BLACK PRINCE BOOK – FAMOUS WEIDER’S BUST – THE TRUE STORY OF BODYBUILDING ICON

TRUTH COMES OUT IN SO MANY FORMS

SOMETIMES I LOOK BACK ON THE WHOLE SITUATION. I GET THIS QUESTION FROM FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD DURING TOURS AND EXHIBITIONS:

"ROBBY, IS THAT YOUR BODY WITH WEIDER'S HEAD ON IT?" - "YES, IT IS..."

The famous Joe Weider's bronze bust and Robby Robinsonin the Weiders-Bust-Pose 
on the covers of  Weiders' Magazine MUSCLE BUILDER POWER, 
September & November 1979 ▶ www.robbyrobinson.net/books.php

"I can honestly say that I never met a person who loved BB more than Joe Weider. And he is a lovable and funny person, too... Robby, I'm SO glad you published this! We (insiders) ALL knew it was your bust with Joe's head and had fun with that info ... Robby Weiderson, HA..." - Rachel McLish, The first Miss Olympia 1980

"Like Rachel said, we all knew it was Robby's image at the time. Joe figured he could get away with it and look great in the process. I built many of the stands he put the busts on, and I asked him, "Is that Robby's body?" -- and he mumbled something and walked away. We all knew it was an inside joke but at Robby's expense..." -- Roger Callard, Golden Era bodybuilder, training partner of Robby Robinson in Gold's gym in 70s, and Hollywood actor

"MASTER-BLUSTER" JOE WEIDER IN WEIDERS-BUST-POSE
Robby's CONSULTATION Services to answer your questions 
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„ … Joe called down to the gym and told me he wanted a sculptor, known for realistic renderings, to create my bust in clay to be later cast in bronze. «Your physique in bronze will be preserved in bodybuilding history. It will sit in our lobby alongside the paintings of the other greats like Larry Scott and Arnold» Joe continued, «Mr. Crawford told me it would take probably six days of you sitting for him. He’s going to do it right here in my office. I think this will be sensational. Let’s do it over several weekends. We can start this Saturday.» I said okay, but thought it odd that they would grace me with such an honor. Nobody else’s bronze bust was in Weider’s lobby, not even Arnold’s. Their photos were triple life-size, but no bronze busts … ‟

ROBBY ROBINSON IN WEIDERS-BUST-POSE IN GOLD'S GYM VENICE, CA 2008
Robby's dietary anabolic SUPPLEMENTS, OILS and HERBS 
for natural fat loss and muscle growth at any age 
▶  www.robbyrobinson.net/anabolic-pack.php

I WAS HIS FAVORITE PHYSIQUE. MANY RESENT IT. BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS. JOE KNEW MUSCLES. HE STUDIED PHYSIQUES, LIKE IT'S A PICASSO. THAT WAS WHY HE WAS SO SUCCESSFUL. "ONE OF A KIND"

„ … for the next three weekends, for four hours a day, we drove out to Woodland Hills and I sat still and flexed, not an easy thing to maintain. While I posed, Ashley asked Joe questions about the project, He said he choose me because he thought my muscularity would translate best to bronze … Joe knew exactly what he wanted, positioning me with my arms crossed and my chest held high. He would leave us to work for a while, and then come to give instructions. “Ralph, make sure you get all the details here in his bicep including the veins you see over here. Robby, keep your chest high. That’s right, great.” He would impress this upon us both. We would all look at the work after each sitting. I told Mr. Crawford that I admired how the muscles materialized from the clay, and related it to my visualization as I “sculpted” the muscles with each repetition … ‟

THE ORIGINAL BRONZE BUST OF "THE FATHER OF THE CHAMPIONS" JOE WEIDER
SHOWCASED AT THE WEIDER HEALTH AND FITNESS HEADQUARTERS
BUILT- Instructional Double DVD - Robby's philosophy on bodybuilding, 
training and healthy lifestyle, and his old-school workout approach 
▶ www.robbyrobinson.net/dvd_built.php

„ … The clay bust was finished, and it was as sensational as Joe had said it would be. As we stood around admiring Mr. Crawfod’s work, Joe announced he would have a big ceremony to unveil the bust … Two weeks to the day was the big night of the unveiling. We were dressed to the nines. Anxious, we arrived early and sat in the gall and watched person after important person arrive, until there must have been several hundred or so. There up on the stage, under a spotlight, sat the bust on a column under a veil. Ashley was proud to see me recognized for my hard work. She knew exactly how much time and focus I put into my bodybuilding.

The time has arrived. As Joe walked up on the stage, the hall’s lights started to dim and silence replaced the party chatter. “Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the new Weider bust to be used on all our products and advertisements throughout the world”, Joe proudly proclaimed.

