From my daily mail I arrive at the conclusion that many barbell bugs have been considerably confused by the numerous super duper four-hour workout schedules credited to the prominent physique specialists in some of the muscle magazines. I have at least a dozen recent letters bearing the same complaint, 'These terrific workouts may be all… Continue reading Harry B. Paschall, ‘Training for the Working Man’, Bosco Strength Notebook,1: 2 (1951), 23-25
Admittedly this is an exercise for your physical culture purist. Stemming from the early origins of physical culture in the late nineteenth-century, English style deadlifts are unlikely to be seen in your gym any time soon. Nevertheless, this style of lifting was hugely popular amongst British and European lifters of yesteryear. Used by Goliaths like… Continue reading Forgotten Exercises: English Style Deadlifts
Almost a half-century ago the one and two hand swing lifts were very popular among lifters and bodybuilders alike, especially the one hand lift. Over the years, however, both of these lifts have slumped into oblivion so that today there are very few who ever practice them, either as an exercise or for record-breaking performances.… Continue reading Forgotten Exercises: The Dumbbell Swing
Okay, so it has finally happened. I began this website in 2014 and, in that time, I have done my best to create useful content on the history of the iron game. I have promoted old-school exercises, republished forgotten articles and chapters, and, in many instances, written biographies or histories of cool events. Although my… Continue reading What’s the Best Way to do a Barbell Leg Press?
This website's love for Jack LaLanne is perhaps firmly established through our previous posts. Well with that in mind, today's post discusses the LaLanne push up, a fingertip push up now synonymous with one of twentieth-century's most vibrant fitness personalities. So in today's short post we're going to examine the exercise, its history, and most… Continue reading Forgotten Exercises: The LaLanne push up
Coming from the 1984 Playboy interview previously covered on this website, the Lalanne 'Power Drink' serves as a timely reminder that one of the oldest physical culturists in the game was adamant about the importance of vitamins, minerals and copious amounts of vegetables. Let it serve as a timely reminder to eat, or in this… Continue reading Jack Lalanne’s Power Drink (Playboy Magazine, 1984)
The What? The Danish Floor Press! Now we are finally moving into the niche of the fitness industry. What is the Danish Floor Press? This, rather wonderful, exercises comes courtesy of Martin and Mikkel Fuldbaek from (no prizes for guessing) Denmark. It was originally devised with MMA fighters in mind around the 2010s but I've… Continue reading Forgotten Exercises: The Danish Floor Press
For many years serious athletes and bodybuilders have known that free weights build muscle size, strength and power faster than any other form of resistance training. Today's smart bodybuilders are also acutely aware that the process does not take as much time as many have erroneously believed and that, by using dumbbells (because they DO… Continue reading Randall M. Taylor, 18-Min Home Dumbbell Workout, Planet Muscle (Volume 4, Number 1, 2001)
Many years ago, before most of today's weight trainees were even a gleam in their daddy's eye, a fellow named John Y. Smith used to specialize in the one-handed deadlift. The late Harry Paschall, who used to write quite regularly for Iron Man Magazine in the 1950's, had met Smith several years earlier and, in… Continue reading Michael H. Brown, ‘Developing an Iron Claw’ (1974)
If you thought bodybuilding and serious involvement in sport is mere exercising and pushing your body to its limits, think again. Of course, building up your muscle mass is crucial. However, you won’t get far with just that alone. In the era of food full of additives, one might frown upon the mere mention of… Continue reading Guest Post: All-in-one History of Protein Shakes
