Must have been around 1959ish because that's when the movie....Hercules....came out starring Steve Reeves. While my dad was bigger he wasn't as buffed, hell nobody was back then.
When I got home I told my dad I wanted to start lifting weighs, being 10ish, it was......nope, too young. So I started working out with the lawn mower**chairs, books, anything I could lift, trying to hide this from dad.
On my 12th birthday, a bench and enought weights to make it work, he knew how serious I was about this. Been at it ever since.
While in boot camp it was pushups and pullups and lifting my bed, got others into it. Ah....one end of the bed.
On board the USS John A Bole they had some weights as they did on my other ship the USS Horne.*****
This isn't something you do, it is actually who you are.
I kinda half ass the dietng, do make a feeble effort of eating right, kinda. Do take a shit load of pills, and yes they do work.
** tied a rope around the front pulled the rope which pulled the mower.
**** many times if rough seas you can shine lifting weights. Now it's pushups time.
Ended up a big fan of the Cuban Sergio Olivia