Most people in the gym today are looking for the answer. The program, the split, the system that finally works. A hundred years ago, Britain’s strongest men had already encountered that problem and, in effect, ignored it. In How to Use a Barbell (1925), William A. Pullum, a coach, promoter, and a central organiser of… Continue reading The Strongest Men in Britain Didn’t Train the Same Way
What teen or young lifter hasn't been seduced by the idea of bigger biceps? Indeed in the bodybuilding universe of both males and females, no pose is more iconic that the front or back double bicep pose. A difficult set of muscles to grow, except of course for the genetically gifted, the biceps have been… Continue reading The History of 21s
In 1949, at the age of eighty-one, Bernarr Macfadden parachuted into the valley below his hotel in Dansville, New York. The jump was reported in the press and presented as proof that decades of disciplined living had preserved his vitality. It was spectacle, but it was also marketing. Macfadden had spent half a century telling… Continue reading The Hotel Where Weakness Was a Crime
I did not go looking for F. A. Hornibrook. He turned up while I was chasing something else, which is usually how these things happen. A name in an advertisement. A reference that did not quite make sense. A photograph that looked familiar in a way that was hard to explain. He never arrived all… Continue reading When Did Everyone Start Looking Like This?
I lift therefore I am. Or ... something like that. I've been training in gyms and with weights in some capacity for two decades (this year in fact!). I've yet to win a major bodybuilding, powerlifting or weightlifting title. Neither will my lifts, sacred though they are to me, ever be something to write home… Continue reading Why Do We Train?
The following excerpt comes from Dan Lurie’s Body Building System, a mid-century mail-order course that reflects the commercial and cultural ambitions of the American Physical Culture movement. Lurie, a one-time Mr. America contestant and tireless self-promoter, occupied a peculiar space between showman and health educator. His system, like those of his contemporaries, blended moral advice,… Continue reading How To Lose Weight Fast And Make Your Muscles Stand Out
Mike Israetel has earned real authority in fitness. Through Renaissance Periodization, he has become one of the most recognizable figures in evidence-based hypertrophy training. His lectures on training volume, recovery, and nutrition are staples in gyms and classrooms. When he speaks about training, he cites peer-reviewed studies, parses physiology clearly, and backs it up with… Continue reading When Fitness Gurus Become Public Intellectuals
I am delighted to share that my new article, Mistakes I Carried: Building Strength in a Time of Crisis, has just been published in the American Historical Review. For historians, the AHR is the big one. But what excites me most is not the prestige of the publication. It is that the piece gave me… Continue reading The Weight of History: Building Strength in a Time of Crisis
Mike Mentzer remains one of the most fascinating characters in the history of bodybuilding. A deep thinker and proud contrarian, Mike is one of the few men in bodybuilding to achieve a perfect score in a competition—and do it on more than one occasion! His training style was defined by the high-intensity training first proposed… Continue reading Interview with Mike Mentzer author John Little
Remember that time Franco Columbu broke his leg carrying a refrigerator on his back? Pepperidge Farms remembers... I love strongman and strongwoman festivals. If you have been on this website for more than five minutes, this much is clear. I also love how chaotic and unorganised early strongman shows were. From heavy deadlifts with blocks… Continue reading Near Tragedy: When Bill Kazmaier Almost Killed O.D Wilson at the 1989 Pure Strength Contest
