“Variety is the mother of enjoyment.” –Benjamin Disraeli The crux of Rachel’s eminently successful bodybuilding philosophy is variety – in training, in diet, in everyday life! “By constantly changing my workouts, I am able to keep my muscles off balance. I shock them so they can’t adapt to a constant stress, and they are forced… Continue reading Guest Post: Bill Reynolds, “Rachel McLish says, ‘VARIETY IS MY SPICE OF LIFE!’,” Muscle & Fitness, April 1983, 78-81, 177-184
Compared with his less fortunate brothers who box and run, the lifter has no restrictions as to diet. The man who boxes requires good wind and staying power, and he, therefore, has to care- fully limit his allowance of liquid, and has to exercise great care in his selection of foodstuffs, avoiding pastry, all starchy… Continue reading Arthur Saxon, ‘My Ideas on Diet’, The Development of Physical Power (London, 1906).
Late last year, in 2024, Bodybuilding.com did the unthinkable. They closed the infamous bodybuilding.com forum down. In an age of Tik-Tok and Instagram, younger readers may question why anyone should care. The answer lies in an interesting mix of influencers, trolls, questions about how many days are in a week (yes really!) and a community… Continue reading The Birth, Life and Death of Bodybuilding’s Most Important Forum
In 1967 Sergio Oliva, one of the greatest bodybuilders to ever grace the sport, won the Mr. Olympia. The previous two years Larry Scott had won the title but, following Scott's retirement, the floor was open for Oliva to step into the spotlight. The Cuban bodybuilder, and former Olympic weightlifter, was himself new to the… Continue reading Lost Footage of the 1967 Mr. Olympia
How did I not know of this earlier? I had been planning to write about the history of bodybuilding forums this week (watch this space) but events overtook me. Listening to a wrestling podcast this morning (WrestleMe, and it is wonderful), I learned that video footage of a George Hackenschmidt match had been digitized and… Continue reading Pinch Me! Video Footage of George Hackenschmidt!!!
We always knew women could never build muscles, at least not, uh, real women. Muscles belonged on men, and women didn't want any. They didn't need them, either, not for typing 70 words a minute, not for staying at home all day baking cakes for honeybun. But we also always knew women could never run… Continue reading Dan Levin, ‘Here She Is, Miss, Well, What?, Sports Illustrated, 17 March (1980), 64-75
My Pilgrimage To The 'Mecca'" "People seem to assume that because I'm a pro bodybuilder, I must have been out to Venice Beach on many occasions and trained at the world-famous Gold's Gym. The truth is that until a couple weeks ago, I had never so much as set foot inside Gold's. Five years ago… Continue reading Kai Greene, ‘The Predator,’ Iron Man, April (2009), 372-375
The concept of athletes as influencers has deep historical roots, stretching back to the origins of organized sports. In ancient Greece, Olympians were considered heroes not just for their prowess in athletic competitions but also for their embodiment of discipline, skill, and honor. They were celebrated figures, with their likeness etched on pottery and sculptures,… Continue reading Guest Post: From Sports Heroes to Social Icons: The Evolution of Athletes as Influencers
Who is the strongest man or woman in the world? A more important question to ask is how do we test them? Do we rely on the Olympic lifts (snatch and clean), or the powerlifting lifts (Squat, bench and deadlift)? What about strongman/strongwoman events like timber carries, max deadlifts using straps, Atlas stones or yoke… Continue reading What is Strength? A Question of Philosophy
So much has been written of the great old timers, that I will barely touch upon their deeds and confine most of this article to the strongest men of the present. If all the great strong men of the past, many of whom have gone from this earth, could meet in a contest, what a… Continue reading Bob Hoffman, ‘The World’s Strongest Man: Past & Present,’ Strength & Health, 5, no. 10 (1937), 32-34 & 42-45.
