A Brief History of the Barbell

Whether you bodybuild, power lift, cross fit or simply keep fit, there's no denying the importance of the barbell to your training. Easily adjustable, stable under enormous weights and challenging to the nth degree, barbells are a time honoured means of building muscle and strength. Yet despite the barbell's unrivalled popularity amongst the current gym... Continue Reading →

German Body Composition Training

Massive muscle growth...a Cold War defection and a Romanian scientist with a cool sounding name. What could be more impressive and appealing that German Body Composition Training? Popularised in the US at the turn of the twenty first century GBC training has floated around the fitness industry between those who praise it as revolutionary and those... Continue Reading →

Negative Ions – James Wright (1991)

The following article comes from Muscle and Fitness editor James E. Wright on the dangers on negative ions for bodybuilders, which can be lumped in with the dangers of pollution in a sense. While you're unlikely to see such an article nowadays in the muscle magazines, Wright's writing demonstrated the fact that many bodybuilders were concerned not... Continue Reading →

How Boxers Trained in 1901

This article written by P. G. Woodhouse, first appeared in Sandow's Magazine of Physical Culture in December 1901. In it Woodhouse describes the latest scientific technologies being used by boxers preparing for a fight. Some such as the heavy medicine ball have remained with us whilst others like rubbing oneself with eucalyptus oil have sadly faded from... Continue Reading →

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