Lifting Weights

It was a sweltering 105-degree Saturday afternoon. Scott showed up for his usual yard work, but Mike waved him off.

“Too hot out there today,” he said. “I’ll pay you double to pose for a few fitness photos for a friend.”

When Scott heard the pay—and that no one else would ever see them—he shrugged and agreed.

A few minutes later he was on the bench in Mike’s garage gym, dumbbell in hand.

“Good. Lean back… flex those abs. Pull your elbow in—tightens the chest,” Mike said. “My friend’s going to love these.”

Scott adjusted the weight.

“Now squeeze your legs together…to bring out the pork n beans...That's it. Now just relax your face.”

Mike raised the camera.

Scott looked down at the dumbbell and thought, This sure beats pushing that mower.

Image 1 - Scott McCoy (curling a dumbbell)

Weightlifting was closely tied to athletics, but it was also one of the most common forms of male bonding. When I was growing up, nearly every dad, uncle, or neighbor seemed to have a weight bench somewhere in the house—usually in a garage or basement. On summer afternoons you’d see the garage door open, music blasting on the radio, and a couple of guys lifting together in the heat.

Image 2 - Buddy Hollands (in similar pose except looking into the camera - by Champion)

Image 3 - Jack Stanford (on rot iron bench with two dumbbells)

Image 4 - Rick Alexander aka Rich Sternberger by Sunshine Beach Club (posing with weight bench)

We boys did the same thing. Shirts off, checking each other’s definition in the mirror, spotting one another on the heavier lifts. Sometimes we’d even work out in our underwear so we could see our leg muscles better--may or may not have been my idea;). Of course we talked about girls, cars, and football to keep things properly macho, but looking back, the whole scene was undeniably intimate.

Image 5 - Helmut Riedmeier (on Swedish ladder)

Image 6 - Buddy Reagan (on leg press machine)

Image 7 - Darryl Powers (using chest expander for bicep curls in a field)

Image 8 - Johnny Stumps (doing a shoulder press with a dumbbell in front of a Christmas tree (is that the photographer next to him?)

Physique photographers understood this world very well. The images fit neatly into the long tradition of “physical culture” promoted by figures like Bernarr Macfadden, where strength training and healthy bodies were celebrated as part of everyday life. Photographers like Edwin Townsend, known for his elegant images of Tony Sansone, helped turn the weight room into a kind of stage—framing strength, balance, and muscular definition in ways that were both wholesome and quietly sensual.

Image 9 - Mario Garza (resting between reps on weight machine)

Image 10 - Barry Tuck (stacking the weights in jockstrap and towel)

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Please send info, ideas, or any other comments on the theme, "Weights."  There's a lot here to unpack.