Guest Post: The History and Evolution of Public Gyms

The fitness industry has experienced significant growth and transformation over the years, with public gyms playing a central role in promoting physical fitness and well-being. From humble beginnings to the sprawling fitness centers we see today, the evolution of the public gym reflects changing societal attitudes towards health, exercise, and personal fitness goals. If you... Continue Reading →

How Do You a Single Handed Dead Lift? 1920s Style

The following post is taken directly from Thomas Inch's 1920s work, On Strength. Inch, as we have previously discussed on Physical Culture Study, was one of the early and influential British physical culturists. Inch was a weightlifter, weightlifting organizer and a prolific writer. He wrote for several decades with Health and Strength magazine, likely contributed... Continue Reading →

Kathleen Engel, ‘Put Size on Your Thighs with Nasser El Sonbaty’, Muscle & Fitness, 63: 6 (2002), 134-138

For Nasser El Sonbaty, who has spent 19 years torching, torturing and otherwise harassing every muscle fiber on his 5'11" frame, there are two absolutes. "The first thing is consistency; the second, intensity." Given his behemoth lower quarters -- complete with voluminous muscle bellies, subterranean separation, Gibraltarian density and shape -- we took notes. Nasser... Continue Reading →

Forgotten Exercises: The Rader Chest Pull

Having previously discussed the history of the squat exercise, today's post examines the creation of the Rader Chest Pull, an exercise that Peary Rader, one of the Irongame's biggest names in the twentieth-century, often used in conjunction with the squat. Typically Rader would inform trainees to perform this exercise directly after a set of twenty... Continue Reading →

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