Popularised by turn of the century strongman Siegmund Klein, the 'Barbell Turn' is unlikely to be an exercise you see everyday on the gym floor. Difficult in the extreme, the exercise is an excellent finisher for chest and shoulder days as it hits the triceps, pectorals and deltoids all in one. Additionally given the mechanics… Continue reading Forgotten Bodybuilding Exercises: Barbell Turns
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 Vince Gironda on the Nautilus Machines (Muscle and Fitness, 1974)
Popularised by the 'Iron Guru', Vince Gironda, the Gironda Neck Press (or 'Guillotine Press') is unlikely to be an exercise you see every day on the gym floor. Dangerous if executed improperly, the neck press has sadly evaded most gym goers of the 21st century owing to the repetition of bland training programmes and the… Continue reading The Gironda Neck Press
While Eugen Sandow has long been been held in esteem in the lore of bodybuilding, fans of weightlifting have seldom seen the Prussian as a figure of great importance for their sport. This is unsurprising given that over the past half-century, Sandow's image has become so integral to bodybuilding that the sport's top contest, the Mr.… Continue reading Sandow, Hercules and the Birth of Modern Weightlifting
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 Thomas Inch’s Diet
Known more for his incredible bulking routines than a love of aerobics, the following article comes from John McCallum, one of physical culture's best known writers in the twentieth-century. Seeking to marry aerobic and anaerobic forms of exercise, the article (first published in 1967) is an interesting reminder that the idea of 'cardio' having a place in… Continue reading Running by John McCallum (1967)
Known as the Steroid Guru during the 1990s, Dan Duchaine was one of bodybuilding’s most outspoken commentators during the birth of mass monster. Controversial to the highest degree, Duchaine’s career spanned prison sentences, coaching and television appearances with an impressive regularity. While much has been written about Duchaine, not all of it true mind you,… Continue reading Dan Duchaine’s Bodyopus diet
Chest/Triceps, Back/Biceps and Legs/Shoulders. The Holy Trinity of bodybuilding split routines. Nowadays the idea of split routines is so ingrained in the fitness community that the idea of whole body training for anyone other than a beginner is scoffed at. This is despite the fact that men like Eugen Sandow, George Hackenschmidt right up to Reg Park… Continue reading The Rise of Split Training in Bodybuilding
