Arm training can be more complicated than larger body parts such as legs, back, or chest. If you think about it, your arms are relatively small in comparison to the rest of your body. When I first started training, I thought that in order to have great arms I needed to life as heavy as… Continue reading Guest Post: Colette Nelson, “The Ultimate Arms: Pro Training Secrets,” Reform, Issue 6 (June 2003).
Late last year, in 2024, Bodybuilding.com did the unthinkable. They closed the infamous bodybuilding.com forum down. In an age of Tik-Tok and Instagram, younger readers may question why anyone should care. The answer lies in an interesting mix of influencers, trolls, questions about how many days are in a week (yes really!) and a community… Continue reading The Birth, Life and Death of Bodybuilding’s Most Important Forum
In 1967 Sergio Oliva, one of the greatest bodybuilders to ever grace the sport, won the Mr. Olympia. The previous two years Larry Scott had won the title but, following Scott's retirement, the floor was open for Oliva to step into the spotlight. The Cuban bodybuilder, and former Olympic weightlifter, was himself new to the… Continue reading Lost Footage of the 1967 Mr. Olympia
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 Rare 1965 Mr. Olympia Footage
Why did the first era of bodybuilders have flat chests? Two common explanations I see online are that lifters in the 1890s and early 1900s considered large chests to be feminine and thus wanted to avoid it or that lifters modelled their own physiques on Ancient Greek statues and, thus, wanted to build their physiques… Continue reading Why Did Bronze Era Lifters Have Flat Chest? A Serious Answer to a Stupid Question
Well ... it finally happened. Gyms are beginning to open around the world. Lifters rejoice! Now I've previously discussed my own training struggles down the global lockdowns. For the first time in my life I was unable to go to the gym, had virtually no access to a barbell and ... somehow ... I survived.… Continue reading How Has Gym Equipment Changed Over Time?
Before you can go more hardcore, you have to open your mind and psych up to push yourself to new limits. Here are seven ways to get into hardcore hypertrophy heaven. 1. Drop-set bench dips Support yourself between two benches, set parallel, hands on one, feet on the other. Start with four 25-pound (11kg) plates… Continue reading Ben Tatar, ‘7 Awesome Train Insane Mass Tactics’, Ironman Australia, 20., no. 11(2013), 65-68.
Are bodybuilders becoming too large? It’s a simple question but one loaded with controversy. Today most Internet forums are filled with heated arguments about whether the ‘mass monsters’ of today are helping or hurting the sport. Rather than continue the common narrative that the 1990s and the Dorian Yates era was the dawn of the ‘Mass… Continue reading Tracing the Mass Monster in Bodybuilding
This is now the eighth .... EIGHTH ... year of this blog. While I don't always get the time I need or want to write for this site, it holds such a fond place in my heart. I created this website in 2014 when I had just finished my undergraduate degree. I didn't know what… Continue reading 2021: The Physical Culture Review
"Friends don't let friends skip leg day." If you're looking for some inspiration for your next leg workout then you've come to the right place. Today we look at some of the greatest leg exercises that time has forgotten about. They were invented by iron legends like Gironda and used by men like Arnie. Needless… Continue reading Old School Leg Exercises
