A Website Dedicated to the Study of Strength, Health, Fitness and Sport Across Centuries, Countries and Contests.
I frankly confess that when I was young I was just as much hypnotised by professional "strong men" as you are today. I was as strong as the average boy; maybe a little stronger, for I could take a 65 lb. solid iron dumb-bell and push it slowly above my head with my right arm. But... Continue Reading →
It is sometimes desirable to specialize on one lift or exercise to the exclusion of all others. The reason for this is that you can direct all your energies and effort in one direction. This will enable you to make much faster progress and reach greater heights of strength and development than if you spread... Continue Reading →
In order to maintain health and provide for optimal growth, our bodies require more than 40 different nutrients. These various nutrients can be found in the six primary food components: water, protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. WATER: Whether or not you believe live began in the sea, the fact remains that life exists in... 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 →
Born at the turn of the twentieth-century, Tony Sansone is perhaps one of the most famous physical culturists never to turn his hand to bodybuilding. Nevertheless his influence on bodybuilders and those seeking to get in shape was remarkable. Training under both Bernarr McFadden and Charles Atlas, Sansone developed one of the most sought after... Continue Reading →
One of the most popular physical culturists of the entire twentieth-century, there is no denying the impact Charles Atlas had on the muscle making industry. Full of vigour, advice and the occasional insult, Atlas challenged his 'students' to improve their physique as much as possible. The yardstick for their success? None other than Atlas's own... Continue Reading →
This very popular lift is a good exercise for all round development and an excellent method of weight gaining if properly performed for this purpose. It is probably the most strenuous of all exercises and therein lies its value as a stimulator of metabolism and a weight gaining medium. Much the same principles of procedure are used as in the squat or... Continue Reading →
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 weight gain. The real secret to gaining weight is food. The more you eat, the... Continue Reading →
Open any muscle mag from the mid-20th century and chances are you'll find a reference to Rheo H. Blair, and his famous instant protein. Blair's protein was used by the top bodybuilders of the 1950s ranging from Gironda to Arnie. He was a firm believer in the importance of top quality protein and often got... Continue Reading →
Published by the mid-century Bodybuilder Alan Stephens, the following article from Your Physique magazine details some time honoured means of bulking up in the easiest and most efficient way possible. Though much of Stephens' advice will seem like old hat to those a few years in the Iron Game, his writings were geared toward the beginner... Continue Reading →