Brignole Doug - Million dollar muscle: a historical and sociological perspective of the fitness industry

Bassim Hamadeh, Publisher

Christopher Foster, Vice President

Michael Simpson, Vice President of Acquisitions

Jessica Knott, Managing Editor

Stephen Milano, Creative Director

Kevin Fahey, Cognella Marketing Program Manager

Rose Tawy, Acquisitions Editor

Jamie Giganti, Project Editor

Brian Fahey, Licensing Associate

Cover Photo of Doug Brignole by Ian L. Sitren / SecondFocus Photography

Images of Highgrove Gym, vitamin supplement tablets, and calcium supplements licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.

Copyright 2013 by Cognella, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information retrieval system without the written permission of Cognella, Inc.

First published in the United States of America in 2012 by Cognella, Inc.

Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-1-62131-404-2

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this work to my wife Swee-Lian and my son Brandon for their patience and support. This project would not have been successful without the two of you. The two of you are the reasons why I value life each day.

Also special thanks to my friends Rory Leidelmeyer and Glen Banks, who have been my source of inspiration over the years. And how could I forget my childhood idol Tom The Golden Eagle Platz? You are and always will be my childhood idol. You do not know the impact you made on my life.

Needless to say, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my friend Doug Brignole. Our 30 year friendship in the making truly produced a milestone. It was a pleasure working with you.

Adrian James Tan

I would like to dedicate this projectfirst and foremostto my late mother, Ines Brignole. Her selfless and tireless dedication to her two sons, whom she raised entirely alone, and despite tremendous disadvantages, was truly amazing. Without her constant and unconditional praise and support, I might not have had the confidence to pursue my dreams.

I would like to give special thanks to my early mentor, Bill Pearl. His faith in me, and his patience with me, allowed my early spark to grow into a roaring fire.

I would also like to give a collective thank you to the many friends Ive made over the years, who have helped me along the wayincluding Jim Morris, Lonnie Teper, John Balik, Paul Berney, and too many others to mention.

Finally, to my friend from the other side of the worldAdrian James TanI would like to express how grateful I am for giving me the opportunity to participate in this project. It has been a tremendous pleasure.

Doug Brignole

Chapter 1: Prologue and Fitness Industry Outline

The seeds of this project were sown approximately thirty years ago. The year was 1982. A seventeen-year-old in Singapore looked admiringly at the cover of his recently purchased copy of Muscle Digest. Bodybuilding, weightlifting, and power-lifting were not popular sports then, and the fitness revolution was yet to take off. The film Conan the Barbarian (1982) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger was a hit, though among only a small populace in Singapore. Bigger was not better, and many felt that the big physique was only for unintelligent people. Soccer was the sport of choice, though few aspired to turn professional. It was a pipe dream, and the only avenue for ones advancement was through academics. Unfortunately, this teen was good at neither academics nor sports.

Confused, this teen saw building his physique as a means to shape his identity. He has always admired people with great physiques, and saw his childhood hero Bruce Lee as a role model. Using the barbell set his father bought, he quietly performed primitive forms of military press, squats, bench press, barbell rows, and curls. For fear of ridicule, he exercised in privacy, and quietly bought magazines like Muscles and Fitness and Muscle Digest for training and dieting tips.

Muscle Digest photo of Doug Brignole by Joe Valdez

On this particular cover of a 1982 issue of Muscle Digest was a recently crowned 22-year-old Mr. California winner named Doug Brignole. The young teen stared admiringly at the shape, definition, and symmetry of this individual. That was the physique he wanted to have, if not better. This was the first step of a journey he would take throughout his life: little did he know that years later he would develop a friendship with the person on the cover. Separated by approximately 9,000 miles, and what appeared to be divergent paths, both individuals would develop a friendship, sharing ideas and collaborating on a work that reflects their professional and personal interests.

Fast-forward 30 years. The teen from Singapore is now a PhD, teaching Sociology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas; Doug Brignole currently works in the fitness industry as a personal trainer, lecturer, author, and writer for internet blogs and fitness magazines. Both have been part of the fitness industry in their own respective ways. Brignole competed in bodybuilding, winning numerous titles and pursued a career in higher education instead.

It was really a tale of two cities between the two authors. While Doug was training in Southern California, the mecca of bodybuilding, Adrian trained in primitive gyms in Singapore, consisting of rusted, locally made weights. It was not until Adrian moved to the United States where he trained in a variety of modern gyms, both privately owned and corporate. Adrian has trained both as an Olympic weightlifter and as a bodybuilder, and still performs the occasional snatch and clean and jerk.

The contrasting backgrounds of the authors provide different perspectives on the evolution of the fitness industry, and what motivates people to make individual choices. From a small subculture, the fitness industry has boomed into a multi-billion-dollar industrya market flooded with corporate gyms, supplements, workout apparel, exercise equipment, and health and fitness magazines.

This book offers a sociological perspective on the subject, showing the realities behind the fitness industry, and how it is driven by market forces and the culture of individualistic consumerism. It bridges the micro and macro aspects of society, showing that individual choices, no matter how individual they may appear to be, have social implications.

It is important to note that the authors provide a theoretical perspective, examining the phenomenon in question. It shows the evolution of the fitness industry and how it is driven by the capitalistic market system, the primary purpose of which is profit. With massive advertisements aided by the Hollywood culture, the fitness industry has taken new dimensions, influencing individual choices and behaviors.

This book explores what motivates people, provides explanations behind individual choices, and shatters some of the myths behind the fitness industry, particularly in the sport of bodybuilding. It is important to note that each chapter was written to stand by itself.