My love of old British Pathé footage aside, the above video marks a rather remarkable insight into the still existent world of strongmen training in 1960s Britain. Harold Cope, our Derby lifter shown here, is still […]
Tag: Exercise
Alan Calvert, ‘General Training Program’, Health, Strength and Development (Philadelphia, c. 1920s).
Hundreds of prospective pupils write me to ask how long they will have to train; how much time they will have to spend each week, etc., etc. This seems a good place to answer those questions.
The average pupil practices the first course in developing exercises for two or three months. He practices every other day (that is, once in 48 hours), and the practice period covers about 30 minutes.
By the end of the second or third month the pupil has attained a certain degree of strength and development, and then his training program is altered. On two days a week he will practice the more strenuolls of the developing exercises from the first course, and two other days a week he will practice the Eight Standard Lifts; that is, the second course. He keeps up this training for two or three months and during that period the time consumed is about three hours a week.
The Standard Lifts Course, as well as the First Course in Developing Exercise, is given free to every pupil who buys a bell-whether it be a low-priced plate bell or the most expensive MILO TRIPLEX bell on the list.
Doug Hepburn in Action! (British Pathé, 1953)
Admittedly this site has not given Doug Hepburn his due. A Canadian by birth, Hepburn was known the world over not only for his weightlifting and strongman feats. The above video shows Hepburn at the […]
Tom Burrows and the 100 Hour Indian Club Swing
Readers of this blog will undoubtedly be familiar with my fondness for Indian club swinging, that great Hindu and Persian practice which became all the rage in England and the United States during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The history of Indian club swinging has been previously covered here with one big exception. I have said little to nothing of my favorite Indian club athlete, the great Tom Burrows.
Burrows was an Australian athlete who came to Britain in the late nineteenth century to train soldiers at the Royal Army Physical Training Corps gymnasium in Aldershot. Once there, Burrows became a minor physical culture celebrity owing both to his expertise as a coach but, more importantly, his ability to swing Indian clubs for hours on end. This is no exaggeration. By the late 1900s, Tom Burrows could swing Indian clubs for eighty hours without resting. Such was his popularity and demand that he even went on a world tour during this time to showcase his abilities to foreign audiences.
Today’s post, which is based on an article I wrote for Sport in History, centers on Burrow’s ultimately failed efforts to swing the Indian clubs for 100 hours without rest. Interested? Read on.
Eugen Sandow, ‘What is Physical Culture?’, The Gospel of Strength According to Sandow (Melbourne, 1902).
Perhaps I cannot do better than begin this series of talks with one which shall serve as a definition of Physical Culture. First of all, I should like to make it clearly understood that I […]
Guest Post: The History of Sports Uniforms
Sports uniforms have come a long way since they first appeared. Originally, the idea was to have all the players in the same team dressed the same in order for their teammates to see them better and not mistake them for an opponent. However, very soon after they were introduced, sports uniforms started representing the team’s spirit and values, as well as striking fear into the hearts of opponents. Nowadays, they are designed to provide maximum comfort to players wearing them, while at the same time designers are trying to make them as appealing as possible, so that millions, or even billions of fans around the world would also buy the uniform of their favorite club. So, let’s take a look at how these uniforms have changed when it comes to the most popular sports around the world.
Guest Post: The History of Kratom: An Ancient Herb and Its Implications in Sports and Health
For better or worse, supplements seem to have become an inextricable part of the modern lifestyle. Provided that you use them the right way, though, and provided that you choose the right ones for your health and fitness needs, supplements truly can elevate your long-term well-being and even help you take your fitness game to the next level, so to speak. Even so, there’s just no replacing a healthy diet plan. But when you’re exercising diligently or trying to surpass your limits before a well-deserved deload, there is no denying that supplements can be useful.
Today, we are not talking so much about a mainstream supplement so much as we are talking about a popular exotic plant that health-conscious individuals as well as athletes are introducing into their routines – kratom. Let’s go over the history of this healthful herb and uncover its potential benefits for athletes and those seeking to elevate their overall health.
Ron Kosloff, ‘Why I Loved Vince Gironda’
This will probably be the very last article I will write about Vince Gironda since I think I’ve covered it all, plus I certainly don’t want to over-glorify him and possibly sound ridiculous, as this would be a mistake.
Simply stated, there are two (2) reasons I have such monumental admiration for him. First, he has proven to be the most brilliant mind ever to grace bodybuilding in every aspect.
Second, if you were to look in the dictionary to research ethics and integrity, it would state his name and follow with “like a rock, true and enduring, of the highest moral stature; a decent, honorable, incorruptible man,” plus a ton of other adjectives, including being a tormented man, but he walked the walk and talked the talk!
‘Speed and Power Exercises for Wrestlers’, a Soviet Documentary from the 1980s
Admittedly a little bit longer than the normal videos I post here, the following film is too interesting to pass up on. Produced in the late 1980s in the final years of the Soviet Union, […]
Ding Lifting in Ancient China
Today’s short post comes primarily from Nigel B. Crowther’s wonderful chapter on Ancient Chinese sport and physical education. Looking primarily at Chinese physical cultures, Crowther found that weightlifting, archery, weight throwing, tug of war, boxing and a host of other activities were practiced by Chinese men. Of interest to us today, was the use of Ding’s as feats of strength.
