Wikipedia

Joe Weider

Josef Weider(/ˈwiːdər/;November 29, 1919 – March 23, 2013)[1]was a Canadianbodybuilderand entrepreneur who co-founded theInternational Federation of BodyBuilders(IFBB) alongside his brotherBen Weider.He was also the creator ofMr. Olympia,Ms. Olympia,and the Masters Olympia bodybuilding contests. He was the publisher of various bodybuilding and fitness-related magazines, most notablyMuscle & Fitness,Flex,Men's Fitness,andShape,and the manufacturer of a line of fitness equipment and fitness supplements. In 2014, he was inducted into theInternational Sports Hall of Fame.

Joe Weider
Born
Josef Weider

(1919-11-29)November 29, 1919
Montreal,Quebec, Canada
DiedMarch 23, 2013(2013-03-23)(aged 93)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesThe Master Blaster
OccupationPublisher
Known for
Spouses
  • Hedwiges "Vicky" Uzar
    ​
    ​
    (divorced)​
  • ​
    (m.1961)​
RelativesBen Weider(brother)
Websitewww.joeweider

Early life

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Weider was born inMontreal, Quebec,to Louis and Anna Weider,[1]Jewish immigrants from Poland.[2]Weider's unique accent displayed his old world roots, described by his son Eric as "somewhere between Yiddish, Canadian, old Polish...this Montreal kind of stew of accents."[3]Weider began weight training in his teenage years into order to stand up to bullies, and participated in his first bodybuilding contest at the age of 17.[2]

Career

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Weider published the first issue ofYour Physiquemagazine in 1940,[4]and built a set ofbarbellsout of car wheels and axles the same year out of the family garage on Coloniale Street in Montreal. He designed numerous training courses beginning in the 1950s, including the Weider System of Bodybuilding.

Weider worked alongside his wife Betty, together authored books on bodybuilding.[5]Joe and Ben together were the co-founders of theInternational Federation of BodyBuilders.[6]

In 1968, the brothers broughtArnold SchwarzeneggertoCalifornia.[7]At the time Schwarzenegger was a relatively unknownAustrianbodybuilder.

Nutritional products

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The family founded Weider Nutrition in 1936, considered the first sports nutrition company. Now calledSchiff Nutrition International,they were the creators ofTiger's Milknutrition bars and related products, one of the earliest lines of sports foods.[8]There are now two companies making supplements and bearing Weider's name - Weider Global Nutrition, and Weider Germany GmbH that is popular in Europe.

Fitness publications

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Weider published the first issue ofYour Physiquemagazine in 1940. In 1953, it was renamedMuscle Buildermagazine. The name changed again toMuscle & Fitnessin 1980. Other magazines published by Weider's publishing empire includedMr. America,Muscle Power,Shape magazine,Fit Pregnancy,Men's Fitness,Living Fit,Prime Health and Fitness,Cooks,Senior Golfer,andFlex,in addition to the "skin magazines"JemMagazineandMonsieur.The last two publications caused at least two clashes with obscenity laws. Weider has written numerous books, includingThe Weider System of Bodybuilding(1981), and co-wrote the 2006 biographyBrothers Of IronwithBen Weider.In 1983, Weider was named "Publisher of the Year" by The Periodical and Book Association. In 2003, his publication company, Weider Publications, was sold toAmerican Media.

