Harry B. Paschall was a legendary silver-era strongman. He was also a physical culture columnist, a cartoonist, and a Strength and Health magazine editor. In his spare time he was a weightlifting instructor and a critically acclaimed book author.
Harry was an outspoken and controversial man. He penned opinions that some considered provocative and contentious. Yet, he also wrote about new ideas that only gained acceptance years or decades later.
Career in Bodybuilding
As a child, Harry Paschall once went to a strongman show where he saw Arthur Saxon perform. At another event, he was Sandow perform. After that, he was sold on physical culture.
Harry started lifting weights in backyard gyms as a teen with his friends. He later became a champion weightlifter and a trainer. His signature move was doing a fast snatch and would do a snatch of up to 235 pounds.
Career in Publishing
Harry was born in Ashley, Ohio in the late 1890s. As a student he created cartoon illustrations for the high school magazine. After serving in World War 1 he got a job as an artist at the Pyramid Film Company in Dayton Ohio.
‘Everything’s Up to Ma’ was his first newspaper cartoon series and it ran in The Daily Star newspaper for 12 years.
Harry Paschall moved to Marion Ohio in 1923 where he made commercial drawings for Jay H. Marsh advertising company. While there he worked as an illustrator, an advertising agent, a manufacturer’s agent, and the company manager.
In 1926 Harry started drawing illustrations for Strength and Health magazine. His comic strip, “Bosco” became popular and was his alter ego.
At the magazine he started writing the column ‘Behind the Scenes’ which explained to regular readers the secrets to how champions trained. The column grew in popularity as the physical culture drew more devotees.
During the same period he also drew cartoons for Viguor, a British magazine. He was also instrumental in recruiting Vera Christensen and running the first female section at Strength and Muscle called “To The Ladies.”
Bosco – Harry Paschall’s Alter Ego
The cartoon character, Bosco, was a strongman with a German accent. He had an egg-shaped head and a curly mustache.
He was a funny man with an intimidating physique. He confronted bullies and called out unpleasant characters for their behavior. Sometimes he beat up his enemies but most times his presence was enough to have them cowering. The strip ran from 1936 to 1957.
Harry used Bosco to pass short messages to his fans. Messages that sometimes couldn’t pass editorial for his written column “Behind the Scenes.” He also used Bosco’s image in his own instruction manuals and published books.
Harry B. Paschall’s Publications and Bosco Books
Harry authored a number of books under the banner ‘Bosco Books.’ These include:
- Muscle Moulding: A Bosco Book for Advanced Body-Builders (1950): This was his first book. It became something of a physical culturist’s bible. The book detailed training and diet programs in a simple, easy-to-understand way.
- Bosco System of Progressive Physical Training (1950)
- Development of Strength (1951)
- Bosco’s Strength Note Book (1952)
- Muscular Arms and Shoulders: A How-To-Do-It Bosco Book
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Harry’s ‘Novel’ Ideas on Bodybuilding
Harry was a forward-thinker who shared his ideas through his column and his comic strip. Lots of mid-century fitness enthusiasts owe their success to his writings and ideas. However, he also shared some new ideas that didn’t always receive popular acceptance.
Beef with Weider
The most famous controversial idea Harry shared is when he wrote that he favored function over form, and then he criticized Joe Weider for promoting bodybuilders over strength athletes.
Importance of Rest
Most people thought the best way to make huge gains is to spend lots of time working out. Harry shared the principle that rest and recovery could be more important than the actual exercises.
He repeated the theme of rest as the catalyst for growth over and over in his writings. This was more than a decade before top sports coaches, like track and field’s Bill Bowerman, started practicing hard days and easy training days with monumental results.
Muscle Flicking
A reader asked whether the muscle elites had some special secret the common people didn’t know about. Harry responded by saying “Yes.”
He further explained that the secret is flicking your muscles even when outside of workouts. This corresponds with Sandow’s methods and the highly detailed Maxick’s Maxalding method of muscle control.
Periodization
In Muscle Moulding, Paschall’s first book published in 1950, he presents a system of training that recommends gradual progressive overload. His system has three weight-gaining routines that last 6 weeks each with a rest week in between.
In the early 1960s, a Russian sports scientist called Dmitri Matveyev developed the now-popular concept of periodization.
Harry Pachall’s Legacy
Paschall died of heart failure in 1957 while driving in Delaware, Ohio. Brooks Kubik, a former columnist with Strength and Health, wrote articles about Pachall decades later and even erected a grave marker in his honor. Pachall’s books continue to be influential in bodybuilding and some reprints have been made to keep his teachings alive.
Conclusion
Harry Paschall was the perfect combination of brawn and brain. His training manuals, magazine columns, and Bosco cartoons inspired many to pursue physical fitness and healthy living. His books informed, entertained, and provided simple guides for fitness enthusiasts all over the world.
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