Bodybuilding in the USSR.

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Pictured left: Bodybuilder Viktor Abramov.

 

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Malyshev Nikolai Nikolaevich. City of Zheleznogorsk. Krasnoyarsk region, RSFSR.
Performance history:
1981: "Amber Prize" tournament;
75 kg weight category; 6th place.
1987: "White Nights" tournament;
70 kg weight category; 1st place.
1988: "Amber Prize" tournament;
70 kg weight category; 1st place.
RSFSR Bodybuilding Championships; 70 kg weight category; 1st place.
Komsomol Cup; Kaunas;
70 kg weight category; 4th place.
1989: RSFSR Bodybuilding Championships; 70 kg weight category; 2nd place.
"Grand Prix"tournament; Tyumen;
80 kg weight category; 4th place.
1990: USSR Cup;
weight category up to 70 kg; 3rd place.

 

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1990 RSFSR Champions in pairs competitions: Natalia Shchigol and Nikolai Malyshev.

 

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Nikolai Malyshev.

 

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An article about Soviet bodybuilder Vyacheslav Maslov in a Soviet newspaper. Translation of the article:
WITH NAILS — INTO THE GUINNESS BOOK
(From the column “The Mighty of This World”)
To be honest, his powerful athletic physique inspires envy. Such strongmen have always enjoyed special popularity in Russia, and in Siberia even more so — people here are particularly fond of strength and daring feats.
Vyacheslav Maslov does not deny himself this pleasure. Before the astonished eyes of the audience, he bends nails, smashes boards with his bare hands, and even lifts platforms with people on them. It is said that his name may soon appear in the Guinness Book of Records.
“Actually, I come from a Siberian village,” Maslov says with a smile, “so physical labor has been part of my life since childhood. Even as a boy I read books about strongmen — Poddubny, Lurich, Krylov… That’s probably where it all began.”
He started his sports career with freestyle wrestling, first becoming a candidate for master of sports, then a master. Later he took up weightlifting, and eventually became fascinated with strength athletics. He joined the Russian national team and recently competed at the World Championship held in the Austrian city of Graz.
“I didn’t make it to the finals, to be honest,” the athlete уточняет. “It was my first time competing at such a major event. I was a bit nervous, but I’m sure I’ll reach the top eventually. And I believe I’ll achieve excellent results.”
Indeed, there is little doubt about that. At a bodyweight of 102 kilograms, Maslov bench-presses 200 kg, squats with 400 kg, and deadlifts 350–360 kg.
“So what about the nails?” I ask. “Is that specially for the Guinness Book?”
“No,” he laughs. “I’ve had to perform my tricks even at the Moscow Theater of Strength. And now I’ve organized a similar theater in Krasnoyarsk myself. In January we’ll give our first performance. It’s not just entertainment — it’s also the promotion of physical culture. Let people see what a person can achieve if he seriously commits himself to training.”
That’s the kind of man who lives on the banks of the Yenisei River — a man who has chosen strength as his calling.
A. Kasatkin, Krasnoyarsk

 

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A letter from bodybuilder Vyacheslav Maslov to the Soviet magazine "Sports Life of Russia." 1985. Vyacheslav Maslov wrote this letter to the magazine's editors at the beginning of his bodybuilding career.
Translated text:
I Became Strong and Enduring
(by V. Maslov, Norilsk)
Dear Editors,
I would like to tell you how athletic training changed my life.
I am 23 years old. I work at a factory in the fire safety department as a team leader. Before taking up athletic training, I practiced freestyle wrestling. By the age of sixteen, I had already fulfilled the requirements for Candidate for Master of Sports.
I began training in athletic gymnastics in 1980. At first, my workouts were irregular, but later they helped me achieve a 120-kilogram barbell lift. After that, I moved on to serious training, in which the advice published in your magazine was of great help to me.
At present, I train at the Antey club, which was established in our dormitory. There are 25 of us. All the equipment, training machines, and gear were made by our own hands. Many of us combine athletic training with other sports.
I structure my workouts mainly around strength routines, trying to vary the sets of exercises so that the muscles do not become accustomed to the same stimuli. Here are some of my current results:
bench press — 160 kg,
deep squat — 232.5 kg,
floor push-ups — 250 repetitions.
Athletic gymnastics, which has made me strong and resilient, has become an essential part of my life.
V. Maslov
Norilsk

 

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Soviet Bodybuilder Vyacheslav Maslov

 

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Soviet Bodybuilder Vyacheslav Maslov

 

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Soviet Bodybuilder Vyacheslav Maslov

 

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Soviet Bodybuilder Vyacheslav Maslov

 

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Soviet Bodybuilder Vyacheslav Maslov

 

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A power show by Soviet bodybuilder Vyacheslav Maslov.

 

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Soviet Bodybuilder Vyacheslav Maslov

 

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Nikolai Malyshev. 1982

 

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1st official championship of the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic). 1988. The city of Kaliningrad.Pictured is the 70-kilogram weight category.

 

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Yuri Mishanov. Krasnoyarsk region. USSR.

 

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Tournament "Yenisei Meridian - 1991" . Krasnoyarsk. Vlad Naumov (Kirov) and Valentina Chepiga (Kharkiv, Ukraine).
Valentina Chepiga - Miss Olympia 2000. 1st place in the +135 lb (over 61 kg) category.

 

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Nikolay Malyshev. 1982