Few bodybuilders are remembered solely for their individual body parts. The collective entity? Certainly. But the individual sections of the body? This is a far rarer phenomenon. While Dorian Yates may be remembered for his towering Lat spread and Tom Platz for his Quad sweep, Frank Zane holds the distinction of being remembered for his… Continue reading Frank Zane’s Ab routine
Though oftentimes derided on the gym floor, the leg press machine has nevertheless become a staple of weight lifting life through the globe. Yes it's not as 'hardcore' as the squat and yes it's oftentimes abused by bros quarter repping but this piece of equipment has a long and interesting history behind it. A long… Continue reading Who Invented the Leg Press?
Listen I've been studying and engaging in fitness behaviours for a long time. Never did I think walking was going to become a 'sexy' fad. Nevermind rucking, which is effectively strapping a heavy backpack on and walking for an extended period of time. Yup... I'm not here to criticise it either. I do it twice… Continue reading When Did People Start Rucking?
At what price do you value Fitness? £50? £1,000? Has it a Price?Yet it need cost you almost Nothing to obtain and retain.It needs but TEN MINUTES A DAY OF YOUR SPARE TIME Every year thousands of people in this country die in the very houses they hoped to enjoy in their leisure, their every… Continue reading Frank Miles, ‘What Price Fitness?,’ Health & Strength, December 3, 1938
Though athletes and workers have long pushed or pulled heavy weights, the idea of the Prowler is a relatively new one. Who amongst us, upon seeing this shining behemoth on the gym floor has not been tempted to try it out? As an admittedly recent convert to the Prowler, I'm somewhat late to the party.… Continue reading The History of the Prowler
If you are wondering about wall Pilates, you are not alone. It is being hotly discussed right now. You can think of it like a fresh perspective or an innovative approach to traditional Pilates. It just adds a wall in the mix. But this seemingly simple addition deepens the stretches, enhances the alignment, and helps… Continue reading Guest Post: The History of Wall Pilates Workout: Origins, Benefits, and How to Start
Much to my surprise, and great shame, Edward Aston is not someone mentioned a lot on this website. This, I hasten to add, has everything to do with my own deficiencies. Born in England in the late nineteenth-century, Aston was known to contemporaries as one of the strongest men around. In 1910, he won the… Continue reading Forgotten Devices: Edward Aston’s ‘Anti-Barbell’
Now admittedly this is not the catchiest title I'm ever going to use but it hopefully conveys the purpose of today's post. Back when I started training, assisted pull up machines were a thing of scorn. Who, we would wonder, would bother with such an oddity? Couldn't individuals muster a solitary pull up by themselves?… Continue reading Who Invented the Assisted Pull Up Machine?
For whatever reason some training systems remain in the public psyche while others fall to the wayside, continued only by a few dedicated and often fixated trainers. Thus while nearly every intermediate and certainly every advanced trainee is familiar with manipulating rep ranges, few seem to stray outside the comfort zone of 5 x 5,… Continue reading Forgotten Training Protocols: 4 x 10 Clusters
I love origin stories. And fitness is full of them. Eugen Sandow and the first major bodybuilding show of 1901. When women first competed in weightlifting at the Olympics. The first man or woman to lift/press/pull insert world record number here etc. etc. We also have those critical originators and thinkers who helped to popularise… Continue reading Pavel Tsatsouline, ‘Vodka, Pickle Juice, Kettlebell Lifting and Other Russian Pastimes,’ Milo, Vol 6, no. 3 (1996).
