A Website Dedicated to the Study of Strength, Health, Fitness and Sport Across Centuries, Countries and Contests.
For decades we were led to believe that all fats, no matter where they came from, were the work of the devil and if we wanted to stay trim and healthy, we should eliminate all forms of fat from our diets and follow a low-calorie, virtually fat-free diet on a regular basis. Time went by,... Continue Reading →
The following excerpt comes from Mike Mentzer's 1993 nutritional work, Heavy Duty Nutrition. A keen follower of Arthur Jones's Heavy Duty training system, Mike was the poster child of an alternative and oftentimes radical form of bodybuilding. It should come as no surprise then that his nutritional advice also tended against the norm. In the... Continue Reading →
One of the strongest men of the early twentieth-century, Thomas Inch was known in both Great Britain and the United States for his feats of strength. Unlike others however, Inch was hardly strict with his diet. In fact Inch was recorded as saying There is nothing so wearisome as having to be extremely particular about what one... Continue Reading →
Workout supplements can be a minefield to understand. With so many horror stories out there, a lot of us steer clear of supplements altogether. It might be worth reconsidering your aversion, though. When done right, supplements can be a fantastic addition to your exercise routine. Not only that, but they can also help you receive... Continue Reading →
While the name George Hackenschmidt is often associated with wrestling more so than physical culture, there is no doubting the strength and physical prowess of the 'Russian Lion'. An adept weightlifter and renowned grappler, Hackenschmidt's career in the early twentieth century saw him become of the most famous athletes throughout the Western speaking world. Coupled with this,... Continue Reading →
credit When you have a keen interest in the history of fitness techniques, it gives you an interesting perspective on the more modern trends. They come and go like the seasons, and, if this blog is still going in thirty years, no doubt I’ll be writing about their impact - or lack of. That... Continue Reading →
It can be easy to get carried away with pumping yourself up for your big workout. But some people forget to take the right steps after a workout. Sometimes, what you do post-workout is the most important thing for getting results. Since mass gaining mostly occurs while you sleep, you want your body to be... Continue Reading →
The Physical Culture Creed We Believe... That our bodies are our most glorious possession; that health-wealth is our greatest asset; that every influence which interferes with the attainment of superb, buoyant health should be recognised as a menace. We maintain that weakness is truly a crime; that sickness is the penalty of violated health laws;... Continue Reading →
Bodybuilding and physical culture has, at its core, always been about pushing the limits of nutritional consumption. After all, no other sport promotes periods of intense dieting in the manner of the iron game. The quest for new nutritional approaches has led to some rather interesting diets, Armand Tanny's raw meat diet being a case... Continue Reading →
Having previously discussed Rheo H. Blair's revolutionary protein blend on this site, it seems only fair to look at another Blair invention, the '$1000 method to cook your eggs' . Why $1,000? Well according to Blair, he considered this cooking technique to be worth upwards of $1,000 owing to its beneficial effects on his client's... Continue Reading →