A Website Dedicated to the Study of Strength, Health, Fitness and Sport Across Centuries, Countries and Contests.
The following article, written in Peary Rader's Ironman magazine in 1964, deals with a question most bodybuilding fans have to answer. Namely, whether or not the pursuit of muscle building can be viewed as a sport or athletic event in its own right.What differentiates Rader's time from now is that back then, physique competitors were also expected... Continue Reading →
Interesting the term 'hard gainer' appears less and less in everyday gym use these days. Whereas previously whole bodybuilding industries were built on the term, the modern gym goer sees it as just one more phrase amongst several. Nonetheless, the fascination that previous physical culturists had with 'hard gainers' provides us with a wealth of... Continue Reading →
How bodybuilding champions train is an area of intense interest for muscle fanatics the world over. How many sets, how many reps and how intensely? What makes them great? Seeking to satisfy demands, muscle magazines often publish polished workout routines written by the Champions. Yet nothing compares to the first article, making today's post on... Continue Reading →
Gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time is often held up as the Holy Grail of body recomposition. A desirable goal, that advanced or even intermediate trainees are now told is only possible for beginners or those using chemical means. Today's post examines the rather lengthy sounding Anabolic Burst Cycle of Diet and Exercise... Continue Reading →
As many readers will no doubt be aware, protein bars have become almost ubiquitous in certain parts of the Western world, owing in part to their durability and in part to their successful advertising. Indeed, at the time of writing, I can walk five minutes to the local shop where I will be greeted by... Continue Reading →
The following article comes from Muscle and Fitness editor James E. Wright on the dangers on negative ions for bodybuilders, which can be lumped in with the dangers of pollution in a sense. While you're unlikely to see such an article nowadays in the muscle magazines, Wright's writing demonstrated the fact that many bodybuilders were concerned not... Continue Reading →
Published in Muscle & Fitness in 1991, the following article details the keep fit routine of Clint Eastwood, the Hollywood actor/director then in his early sixties. Coming at a time when celebrity training routines were becoming an item of public interest, the article is interesting in its own right as a piece of bodybuilding history. Furthermore,... 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 →
During the very early part of 1970, a muscle-building time bomb exploded in the form of "Nautilus" and its inventor, Arthur Jones. The writings and advertisements for Jones and his mysterious machines emerged via the pages of top bodybuilding magazine "Iron Man." The articles, and even the ads, became so popular that countless readers wrote... Continue Reading →
Those acquainted with the history of Physical Culture will no doubt recall the Saxon brothers, a travelling troupe of German strongmen who performed at the turn of the twentieth century. Blessed with remarkable physiques, the trio's mighty strength was undoubtedly aided by their healthy appetite for food and drink. In fact, as today's brief post... Continue Reading →