In 1967 Sergio Oliva, one of the greatest bodybuilders to ever grace the sport, won the Mr. Olympia. The previous two years Larry Scott had won the title but, following Scott's retirement, the floor was open for Oliva to step into the spotlight. The Cuban bodybuilder, and former Olympic weightlifter, was himself new to the… Continue reading Lost Footage of the 1967 Mr. Olympia
Is it suddenly cool to care about the history of strength? One of the joys of the internet has been, for me at least, the immense interest weight lifters from around the world have shown in learning more about the strong men and women who went before them. In the past, people were forced to… Continue reading Film Club: The Rogue Legends Series Louis “Apollon” Uni
Muscles in the Movies: Perfecting the Art of Illusion, by John D. Fair and David L. Chapman, University of Missouri Press, 2020, xvi + 426 pp., $65.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-082622-215-2 Muscles in the Movies represents the first, in-depth, historical study into the evolution of muscularity and film. The scale of this endeavour is the first… Continue reading Book Review: Muscles in the Movies: Perfecting the Art of Illusion
In 2021 muscular action stars are common. It seems like very month we read a new transformation story wherein a male actor has radically increased their muscle mass in preparation of a new role. What was once a surprise has now become an expectation. How did we get here? That is an answer which a… Continue reading Who was the first Bodybuilding movie star?
Is it suddenly cool to care about the history of strength? One of the joys of the internet has been, for me at least, the immense interest weight lifters from around the world have shown in learning more about the strong men and women who went before them. In the past, people were forced to… Continue reading Film Club: The Rogue Legends Series Louis “Apollon” Uni
Oddly given the site's extensive interest, we have yet to detail Eugen Sandow's most exciting remnant, a short film clip taken in 1894. Taken during Sandow's extensive promotion tour of the United States, which began in 1893 and included everything from posing sessions to fights with lions, Sandow's film is one of the earliest movies we… Continue reading Eugen Sandow and Thomas Edison
A recent trawl through Ebay uncovered a story which for me, has a very unhappy ending. Stumbling across a 1979 movie poster for the Silver Surfer, the Marvel superhero capable of travelling through space aboard his trusty surfboard, I was shocked to find name of the legendary bodybuilder and three time Mr. Olympia Frank Zane… Continue reading Frank Zane as The Silver Surfer
Published in Muscle & Fitness in 1991, the following article details the keep fit routine of Clint Eastwood, the Hollywood actor/director then in his early sixties. Coming at a time when celebrity training routines were becoming an item of public interest, the article is interesting in its own right as a piece of bodybuilding history. Furthermore,… Continue reading Clint Eastwood – the Ambassador of Fitness (Scott Hays, 1991)
