Bill Pearl is still important in 2021 and has been important for eight decades. What makes him still so important is that Pearl still stretches and expands our preconceived notion about physical degeneration. Can the Grim Reaper be stiff-armed, helt at arms length by a combination of weight training, diet, aerobics and stretching? Bill Pearl says yes, absolutely; and along with Jack LaLanne, he remains the age-defying posterboy.

Bill won the Mr. America title in 1955 - when Dwight Eisenhower was President. Thats a heall of a long time ago. Since 1955 Pearl has bee the Alpha Male statesman for bodybuilding. He's now the ultimate tribal elder. Almost seventy years ago the 23 year old Native American had just mustered out of the Navy. He entered and won the M. America title and proceeded to electrify the bodybuilding world. In the sixties he appeared to us mortals as the next step in the evolution of man. His girth seemed to be the next rung step up the ladder of physical perfection. Bill was thick yet symmetrical, bulky yet shapely, gargantuan yet graceful. Pearl, along with his European counterpart, Reb Park, set the philosophic tone for the sport.

The rise of Sergio Oliva and Arnold Schwarzenegger gave Bill Pearl a reason to return to the competitive battleground. In 1971 Pearl, Park and Oliva - along with Frank Zane and Dave Draper - all assembled at the N.A.A.B.A Mr. Uiverse contest. Only Arnold was missing Arnold had every intention of competing, but politics and financial commitments prevented this muscle showdown from being realized. At age 41, Pearl beat Park (past his prime) and the her-to-fore unbeatable Cuban superman, Sergio Oliva. Who would have won had Arnold entered? Pure conjecture, through in all fairness, the then 25 year old Austrian was a few years away from his all-time best condition, achieved at the South African Mr. Olympia contest. Pearl was at his physical zenith.

Pearl was on top of the World. At an age when most international level physique competitors had long since retired and were relating war stories about their glory days in smoky bars to bored bar flies, Pearl had reasserted his world dominance. He immediately retired from competition while on top. He dropped from sight, having moved from Los Angeles to Oregon.

Check out the rest of Bill Pearl's anti-aging saga including a downloadable copy of his bodybuilding training regimen at 66 years of age. 

 

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Thanks
Stacy Gallagher
Get Strong! Live Long!