A Website Dedicated to the Study of Strength, Health, Fitness and Sport Across Centuries, Countries and Contests.
If you haven't read part one of this history please do so here, as I'll be referencing quite a bit from the earlier piece. Now... where were we? Last time I discussed the history of Olympic weightlifting in the United States, I mentioned the early strongwomen, Minerva's weightlifting belt (awarded in the 1890s by Richard... Continue Reading →
I am currently working on my next book project, this time studying the history of women's Olympic weightlifting in the United States. Funded, in part, by the Olympic Studies Center, I had the pleasure of studying the International Weightlifting Federation's minutes and magazines from the 1970s to the present day. Housed in Lausanne, Switzerland, this... Continue Reading →
Memorialisation is a fascinating part of the human condition. From war to illness, cultures around the world have repeatedly sought to pay tribute to the good and bad of the human condition. Until recently, I wrongly believed that strength monuments were few and far between. Thankfully a quick google search put my ignorance to rest... Continue Reading →
Undoubtedly we've all been faced with the question, who is stronger? As a teenager it emerged when those weighing 150 lbs. or less sought to square up to their heavier brethren. Was it more impressive bench pressing 200 lbs. at 150 or 280 lbs. at 200 lbs. bodyweight? While our adolescent selves often solved this... Continue Reading →
Owing to the increasing popularity of powerlifting, cross fit and olympic lifting, chances are you either own a weightlifting belt or see them on a regular basis on the gym floor. A means of bracing the abdomen, weightlifting belts are a source of controversy in the weightlifting world between those who see them as legitimate... Continue Reading →
Today's post comes primarily from the Ma Strength Olympic weightlifting book written by Manuel Buitrago, an expert on Chinese weightlifting techniques. After the failure of the Great Leap Forward (GLF) and subsequent natural disasters affecting crop harvests, China entered the Great Famine of 1962–63 (Fan & Lu 2012a). Additionally, while the experience with Soviet teams laid... Continue Reading →
Owing to the increasing popularity of powerlifting, cross fit and olympic lifting, chances are you either own a weightlifting belt or see them on a regular basis on the gym floor. A means of bracing the abdomen, weightlifting belts are a source of controversy in the weightlifting world between those who see them as legitimate... Continue Reading →
Owing to the increasing popularity of powerlifting, cross fit and olympic lifting, chances are you either own a weightlifting belt or see them on a regular basis on the gym floor. A means of bracing the abdomen, weightlifting belts are a source of controversy in the weightlifting world between those who see them as legitimate... Continue Reading →
"Wrap a band around your bicep until it begins to go numb, then pump out 30 reps with a light weight... Trust me, the pump is worth it." These are not the words of an enlightened man but rather my first experience of Kaatsu or Blood Restriction Training. Brought to my attention by a training... Continue Reading →
I once wrote a piece for the "Behind the Scenes" section in Strength & Health magazine dealing with the subject of sex before competition. I thought that I was quite obviously tongue-in-cheeking the presentation and made the comment that lifters would do well to lay off sex during the final week before a meet. As... Continue Reading →