I just got the new IRON MAN, and as always it reminds me of when I was young in the late ’50s—getting every issue was like Christmas for me, maybe better. I have enclosed a picture of me at age 64. I am a lifelong natural except for two weeks in 1969 when I took five millgrams of Dianabol for two weeks. My resting pulse went up to 115, and I decided [steroid use] was not conducive to longevity, so I stopped. I don’t know how the current top bodybuilders are alive considering all the drugs they take. I guess they will have a nice-looking trophy for a headstone at an early age. That’s not for me. Natural bodybuilding is the only way to go for health and longevity.

Preston Randell
Yarmouthport, MA

20-Rep-Squat Results

Thank you for printing Jim Brewster’s article on the 20-rep squat [July ’10 IRON MAN]. I’ve been following a 20-rep-squat routine and have built myself up to 245 pounds. To quote John McCallum, “Squats are the exercise for gaining. They’re so far out in front that second place doesn’t even matter. If you want the absolute utter maximum in power and shapely bulk, then you’ve got to specialize on squats, and there is no sense in stalling it off.” Peary Rader followed the 20-rep-squat routine and gained close to 100 pounds of solid muscle in a couple of years. As he said, “The squat, in all its variations, is truly the king of exercises.”

Ned Byrne
Weymouth, MA

Role Model

I want to thank Lonnie Teper and IRON MAN for the recent interview with [pro bodybuilder] Stan McQuay [“From the Can to the Man, June ’10]. Mr. McQuay is proof that you can turn your life around for the better if you find something positive to replace the negative influences. And I can’t think of anything that can improve a young man’s view of himself more than bodybuilding. Perhaps the parents and teachers of troubled young men can introduce them to bodybuilding and also point out Mr. McQuay as an example of how much it improves your life and your outlook on yourself.

John Francis
New York, NY

Over-50 Physique

I really admire Lee Apperson’s physique. He looked absolutely spectacular in the recent arm article [“Prime-Time Biceps Building,” September ’10]. He doesn’t have the steroid bloat that’s so common in todays ranks, so he appears hard, muscular and athletic without looking like an overblown cartoon. It’s difficult to believe he’s more than 50 years old.

Steven McMillan
via Internet

Bigger, Stronger, Faster

I recently saw the documentary “Bigger, Stronger, Faster,” and I must say that it is one of the most thought-provoking movies I have ever seen. Chris Bell gives a fair account of both sides of the steroid issue, providing a very personal insight, as both of his brothers are on or have used steroids—one is a powerlifter, and one is a wrestler. Bell even delves into performance-enhancing drugs for musicians (Inderal), flighter pilots (“Go Pills”) and students (Aderal). He also talks to the congressman who chaired the steroid hearings—hard to believe uninformed people like that get elected—and the father of a high school baseball player who claims steroids are the root cause of his son’s suicide. Every IRON MAN reader—whether drug-free or a current or former anabolic-steroid user—should see this eye-opening film.

Thomas Fairchild
via Internet