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In 1972, Weider and his brother Ben found themselves the target of an investigation led by U.S. Postal inspectors. The investigation involved the claims regarding their nutritional supplement Weider Formula No. 7. The product was a weight-gainer that featured a youngArnold Schwarzeneggeron the label. The actual claim centered on consumers being able to "gain a pound per day" in mass. Following an appeal wherein Schwarzenegger testified, Weider was forced to alter his marketing and claims.[9][10]Also in 1972, Weider encountered legal problems for claims made in his bookletBe a Destructive Self-Defense Fighter in Just 12 Short Lessons.[11]

Weider was ordered to offer a refund to 100,000 customers of a "five-minute body shaper" that was claimed to offer significant weight loss after just minutes a day of use. The claims, along with misleading "before and after" photographs, were deemed false advertising by a Superior Court Judge in 1976.[12]

In the 1980s, Weider found himself answering charges levied by theFederal Trade Commission(FTC). In 1984, the FTC charged that ads for Weider's Anabolic Mega-Pak (containing amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and herbs) and Dynamic Life Essence (an amino acid product) had been misleading. The FTC complaint was settled in 1985 when Weider and his company agreed not to falsely claim that the products could help build muscles or be effective substitutes for anabolic steroids. They also agreed to pay a minimum of $400,000 in refunds or, if refunds did not reach this figure, to fund research on the relationship of nutrition to muscle development.[12]

In 2000, Weider Nutritional International settled another FTC complaint involving false claims made for alleged weight loss products. The settlement agreement called for $400,000 to be paid to the FTC and for a ban on making any unsubstantiated claims for any food, drug, dietary supplement, or program.[13]

Personal life and death

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Weider married Hedwiges "Vicky" Uzar, with whom he had a child, before divorcing in 1960.[1]In 1961, Weider marriedBetty Brosmer,who was then the highest-paidpin-up girlin the U.S.[14]

Weider died ofheart failureon March 23, 2013, atCedars-Sinai Medical CenterinLos Angeles,at the age of 93.[15][16]

Honours and accolades

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Sign at Venice Beach commemorating Joe Weider's donation.

On Labor Day 2006, California governor and seven times Mr. Olympia winnerArnold Schwarzenegger,a Weider protégé, presented him with theVeniceMuscle BeachHall of Fame's Lifetime Achievement award. Schwarzenegger credited Weider with inspiring him to enter bodybuilding and to come to the United States.[17][18]That same year Joe and Ben received the lifetime achievement award by the Young Men's Hebrew Association.[19]

In 2014, Joe, Ben and Betty were inducted into theInternational Sports Hall of Fame.[20]

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The movieBiggerwas released in 2018 focusing on the life of Joe Weider.[21]Tyler Hoechlinplays Joe Weider, whileJulianne Houghplays Betty Weider, his second wife.Aneurin Barnardplays the role of Ben Weider, Joe's younger brother.

Bibliography

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  • Joe Weider; Bob Oskam (1983).The Olympians: The Story of the Mr. Olympia Contest.St. Martin's Press.ISBN978-0-312-58428-3.
  • Joe Weider (November 1981).Bodybuilding, the Weider approach.Contemporary Books.ISBN978-0-8092-5909-0.
  • Joe Weider; Weider (1982).Women's Weight Training and Bodybuilding Tips and Routines.Contemporary Books.ISBN978-0-8092-5754-6.
  • Joe Weider; Bill Reynolds (May 31, 1983).The Weider system of bodybuilding.Contemporary Books.ISBN978-0-8092-5559-7.
  • Betty Weider; Joe Weider (October 1, 1984).The Weider body book.Contemporary Books.ISBN978-0-8092-5429-3.
  • Joe Weider; Bill Reynolds (1989).Joe Weider's ultimate bodybuilding: the master blaster's principles of training and nutrition.Contemporary Books.ISBN978-0-8092-9775-7.
  • Joe Weider (1990).The Best of Joe Weider's Flex Nutrition and Training Programs.McGraw-Hill.ISBN978-0-8092-4118-7.
  • Joe Weider (1991).Joe Weider's Mr. Olympia Training Encyclopedia.McGraw-Hill.ISBN978-0-8092-4040-1.
  • Joe Weider (2001).Joe Weider's Bodybuilding System.Weider Publishing Limited.ISBN9780945797265.
  • Ben Weider; Joe Weider; Daniel Gastelu (2003).The Edge: Ben and Joe Weider's Guide to Ultimate Strength, Speed, and Stamina.Penguin.ISBN978-1-58333-144-6.
  • Daniel Levesque (January 1, 2004).The Weider Weight Training Log: Including a Daily Planner.Hushion House.ISBN978-0-9684004-2-5.
  • Joe Weider (2003).Training Notebook Complete Illustrated Guide to the 74 Best Muscle-building Exercises.Weider Publishing Limited.ISBN9780945797333.
  • Joe Weider (2004).Joe Weider's Muscle and Fitness Training Notebook.Weider Publishing Limited.ISBN9780945797449.