When he lifted the veil I had the shock of my life. I looked at Ashley and saw her jaw drop to the chst. For a couple of seconds, neither one of us could breathe or speak. My head had been severed off the bust and replaced with a replica of Joe’s head … ‟

THE WEIDER'S BUST CHANGED MY LIFE

ONCE I SAW WEIDER'S HEAD ON IT, I SAID TO MYSELF, "WHEN YOU GOT MONEY - $350 MILLIONS$$$$$$$ - YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT". EVEN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM WILL WORK IN THEIR FAVOR TO PROECT THEM. IT WAS AMAZING HOW HE WAS PROTECTED BY JUDGES AND LAWYERS. MY WIN WAS THAT THEY COULD NEVER USE MY IMAGE IN THE MAGAZINES. THAT REALLY PISSED AMERICAN MEDIA/ WEIDER PUBLICATIONS OFF!

ROBBY ROBINSON IN WEIDERS-BUST-POSE, MUSCLE BUILDER, SEPT 1979
MASTER CLASS - 4-day one-on-one intensive personal training with ROBBY ROBINSON 
in Gold's gym Venice, CA and nutrition & supplementation seminar - 
▶ www.robbyrobinson.net/master-class.php

„ … In September, “Muscle Builder” rolled me out on another cover: a shoulder, chest and head shot, just like the pose I held for the sculpting of the infamous Weider bust … While the pictures didn’t lie, the article did. It exaggerated my war experience and flat-out lied about my having a father-son relationship with Weider. It claimed that under his tutelage I was a fast learner … With Ben Weider controlling the competitions, the IFBB and its worldwide affiliates, and Joe’s magazine proclaiming himself the trainer of the champion, the Weiders had successfully monopolized bodybuilding … Joe’s propaganda was convincing people around the world they could achieve the physiques of his stars by using his supplements and following the diets and routines printed in his magazines. The part he left out was that these bodybuilding stars were on steroids, not weight-gaining supplements, and that training and diet protocols for a natural bodybuilder and one on steroids are completely different. Joe and his “Muscle Builder” magazine were misleading fans and aspiring bodybuilders, and I was part of the machine. Yet staying with the Weider empire was the only way for me to realize the dreams I had dedicated my life to. I thought of myself as a thorn in Weider’s side … ‟

JOE WEIDERS BUST, THE FAMOUS BODYBUILDING SIMBOL
ON THE  FRONT COVER OF MUSCLE BUILDER, NOVEMBER 1979
E-mail Robby for CUSTOM training, nutrition and supplementation plans, 
single training sessions and consultations - ▶ info@robbyrobinson.net

„ ... When the November issue of “Muscle Builder” came out … just two months after the cover with my bust, this cover displayed the bronze Weider bust in the exact size and position in which mine had appeared. Held side by side, they looked identical, except for the heads of course. Even the color of the bronze was the same as my coloring … ‟

JOE WEIDER AND THE FAMOUS WEIDER'S BUST
IN WEIDERS' HEALTH AND FITNESS HEADQUARTERS
Robby's CONSULTATION Services to answer your questions 
about bodybuilding, old school training and healthy lifestyle - 
▶ www.robbyrobinson.net/consultation.php

JOE WEIDER POSTED MY PHYSIQUE ON THE COVER OF MUSCLE BUILDER. ONCE THAT MAGAZINE HIT THE NEWS-STANDS WORLD-WIDE, I WAS SWAMPED WITH OFFERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. I AM STILL BEING SWAMPED WITH APPEARANCES AND EXHIBITIONS. 

JOE WEIDER EMPOWERED BBING THROUGH HIS WORK. I REALLY DON'T BELIEVE HE EVER THOUGHT OF FAILURE. HE WAS SO SELF-ASSURED.

WITHOUT JOE NOBODY WOULD HAVE KNOWN RR. BECAUSE OF HIM I AM A PRINCE, LEGEND OF THE GAME. 

PEACE, ROBBY

Read more about RR's training and life experience, about other legends of Golden Era of bodybuilding and what really happened behind the scenes of Weider's empire - in RR's BOOK "The BLACK PRINCE; My Life in Bodybuilding: Muscle vs. Hustle" - available now on Amazon and Kindle - 

▶ www.amazon.com/dp/1453717870

GET YOUR OWN COPY PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED BY ROBBY ONLY IN RR'S ONLINE SPORTS FAN STORE - 

▶ www.robbyrobinson.net/books.php

• Robby's dietary anabolic SUPPLEMENTS, OILS and HERBS for natural fat loss and muscle growth at any age ▶  www.robbyrobinson.net/anabolic-pack.php
• E-mail Robby for CUSTOM training, nutrition and supplementation plans, single training sessions and consultations - ▶ info@robbyrobinson.net
• BUILT- Instructional Double DVD - Robby's philosophy on bodybuilding, training and healthy lifestyle, and his old-school workout approach
  ▶ www.robbyrobinson.net/dvd_built.php
• MASTER CLASS - 4-day one-on-one intensive personal training with ROBBY ROBINSON in Gold's gym Venice, CA and nutrition & supplementation seminar -
  ▶ www.robbyrobinson.net/master-class.php
• Robby's CONSULTATION Services to answer your questions about bodybuilding, old school training and healthy lifestyle - ▶ www.robbyrobinson.net/consultation.php

© ROBBY ROBINSON / BLACK PRINCE PRODUCTIONS

▶ www.robbyrobinson.net

▶ info@robbyrobinson.net