Both sports and music are integral parts of contemporary culture. We have cheery chants, anthems, songs and soundtracks that we use all the time to give the games a whole new dimension and heighten the connection between teams and fans all over the world. No matter if you’re watching the Olympics, cheering for your team… Continue reading Guest Post: Sport and Music: A Brief History
Boxercise is a fitness class based on the training principles employed by boxers to stay in shape. A typical class might entail shadow boxing, skipping and hitting pads. It also includes kicking punch bags, press-ups, shuttle runs, and sit-ups. Ancient Greek Boxing Ancient Greek boxing, or pygmachia, "fist combat," has been practiced in various social… Continue reading Guest Post: History of Boxercise
When choosing assistance exercises for the power lifts, I suggest you choose ones that provide the highest positive transfer of strength to the targeted lift; and for this month we will deal with the bench. The best way to accomplish that is to choose exercises that are the most similar to the bench yet still… Continue reading Doug Daniels, ‘BENCH PRESS VARIATIONS,’ Powerlifting USA, 33. 10 (2010), 14
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 Arnold Schwarzenegger on ‘The Profession of Bodybuilding’
Today's post deals with an exercise I love to hate, the overhead squat. Now this is not one of those posts about how I hate doing it, but the benefits are so great, that I do them anyway. Nope, not at all. I hate this exercise and, chances are, I hate the people who promote… Continue reading When Did People Start Overhead Squatting?
Who invented progressive resistance training? Or in simpler terms, who discovered that lifting heavier and heavier loads made one bigger and stronger? It's a strange question admittedly. A question that we may never be able to answer. Luckily that hasn't stopped people trying. One such theory comes from the magical world of Greek mythology. A body… Continue reading Milo of Croton, the Father of Resistance Training
Imagine if there was just one exercise you needed to obtain the perfect physique. What's more, you would only need to do it two or three times a week. Pretty good right? Well you're in luck. The 'Health Lift' provides everything you need and more. In the mid-nineteenth century, a fitness machine swept across the United… Continue reading The Health Lift, the greatest machine you’ve never heard of!
Everything women have today has been earned through a tireless fight, equality in sports included. Since the dawn of time, women have been fighting for their right to participate in sports, get equal opportunities to compete and earn equal wages. Thanks to early advocates, today we have heroines like sisters Williams, Simone Biles and Megan… Continue reading Guest Post: A Brief History of Women Sports
Today, we’re hearing about veganism more and more every day, but the truth is that this type of diet is not new at all. As a matter of fact, vegetarianism, veganism’s first cousin, can be traced to the Indus Valley AKA modern Pakistan some 5000 years in the past (3300-1300 BC). However, veganism appeared a… Continue reading Guest Post: A Short History of Vegan Diet
Harvey Green’s Fit for America is written for curious gym goers and professional historians alike. The book demonstrates that the American pursuit of health and fitness started long before Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding career, or the running boom of the 1970s. Published in 1986, Green’s work was among the earliest books to address the history of… Continue reading Guest Post: Brawny Books – Harvey Green, Fit for America
