The Vacuum Specialist: Tony Pearson
Back in the days of the Golden Era there are tons of different bodybuilders with great physiques, so great in fact that many bodybuilding fans have clamored for a return to form. Since the 90’s the major goal for an open weight bodybuilder is to build a massive amount of muscle and size while still being able to look shredded and defined. It’s a tough task that not every bodybuilder can accomplish. In order to lose fat and gain muscle is something that the rare few are gifted with. You can’t train your genetics after all.
But rather than focus on building a tremendous amount of muscle it’s perhaps a smarter idea to focus on something more tangible and realistic. The bodybuilders of the Golden Era were men who, though heavily muscled, had a different ideology of not only how to train, but also what a proper physique should look like.
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For one, the bigger guts that many competitors have these days were pretty much nonexistent. Back in the day if you had anything that remotely looked like an over sized belly then chances were that you wouldn’t be placing all that high. The time of the 70s and 80s consisted of competitors that made it their business to master the vacuum in order to have a flat and shredded stomach. Take for example Tony Pearson. He was a bodybuilder who was found by Arnold Schwarzenegger. When first meeting Pearson, Arnold referred to the man as:
“I remember a few years ago seeing a skinny black kid training at the weight pit on Venice Beach. I watched him doing endless sets of squats, with very heavy weight, torturing himself with rep after rep. After a while, his thighs began to grow and soon they were huge, separated and beautifully defined, and only a year and half later he entered and won the 1978 Mr. America contest.”
Pearson was also known for his comparisons to Michael Jackson as he looked much like the pop singer during his competition days. Pearson had a tremendously well defined upper body, but no doubt the highlight of his physique was clearly his ability to vacuum. His ability to manipulate his waist was as great as his mentor Schwarzenegger or Frank Zane. If you’re tired of the guts that are consuming the open weight division then take a look at this video from the 1984 Mr. Olympia and get inspired by Tony Pearson’s impressive showing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-82eHQep6o
Are you a fan of the classic or modern physique? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
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