A Website Dedicated to the Study of Strength, Health, Fitness and Sport Across Centuries, Countries and Contests.
Famed for his god-like mid section, Ivan 'Zabo' Koszewski, is often forgotten about by modern gym goers seeking inspiration for their training. Although smaller in stature than contemporaries like Arnold or Frank Zane, Zabo's physique was nevertheless the stuff of legend amongst his training colleagues. Today's post, written by Bob Hise for Strength and Health... Continue Reading →
This article first appeared in Bob Hoffman's Strength and Health Magazine in 1957. It details the point scoring for the precusors for today's modern bodybuilding shows. Of particular interest are the categories dealing with muscularity and athleticism. Many of us forget that physique competitions used to include some form of strength component dealing with the... Continue Reading →
The passing of Dr. Fred Hatfield in 2017 saw the passing of one of the lifting community's most prolific coaches. Known as 'Dr. Squat' thanks to his own immense strength, Hatfield also helped to popularise scientific forms of training. The above article, written sometime before 2001 is perhaps the most comprehensive guide I've come across... Continue Reading →
I have a great story to share about the day I met the three best bodybuilders in the world on the same day. I was 14 at the time and had just started to get interested in bodybuilding. It was wierd because I had been interested in muscles and bodybuilding for a long time, from... Continue Reading →
The basic concept of lying on a bench and taking a bar from arm's length to the chest and back is a very simple one. However, bench pressing with maximum efficiency and power is an extremely exacting art relying on many major and minor principles and utilizing the coordination of the many muscles involved. While there is... Continue Reading →
Many young men take up weight training because they are underweight. Individuals who have been underweight most of their lives usually have high metabolic rates, i.e., they burn calories at a rapid rate, making it difficult to add mass to their frames. Having such high BMR’s, these individuals are especially prone to overtraining. In such... Continue Reading →
The reality of physical injury is omnipresent to all human beings. Whether it comes in the form of broken bones, muscle tears, strains or sprains of connective tissue, damage to our all-too-fragile form is a cost of doing business on earth. While a proper strength training program can do much to decrease our risk of... Continue Reading →
The mid-twentieth century was a wonderful period for television and weightlifting. This was a time when the general public was beginning to express an interest in physical culture, an interest expressed in popular culture. The cartoon shown today is no exception. Produced in 1968, the video showcases the loveable Pink Panther engaging in weightlifting for... Continue Reading →
That stone had lain in that place as long as the oldest traditions in the village could remember. And from time immemorial it had been the custom of the young men of the village to test their strength by lifting it …[i] Liam O’Flaherty, 1937. Simply titled, ‘The Stone’, Liam O’Flaherty’s short Irish story from... Continue Reading →
It has frequently been remarked that men of the present day are not so strong as those of times past, and there are many reasons for this assertion. An inspection of ancient arbor is sufficient to convince one of the truth of this statement. In looking at specimens of ancient armor, we are at once... Continue Reading →