Tag: Interesting

Resources by Conor HeffernanMar 18, 20198:18 pm

Guest Post: The Condensed History of Surfing and Other Water Sports

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About 71% of the world is covered in water. It is the elemental and essential constituent of life, which is reflected in humans themselves as pretty much 50% to 70% of our bodies consist of H₂O alone. It is therefore far from strange that we are so fascinated with this element – the vast blue horizons and angry rivers that cut through the countryside. Humans are naturally inclined to enjoy water-related activities, and throughout their existence, civilization has given birth to numerous water sports – some of which are prominent while others have been altered or buried by the sands of time. If you are eager to learn about this topic, here is the condensed history of water sports.

‘The Sandow Girl’, c. 1906

Source: The Sketch, 2 May (1906), 69. In the early 1900s, a travelling vaudeville show known as ‘The Dairymaids’ briefly toured across Great Britain and North America. As part of the performance, every night would see […]

Resources by Conor HeffernanFeb 25, 20195:01 pm

The History of Kaatsu Training

“Wrap a band around your bicep until it begins to go numb, then pump out 30 reps with a light weight… Trust me, the pump is worth it.”

These are not the words of an enlightened man but rather my first experience of Kaatsu or Blood Restriction Training. Brought to my attention by a training partner whose grasp of science is not always the strongest, Kaatsu training has grown in popularity over the last decade. While my friend’s description may seem appropriate at first glance, there is quite a lot more to this training system than first meets the eye.

With this in mind today’s post seeks to answer three simple questions: what is Kaatsu training? How was it created? And, perhaps most importantly, should you try it?

Training by Conor HeffernanFeb 21, 20194:14 pm

Guest Post: The Evolution of Combat Sports

Mixed martial arts as we know it began in November 1993 in Denver, Colorado, the night of UFC 1. What began as a showcase of individual martial arts disciplines from Jiu Jitsu to Tae Kwon Do and all the rest, has become a recognised sport with competitors and followers from all over the world. While the concept of mixed martial arts is still relatively new, martial arts have been around for thousands of years, MMA is the culmination of millennia of training and perfecting different disciplines from around the globe.

Biographies by Conor HeffernanFeb 20, 201911:01 am

Guest Post: Jack LaLanne’s “My Daily Dozen” (1962, 1968)

Fitness guru Jack Lalanne’s “My Daily Dozen” pamphlet offers a short glimpse into the broad appeal of LaLanne’s early productions.

LaLanne’s popular television show is often thought of as being aimed at mid-twentieth century American suburban housewives who wanted to lose weight. But the charismatic LaLanne had a way of reaching out to a broad audience, including children. Published first in 1962 and revised in 1968, “My Daily Dozen” was an attempt to interest kids in exercise and healthy living. The simple booklet contains cartoon images and rhymes meant to make fitness fun and to encourage youth to move, eat well, and get rest. The back of “My Daily Dozen” contained a chart that allowed users to mark their fitness and hygienic activities on a daily basis.

Resources by Conor HeffernanJan 11, 20193:22 pm

The Workouts and Diets of the Bodybuilding Champions

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* This article first appeared in Iron Man magazine in 1991 and includes the workouts and eating patterns of Lee Haney, Rich Gaspari, Lee Labrada and Mike Quinn. Jerry Brainum was the author.

Needless to say it’s a fascinating insight into the dietary and training habits of some of the greatest bodybuilders of the 80s and 90s. Check it out below. You might just learn something!

Resources by Conor HeffernanSep 14, 201810:36 am

Bigger Faster Stronger: The Mr. Olympia

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Bodybuilders, like most other professional athletes in the last four decades, have undergone an unprecedented change. Whereas the first Mr. Olympia weighed in at just over 200 lbs, the modern champion is more likely to be sixty pounds heavier and leaner as well.

While the reasons for this, at least in bodybuilding, are clear, it is still interesting to reflect upon this change. Today’s short post discusses the average weight for the overall Mr. Olympia since it’s inception and shows how and when ‘the mass monsters’ gained a foothold in the sport.

Resources by Conor HeffernanJan 3, 201812:27 pm

Do you Measure Up?

One of the most popular physical culturists of the entire twentieth-century, there is no denying the impact Charles Atlas had on the muscle making industry. Full of vigour, advice and the occasional insult, Atlas challenged […]

Resources by Conor HeffernanNov 3, 20178:49 am

Bigger Faster Stronger: The Mr. Olympia

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Resources by Conor HeffernanSep 18, 201711:41 am

Judging a Physique Contest

This article first appeared in Bob Hoffman’s Strength and Health Magazine in 1957. It details the point scoring for the precusors for today’s modern bodybuilding shows. Of particular interest are the categories dealing with muscularity and athleticism.

Many of us forget that physique competitions used to include some form of strength component dealing with the 3 big lifts (the two hand press, the two hands snatch, the two hands clean and jerk).

How would bodybuilding be today if Kai Greene and Phil Heath had to compete in the clean and jerk for the Olympia crown?

Since judging a Mister Competition has become one of the touchiest subjects in the Iron World, a great deal of time was devoted to clarifying this issue at the official AAU Convention last Fall in Los Angeles. I am going to try to briefly sum up these points for the benefit of officials who handle such contests.