ratio into freak territory.

JB
johnbarban Says:
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Haha indeed. A spray tan would help the guy out a bit.

JB
johnbarban Says:
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Jordan,

Just think, Arnold isn’t even big by 2010 bodybuilding standards!

JB
Andrew Says:
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Whilst I do think Sandow possessed a fantastic physique and that he was one strong mo-fo, I think our knowledge regarding training technique and programming has come a long way in the past hundred years, and it is possible for a lot of 100% natural guys to exceed a Sandow style physique, not to the extent of Arnold up there but fuller muscle bellies etc. What I do however find funny, is the amount of guys I know who juice regularly and still don’t look as good as Mr.Sandow does, yet I know for a fact they would call him a tooth pick if they check out any pics!
John Says:
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:40 pm
What I also find interesting is the posture. Arnold is sucked in and hunched over, whereas Sandow posture is relaxed and upright.
Hakeem Says:
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Back in those days, the bodybuilders used a lot of weights but they also incorporated bodyweight exercises and isometrics. What do you think about the use of isometric exercises? Are they really effective with the principle of any sort of resistance is resistance?
Robert Says:
February 3rd, 2010 at 4:39 pm
For those interested in Sandow’s exact routines, check out his autobiography courtesy of Google books.

Sandow talks about working out with 200 pound dumbbells as if they were run of the mill 25 pounds DBs. Very interesting read.
johnbarban Says:
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:44 pm
Robert,

That link was going right across the page so I had to remove it…the site looked like a mess. Can you repost a shorter link or suggest a way to search for it.

John
ERV Says:
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Is it this one?

http://tinyurl.com/yayzfee

(if not, you can make any link short using ‘tinyurl’)

Also, yum… just… *drool*
Robert Says:
February 4th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Hey John, I had no idea the link would be so long. Lol. Just go to Google and enter “Eugene Sandow strength and how to obtain it” That should bring you directly to a scanned copy of the book he self published around 1905. Interesting read, particularly when you realize just how strong he must have been to use 200 and 250 dumbbells for every day workouts.
Robert Says:
February 4th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
ERV posted the correct link.
Links from the week « The Complete Body Says:
February 6th, 2010 at 11:35 am
[...] Barban showcases how exceptional Eugene Sandow was by comparing him to [...]
Don’t miss these great links! Says:
February 18th, 2010 at 9:02 am
[...] Barban puts Arnold next to Eugen Sandow for a comparison of bodybuilders over time. He makes the obvious connection that Sandow died long before the onset of steroids but I wonder [...]
newarti Says:
May 20th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
%d? healthy mind in a healthy body, with all the movement we must have health, beauty says, bodybuilding-tips.tk
Steroids The True Stars of Bodybuilding and Fitness Says:
October 6th, 2010 at 11:55 am
[...] For a good example of a steroid free bodybuilder vs a known steroid user check out this link: EUGEN SANDOW [...]
Link Says:
October 18th, 2010 at 5:56 am
It just goes to show how far we’ve come from the ideal male physique. I don’t get all the guys that want to get super huge. I understand wanting to be and look strong but that’s just stretching it. I still think the ideal is the ancient Greek statues with their lean and athletic bodies.
Jeff Says:
November 10th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Now I gotta look into this Eugen Sandow guy
John Says:
February 27th, 2012 at 4:11 pm
Sandow, I believe, has achieved the ideal: where functional muscle crosses over with ideal male physique, such that he gets the best of both worlds. I’m aiming to achieve his boyd, basically, and have had a fair bit of success. I powerlift (twice per week, do lighter weights once per week), control my protein intake, and do light-moderate cardio workouts (3 times per week), and have found that this (a.k.a. the sensible method, which you ignore if you’re trying to become a freak) has been the most effective workout for achieving these goals. I didn’t know he had a book out, though. Thanks for letting me know, I’ll have to read it.

P.S. If you want to see some real freaks, google Markus Ruhl or Gregg Valentino (the world’s most hated “bodybuilder”).
Carl chopper Says:
March 23rd, 2012 at 10:30 pm
Sandow could of developed a better body if he had access to the knowledge we have today. Back then they used to do full body workouts daily and didn’t realise rest was more important then training. Also like someone said they didn’t really know much about a proper diet. It took years of trial and error to get where we are now. Lots of people have better looking bodies now with out steroids, but I’m not sure if they are as strong as sandow. Most likely not. Due to the way they trained I could imagine sandow has muscles like rocks.
jason Says:
March 25th, 2012 at 7:20 am
People say you can’t do it without steroids. Mr. Sandow proved you can. He proved you do not need steroids.

A Steroid Free Bodybuilder You Can Trust – Eugen Sandow

Eugen Sandow vs Arnold Schwarzenegger

24 Responses to “A Steroid Free Bodybuilder You Can Trust – Eugen Sandow”

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