Flex: Rewind: a look back at what we packed into our April issues from five, 10, 15 and 20 years ago

1984 Our first anniversary! FLEX turns one year old, and Ben Weider announces that the fledgling effort is already the second-most-popular magazine of the genre--only MUSCLE & FITNESS outsells it!

No hindsight? The IFBB judges' committee forbids female competitors from using lat spreads during posing--from the front or from the rear.

Doubles at Wembley. We report the coronation of lightweight winner Erika Mes and middleweight champ Inger Zetterqvist at the first-ever women's World Championships in Wembley, England. For the inauguration of the women's National Championships in San Jose, we list the weight-class winners: Mae Mollica (lightweight), Debbie Vavoulis (middleweight) and Diana Dennis (heavyweight).

1989 DeMey dictum. Berry DeMey informs readers that longevity in bodybuilding is not prompted by bigger arms but by continual improvement with each workout.

Quincy on a roll. We deal you some facts on Quincy Roberts, who overcame a four-year addiction to gambling, then entered the roulette wheel of bodybuilding and became the Nationals middleweight champ.

Cory's story. We profile Cory Everson, who won the 1985 through 1988 Ms. Olympia titles, and whose hold on our readers is still strong.

1994 Homegrown muscles. Brit wit Dorian Yates encapsulates his philosophy: "My job is to get in and out of the gym as quickly as feasible, and then go home and grow."

Of aged Pearls and other jewels. Bill Pearl waxes wanderlust on how bodybuilding has taken a quarter-turn away from its original purpose.

Boss Ross. Clancy Ross, in fact and photo, has his career memories revived by David Chapman's resonant retelling.

1999 Brant new champ. Monica Brant wins the Fitness Olympia in Nice, France, and she is pictured with a telescope not powerful enough to find her faults.

Grunt 'n' grown. We pin down the 10 best physiques in pro wrestling, with the Warrior decreed as the last man flexing in the ring!

In the Ozone. Kenny Jones, resident of Ozone Park, Queens, is profiled in the Big Picture, and he credits Steve Reeves' Hercules movies as his original impetus to begin bodybuilding.

COMPILED BY JOE ROARK