A Website Dedicated to the Study of Strength, Health, Fitness and Sport Across Centuries, Countries and Contests.
Bodybuilding, at a professional level, is a sport fuelled by anabolic steroids. This is not to take anything away from the competitors themselves, but is rather an acknowledgment that those at the elite level often resort to chemical means in order to further push the limits of human strength and muscularity. Certainly the Mr. Olympia... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o391Xd0ycSM&feature=youtu.be The Mr. Olympia contest is still the pinnacle of the bodybuilding calendar. Previously on this website we've looked at the competition's contest report which spoke of the great Larry Scott, who swept all other challengers aside. Well, thanks to STG Strength and Power we also have video footage of the competition itself. Looking at the competition... Continue Reading →
UP UNTIL a few minutes ago, I had not the slightest intention or expectation of writing this article. Since my return from Europe, my mail has been flooded with letters asking my why I entered the contest. "How good are the European bodybuilders compared to our boys?" asked one reader. "What were your experiences, and... Continue Reading →
Published by Joe Weider in 1974, the following interview with Iron Guru, Vince Gironda, details the influential trainer's thoughts on the then growing popularity of Nautilus Machines. Unsurprisingly given that Weider was in direct competition with the Nautilus machine's founder, Arthur Jones, the interview proved to be negative at best. In any case, it highlights... Continue Reading →
As a Weider student you should be interested to know that the Weider System is the most popular and successful bodybuilding course in the world. Because of my 50 years of involvement in the sport, the Weider System is the basis of all modern bodybuilding and weight-training techniques. Literally everything in bodybuilding has sprung from... 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 →
UP UNTIL a few minutes ago, I had not the slightest intention or expectation of writing this article. Since my return from Europe, my mail has been flooded with letters asking my why I entered the contest. "How good are the European bodybuilders compared to our boys?" asked one reader. "What were your experiences, and... Continue Reading →
Controversies aside, it's far to say Joe Weider's was one of the most influential men bodybuilding has ever encountered. In the course of his long career as a trainer, promoter and media mogul, Weider came across everyone from Arnie to Ronnie. Who better to learn from then the man known as 'The Trainer of Champions'.... Continue Reading →
In the first instalment we looked at the controversial beginning of Vince McMahon’s World Bodybuilding Federation. The WBF promised to revolutionise the way bodybuilding conducted itself and when June 15th was chosen for the first ever WBF show, people waited anxiously to see what would happen. Creating a buzz In the build up to the... Continue Reading →
In the first of a three part series, we look at the brief life of the World Bodybuilding Federation, an organisation financed by wrestling mogul Vince McMahon that tried to take on Joe Weider's formidable stronghold on the sport. While the WBF ultimately failed, its influence on the sport cannot be underestimated. Part One: Kicking Ass and Taking... Continue Reading →