Oscar Heidenstam
Encyclopedia
Oscar Heidenstam was a Cyprus-born British bodybuilding
champion, who later became president of the World Amateur Body Building Association (WABBA), the National Amateur Bodybuilders Association (NABBA)
, and NABBA International. He is said to be 'The Father of British Bodybuilding'.
on 27 February 1911. From the age of nine, he was educated in the UK. He had a passion for sport from a very young age, and throughout his school years he participated in track and field athletics, gymnastics
, hand balancing, swimming
, diving
, water polo
, tennis
, squash
, rackets, hockey
, football and rugby
. At the age of 18 he won thirty medals and two silver cups for his achievements in various sports including rugby, track and field athletics, and gymnastics.
during the Second World War, and by the time he left the military in 1948 he had attained the rank of Major. During the war he was a physical training instructor with the Army Physical Training Corps (APTC), as well as being involved in action in Palestine
(Israel
), Egypt
, Tunisia
, Sudan
, Yugoslavia
and Turkey
.
contest on his first attempt. When he won the Mr. Europe contest in 1939, he became the first British bodybuilder ever to achieve this. During his military career he twice won the 'Best Developed Man In The Services Cup', in 1942 and 1945. He continued to compete in contests for many years after the war, winning a number of them. In 1957 he won his final bodybuilding contest: Senior Mr. Britain.
He wrote several fitness articles for the Daily Mirror newspaper, and joined the publishing team of Health and Strength magazine in 1953, a magazine which he became owner of in 1974.
He became President of the World Amateur Body Building Association (WABBA) in 1977, President of the National Amateur Bodybuilders Association (NABBA)
in 1980, and President of NABBA International in 1984.
Heidenstam was Secretary and President of NABBA when he died in 1991, aged 80.
'Modern Bodybuilding' (1955) Faber Popular Books
'Modern Health & Figure Culture' (1960) Faber Popular Books
'Fit at 40 & After' (1961) Faber Popular Books
'Muscle Building for Beginners' (1981) W. Foulsham & Co Ltd
'Body Beautiful' (1984) W. Foulsham & Co Ltd
'Beginners Guide to Muscle Building' (1991) W. Foulsham & Co Ltd
'Body Building for women' (1985) Gallery Books
'Bodybuilding for men' (1985) Gallery Books
Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...
champion, who later became president of the World Amateur Body Building Association (WABBA), the National Amateur Bodybuilders Association (NABBA)
National Amateur Bodybuilders Association
The National Amateur Bodybuilders Association is an organisation founded in 1950 to promote bodybuilding, originally just for the United Kingdom. The first contest it organised was the NABBA Mr. Universe which was held on 24 June 1950 and won by Steve Reeves...
, and NABBA International. He is said to be 'The Father of British Bodybuilding'.
Early life
Oscar Heidenstam was born in CyprusCyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
on 27 February 1911. From the age of nine, he was educated in the UK. He had a passion for sport from a very young age, and throughout his school years he participated in track and field athletics, gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, hand balancing, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
, rackets, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, football and rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
. At the age of 18 he won thirty medals and two silver cups for his achievements in various sports including rugby, track and field athletics, and gymnastics.
Military career
Heidenstam served in the British armed forcesBritish Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
during the Second World War, and by the time he left the military in 1948 he had attained the rank of Major. During the war he was a physical training instructor with the Army Physical Training Corps (APTC), as well as being involved in action in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
(Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
), Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
Bodybuilding
In 1936, Heidenstam won his first bodybuilding contest. A year later he won the 1937 Mr. BritainMr. Britain
Mr. Britain is a bodybuilding contest that has existed since the early 1930s. From 1957 to the present day it has been sponsored by the National Amateur Bodybuilders Association .-Mr Britain HSL :* 1930 — William T Coggins...
contest on his first attempt. When he won the Mr. Europe contest in 1939, he became the first British bodybuilder ever to achieve this. During his military career he twice won the 'Best Developed Man In The Services Cup', in 1942 and 1945. He continued to compete in contests for many years after the war, winning a number of them. In 1957 he won his final bodybuilding contest: Senior Mr. Britain.
Later life
After the war, Heidenstam continued his career as a physical training instructor and over the years that followed trained not only members of the public but famous sports people and celebrities.He wrote several fitness articles for the Daily Mirror newspaper, and joined the publishing team of Health and Strength magazine in 1953, a magazine which he became owner of in 1974.
He became President of the World Amateur Body Building Association (WABBA) in 1977, President of the National Amateur Bodybuilders Association (NABBA)
National Amateur Bodybuilders Association
The National Amateur Bodybuilders Association is an organisation founded in 1950 to promote bodybuilding, originally just for the United Kingdom. The first contest it organised was the NABBA Mr. Universe which was held on 24 June 1950 and won by Steve Reeves...
in 1980, and President of NABBA International in 1984.
Heidenstam was Secretary and President of NABBA when he died in 1991, aged 80.
Books
Heidenstam was the author of several books:'Modern Bodybuilding' (1955) Faber Popular Books
'Modern Health & Figure Culture' (1960) Faber Popular Books
'Fit at 40 & After' (1961) Faber Popular Books
'Muscle Building for Beginners' (1981) W. Foulsham & Co Ltd
'Body Beautiful' (1984) W. Foulsham & Co Ltd
'Beginners Guide to Muscle Building' (1991) W. Foulsham & Co Ltd
'Body Building for women' (1985) Gallery Books
'Bodybuilding for men' (1985) Gallery Books