A Website Dedicated to the Study of Strength, Health, Fitness and Sport Across Centuries, Countries and Contests.
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 →
Who invented the Landmine? No. I'm not talking about the explosives! What I am talking about is the landmine attachment that is found in gyms all over the world. Many of us are now firm devotees to the landmine. Over lock down, and in my small but beloved home gym, my landmine attachment was a... Continue Reading →
It is a well-known fact that the majority of men to-day are relatively weak, whereas the struggle for existence demands now more than at any previous epoch that we should all be strong! The reader may think that physical strength is not a necessity, but I will try and prove to him that man cannot... Continue Reading →
There are many supplements in the fitness game nowadays, and for better or worse, supplementation seems to have become a vital part of the fitness industry. Everyone nowadays is on something, it seems, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There are many natural supplements out there that elevate brain function and energy, like kratom,... Continue Reading →
As many readers will no doubt be aware, protein bars have become almost ubiquitous in certain parts of the Western world, owing in part to their durability and in part to their successful advertising. Indeed, at the time of writing, I can walk five minutes to the local shop where I will be greeted by... Continue Reading →
As bodybuilding gained in popularity, the money to be made from the sport also increased. Whenever a lot of money suddenly be- comes involved, everything starts to change. Professional bodybuilders had been making money at the sport since the days of Sandow, but very few were able to make a good living. Many opened gyms,... Continue Reading →
Joe Weider is undoubtedly a divisive figure in the history of bodybuilding. Influential to the nth degree regarding the modern climate of the sport, Weider has been continually criticised for selling snake oil supplements to a naive public. Today's post briefly examines Joe's 'Hell-Bent for Leather N'Lead' product, a set of bracelets brought out by... Continue Reading →
Lifters today often take machine training for granted. From leg presses to leg extensions, its easy to think that such inventions have existed since the dawn of the gym age. This of course, is entirely wrong. While machines have crept into nearly every gym these days, lifters in the past century had to be inventive... Continue Reading →
One of the few things to unite meat-eaters, vegetarians and even vegans, peanut butter is perhaps the great leveller of the fitness industry. High in calories, fat and protein, the delicious substance has been a go to option for muscle fanatics over the past century. Some use it as a spread whereas others, myself included... Continue Reading →
Clancy Ross was one of America's most impressive mid-century bodybuilders. Winner of the 1945 AAU Mr. America, Ross appeared on multiple bodybuilding magazines during these years. This article was published one year after Ross's famous victory over Steve Reeves in the 1947 Mr. USA contest. Some cool things to notice about this program 1. Ross... Continue Reading →