In today's digital age, the internet has revolutionized nearly every aspect of our lives, including how we approach health and fitness. It serves as a vast repository of knowledge and resources, offering unprecedented access to tools that can enhance our well-being. This article delves into the myriad ways in which the internet can be leveraged… Continue reading Guest Post: Harnessing the Power of the Internet for Health and Fitness
John Grimek was one of the greatest American weightlifters and bodybuilders of the 20th century. Nicknamed 'The Monarch of Muscledom', Grimek also competed for the US in the 1936 Olympics in Germany. It's fair to say he knew something about lifting weights. Today's article sees Grimek discuss one of the most pressing issues in bodybuilding.… Continue reading How Fast Should You Gain Weight and Size – John C. Grimek (1976)
The following extract comes from Vince Gironda’s 1984 Book: Unleashing the Wild Physique (available here). This book cannot be recommended highly enough, from VInce’s no nonsense take on steroids to his innovative training techniques. Today’s post comes from Vince’s advice on a lacto-vegetarian diet. The Lacto-Vegetarian Diet This is the easiest diet to follow because you can eat as much as… Continue reading Vince Gironda’s Lacto-Vegetarian Diet
Why did the first era of bodybuilders have flat chests? Two common explanations I see online are that lifters in the 1890s and early 1900s considered large chests to be feminine and thus wanted to avoid it or that lifters modelled their own physiques on Ancient Greek statues and, thus, wanted to build their physiques… Continue reading Why Did Bronze Era Lifters Have Flat Chest? A Serious Answer to a Stupid Question
This article, first published in Health and Strength Magazine in 1956 is a great reminder that we don't need to spend hours in the gym to maintain our fitness. In fact, the writers of this programme believed it could be done in half an hour or less. Ideal for those struggling to make time to… Continue reading Workout for a Working Man
Many of our day-to-day activities contain elements of arts and science. It’s just that the artistic part is more renowned than the science behind these activities. As such, those scientific influences are easily swept under the carpet. For instance, the idea that physics plays a great role in the art of boxing isn’t much acclaimed.… Continue reading Top 5 Boxers with Amazing Physics
Experiencing a sports injury is a profound challenge that affects athletes not only physically but also mentally. Athletes invest immense effort and passion into their sport, making setbacks due to injury particularly devastating. Beyond the physical pain and limitations, the mental toll can be significant. The journey of recovery involves more than just rehabilitation of… Continue reading Guest Post: Useful Tips for Recovering Mentally After a Sports Injury
One of the most fascinating things to me is how bodybuilders prepare for a contest. How do they tweak their diets? Manipulate their water and sodium intake and, more importantly, how do they train to maintain their muscle mass while simultaneously losing body fat? In many ways bodybuilding contests are biological warfare. As bodybuilding has… Continue reading How Did Steve Reeves Prepare for a Bodybuilding Show
In 90% of the training you do the emphasis should be on picture-perfect form AND heavy weights. Cheating is undesirable, and while it SEEMS that you are working harder because you are lifting moreyou are, in fact, working less intensively since the “heavier” work is being distributed over many hefty muscle groups – instead of… Continue reading Bradley Steiner, ‘Partials, Rack Work And Isometrics’, POWERLIFTING (1972), 16-17
The Westside Barbell club run by Louie Simmons, is one of the current institutions of the iron game. Known for producing champion powerlifters and even effective machines such as the Reverse Hyper Extension, there is little doubting the club's importance for lifters, whether or not they adhere to powerlifting itself. In today's short post, we're… Continue reading Forgotten Exercises: The JM Press
Studying the History of Fitness