A Well-Defined Body of Work

He did the heavy lifting 20 years ago -- back in the days when he pulled strings to turn a decrepit dumbbell pit into a world-famous oceanfront workout spot.

Bill Howard got his reward Monday as appreciative bodybuilders in Venice named him to the Muscle Beach Hall of Fame.

Weightlifters credited Howard with helping save Muscle Beach twice -- once when it was kicked out of Santa Monica in the late 1950s and then again in the 1980s when it nearly disappeared from its new home next to the Venice Boardwalk.

Now 72, Howard was cheered by a crowd of about 1,000 attending an Independence Day bodybuilding competition. Even those who were backstage oiling their abs and toning their biceps with barbell curls stopped to applaud.

“Without Bill, there would be no Muscle Beach today,” said Joe Wheatley, the coordinator of Monday’s competition. “None of this would be here. None of us would be here.”

Howard, a Huntington Beach personal trainer who began bodybuilding at age 17, recalled having to pull more than his own weight to help keep Muscle Beach alive.

From 1934 to 1958, the original “Muscle Beach” was an area south of the Santa Monica Pier. Outfitted with gymnastics equipment, it was frequented by amateur acrobats and weightlifters, who would catch the acrobats as they performed flips.

“The city closed it after a couple of guys dated a couple of underage girls. We decided to relocate to Venice, and in 1963 I started putting these bodybuilding shows here,” Howard said.

Los Angeles funding problems almost forced the new Muscle Beach to close in the early 1980s. Its weightlifting equipment was falling apart and the training area itself was poorly maintained, Howard recalled.

“For one competition we didn’t have money for trophies, so I got Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbo to go home and get some of their own trophies to donate. They did, and we had a show,” he said.

Howard led a campaign to get Los Angeles officials to designate the site “Muscle Beach Venice” in 1987. In 1991, he helped procure $500,000 in surplus Los Angeles Summer Olympics and parkland development funds to construct the current training area and stage.

Two other Muscle Beach veterans -- Iron Man magazine publisher John Balik, 64, of Malibu and circa-1940s Santa Monica beach acrobat Paula Boelsems, who described herself as “39 and holding” -- were also named to the Hall of Fame.

The 35 bodybuilders competing in six categories included some old-timers as well.

“I don’t expect to ever win. I’m here to promote fitness for older adults,” explained a still-lithe Jackie Lee, 72, of Mar Vista. She was cheered as she performed handstands in a red, white and blue bikini.

Jim Arrington, also 72, said he had been “very sickly as a little boy” before he started weight training through a magazine mail-order course at age 15. Over the years, he never used steroids to enhance his power or muscle mass.

“The longevity from not using them has paid off,” said Arrington, a retired metals salesman from Culver City. “I can’t get the size some of the other guys get. My strategy is to wait them out.”

Magdalena Avendano, a very muscular 41-year-old from Montecito Heights, walked offstage toting three first-place trophies for her division.

That sight inspired many in the crowd, including Marie Nowicki, a Phoenix schoolteacher who was visiting Venice for the Fourth of July.

“I’m looking at a lot of dedication and preparation on that stage,” said Nowicki. “I’m getting older myself, so I appreciate it.”

Monday’s contest was a first for some competitors. Lori Ross, a 39-year-old construction company controller from Simi Valley, said she has lifted weights for about a year.

“I’ve never done this before. Can’t you tell by my shaking?” she joked.

Jeremy Pascual, 22, of Artesia seemed plenty calm as he posed in a series of bodybuilder stances choreographed to pulsating music. “I’ve worked out for five years, but this is my first competition,” said the personal trainer and college student.

In the audience, Chris Hopkins marveled at both the hard bodies and the hard work that went into them.

“I’ve never seen a bodybuilding competition before. It’s a little freakish, but I have a certain respect for these guys,” said Hopkins, a Santa Monica real estate agent.

“It’s a little like racing. You like to watch, but you’d never want to drive that fast.”