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"Arnold - The Early Years" DVD For those unfortunate few who were never lucky enough to see Arnold do his thing on a posing platform, Wayne Gallasch of GMV Productions has assembled some rare footage of the Austrian Oak from his early beginnings on the posing platform to his final competition in which he retired as the undisputed King of Bodybuilding. Best of all, this classic film is now captured in a DVD version which features "extras" that the original video version did not contain. The DVD begins with some of the earliest film of Arnold ever recorded. In rare footage, we see Arnold performing his posing routine at the 1967 NABBA Mr. Universe contest in London. This was his first Mr. Universe victory and, at only 20 years of age, Arnold became the youngest winner of that title (a record that still stands today). After witnessing his first Mr. Universe win, we see Arnold at a guest posing exhibition in Europe. Proving he is strong as well as big, Arnold performs heavy cheat barbell curls for the audience before giving a posing routine that previews what will eventually become the greatest bodybuilder in the world. Arnold is remarkably big and cut for such a young age. More early footage follows as we see Arnold up close and personal posing and pumping in an outdoors setting. Set in London shortly after he won his first Mr. Universe victory, the 20 year old Arnold poses as the camera zooms in for close-ups on those incredible arms of his. I was most impressed with the raw muscle mass that Arnold exhibits in this part of the DVD. You can immediately tell that he trained heavy and hard to achieve this physique! Next up on the agenda is more contest coverage as we watch Arnold win the 1970 NABBA Professional Mr. Universe. This was Arnold's fifth and final Mr. Universe victory and he is at his apex here. His full posing routine is featured as well as the awards ceremony with all of the other bodybuilders in the contest. If you are as much of a fan of that era in bodybuilding as I am, you will have fun pointing out all the champions of the sport as they step forward to collect their awards. In addition to Arnold, we get to see Frank Zane (the amateur winner of the NABBA Mr. Universe that year), Boyer Coe, Chris Dickerson, Franco Columbu and Albert Beckles, among others. The 1970 Mr. Olympia is the next competition featured on the DVD. In extremely rare footage, we get to see Arnold and the legendary Sergio Olivia battle it out for the title of Mr. Olympia. This was the pivotal event in which Arnold dethroned the great Sergio. Also included is the first official posedown of the Mr. Olympia contest where Arnold tricks Sergio into leaving the stage and then gestures to him to come back and finish the contest. The film here is very washed out and unfocused but it is still great to witness bodybuilding history being made. When Arnold was the king of bodybuilding, he used to spend a lot of this time guest posing at local competitions. The next segment of the DVD features Arnold and Franco making one of their famous guest posing appearances in the U.S.. Arnold is now 23 years of age here and his physique has matured considerably here from the footage earlier on the DVD. As an added bonus, we get to see Franco guest pose displaying one of the thickest physiques in the history of the sport. If you've never seen Franco pose before, you'll have to check out his incredible rear lat spread and the freaky split in his upper pecs. One of Wayne Gallasch's most famous videos is up next on this classic DVD. It is Arnold and Franco posing poolside in Australia at one of their posing exhibitions. We get to see Bodybuilding's Famous Dynamic Duo pumping up by doing towel curls, push-ups and side lateral raises before they pose for the camera. Anyone who thinks Arnold's physique is outdated and that he would have trouble winning a state level show today needs to take a good look at how awesome the Austrian Oak looks posing outside. The opening pose in his routine, the front double biceps, is guaranteed to take your breath away. This segment concludes with Arnold and Franco posing together. One of the closest Mr. Olympia decisions ever is featured next on the DVD. It is the historic battle between Sergio and Arnold at the 1972 Mr. Olympia held in Essen, Germany. The reason this competition was so close was because Sergio, perhaps the most genetically gifted bodybuilder ever, was in the greatest shape of his life on this evening. With awe inspiring 22 inch arms, 30 inch thighs and a chest that ventured toward the 60 inch mark all balanced off with a tiny 27 inch waist, Sergio had truly Myth taking proportions at this event. Who should have really won? You be the judge! I think Arnold's best physique year ever was in 1974. At 27 years old, Arnold had now combined incredible mass and proportions with great symmetry and separation. As further proof of this, check out the next segment of the DVD. Arnold guest poses at the 1974 IFBB Mr. Southern Hemisphere looking like the King that he is. Posing to the music from "Exodus", Arnold hits pose after Arnold-patented pose driving the crowd into a frenzy with his astounding (even for today!) mass and muscularity. You just have to see the mountain sized peak on his biceps, the best side chest pose in the history of the sport and the freaky striations on the lower back to believe it! The DVD continues with some more rare footage from the pre-judging of the 1975 Mr. Olympia held in Pretoria, South Africa. That's right, this is the same contest that was featured in the classic film "Pumping Iron". This film, however, was taken at the pre-judging and features the complete posing routines not only of Arnold but also Serge Nubret and Lou Ferrigno. This segment concludes with the famous posedown among the top three competitors and the award ceremony where Arnold wins his 6th Mr. Olympia title. Probably the most controversial Mr. Olympia ever was the 1980 event in which Arnold came back from retirement and won the contest with only 8 weeks of preparation. This competition is still fiercely debated on who the proper winner should have been. Fortunately for us, Wayne was sitting in the front row filming this historic event for our viewing pleasure. The full pre-judging of the 1980 Mr. Olympia is featured on the DVD. You will get the opportunity to see Arnold compared to the other champion bodybuilders in this contest including Frank Zane, Mike Mentzer, Boyer Coe, Chris Dickerson and Roger Walker. The "extras" featured on this classic DVD include some behind the scenes footage of the Arnold Classic championships promoted each year by Arnold and his partner, Jim Lorimar, footage of Arnold at the 1993 FIBO event in Germany and Arnold's opening speech at the 2001 Arnold Classic where he awarded the first Lifetime Achievement Award to his boyhood idol, former Mr. Universe Reg Park. I especially enjoyed the speech Arnold gave at the 2001 Arnold Classic. Arnold is, above all, an entertainer and, like all great entertainers, he combines his charisma with a joy of entertaining. As a final treat, the Arnold DVD presents some great photos of Arnold as one of the extra features. With photos from Wayne Gallasch, Robert Nailon and Douglas Kent Hall, we are shown images of Arnold from his early years of competing in the London Mr. Universe to his final competition in Sydney, Australia as well as many casual shots during his retirement between 1975 and 1980. I must confess that I had never seen many of these photos before and that's saying a lot as I have been a huge fan of Arnold since 1977. I was particularly impressed with the sharp images of the 1980 Mr. Olympia taken by Robert Nailon. "Arnold - The Early Years" is a DVD that is a must have for any serious bodybuilder. In its easy to use DVD format, you can pick and choose what classic piece of footage you want to watch and the rare content of this collector's item is truly unsurpassed. Thanks again to Wayne Gallasch for being there personally over the last 30 years to record this classic film for later generations to watch and appreciate. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the best bodybuilder to ever live. If you don't believe me, just watch this DVD and become a believer! To order
the DVD "Arnold - The Early Years", check out their website
at GMV Productions.
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Will
there ever be another bodybuilder as special as Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Even now, almost thirty years after he announced his retirement (the
first time) from the competitive bodybuilding stage, the name "Arnold"
is still spoken with awe and admiration. His popularity as one of Hollywood's
biggest and most popular stars notwithstanding, Arnold is still regarded
as the King of Bodybuilding. It's hard to imagine another bodybuilder
who will ever create the same excitement and energy that Arnold brought
with him to the stage.