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Interview
with Rheo Blair's Jim Shiblom Although Rheo has left us his original formula is still alive and well and in the very capable hands of Jim Shiblom, the man who owns the production rights to Rheo Blair's Protein. In response to the tremendous amount of activity in the Rheo Blair thread in Iron Age's Nutrition forum we decided to ask Jim a few questions concerning Rheo, his supplements, and a guy named Freddy. Iron Age: What separates the Blair\rquote s Protein formula from other protein supplements Jim Shiblom: Blair's Protein produces gains in size, weight and strength. The insulin growth factors are the key. Rheo was able to islolate these factors from the casein found in the mother cow. Did you ever notice how a young calf can double its size in six weeks? It is because of these growth factors a mother cow releases when giving birth, which speeds her young to growth. This has a simliar effect on humans. I remember the late Vince Gironda would put his students on Blair's Protein and they made greater gains than when they had used other brands of protein powders. Vince use to tell his students all about the insulin growth factors.Vince was a big believer and user of Blair's protein. IA: Can Blair' s Protein be used effectively with milk or is heavy cream the best for mixing it with? Should the user expect to gain fat using Blair's Protein? JS: I remember years ago meeting a young dancer in Rheo's office. She mixed it with skim milk to keep her weight down. You can also mix it with water, which many top bodybuilders did years ago. It depends on your goals. Everyone has a different metabolism. We suggest when using cream, to cut back on your carbs, By using fats as a source of energy, you may find you will lose weight or build muscle with no fat accumulation. Steve Davis lost from 285 to 195 in eight months mixing Blair's with cream. The Blair Protein formula was set up to be mixed with cream and milk for the best gains in bodybuilding. Blair's mixed with cream has been shown to cause an increase in hormone production. Using cream will also release the insulin growth factors I talked about at a faster rate, which can induce increases in size and strength. IA: What kind of gains can the user expect from Blair's Protein Powder? JS: If trainers follow what we tell them, their gains will be good. Rheo believed in consuming heavy Blair's protein from 1-2 cups per day. This type of regimen produces dramatic gains. I went from 170 pounds to 245 in my powerlifting days using heavy quantities of Blair's. Today I weigh 230, so I do not need as much heavy supplementation. During Larry Scott's top gains, he was using between 1-2 cups per day. Sergio Oliva use to take Blair's Protein in a thermos and drink it during his workout because he consumed so much protein powder. Gable Boudreaux used 3 cups per day taken about 12 times per day. While I never used that much powder, it worked for him. He made the fastest gains of any bodybuilder in the shortest amount of time. IA: Are there any other Blair supplements that we might see in circulation again? JS: We had test marketed some of Rheo's other supplements and the results were poor. Products such as Creatine and L-Glutamine have taken over the market. IA: Who are some bodybuilders who used Blair's Protein? JS: Six former Mr. Olympia winners used Blair's. Names like Arnold, Scott, Oliva, Zane, Dickerson and Columbu. There were also Mr. America winners such as Casey Viator, Dave Draper, Harry Johnson, Red Lerille, Bill Pearl, Bob Gajda, Boyer Coe, Don Howorth and many more. IA: What is your original connection with Rheo Blair? JS: I met Rheo in the summer of 1971 when I was out of college for the summer. I trained at the original Gold's in Venice. Rheo knew right off I was a very dedicated trainer. I listened to every word Rheo H Blair told me. He was impressed that I took notes, so he knew I was serious. Rheo was a nice guy and I was around his office when some movie stars called. Years later I became a wholesaler for his company and sold all his supplements. I saw Rheo many times over the years. He could tell I wanted to use the best supplements to reach my goals. Rheo could talk nutrition day and night. What I liked about Rheo was he was true to his beliefs. Here was a man who was scorned by many as being eccentric, yet he held the key to unlocking the doors for great gains. I remember Rheo once told me that bulls just lay around all day and eat nothing but clover, and they are huge. Rheo use to say "If we could just unlock those doors and find that chemistry of the body..." IA: Did Rheo advertise his products or was it mostly sold through word of mouth? JS: Rheo was well known in Los Angeles and California but outside that area, people knew little about him. I remember one time in a health food store, a man purchased his protein because it tasted good and got results, but the man never heard of Rheo Blair. Word of mouth was a key factor for Rheo. Rheo advertised in magazines, mainly IronMan. His protein was also sold across the country in health food stores. When Rheo was operating his business 65% of sales was in the California market, which gives you an idea of how well he was known in that state. IA: Who is the "Freddy" that guys who were associated with Rheo refer to? JS: Freddy was Rheo's executive assistant and worked with him in Los Angeles. Ben was the business manager who later inherited the company. John worked as the shipping clerk for Ben in the distribution center. I dealt with Ben and Rheo. However I had met Freddy many times when I visited Rheo, so I knew Freddy for years. IA: Thanks very much Jim! JS: My pleasure. To purchase Rheo Blair's original formula and to learn more about the man click on the link below. Understand that Iron Age does not profit from the sale of Blair's protein but we support Jim and his distributors as keepers of the Iron Age flame.
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