I spent last week in the Sma Glen and lifted one of the most unusual stones in Scotland. The Saddlin Mare looks ordinary from the road. A rounded stone of about two hundred pounds lies at its base. The task is straightforward. Pick up the stone. Bring it to the plinth. Work it up the… Continue reading Saddlin the Mare, Or Why I Pushed a Rock Up a Boulder
Tag: Fitness
Arthur Saxon, ‘Routine of Training’, The Development of Physical Power (London, 1906)
WITH regard to the routine of training, I again repeat, my idea is not to develop muscle at the expense of either health or strength. It is really impossible for me to prescribe special exercises with fixed time limits for same, and fixed days for each individual who may ready this book, as we are… Continue reading Arthur Saxon, ‘Routine of Training’, The Development of Physical Power (London, 1906)
How the Back Squat Took Over the Gym (and Why Its Future Is Still Being Written)
Everyone has an opinion on how to squat. High bar, low bar, toes forward, knees out, belt on, belt off. Coaches argue, lifters swear loyalty, and internet experts defend technique like sacred doctrine. Yet most of the things we treat as universal truths in squatting are barely a century old. The movement has never been… Continue reading How the Back Squat Took Over the Gym (and Why Its Future Is Still Being Written)
Guest Post: A History of Breath and Movement: From Ancient Practices to Modern Rehabilitation
For centuries, breath has been more than a sign of life. it has been a symbol of strength, balance, and awareness. In ancient India, yogic texts described pranayama as the bridge between body and mind - a discipline through which movement became conscious and refined. The Greeks, too, recognized the power of controlled breathing: in… Continue reading Guest Post: A History of Breath and Movement: From Ancient Practices to Modern Rehabilitation
How To Lose Weight Fast And Make Your Muscles Stand Out
The following excerpt comes from Dan Lurie’s Body Building System, a mid-century mail-order course that reflects the commercial and cultural ambitions of the American Physical Culture movement. Lurie, a one-time Mr. America contestant and tireless self-promoter, occupied a peculiar space between showman and health educator. His system, like those of his contemporaries, blended moral advice,… Continue reading How To Lose Weight Fast And Make Your Muscles Stand Out
How Fitness Conquered the World (and What It Still Teaches Us)
Next month my new book When Fitness Went Global: The Rise of Physical Culture in the Nineteenth Century is published with Bloomsbury. It has been ten years in the making, and, in truth, a lifetime in the thinking. I began the project trying to understand why my obsession with lifting and movement felt so personal,… Continue reading How Fitness Conquered the World (and What It Still Teaches Us)
All Muscle and No Brains? What Makes a Fitness Entrepreneur
In 1907, Eugen Sandow opened what he called a Curative Institute of Physical Culture in London. That moment captures something essential about the fitness entrepreneur. This is not the sports retailer selling boots or the coach guiding a team. The fitness entrepreneur trades in belief. Their product is the body, but their business is persuasion… Continue reading All Muscle and No Brains? What Makes a Fitness Entrepreneur
When Fitness Gurus Become Public Intellectuals
Mike Israetel has earned real authority in fitness. Through Renaissance Periodization, he has become one of the most recognizable figures in evidence-based hypertrophy training. His lectures on training volume, recovery, and nutrition are staples in gyms and classrooms. When he speaks about training, he cites peer-reviewed studies, parses physiology clearly, and backs it up with… Continue reading When Fitness Gurus Become Public Intellectuals
The 12-Minute Military Workout That Took Over the World
I love a rabbit hole. Especially when a friend or family member tips me off on it. Today’s workout came from a relative who asked me what I knew about actor Helen Mirren’s workout course. Sweet nothing was my response. Get reading was the kindly reply. So in my wisdom I began to dig into… Continue reading The 12-Minute Military Workout That Took Over the World
When Did Jogging Become Popular in the United States?
Set in 1970s San Diego, cult comedy movie Anchorman featured a brief skit about jogging. In the scene, lead character Ron Burgundy attempts to explain the new fashionable jogging craze to his colleagues. Struggling to come to terms with the concept himself, Ron settles on "running for a prolonged distance of time...it's supposed to be wild."… Continue reading When Did Jogging Become Popular in the United States?