A Website Dedicated to the Study of Strength, Health, Fitness and Sport Across Centuries, Countries and Contests.
Today's post deals with an exercise I love to hate, the overhead squat. Now this is not one of those posts about how I hate doing it, but the benefits are so great, that I do them anyway. Nope, not at all. I hate this exercise and, chances are, I hate the people who promote... Continue Reading →
a Having previously examined weight lifting belts and weightlifting shoes, the time seems right to examine weightlifting straps. For some weightlifting straps are just another everyday piece of equipment. They boost your numbers on the dead lift, the barbell row and just about anything else that requires grip strength. Yet for others weightlifting straps signify... Continue Reading →
Whether you've attempted to train your 'core' or perform some simple rehab exercises, chances are you've used a Swiss Ball at some point in your training career. So where did the Swiss Ball come from? What was it's purpose and how did they become so popular? Swiss Ball Origins Remarkably given its popular name, the Swiss Ball... Continue Reading →
Fitness goals should be the top priority of everyone who wants to live a happy life. One cannot be happy until one is fit and healthy. Any kind of health problem can be troublesome for you and prevent you from enjoying your life. You won’t be able to do things in the cheerful ways if... Continue Reading →
Situated halfway between the gym and the nightclub, pre-workout supplements have taken on a remarkable popularity amongst gym goers in recent years. Labelled with 'hardcore' names such as 'Anarchy', 'Mr. Hyde' or 'Rage', the pre-workout supplement has become a staple amongst portions of the lifting community. Indeed, one may be forgiven for thinking that bodybuilders,... Continue Reading →
You may have heard would-be body culturists say, "Aw gee, how can I train? There is no gymnasium around here, and any way if there was, I couldn't afford it." Actually, hundreds of young men have presented this problem to me, hoping that I would be able to solve the little difficulty for them. It... Continue Reading →
The mind, as I’ve said thousands of times in articles and books, is your master! If there is a singlesource of great power within you it is in your mind. Learn to control and direct mental energy and power, and you have but to set your mind on what you wish physically in order to... Continue Reading →
Today's short post is something of a new departure for me. Usually when detailing a forgotten exercise, I can cite an early proponent, the history of the exercise and its place within the current strength and iron community. Despite my best efforts, I simple haven't been able to track down the history of the present... Continue Reading →
You cannot spend a third of a century around physical culturists and barbell men without coming to a few conclusions. You see many enthusiasts who thrive on their training schedules and attain a perfectly satisfactory degree of physical development. You see others work and strain without noticeable improvement for months or years. Quite often these... Continue Reading →
This article may make for uncomfortable reading. It’s been included to illustrate why it’scritical that you’re always sensible and conservative in your training. No matter how experienced one may be, the rules of sensible training still apply. Properly done, weight training is very safe and healthy, but take liberties and it becomes a dangerous activity.... Continue Reading →