https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0cYsrptV5c Earlier this year I had the pleasure of speaking with Marcus Kment of Barbell Films about Eugen Sandow's Curative Institute of Physical Culture. Marcus has previously made just a wonderful short film about Sandow's 1901 documentary that is a thing of beauty to watch. For those who don't know, Sandow created a series of… Continue reading New Sandow Documentary!
The history of sports at universities often mirrors broader societal trends, offering a window into how institutions adapt and influence cultural and social changes. At the University, the evolution of its athletic programs is a testament to the transformative power of sports in shaping both campus life and institutional identity. From its modest origins in… Continue reading Guest Post: The Evolution of Athletics at the University: A Historical Perspective
The history of health clubs is a fascinating reflection of humanity's evolving relationship with physical fitness and well-being. From the early gymnasiums of ancient civilizations to the high-tech, multi-functional fitness centers of today, the journey of health clubs is one of cultural shifts, technological advancements, and changing societal norms. This evolution has been shaped by… Continue reading Guest Post: The Evolution of Health Clubs: From Ancient Gymnasiums to Modern Fitness Centers
In many ways my home gym has ruined me. I no longer stress about how and where to workout. I have completely missed the influx of influencers and tripods on the gym floor and, owing to family/work commitments, my training schedule has fluctuated wildly (hello 10 pm deadlifts!). As I lose touch with my fellow… Continue reading Who Invented the Deadlift Bar?
I grew up on the internet memes of the 2000s and nothing was more pervasive than 'friends don't let friends skip leg day' or some variaton thereof. What was innocent for the time was a rallying call for trainees to actually train their legs and not just focus on the upperbody. Despite the recency bias… Continue reading Why Strong Legs Are Important!
John Grimek was one of the greatest American weightlifters and bodybuilders of the 20th century. Nicknamed 'The Monarch of Muscledom', Grimek also competed for the US in the 1936 Olympics in Germany. It's fair to say he knew something about lifting weights. Today's article sees Grimek discuss one of the most pressing issues in bodybuilding.… Continue reading How Fast Should You Gain Weight and Size – John C. Grimek (1976)
One of the most fascinating things to me is how bodybuilders prepare for a contest. How do they tweak their diets? Manipulate their water and sodium intake and, more importantly, how do they train to maintain their muscle mass while simultaneously losing body fat? In many ways bodybuilding contests are biological warfare. As bodybuilding has… Continue reading How Did Steve Reeves Prepare for a Bodybuilding Show
In 90% of the training you do the emphasis should be on picture-perfect form AND heavy weights. Cheating is undesirable, and while it SEEMS that you are working harder because you are lifting moreyou are, in fact, working less intensively since the “heavier” work is being distributed over many hefty muscle groups – instead of… Continue reading Bradley Steiner, ‘Partials, Rack Work And Isometrics’, POWERLIFTING (1972), 16-17
The Westside Barbell club run by Louie Simmons, is one of the current institutions of the iron game. Known for producing champion powerlifters and even effective machines such as the Reverse Hyper Extension, there is little doubting the club's importance for lifters, whether or not they adhere to powerlifting itself. In today's short post, we're… Continue reading Forgotten Exercises: The JM Press
In the decades before bodybuilding became fashionable, when young men wanted to workout, they would say, "Hey, lets' go to the YMCA and lift weights" In fact, during the early part of this century, weightlifting was much more popular than bodybuilding, in part because bodybuilding was regarded as too narcissistic. Inveterate observers of weight-training history… Continue reading Mike Mentzer (1995) – Mr. Universe Mike Mentzer’s Training Invention
