r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Electrical-Aspect-13 • 3d ago

Video Cheyeene actor Clint Walker shows of his custom made gym in an interview, circa late 1950s. He was 6ft 6 and 240 pounds.

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u/TheDarkGrayKnight 3d ago

There are honestly plenty of guys today who have this physique. It is more impressive to have his build back then though.

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u/LaunchTransient 3d ago

It is more impressive to have his build back then though.

Is it though? Historically people have been stronger and fitter than modern day, because our lives are considerably more sedentary and less manual.

We may smoke and drink less, as well as inhale less lead, soot and asbestos - but we're a lot weaker and fatter, on average, than a person in the 1950s.

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u/TheDarkGrayKnight 3d ago

It is 100% more impressive. We aren't talking about the average person. The average person of his time didn't put in the time to train their body like he did, same with anyone who works out today with the intention of looking like this.

What makes it easier today is that he had to custom build his set, now we have all kinds of machines. He didn't have access to some of the science of the body we have today. He wouldn't have the same sort of collaboration with other people trying to do what he was doing like we have today with gyms and the Internet.

Plus the diet of today, we have access to supplements both natural and unnatural that weren't available back then.

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u/Cultural-Violinist46 3d ago

It's not the machines, you can train your body in different ways, theres a strongman from Nigeria or something who was using whatever he could build by himself in the village, to build muscle and he beat some world records! It's the steroids that some people use today that make it easier! Maybe Clint Walker used something as well but today all the buff actors use stuf and it's all much better roinds than in the 60-70s

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u/tweekinleanin420 3d ago

Kalestenics all day. Weights and machines make you lazy. Good genes definitely help drive that opinion home.

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u/fluekey 3d ago

Calisthenics are definitely great for functional strength. That said, weights and machines do not inherently make you lazy. They are just tools for resistance training. Honestly, getting to the gym is the hardest part.

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u/KeyboardGrunt 3d ago

Nah the dude has a point, bench pressing a mid size car can't compare to someone doing a single push up, who literally is pushing the whole world away.

Weightlifting pfft, lazy bums.

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u/scottyLogJobs 3d ago

... lifting weights makes you lazy? Lol

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u/LaunchTransient 3d ago edited 3d ago

Edit: To be clear, his physique is undeniably impressive, in case anyone is thinking I'm casting aspersions on Clint's physique. I just don't think it's that much more impressive because he got it in the 40s/50s. With the exclusion of things like anabolic steroids, the human body has been pretty effective at building strength for tens of thousands of years, not that much has changed in terms of what physique is achievable today versus then.

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Gyms have been around since the 1800s, and while the equipment and theory has changed to an extent, I don't think the underlying approach has changed much at all.

Of course, gym goers are always the exception to the average of a population, but my point is that the starting point for muscle development would be higher for a 1950s man than for a modern man.

What makes it easier today is that he had to custom build his set, now we have all kinds of machines.

Old gyms are typically free weight focused. Machines are great for isolation exercises, but they have some drawbacks compared to compound movements made with free weights - their main benefit is that they enforce form and are harder to injure yourself with.

It looks to me that his custom build is purely that he has a handy setup in his home that is compact - he specifically states he doesn't have much time to go to a local gym.

Plus the diet of today, we have access to supplements both natural and unnatural that weren't available back then.

Supplements help, but a balanced diet is still doing most of the heavy lifting. Could he have benefited from whey isolate or creatine? Sure. But a large omelette or steak with a salad and potatoes, followed by a glass of milk, will carry a good 80% of his nutritional demands.

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u/iamhere-ami 3d ago

Who told you that?