Vintage Muscle Men

Monday, July 28, 2025

Laurence Woodford Day

Our resident life model, David, and I have corresponded privately for some time now, and he recently let me know about Physical Idealism and the Art of Posing by Laurence Woodford. Having posted a few stray photos of Mr. Woodford over the years, I vaguely knew who he was. I did not, however, know that he had written and posed for this amazing book. David purchased a copy of it on line and generously shared the photos therein. I am delighted to present the first of several full series from this excellent work. Knowing David, he has probably already incorporated some of Mr. Woodford's posing methods into his professional life. Thanks a million, David!

The Archer, No. 2

This is The Archer (No. 2), and it shows the near perfection

of Laurence Woodford's body from behind.

Balance Achieved

This one not only demonstrates Mr. Woodford's well

shaped body, but also shows some athleticism.

The Javelin Cast

The Javelin Cast is one of those "hood ornament" photos I like so much.

An Action Study

Mr. Woodford published this as "An Action Study."

His excellent musculature really shines here.

The Vigil

I really like the lighting in The Vigil.

Autumn Sadness

Even without seeing Mr. Woodford's face, Autumn Sadness is evocative.

Fig leaf

Above we have Mr. Woodford posing as Menokem, aka Menoekeus, the son of Kreon.

Below, one of two versions of the bronze by Alexander J. Leslie. You'll probably

notice that Mr. Woodford required a much larger fig leaf than the sculpture.

The Sentinel

The use of a modern rifle in The Sentinel was a bit of a surprise.

Woodsman

This is Plate 18, The Woodsman. It is shown as "Original," leaving me wondering if there was another version. Meanwhile, some of you may notice how well he fills that posing strap.

Familiar?

If this final one looks familiar to you regular viewers, that's because I posted

it a few months ago without knowing that it was Laurence Woodford.

Many thanks again to David Life Model for sharing these photos!

Sunday, July 27, 2025

Lyle Frisby Day

Today I'm presenting ten photos by Lyle Frisby in alphabetical order by the model's surname.

We start the show with Neal Carlson in a competition flex.

Dale Curry

This Lyle Frisby photo is one that I recently found while trolling resale websites. It's interesting in that it was both new to me and an example where we can see that a drawn on posing strap was rubbed off by the original purchaser. Also, he didn't bother to rub off the waist string.