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcMcFadden, Robert D. (March 23, 2013)."Joe Weider, Founder of a Bodybuilding Empire, Dies at 93".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 23,2013.
  2. ^ab"Joe Weider, Iconic Jewish Bodybuilding and Magazine Guru, Dies at 93".The Forward.Reuters.March 24, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 25,2025.
  3. ^Rose, Alex (October 2018)."Bigger tells the story of the Montrealer who was the father of modern fitness".Cult MTL.RetrievedJanuary 25,2025.
  4. ^Classic Physique Builder: Your Physique: Joe Weider's First Bodybuilding Magazine.Classicphysiquebuilder.blogspot (September 1, 2007). Retrieved on 2017-03-01.
  5. ^The Weider Body Book,Joe and Betty Weider, Contemporary Books (1984)ISBN0-8092-5429-8
  6. ^"Betty Weider website".Bettyweider.RetrievedMarch 24,2013.
  7. ^"Bodybuilding Legend Ben Weider Dies".Club Industry.October 20, 2008.RetrievedJune 20,2022.
  8. ^"Weider Global Nutrition – History of Excellence".Weider Global Nutrition. 2010. Archived fromthe originalon April 12, 2013.
  9. ^P.S. Docket No. 3/27ArchivedJune 6, 2011, at theWayback MachineJuly 17, 1974
  10. ^P.S. Docket No. 2/81ArchivedJune 27, 2008, at theWayback MachineOctober 29, 1975.
  11. ^Tom Heintjes.""The Deadliest Ads Alive!",Hogan's Alley#11, 2007 ".Cartoonician.co. Archived fromthe originalon August 25, 2015.RetrievedMarch 24,2013.
  12. ^abW McGarry, T (August 20, 1985). "Body-Building Firm to Pay $400,000 in Settlement of FTC Vitamin Case".Los Angeles Times.pp. V_A6.ISSN0458-3035.
  13. ^"FIRM TO PAY $400,000 FOR BAD ADVERTISING".The Post-Tribune.Associated Press. October 6, 2000. p. A.14.ISSN8750-3492.
  14. ^Mike SteereBrothers of Iron,p. 120, Sports Publishing LLC, 2006ISBN978-1-59670-124-3
  15. ^"Joe Weider Legendary Bodybuilding and Fitness Icon Dies at 93".MarketWatch.RetrievedMarch 24,2013.
  16. ^Trounson, Rebecca (March 24, 2013)."Joe Weider dies at 93; bodybuilding pioneer and publisher..."LA Times.RetrievedMarch 24,2013.
  17. ^Finnegan, Michael; Robert Salladay (September 5, 2006). "CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS; Angelides, Governor Work the Holiday; Schwarzenegger pays a nostalgic Labor Day visit to a bodybuilding event in Venice. His challenger seeks to shore up support among unions".Los Angeles Times.p. B.1.
  18. ^"Muscle Beach Venice Bodybuilding Hall of Fame".Californiabeachbodybuilding.RetrievedMarch 24,2013.
  19. ^"Awards".Joe Weider.RetrievedMarch 24,2013.
  20. ^Dr. Robert Goldman (March 11, 2014)."2014 International Sports Hall of Fame Inductees".sportshof.org.RetrievedJuly 14,2023.
  21. ^"Bigger"– via imdb.

Further reading

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