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
Commercial gyms and standardized training equipment are relatively modern phenomena. Humans have been lifting weights for a long-time using tools that predate them. Among such tools, sandbags have proven themselves to be quite durable. They have been documented in training manuals as far back as 1793, co-opted by military conditioning programs, and, to top it… Continue reading Guest Post: The History of Sandbags in Physical Training
Dip belts emerged in the modern strength culture as an answer to the ceiling effect of bodyweight-only training. The late 20th century witnessed a revolutionary surge in dip belts’ adoption in bodybuilding, powerlifting, calisthenics, and subsequently, in home-training solutions. The modern dip belt is a waist-worn belt with weights suspended with a chain. It was… Continue reading Guest Post: The Popularization of Dip Belts in Modern Strength Culture
You’ve heard this story a thousand times. Ancient Greek wrestler Milo of Croton invented progressive overload by carrying a calf every day until it grew into a bull—the first gym bro to crack the code of getting stronger by gradually increasing the load. It’s all over Instagram fitness posts, repeated by influencers and treated as… Continue reading Milo of Croton Did Not Invent Progressive Overload
The farmers walk is now a staple of strongman contests and strength training programmes. Two heavy handles. A short distance. Grip, posture, lungs, and will tested all at once. As a formal event, it entered the public imagination in 1983 when Worlds Strongest Man introduced the Fergus Walk, named after Scottish strongman Fergus McCann. The… Continue reading From Fergus Walk to Farmer Carries: A Short History of Moving Weight
Reg Park was one of the most influential figures in mid-twentieth-century strength culture. A multiple-time Mr Universe winner and widely regarded as the strongest bodybuilder of his era, Park built his reputation on heavy barbell lifting as much as physique display. He believed that muscular development without demonstrable strength was incomplete, and he spent much… Continue reading Why Reg Park Believed Bodybuilders Should Lift Heavy
The trap bar, or the hex bar, is now a commonplace addition to contemporary gyms, athletic training and rehabilitation environments. Its unique hexagon and neutral grip handles are the opposite of the straight barbell that ruled strength training for decades. However, this now universally used device originated as an expedient remedy to a highly particular… Continue reading History of the Trap Bar: Al Gerard’s Hexagonal Innovation
I once spent a few days training with the legendary Mr. Olympia winner Frank Zane. One of the best purchases I ever made, I was always struck by Zane's observation that our bodies are, in many ways, the sum total of the equipment we have access to. If your gym has machines and no free… Continue reading Before lifters added weight with plates, they poured it in by hand.
Owing to the inquisitive nature of a PCS reader, I've finally gotten my act together, or at least come close enough to some semblance of normality, to go down the rabbit hole once again. The topic of todays post, is the rather more niche but nevertheless effective Glute Ham Raise (GHR) machine. Having spent years… Continue reading The History of the Glute Ham Raise
