Joe Weider: His Fitness Legacy

If you have been involved in the bodybuilding or weightlifting world, gone to the local sports store or gym, picked up a fitness, sports or sports nutrition magazine you have undoubtedly heard or seen the name Weider. Joe Weider and his brother Ben have become famous promoting not only bodybuilding and health and nutrition but also a line of Weider fitness equipment for home use. In addition Joe worked with bodybuilders to prepare for competitions, and one of the first that he coached was Arnold Schwarzenegger. They met in 1969 when Arnold traveled to America to compete in the IFBB Mr. Universe competition. Arnold Schwarzenegger agreed to follow Joe Weider’s training, exercise and diet system while recording his progress in their magazine. The rest, as you know, is history.

In the beginning

Joe Weider was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1922. He grew up in a rough neighborhood where walking home from school was a dangerous activity for a thin young boy. Joe and his brother Ben started to look for ways to build up strength and increase their body size to be able to defend themselves against the neighborhood bullies. They turned to fitness magazines of the time and tried several of the programs to no avail.

One day they happened to be in a scrap yard and noticed some old axles and wheels that they quickly converted into barbells. Joe and Ben Weider decided to start using these weights to train to increase their strength. Joe soon noticed that he did begin to feel physically stronger when working out with the homemade barbells. His arms and legs became larger and more powerful and along with them, his self-confidence.

Weider Publishing Industry

Joe Weider believed that there were others out there like him who wanted to feel good about their bodies and were willing to work to get there. In 1939 the age of seventeen he took his last seven dollars and started a small magazine called “Your Physique”. This twelve-page publication discussed weightlifting, bodybuilding and nutritional issues and sold for two dollars for a yearly subscription. It became a hit with fitness enthusiasts and weightlifters alike and was soon sold across Canada. The magazine, and the Weider brothers, never looked back.

In 1968 “Your Physique” was renamed “Muscle Builder” magazine. It again changed names in 1982 to the current “Muscle and Fitness”. In addition to this magazine the Weider publishing empire includes several magazines and other periodicals. These include:

• Flex
• Shape
• Men’s Fitness
• Living Fit
• Prime Health and Fitness
• Fit Pregnancy
• Cooks
• Senior Golfer

The Periodical and Book Association in 1983, as tribute to his work in the area of fitness publications, named Joe Weider Publisher of the Year.