80’s Bodybuilding Scene in the USSR / Качалки СССР в 80-х

Visit Sheiko’s Official forum: like Boris Sheiko’s Facebook Official Page: Try the 3day program: Try the 4day program: Back in the 60-70s the government of the USSR strictly forbid the opening of bodybuilding gyms. Simply put, they didn’t accept “kulturizm“ (Russian word for bodybuilding). On the 15th of January 1970, the Department of Sport of the USSR issued an order. The document prohibited the training, promotion and development of not only kulurizm (bodybuilding), but also women’s football, karate, the card game bridge and classes on the hatha yoga system. The main argument for the ban concerned mysticism and alien ideology, while undermining the authority of local forms and methods of physical education. But, despite the ban, enthusiasts pursued their interests at their own risk and continued to hold contests. Severodvinsk had become one of the centers of these activities thanks to Alexander Lemehov and Vladimir Humelev - the two brightest representatives of USSR bodybuilding. In ’87, the great Soviet weightlifter Yury Vlasov became the Chairman of the USSR’s Federation of Athletic Gymnastics. From that time onwards, kulturizm started it’s growth to what it is today. Here is a short clip showing the early days of bodybuilding.