Dan Lurie Official Web site:
www.danlurie.com

Dan Lurie Training

In my 65 years in the Gym and Barbell Equipment business, I had trained thousands of people who never made it big in the Fitness and Bodybuilding World. For those who wanted to lose weight, there were ton's of fat that disappeared from their bodies. For those who wanted to gain weight, I added many tons of pure muscles and development.

Here is a list of the better known Muscle Men that I trained:

PRO WRESTLER TONY ATLAS
STANLEY ELKINS
GEORGE EIFFERMAN
LOU FERRIGNO
WARREN FREDRICKS
JOE GOLD
PRO WRESTLER SUPER STAR BILLY GRAHAM
"THE LION FROM LEBANON" SAMIR BANNOUT
JULIE LEVINE
TOM MINICHELLO
FREDDIE ORTIZ
HAROLD POOLE
PRO WRESTLER IVAN PUTSKY
DON ROSS
JOE WEIDER

The most Famous Bodybuilder was Lou Ferrigno.

Lou was brought to me by his good friend, Tony Badal. Louie was 16 years of age, 6 foot 6 inches tall weighing 165 lbs.

One of the first things I did to get him known World Wide was to issue a challenge that in the next 3 years this skinny kid from Brooklyn, Louie Ferrigno would beat out Arnold Schwarzenegger. I put Louie on the cover of Muscle Training Illustrated magazine and ran pictures of him in every issue.

In the next three years, Lou put on 70 lbs of pure muscles, with size and definition. At age 19, Lou won the WBBG Pro Jr. Mr. America Contest that I ran in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

The Bodybuilding World knew of this 6'6" giant. I ran articles written by Lou and published him as much as possible.

Lou would come to my showroom on Utica Ave and work out on my display equipment. I would spend hours with him improving his posing routine. I would see Lou about 3 times a week.

In 1972, weighing 260 lbs, Lou entered my WBBG Pro Mr. America. He was favored to win. The night before the big contest, Lou took a water pill. When he appeared on stage for pre-judging, Louie lost his definition and looked smooth. Of cause I wanted Big Lou to win this Pro Mr. America Title. I am never a judge at these events. Louie was lucky to come out second. Bill Grant representing the IFBB was declared the winner by 17 judges. I remember how Bill Grant cried, as he received his first place trophy.

Lou's father Matty, never forgave me for not letting my # 1 protégé win that night. Lou swore to me that he never took steroids. When I found out that he lied, I told his father Matty how dangerous it was. It could kill. His exact words to me were "ITS NOT IMPORTANT IF HE DIE'S. WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT HE WINS." I said, Matty you are a sick father.

The next year, I brought Steve Reeves to my WBBG Pro Mr. America Contest for my main attraction. Joe Weider wanted to bury me, as he announced his IFBB show on the same night of mine.

Weeks before I heard that Lou was going to enter the Weider show. A few days before the big show, I called Louie and asked him if these rumors were true.

He said don't believe those lies, You have been more of a father to me than my own. With all that you have done for me, I would never ever leave the WBBG.

The night of the show, Louie never showed up to my Pro Mr. America, Instead he entered the IFBB show that same day.

THAT WAS THE END OF OUR FATHER and SON RELATION THAT I HAD WITH LOU FOR OVER 6 YEARS.

Dan Lurie's Bodybuilding Contests

1942 AAU Mr America
2nd place overall
1st place Most Muscular Man
1st place Best Legs
1st place Best Arms
2nd place Best Abdominals
2nd place Best Back
3rd place Best Chest
AAU Junior Mr America
2nd place

1943 AAU Mr America
2nd place overall
1st place Most Muscular Man
1st place Best Back
1st place Best Arms
2nd place Best Legs
2nd place Best Abdominals
2nd place Best Chest

1944 AAU Mr America
2nd place overall
1st place Most Muscualr Man
AAU Junior Mr America
2nd place overall
1st place Most Muscular Man

1946 Most Muscular Man
in America Contest
2nd place Professional category

Dan Lurie's Awards

1983 Champion Award
New York's Downtown Athletic Club (article)

1980 AAU Hall of Fame
Strength and Endurance Records
1665 PUSH UPS IN 90 MINUETS
1225 PARALLEL DIPS in 90 MINUETS
A ONE HANDED OVER HEAD BENT PRESS WITH 285 LBS BODYWEIGHT 168 LBS
LEG PRESS WITH 1230 LBS
BACK LIFT OF 1810 LBS

Dan Lurie on Television

Sealtest Big Top was a children's show that aired on CBS from 1950 to 1957. It was the number one kids show of its time. It was broadcast live coast to coast from 12 noon to 1 pm every Saturday.

The show was nominated for an Emmy Award as Best Children's Program in both 1953 and 1954.

The show had 6 performers and an audience of over 1000 people.

The famous Philadelphia Mummer Band also performed on every show.

After the Camden Armory burnt down June of 1953, the show moved to the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory.

The Sealest people wanted a real Pro strong man and they interviewed quite a few muscle men. I was picked. When they found out I could sing they used me.

The show had 3 three minute commercials. Every week I performed a live feat of strength and then drank Sealtest Milk or Sealtest Ice cream and flexed my muscles. There were about 8 of us who came from the New York area and took the train from Penn station to Philadelphia Friday at 6:00 PM We were the New York group who worked for the advertising agency who wrote all of the commercials for Sealtest. We would get up at 5:00 AM to be ready for rehearsals by 6:00 AM. Makeup started at 11:00 AM, one hour before the show.

As Sealtest Dan, The Muscle Man, I traveled to many city's performing live in State Fair's.

Dan Lurie Barbell Company

This is the History of the Dan Lurie Barbell Co, started in the early 1940's in Brooklyn, New York. The location was in the basement of my parents home at 1729 Rockaway Parkway.

I won my first AAU Title "Americas Most Muscular Man Contest at the 1942 AAU Mr. America show held in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Joe Weider started to publish "YOUR PHYSIQUE MAGAZINE " in 1940, from his home in Montreal, Canada. and needed a Champion Bodybuilder to endorse his Weider products.

Joe Weider wrote to me and he came to New York . We met and we became friends right away. I was 19 at the time and Joe was about 4 months older.

Joe, was having a hard time shipping his barbells to America. The US Government would charge extra duty and US Taxes along with high freight shipping charges. If you bought a set of barbell for $25.00 by the time you received it , the cost would be $50.

Joe and I entered into a contract agreement being 50-50 partners. He would advertise the Dan Lurie Barbell Co. in his muscle publications.

I started to manufacture barbells in America. It was a one man operation for many years. I did all the hard work of what was involved. The first year, maybe we did $5,000 gross. The second year maybe we did $10,000 gross. By 1948 the business grew to over $100,000 a year.

When the barbell business grew Joe Weider did not want to share the profits with me. So he took out the Dan Lurie Barbell name and put in Weider Barbell Co using a 5 Av, NYC mailing forwarding address..

I sued Joe Weider for a breach of contract. but never collected a dime in court.

Within a few years, I printed a catalogue and took out small one inch ads in National magazines offering a free catalog. I was the first Barbell Manufacturer in the East Coast to package and sell Dan Lurie Barbells in Sporting Good Stores and to the biggest Department Store's. In those years I sold more Barbell sets than YORK & WEIDER combined, doing over Ten Millions dollars a year.